Titus 1:6, 7 Elders Negatives

Titus 1:6, 7 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.  Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless – not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.

Here are the requirements for elders or overseers. The heading says that An elder must be blameless. This is repeated in verse 7. It means that with regard to family life he must be  faithful to his wife and a man whose children believe (better are trustworthy) and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.  Verse 7 gives five negatives and verse 8 six positives which we can look at again. The negatives are not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. People who are overbearing or who lose their tempers easily or get drunk or are violent or just looking to make money can never be effective elders. Rather, a receptive attitude, calmness, soberness, gentleness and a lack of interest in money are the sorts of qualities that will go a long way to enabling a man to be a blessing.