Self-Absorbed Hot Heads Need Not Apply

“He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered” (v7).

You’ve seen job postings on the web. They list various job requirements. Certain levels of education and degrees. Particular training. Specific skill sets. Even character qualities that an applicant should possess. Rarely does a potential employer let you know what they are NOT looking for. Not so with Paul. He doesn’t just give Titus a list of qualities God expects in spiritual leaders, he tells him what he doesn’t want. Right off the bat, he tells the Big T that self-absorbed hot heads need not apply.

Here’s the scene on the island of Crete. It’s around AD 62. The Gospel of Jesus is radically transforming lives around the Mediterranean rim. That includes this island just off the coast of Greece. God has used the Apostle Paul in a huge way to welcome people all across Crete into His kingdom. At this point, Paul has moved on, probably to the Grecian port city of Nicopolis (Titus 3:12). But there’s still plenty of work left to do. To wrap things up, the apostle has left his “go to” guy Titus. He has three things to do. First of all, find qualified spiritual leaders called “elders” to fill the leadership vacuum (Titus 1:5). Second, shut down and shut up the posse of false teachers that are wreaking havoc on the island (Titus 1:10-11). Third, establish a sustainable structure for discipleship among the followers of Jesus (Titus 2:1-10).

Paul instructs Titus to look for men of integrity to lead. These should be dudes who are “above reproach.” This is such a critical quality that he repeats himself (Titus 1:6-7). They are to be faithful husbands and fathers (Titus 1:6). As “overseers,” these elders are to keep watch over the spiritual welfare of the church (Titus 1:7). They need to remember that as “God’s steward,” they are not the boss. They are working for the Man. The God Man. 

Suddenly the apostle changes directions. He stops listing what God is looking for in His leaders and lets us know what He doesn’t want. “He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered” (v7). Hot heads and quick triggers need not apply. Paul uses the Greek word authades, which literally describes someone obsessed with pleasing themselves. You know the kind of person he’s talking about. Selfish. Self-absorbed. Self-obsessed. Egocentric. Somebody who lets you know they’re the most important person in the room. They’re constantly looking out for number one. Their wants and needs take priority over everything else. You might say they have an “I” problem. The only other time this word is used in the NT is when Peter warns believers about team of self-absorbed spiritual hucksters infiltrating local churches. These goobers “indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful (Gr. authades), they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones” (2Pet 2:10).

Yeah, these are NOT the leaders Jesus is looking for to lead His church. He’s after folks who’ve been radically transformed by His grace and understand who they would be without Him. When the Sons of Thunder attempted a power grab among the disciples, the Rabbi/Carpenter shut them down immediately. “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be the slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:43-45). Instead of “me first,” Jesus’ leaders are “me third.” God first. Others second. Me third. That’s not just what He’s looking for in His elders, but all believers. “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others as more significant than yourselves,. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil 2:3-4). In other words, be like Jesus (Phil 2:5-8). In the famous words of Rick Warren, “It’s not about you.”

The second character trait that will disqualify an elder candidate is being a hot head. A spiritual leader must not be “quick-tempered” (Gr. orgilos). This is somebody prone to anger. Given the pairing with the warning against arrogance, Paul is probably talking about folks who get mad when they don’t get their way. Whatever the case, there’s absolutely no place for folks in ministry leadership a hair trigger. That would be bad news, tennis shoes. King Solomon told his son not to stir things up, but cool them down. “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention” (Prov 15:18). Someone with a long fuse also “has great understanding” (Prov 14:29). Jesus’ kid brother James encourages believers to have a very, very long fuse. “Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). 

That doesn’t mean God can’t transform hot tempers into cool heads. Check out the kind of fruit God’s Spirit produces in the followers of Jesus. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Gal 5:22-23). God’s leaders aren’t locked and loaded, looking for a fight. They’re full of love and joy. They’re peaceful. They’re patient. They’re kind. They’re gentle. They have full control of their actions. 

This doesn’t mean that a leader shouldn’t have passion. This doesn’t mean that a leaders should never get angry. It does mean that he should be slow to anger. Like God. He should have a long fuse. Like God. Remember, that more than once Jesus got mad. Two different times He cleaned house at His Father’s temple (Lk 19:45-46; Jn 2:13-22). Over and over, the writers of the Old Testament describe our amazingly gracious and always loving God as “slow to anger” (Ex 34:6; Num 14:18; Neh 9:17; Ps 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Nah 1:3). God has temper. It just takes Him a long, loooooooooong time to lose it. It should be the same with leaders in the local church.

Self-absorbed hot heads need not apply.