Titus 1:16

“They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.” – Titus 1:16

Paul left Titus in Crete, the largest island of Greece, and gave him the task of appointing elders and leaders for the churches in each city. We also know that Titus was a Greek (Galatians 2:3). Yet the Book of Acts never tells us where, when, or how Paul first met him. Even so, Titus was clearly well known among the apostles, for he was with Paul in Galatia when Paul publicly confronted Peter (Galatians 2:1–3, 11–14).

We also do not know exactly when Paul first arrived in Crete, but his words in the book of Titus make it clear that he and Titus had been there together. When Paul said he ‘left’ Titus in Crete (Titus 1:5), it shows that they had ministered side by side, traveling through the island, evangelizing and strengthening the churches. We also to know Titus through Paul’s epistles, where his name appears again and again. Paul calls him his ‘partner and fellow worker’ (2 Corinthians 8:23) and speaks of how Titus encouraged and uplifted the believers (2 Corinthians 7:6–7, 13–14). Now Paul begins to give Titus the instructions he will need as how he will appoints leaders for the churches in Crete.

When Paul wrote, “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him”, he was describing a kind of person we all recognize, people who claim to know God, yet their lives show no evidence of Him. Their words say one thing, but their actions reveal something very different. Many claim to know the Lord, yet Jesus Himself said, “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matthew 7:16). Paul is teaching Titus that the way to discern whether someone truly knows God is by looking at the fruit of their life. The way a person lives is the evidence of God’s presence upon them. If we are truly children of God, then our character should reflect His character. Paul warned Titus to be cautious as he appointed elders in Crete, for leadership in the church must never rest on empty words but on lives that demonstrate the transforming power of God.

But how can a man or a woman be qualified to lead in the church according to God’s qualifications and not merely man’s qualifications?

Being qualified for church leadership has nothing to do with giftedness. Paul did not tell Titus, “Choose the most gifted men.” Gifts come from the Holy Spirit, “dividing to every man severally as He will” (1 Corinthians 12:11). God can give gifts in a moment we received Him, but godly character is formed over time through obedience, humility, and close fellowship with our LORD Jesus Christ.

What truly qualifies a man for leadership is godly character, and Paul gives clear qualifications in Titus 1:6–9. These are God’s requirements, not man’s. Yet today, many think a man is ready for ministry simply because he attended seminary or earned a degree from seminary. But Scripture does not say, “A bishop must be a graduate,” or, “He must be eloquent.” Paul taught that he must be blameless, sober-minded, just, holy, and holding fast the faithful word (Titus 1:6–9).

Being a smooth speaker does not qualify a man for leadership, for Paul said he came “not with excellency of speech” (1 Corinthians 2:1). Possessing natural or spiritual gifts does not qualify him either, for “though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels… and have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1–2). Even giving money or activeness in ministry does not make a man fit to shepherd God’s flock. These things may be good, but they are not the measure of a leader fit in God’s qualification.

A leader or member in the church must not only know God, for even the devil believes in God, yet his works are evil. As it is written, “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar” (1 John 2:4). The Word of God must be evident in the way we act, think, speak, and treat others. When a disciple truly knows the Lord, the Lord knows him as well, and His power begins to work in that person’s life. Transformation follows, because no one walks closely with Jesus and remains the same. As it is written, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Remember the disciples on the road to Emmaus after Jesus had risen, He walked with them and opened the Scriptures, and they said, “Did not our heart burn within us?” (Luke 24:32). This is what happens when we truly know and walk with our LORD Jesus Christ. Our hearts are stirred, our lives are changed, and godly character begins to take shape within us, because the Holy Spirit is already at work in us (Philippians 2:13).

This is where we begin to understand what Paul meant when he said such people are “abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work”. The word abominable carries the idea of being detestable, polluted, unclean, even defiled by idolatry. How can anyone lead the church of the living God if he has not truly known Him nor served Him with a pure heart? Scripture is filled with warnings of what happens when someone holds a position without walking with God. Consider the kings of Israel who led God’s people into idolatry. By turning their hearts from the one true God, they caused the nation to sin with them. And because they refused to repent and return to the LORD, Israel was taken away into captivity by the Assyrians.

The word disobedient means one who is unpersuadable, stubborn, unwilling to submit, or resistant to correction. How can a man lead God’s people into obedience if he himself refuses to obey the Lord? consider the life of king Saul? God gave him clear instructions, yet Saul chose partial obedience which is disobedience before God. When confronted, he justified his actions instead of repenting. Because he rejected the word of the LORD, the LORD rejected him from being king (1 Samuel 15:22–23). 

When these qualities are present, they make a person disqualified for every good work both within the church and outside of it. How many Christians, instead of drawing people closer to God, become a stumbling block that turns others away from believing in Him? And if this can happen among ordinary believers, how much more dangerous it is when it happens in the life of a leader. Leaders in the church are not called to hold a position to impress people or to appear spiritual before others. They are called to lead the people of God closer to Him, not farther away. Their lives must point others to our LORD Jesus Christ, not distract them from Him.