Monday, October 16
Blameless
Scripture: Titus 1
Titus 1:6–7 An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who cannot be charged with dissipation or rebellion. 7 For the overseer must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain.
Observation
Paul left Titus in Crete to appoint elders in every town. Note that there was only one church in each town, and there were multiple elders overseeing that church which most likely met in homes or public spaces. Paul tells Titus what to look for in an elder (or overseer in v. 7), and he begins with “blameless” and repeats it again in the next verse. Blameless…twice.
The word literally means “that which cannot be called into account,” then “one who cannot be accused of anything wrong” or “without accusation, blameless, irreproachable.”
What to make of this? It can’t mean perfection, for no one would qualify. It’s even hard to imagine a person that no one could accuse or blame for wrong—although I think Noel fit that description…and my mom…and my wife! So I do know some people that I would describe as blameless. (In fact, I can think of a number of people I’d describe as blameless…)
However, if you are a leader and making decisions, you will be blamed. Not everyone will agree with you. It goes with the territory. So perhaps “blameless” refers not to your leadership, but to your life, your character.
It’s something to aspire to for every Christian, for the word is used not only of leaders (elders, overseers, deacons: here and 1 Timothy 3:10) but also of Christians in general (1 Corinthians 1:8, Colossians 1:22).
Application
Most of the qualities listed for church leaders here are character, starting with blameless, beyond accusation. And most of the reasons church leaders fail have to do with character, rather than skills. It’s about who you are as a person more than how good you are at the tasks. (I’m not saying it’s either/or. You must be a good person; and you should be good at your job.)
So here’s the takeaway for me. If I want to maximize my impact and influence, I must live like an open book, blamelessly. Eliminate anything that is blameworthy, that could discredit my witness for Christ.
Prayer: Lord, I love You and I want to be this kind of person—blameless. Beyond accusation. Please make me a man of character and substance…like Jesus.
More: Ezekiel 25-26, Matthew 28