Titus 1:6 continued by C Kolstad

Procedure
This post will focus in on only one of the major qualifications for an elder; namely what does Paul mean by the phrase, “having children who believe?”
The following 2 major positions will be carefully evaluated:
1. Paul means that an elder must lead all of his children to Lord, thus all of his family must be “saved” (believing) in order for him to serve as an elder.
2. Paul means that an elder must demonstrate reasonable control over his children, thus all of his family must be “faithful” (obedient) in order for him serve as an elder.

The Controversy
The major disagreement between biblical scholars is whether or not the Greek words, te,kna e;cwn pista, should be translated “children who believe” or if phrase should be rendered “faithful children.” In other words, was Paul saying that in order for a man to serve as an elder his children must be saved; or was he saying that in order to lead an elder must have obedient and respectful children? Is this a contrast between believing and unbelieving children or is it a contrast between obedient (controlled) and rebellious (uncontrolled) children? This is a major issue because one’s interpretation of this passage could possible disqualify many pastors and elders from the office of overseer. Good exegesis and proper hermeneutics must be employed in order to avoid the emotional basis that normally goes into this debate.

Children Who Believe
Robert Saucy holds that the personal belief (faith) and the conduct (life) of an elder’s family should be carefully evaluated to determine if a man is qualified to be an elder. He writes, “His children must be under his control in all dignity to qualify him to lead in church affairs (1 Timothy 3:4-5). They should (also) share the faith of their father and adorn that faith with godly lives (Titus 1:6).” In other words, a perspective elder needs to have brought all his family to the Lord in order to serve in this office.
How exactly does a child’s decision to follow Christ and the pattern of his/her life reflect the leadership of a potential elder? According to MacArthur a man who cannot lead his own family morally and spiritually is not qualified to lead an entire congregation. A qualified elder will shepherd his family in such a way that they will become an example for all people to see and to model. “If you want to know if he is able to lead the unsaved to faith in Christ and to help them grow in obedience and holiness, simply examine the effectiveness of his efforts with his own children.” Those who can not faithfully shepherd and lead there own children to the Lord are not best qualified in leading others to the Lord. One must consider if this line of thinking is consistent theologically; Can (or should) parents be accountable for their children’s belief or unbelief in Christ? Does the genuine salvation of an elder’s child prove he is a faithful spiritual leader at home? Conversely, are those elder’s who have unbelieving children unfaithful spiritual leaders at home?
Those who believe Paul is referring to believing children take the word pista to mean “believing”. This term is what is translated as “believing” in most translations and in its basic form is an adjectival word. In some cases, the word can mean believer or believing one, that is, faithful to God. MacArthur notes, “It is significant that, except for this sometimes disputed text (Titus 1:6), it always is used of people whom the context clearly identifies as believers (e.g., Matthew 25:21, 23; Acts 16:15; 1 Cor. 4:2, 17; Eph 6:21; Col 1:7; 4:7; Rev. 2:10, 13; 17:14).” MacArthur would argue that only the passive form of pistos should be interpreted “faithful”, while actively it means “to believe” as most Bible translations render Titus 1:6.
In seeking to apply this verse the Council of Carthage stated that all bishops, elders, and deacons would not be ordained to office until they first made all in their own households members of the Catholic Church. Hendrickson plainly puts it this way, “A man whose children are still pagans or behave as pagans must not be appointed elder (Eph. 5:18).”
J. Harold Greenlee points out that this does not mean elders must have children, only if the do that they must be saved. One could assume the majority of candidates would be married and Paul may have even preferred married men because of their experience in shepherding and leading a family unit (1 Timothy 3:5). This of course did not disqualify a married man with no children or even a single man.
If Titus 1:6 is to be understood as believing children, does this verse apply only to those children still under the authority of the home? Does Titus 1:6 also pertain to adult children who have grown up and no longer live under their parent’s authority? John MacArthur distinguishes Titus 1:6 and 1 Timothy 3:4 by indicating that the former observes older children while the latter looks at young children in the home. Paul refers to Titus (a grown man), as his “true child” (te,kna) in the faith (Titus 1:4). If this is the case then this passage may indeed extend to older children outside the home. In the Greek, the term, te,kna, can refer to a child of any age and not just a younger child.
It would appear the following reference to dissipation and rebellion (avswti,aj h' avnupo,takta) would better characterize an older child. The Greek word (avswti,aj) is used of the prodigal son in Luke 15:13. It carries the idea of profligacy and even of rioting (as the KJV translates this word). The word avnupo,takta carries many negative connotations including insubordination and personal rebellion. In this context the word clearly portrays the idea of a child rebelling against his parental authority. This behavior would be more consistent with that of a older, unbelieving child.
Ellicott summarizes all this claiming Christian elders “were not to have heathen, Judaizing, or merely nominally-believing children.” Many bible scholars and commentators believe that te,kna e;cwn pista, should be carefully translated “children who believe.” Those candidates who have (older) unbelieving children are considered disqualified.