“but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined” (v8)
The evil twin is a handy device for literature, movies, and TV. Let’s face it, it’s not REALLY a soap opera until somebody’s evil twin shows up. And you can always recognize the diabolical doppleganger. They look EXACTLY like the hero except for a scar, eyepatch, or goatee. If they’re really nasty, they’ll have two out of the three. If they have all of them (I like to call that the Triple Crown of Evil!), look out, baby! Game on!
(Before we go any further, let me apologize to anyone who has a goatee who is NOT an evil twin. Back in the sixties and seventies, folks didn’t see this kind of facial hair as the mark of a disaffected member of Gen X or a youth pastor or even a worship leader. In full disclosure, I have a goatee. While I’ve got my issues, I’m pretty sure I’m not an evil twin.)
The idea of the hero and his evil twin has been around a long, long time. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul tells Titus the things to look out for when selecting elders in the local church. In Titus 1:7, he lets him know that dudes might look like good candidates at first but make sure they aren’t “arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain.” In other words, just in case they don’t have the telltale scar, eyepatch, or goatee, these qualities are dead giveaways of the evil twin. The apostle goes on to tell the Big T the positive traits that are elders should possess instead. He must be “hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined” (v8). These are the positives to the evil twin’s negatives.
This is a huge help to Titus. Paul has left his go-to guy on the island of Crete with a three-point plan. The gracious Good News has completely jacked up the joint. There are followers of Jesus in every city and town. There’s a leadership vacuum. There are false teachers twisting the Gospel. There’s no current sustainable structure to make sure future followers know what it means to believe in God. That’s what Titus is there to do. Find qualified leaders for local churches (Titus 1:5). Shut down the spiritual snake oil salesmen (Titus 1:10-11). Establish a system of discipleship for new believers (Titus 2:1-10). Once he wraps that up and reinforcements arrive, hop on a boat to join Paul in the Greek seaport of Nicopolis (Titus 3:12).
After telling the Big T what the evil twins are like, the apostle goes back to describing the elders that Jesus is looking for to lead and serve His church. While it’s important to know how to ID evil twins, it’s much more critical to know what our hero really looks like. When the Secret Service trains agents to spot counterfeit money, they teach them what the legit cash looks like. They don’t waste a lot of time on detecting phony Benjamins. It’s all about recognizing the real deal. While it’s great to know what characteristics identify bad leaders, it’s much more important to know what to look for in the good ones.
While being an evil twin is all about the guy with the goatee in the mirror, an elder puts himself in third place. God first. Others second. Me third. First of all, godly spiritual leader is “hospitable.” That just means he opens not just his home but his heart to others. Paul goes on to describe him as a “lover of good” (v8). This is the Greek word philagathos, which means loving goodness, friend of good men, or one who is tireless in activities prompted by love. A couple of other translators take a run at putting this trait into English. “[He must be] a lover of goodness [of good people and good things]” (v8 AMP). An elder “must love all that is good” (v8 NLT). He must “be helpful” (v8 The Message). Leaders in the local church have a burning passion for what is good for God’s people. Jesus is looking for a few good men who love good stuff.
The next series of qualities for elders speak to God’s work of restraint and discipline in their lives. They are “self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined” (v8). They are not out of control, breaking the law, and acting like everyone else in society. Paul points out that spiritual leaders are “self-controlled (Gr. sophrona)” (v8). He uses a compound word that literally means to “rescue (so-) the mind (-phrona).” An elder is no longer driven by his flesh. God has broken him free from the slavery of simply doing what feels good. It’s no surprise that Paul tells his boy Tim to look for the same kind of leader who is “sober-minded, self-controlled (Gr. sophrona)” (1Tim 3:2). They should be sensible, modest, discreet, and sober. This doesn’t mean that they never drink alcohol. It does mean that liquor doesn’t control them. God’s Spirit does. They’re not ruled and addicted to anything other than Jesus. That’s because God has rescued their mind.
The Lord isn’t limiting self-control to those in leadership. He’s gives it everyone He saves. Later, Paul tells Titus that “older men are to be sober-minded (Gr. sophrona), self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness” (Titus 2:2). Young ladies should be taught “to be self-controlled (Gr. sophrona), pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled” (Titus 2:5). God’s overflowing grace is “training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled (Gr. sophronas), upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). And that only happens when the Holy Spirit is producing fruit in your life (Gal 5:22-23). In other words, elders should be everyday examples of godly self-control to the rest of the church.
Paul goes on to say that our spiritual leaders must be “upright” (Gr. dikaios). In the most basic way, they are innocent, law-abiding citizens. They don’t play fast and loose with rules and regs. Elders obey not just the letter of the law but the spirit of the law as well. But there’s something much, much deeper here. This describes someone who is conforming to God’s standard. They lead the way in following Jesus and His commands. Our elders should be men who have come to understand that God wants His best for us and the abundant life only happens when we’re obedient to His instructions.
It’s no surprise that our spiritual leaders should be “holy” (Gr. hosios). Sure, this means somebody undefiled by sin. But holiness is so much more than purity. Being holy is being set apart and completely different than everybody else in our culture. You look different. You act different. You stand out because of Who you stand for. Our elders should stand out from culture’s crowd because they are dedicated to serving Jesus and not themselves.
The apostle tells Titus to keep his eyes peeled for men who are “disciplined” (Gr. egkrates). It’s the only time this word appears in the entire Bible. I’m not sure most Bible translators really give us a good idea of the depth and power of the original language. The Greek word describes somebody who has rippling power and strength over their lives. They refuse to be mastered by anything but the Master. They are strong and able to exhibit great restraint. They don’t fly off the handle. They’re completely and totally focused, refusing to be pulled away from the mission of Jesus. Because of the work of God’s Spirit in their lives, these leaders are an irresistible force for the cause of Christ.
Don’t be fooled by the evil twin. They may not have a scar. They might not be wearing an eyepatch. They may not have even grown a goatee. Instead look for godly leaders who want what’s best for God’s people. Look for godly leaders who put the needs of others ahead of their own. Look for godly leaders who stand out from the crowd. Look for godly leaders who are in control of their lives.
Don’t be fooled by the evil twin.
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