Get a Grip

“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” (v9).

A firm grip is so important in many sports. Hitters in baseball wear gloves and use pine tar to swing a bat. The pitcher holds the ball with various grips to throw a variety of pitches. How the golfers position their hands on the club is critical to their swing. Basketball players do everything they can to hang on to the rock. Here in his letter to Titus, the Apostle Paul lets him know that leaders in the local church need to have a firm grip as well. Elders must hold tightly and properly to God’s Word. They have to teach. They have to correct. In order to do that, they must get a grip.

Before we dig deeper, let’s make sure we’ve got a grip on what’s happening in the bigger picture. The Good News of Jesus has radically transformed people all across the Mediterranean island of Crete. After moving on to the Greek city of Nicopolis (Titus 3:12), Paul has put Titus in charge of the next phase of the project. There are three critical items on the to-do list. Now that there are tons of new believers, they desperately need leaders (Titus 1:5). False teachers are distracting folks from following Jesus and must be shut down (Titus 1:10-11). Finally, set up a replicating system of teaching folks what it means to grow in a meaningful relationship with their Savior (Titus 2:1-10).

Paul lets Titus know exactly what kind of leaders God is looking for in His church (Titus 1:6-8). Men of integrity. Men who are above suspicion. Faithful husbands and fathers. Men looking out for the welfare of those in their care. Dudes who who realize they eventually report to Jesus. They must not be self-absorbed hot heads who are drunk and violent. They can’t be greedy leaders. Just the opposite, elders must be “hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined” (Titus 1:8). In other words, they must have a firm grip on their own lives. 

The apostle wraps up his list of “must haves” by telling Titus they must be teachers. They must be good teachers. An elder must have a firm grasp on who Jesus is, what He has done, and who we are. “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught” (v9). Paul uses the Greek verb antecho, which means to cling to, hold tightly, be devoted to, adhere to, or be loyal to. When Jesus taught folks that they can’t have a tie at the top of their priority list, He said we must hold tightly onto one or the other. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted (Gr. antecho) to the one and despise the other” (Mt 6:24; Lk 16:13). An elder must have a handle on what he’s been taught. He must get a grip on God’s Word.

Spiritual leaders must grab tightly onto the “trustworthy word” (v9). Before you grip it and rip it, you want to make sure you’re squeezing the right thing. Paul reminds Titus that we can put complete trust in God’s Word. It’s totally true. It’s completely faithful. It’s absolutely dependable. It’s entirely reliable. In his letter to his other protege Timothy, the apostle reminds him that God personally inspired every single word of it (2Tim 3:16). The Gospel can be trusted because Jesus can be trusted. Don’t forget that one of the nicknames for the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter is the Word (Jn 1:1). To trust in Jesus is to trust in who He is and what He’s done. He lived the perfect life that I should have lived. He died the brutal death for my sin that I should have died. He rose to a glorious new life that I don’t deserve. But when I trust in Him, I can be absolutely sure in what He’s done that I could never do. I can take it to the bank. It’s a stone cold, lead pipe lock. It’s a sure thing. It’s a done deal. That’s the truth that each one of us much get a grip on. Hold tightly to the Gospel because the Gospel is holding tightly to you! 

Get a grip. And if you’re an elder, make that a kung fu grip.