Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: September 7, 2008
“HAVING FAITHFUL CHILDREN” (Part 2)
Ben Justice
[CONTINUATION OF LAST WEEK]
THE USE OF PISTOS IN I & II TIMOTHY & TITUS
Pistos is found a total of 16 times in the books of I & II Timothy and Titus. The word is used both ways in
these books, as defined above (see last week’s article). Most of the time, the word refers to a Christian.
Note the following scriptures:
I Tim. 1:12 – “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful
(pistos), putting me into the ministry;” The word “faithful” refers to Paul’s reliability and trustworthiness.
Christ counted Paul as a trustworthy person. Hence, he put Paul “into the ministry.” The term “ministry”
refers to Paul’s apostleship.
I Tim. 1:15 – “This is a faithful (pistos) saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” This saying was “faithful,” that is “true and reliable.”
I Tim. 3:11 – “Even so their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful (pistos) in all things.” This refers
to the wives of deacons. They must be “faithful in all things.” In other words, they must be trustworthy and
reliable. The deacon’s wife must be “trustworthy” in all respects.
I Tim. 4:3 – “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God created to be received
with thanksgiving of them which believe (pistos) and know the truth.” In the Greek NT, the definite article
“the” precedes the word “believe.” It is more literally, “the believers.” Obviously, this means, “Christians.”
The expression “know the truth” is proof that Paul means “Christians.”
I Tim. 4:9 – “This is a faithful (pistos) saying and worthy of all acceptation.” See comment under I Tim. 1:15
above.
I Tim. 4:10 – “For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the
Savior of all men, specially of those that believe (pistos).” The contrast between “all men” and “those that
believe” make it clear that Paul is referring to “Christians” in the latter phrase.
I Tim. 4:12 – “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers (pistos), . . .” Again,
“believers” refer to “Christians.”
I Tim. 5:16 – “If any man or woman that believeth (pistos) have widows, let them relieve them, . . .” Again,
the term “believeth” refers to a Christian. Paul is speaking of any Christian man or Christian woman who
have widows.
I Tim. 6:2 – “And they that have believing (pistos) masters, let them not despise them, because they are
brethren; . . .” The term “brethren” makes it irrefutably evident that “believing masters” refer to “Christian
masters.”
2 Tim. 2:2 – “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to
faithful (pistos) men, who shall be able to teach others also.” “Faithful” in this passage refers to reliable
and trustworthy men. No doubt, Christians are in view, but only those who are trustworthy are to teach
others. These are Christian men, nonetheless.
2 Tim. 2:11 – “It is a faithful (pistos) saying: . . .” See comments above on I Tim. 1:15.
2 Tim. 2:13 – “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful (pistos): he cannot deny himself.” In this passage,
Paul speaks of God as being “faithful.” This speaks of God’s character. It is one of complete
trustworthiness – God will keep his word and promises.
Titus 1:9 – “Holding fast the faithful (pistos) word . . .” Paul is speaking of the reliable and trustworthy word
of God.
Titus 3:8 – “This is a faithful (pistos) saying, . . .”
It is clear that the Greek term pistos is used to refer to a Christian. The exception to this is that the word
many times is used to denote “reliability” and “trustworthiness.” But, here is a very important point: Even
though the word “faithful” is used many times to denote a person’s trustworthiness and reliability,
whenever it speaks of a person, it always means and has reference to one who is a “Christian.” The word
refers to people who are “in Christ.” To be in Christ is to be a Christian (cf. Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27).
AN EXEGESIS OF TITUS 1:6
Again, Titus 1:6 states, “If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful (pistos) children not
accused of riot or unruly.”
As noted above, many other translations have the word “believe” or “believers.” This indicates that the
translators obviously believed that “Christians” were under consideration and simply not “reliable” and
“trustworthy” children.
Now, if we adopt “trustworthiness” as the meaning of “faithful”, it would indicate a relationship of the child
to his father, suggesting one of trustworthiness and loyalty. But, as noted in the numerous scriptures
listed above, the word can most assuredly mean “Christian.” And, as also noted above, even when the word
“faithful” is used in referring to a person – that is, a human being – a Christian is still meant. The only
exception would be the reference to Moses in Heb. 3:5, who lived under the Mosaical economy. But, even
Moses belonged to God under that system of Law.
It is not my intention to exegete the first part of Titus 1:6, but rather the latter half. We have already
thoroughly discussed the word “faithful.” Let’s consider the terms “riot” and “unruly.”
These are characteristics that have to do with the “faithful children.” A study of these two words clearly
indicate that they could not refer to little children. One writer stated, “But these are words that no Greek
would ever use of little children under the age of accountability” (Roy H. Lanier, Sr., “20 Years of The
Problem Page” — Vol. 1, Pg. 60).
The term “riot” is from asotia, and functions as an adjective. Thayer defines the word as, “an abandoned,
dissolute life; profligacy, prodigality” (J.H. Thayer, “The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon,” # 810, Pg.
82). The word is also used in I Pet. 4:4 – “Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the
same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:” The original word is used in Eph. 5:18 and is translated as
“excess.” The corresponding adverb, asotos, is translated “riotous” in Luke 15:13 to refer to the prodigal son,
who wasted his inheritance on “riotous living.” Instead of “not accused of riot,” one translation has, “not
open to the charge of being profligate.” Concerning this term, one writer wrote,
It seems safe to conclude that children who are old enough to conduct themselves in such a manner are
also old enough to obey the gospel and to embrace the Christian faith, with its moral demands (Carl Spain,
“The Letters of Paul to Timothy & Titus,” Pg. 170).
The term “unruly” is from anupotaktos, literally meaning, “not subject to rule” (W.E. Vine, “Vine’s
Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words,” Pg. 653). The term is found 3 other times in
the NT. It is translated as “disobedient” in I Tim. 1:9, “unruly” in Titus 1:10, and “that is not put under
him” in Heb. 2:8. The use of this word in this passage, and in other passages, “suggests that they are old
enough to fulfill the ethical requirements of the Christian life” (Carl Spain, Ibid., Pg. 170).
These two graphic words used to describe these children make it clear that Paul has in mind those children
who are older and who have reached the age of accountability. The late and scholarly brother Roy H. Lanier
makes some excellent comments along these lines. In speaking of the prodigal son engaged in riotous
living, he states, “His type of living and the way he squandered his money on harlots is not something one
would expect to find in little children” (Ibid.) Concerning the term “unruly” brother Lanier stated,
When Paul talks about children who are “disobedient to parents,” he uses apeithees. And when he read that Jesus learned
obedience by the things he suffered, this same word is used. Paul would never use the word in Titus 1:6 to describe little children
who disobey their parents. Hence, we conclude that the children that believe mentioned in this text are children old enough to be
accused of such action as the prodigal son, or as the “unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers,” who went around overthrowing
whole houses by their false doctrines which they taught “for filthy lucre’s sake” (Titus 1:10), but who were so well controlled by their
fathers that no one did accuse them of such (Ibid.).
Brother Lanier concludes by declaring, “For these and other reasons, we conclude that when Paul said a
man must have ‘believing children’ before he can serve as an elder, he meant that these children must be
Christians” (Ibid.).
[WILL CONTINUE NEXT WEEK]