Foundations of Godly Men (A Titus Reading Plan)Sample

Character

“An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion. As an overseer of God’s household, he must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:6-9, CSB).

The starting place for cultivating manly character is the pursuit of blamelessness. It is striving, by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to live a life of integrity. It is a call to acknowledge your faults, say you're sorry, repent often, and make things right. It is a call to invite those closest to you to speak into your life and humbly receive what they say. It is a call to strive to live like a growing believer in the Lord Jesus Christ in every area of life—both public and private.

After laying the foundation of blamelessness in Titus 1, Paul gives a list of 11 qualities—five negatives, and six positives. Depending on the version you are using, these qualities will be referred to with slightly different words, but as you read them carefully, you will notice that they all demand one greater quality, a quality that is mentioned twice in Titus 1:8. It says that a godly man is "self-controlled" and "disciplined" (NIV).

Just look at the five negative qualities that Paul says destroy a man's character: arrogant, quick-tempered, drunkard, violent, and greedy for gain. Although each one of those deserves our careful consideration, the over-arching issue is the lack of self-control. You cannot begin building any depth of character without the cultivation of self-control.

These are the six positive qualities Paul lists: hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, and self-controlled. The goal is not just to be a good man. The goal is to be a godly man. The goal is to manifest the life of Jesus Christ to everyone who is around you. And you don’t become like Jesus by passively hoping it happens. You become like Jesus as you seek to trust and follow Him every day, making the character of Jesus your greatest pursuit. You must cultivate your inner man because your inner man is the man you really are.