In Titus 1:7-9, Paul lists the qualities needed for leadership in the church; it’s interesting to see that these qualities have more to do with character than competence. As always with God, being must come before doing. One of the qualities listed is being able to hold ‘firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught.’
It’s important for us all to realise that the message of the gospel is trustworthy, because God Himself is trustworthy (i.e. worthy of our trust.) There are many trustworthy words in the Bible (e.g. ‘Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’ 1 Timothy 1:15); we are told that ‘all Your commands are trustworthy.’ (Ps 119:86) John tells us twice in the book of Revelation that ‘these words are trustworthy and true.’ (Rev 21:5, Rev 22:6) We live in a cynical age which finds it hard to trust anything that is said, but a life of faith must involve us holding firmly to the trustworthy message we have been taught.
