From My Study: What the Pastoral Epistles Mean for You

In all of us there is a gap that persists between our lifestyle and the teachings of Scripture we consistently imbibe. That gap is inevitable, but for the Christian it is perpetually closing, because of the work of the Spirit sanctifying us. And yet we cooperate with the Spirit through faith and repentance. Let us all, with God’s help, seek to align our lives to the Scriptures. 

Lately, between my personal studies and my discipleship group Bible study, I have been spending a good deal of time in the pastoral epistles: 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. They are called the pastoral epistles because they are addressed to two young pastors (Timothy and Titus) about ministry and church life. 

But just because they are written to pastors doesn’t mean they lack relevance for non-pastors. You really ought to think of the pastoral epistles as letters to pastors about you: about God’s will for churches, about the marks of maturity in a church, about how we are to relate to one another, and so forth. They are leadership instructions that ultimately will (or should) be applied to you. 

I’d like to share three themes that have caught my attention as I’ve been studying these books, and which are relevant for all of us. 

The need for elders 

Both 1 Timothy and Titus offer several lengthy treatments concerning the office of elder, whether their qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9), their honor and compensation (1 Tim. 5:17–18), bringing charges against them (1 Tim. 5:19), or the need for elders in the first place (Titus 1:5). 

It’s that last matter that I want to highlight. Paul instructs Titus:

“This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—”

Titus was stationed in Crete to usher fledgling church plants toward rootedness and maturity. And the first order of business? Appoint elders in the churches. This shows us that elders are necessary for a church’s maturation. In fact, in our denomination, a church plant transitions from a “mission church” to a self-sustaining, “particularized” church precisely when it appoints and installs its own elders. 

Elders are needed for the good order of churches. But why? That leads to the next theme.

Teaching that accords with godliness

Paul’s primary concern in all three pastoral letters is that a church would be instructed in teaching that accords with godliness (1 Timothy 1:10–11; 4:7–8; 4:16; 6:3; 2 Timothy 1:13; 2:15–16; 3:10, 16–17; Titus 1:1, 9; 2:1, 10). You can see from how extensive this list is that godly conduct is a major concern for Paul, and that it is bound necessarily to right teaching. He insists that the two go together, so that:

• Godly living adorns the gospel (Titus 2:10)

• Right teaching promotes godly living (Titus 1:1) 

• Sin is contrary to sound doctrine (1 Tim 1:10–11)

• False teaching leads people astray (Titus 1:13–16) 

And this brings us back to the need for qualified elders. If a church needs elders for maturity, and a church’s maturity is measured by its living according to sound teaching, then it follows that an elder’s main task is to lead out in right teaching and godly living. An elder’s basic qualifications boil down to his ability to do just that. You can group the qualifications around character and competency to teach:

Character: 

[you may appoint an elder if he is] above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 

Competency to teach 

He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. (Titus 1:6–9; and Paul explicitly adds in 1 Timothy 3:1, “able to teach”) 

A man may be an elder if his life and character are above reproach and if he holds firm to the word. That’s life and doctrine, character and competency. A pattern of life consistent with sound doctrine. 

This qualification is especially incumbent upon teaching elders (pastors), which brings me to my last theme. 

“As for you …” 

Five different times across these letters, Paul speaks directly to Titus or Timothy to urge them to a manner of life entirely different from false teachers or those being deceived:

• “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” (1 Tim 6:11)

• “But you have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life…” (2 Tim 3:10)

• “But as for you, continue in what you have learned…” (2 Tim 3:14)

• “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering…” (2 Tim 4:5)

• “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” (Titus 2:1) 

Pastors and elders, but especially pastors, are to stand above the fray, to lead out in the pursuit of godliness and pure teaching.

Recently I was discussing 1 Timothy 6 with our interns. We had read the chapter and were reflecting together on its themes, and it occurred to me that Paul was essentially calling Timothy to outpace his age. Timothy was a young pastor. He is being called here to a spiritual maturity beyond his years. I was, as the youths say, “Shook.” (Do they still say that?) Seeing as I too am a young pastor, I felt convicted to pick up the pace in my pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness.

Some Applications

I said at the top that the pastoral epistles are written to pastors about their churches. That’s still the case today. As far as application goes, these are letters written to your pastors and elders about you. So how can you apply these themes? I will leave you with three: 

1. Please pray for us. 

We are working for your maturity. Certainly we don’t always get it right, and we have our own immaturity to contend with. Praise God that his strength is made perfect in our weakness, so that he gets the glory! Nevertheless, please pray for our maturity and godliness, for our skill in teaching and shepherding and rebuking and modeling, and for our courage in defending this congregation from false teaching. By these efforts we promote the health and maturity of this church.

2. Please close your ears to false doctrine. 

By giving ear to silly myths and ideologies, many have wandered from the faith. This is gravely serious. Join us in our efforts to put away false teaching from among us. Listen discerningly to what you let into your heart and mind through books, podcasts, movies, TV, social media, etc. Probe those ideologies to discern their fruit, and if it’s bad fruit, stay far from them. 

3. Please match your living to sound doctrine. 

In all of us there is a gap that persists between our lifestyle and the teachings of Scripture we consistently imbibe. That gap is inevitable, but for the Christian it is perpetually closing, because of the work of the Spirit sanctifying us. And yet we cooperate with the Spirit through faith and repentance. Let us all, with God’s help, seek to align our lives to the Scriptures. 

I hope these reflections on my own study have edified you. May God continue to grow you as you encounter his word for yourself, and may we all together pursue the good order and maturity of our church—for his glory.