Titus 1:8,9 - Encourage others by sound doctrine

1:8

We now return to positive characteristics. He must be hospitable. A good elder as well as knowing and understanding the truth has to be able to interact with people. He is not to be some sort of aloof person. Welcoming people is important. If we look at Jesus we see that one of His characteristics is that He likes people! The elder must love what is good and needs to be self-controlled. He needs to be holy. This is not a “holier than thou” attitude, but a dedication to the Lord. Living his life for God is the dominant motive in his life.

1:9

We now come to the doctrinal bit. He needs to hold firmly to the gospel, there can be no flakiness. The church is founded on the truth of the gospel. We have no foundation other than Christ. “As it has been taught”. The gospel does not develop. Our understanding of it may develop, but the message remains the same. The reason an elder needs to hold firmly to the gospel is so he can encourage others. And how do we encourage others? By sound doctrine. Doctrine matters, it affects lives. Bad doctrine corrupts and destroys lives, so an elder needs to be able to refute false teaching.