Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: September 14, 2008
“HAVING FAITHFUL CHILDREN” (Part 3)
Ben Justice
[CONTINUATION OF LAST WEEK]
THE TESTIMONY OF OTHERS
Although there are some Biblical expositors who do not believe that Paul meant a Christian, it is
nonetheless the case that the overwhelming view is in favor of Christians from those without and within
the church.
Those Out Of The Church
R.C.H. Lenski – “. . . Paul wants only men who have believing children, . . ., not men whose sons and whose
daughters are still pagans. A handicap such as that would be too great for an elder.”
W.E. Vine – “not simply ‘faithful,’ as in the A.V., (KJV – BJ) but actually believers.” In other words,
“Christians.”
The Beacon Bible Commentary states, “But Paul goes beyond this in insisting that in Crete men who are set
apart for the office of elder must have been successful in commending the Christian faith to their children.”
Those In The Church
Robert R. Taylor, Jr. – “They are to be faithful to him and faithful to God as Christians.”
Bobby Duncan wrote,
There would be difficulty involved in judging an elder’s children to be faithful to him if they are not indeed
faithful to Christ. It is doubtful that a child not yet old enough to be a Christian would be old enough to be
judged as unfaithful or disloyal to his father. If he is old enough to be a Christian, and remains in
disobedience to Christ, how could he be loyal to his father, who aspires to the eldership?
E.R. Harper stated,
A man whose wife and children are not members of the church cannot qualify as an elder of the church. No
little trouble in the church is because this one qualification is ignored and men are selected whose wives
cause trouble and whose children are unfaithful. When you try to lead and direct people under such
conditions they mock you and resent your trying to tell them how to live when your own family is in such a
condition.
CONCLUSION
The evidence is clear and undeniable. Paul meant that an elder’s children must be Christians. Faithful and
sound brethren have always taught this. This is so because it is the truth. Anything else constitutes false
doctrine. In stating that the phrase in Titus 1:6 means a Christian, the words of Lanier are appropriate in
conclusion: “This is the safe, sane, and scriptural view; why not be satisfied to stay with it?”
MAN’S DUTY TO “PROVE ALL THINGS”
B.C. Goodpasture
Men are prone to go to extremes. This has always been true. Paul seems to have been guarding against this
tendency when he wrote, "Despise not prophesyings; prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1
Thess. 5:20-21). In his day, there were those who claimed to "prophesy" by the Spirit, and did; and there
were those who claimed to "prophesy" by the Spirit and did not. The result was that, at least, some
"despised" all "prophesyings" by reason of the false claims of the pretenders. Such a wholesale rejection of
all "prophesyings" was unreasonable and unsafe. It was wrong. It is not right either to reject the true
because some is false or to accept the false because some is true. Paul indicated the safe course: "Prove
all things; hold fast that which is good." If there had been no evil mixed with the good, the admonition to
"prove all things" and to "hold fast that which is good" would not have been necessary.
What is the meaning of the word "prove?" In this connection it cannot mean that the genuineness of "all
things" is to be established, for the simple reason that the "all things" to be "proved" are not all genuine. It
rather signifies to try, to put to the test. The word is employed elsewhere in the New Testament in this
sense (Luke 14:19). It means that we should examine everything we hear before we receive it or reject it,
as the case may be. At this point, Adam Clarke said, "Whatever ye hear in these 'prophesyings' or
preachings, examine by the words of Christ, and by the doctrines which, from time to time, we have
delivered unto you in our preaching and writings. Try the spirits — the different teachers — by the word of
God."
In the words of the prophet, "To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this
word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). The conduct of the Bereans was in keeping with
the spirit of the command under consideration, for we read, "Now these were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the
scriptures daily, whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11 ASV). The people of Berea put what they
heard to the test, using the scriptures as their standard of examination. They acted rightly and wisely.
Why will people not do the same today? It is common for the message of a modern preacher to be accepted
without thought, testing or investigation by those who are his friends religiously, and just as common for
the same message to be rejected, without consideration, by his prejudiced religious enemies. These two
unreasonable extremes are two of the most unmitigated curses of Christendom.
Let it be observed that this passage which allows the right also enjoins the duty of proving, testing, and
investigating what is heard. It does not permit one to be an indifferent and passive listener. This some
seem to prefer. They attend the services, not to be taught, not to bring into use any faculty of discernment
or testing, but to be impressed, and that without effort on their part.
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many
false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1 ASV). All professed Christians should
endeavour to become "fullgrown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to
discern good and evil" (Heb. 5:14).
Source: www.gospelpreceptor.com