Titus 1:7 (DRB)

Passage

For a bishop must be without crime, as the steward of God: not proud, not subject to anger, nor given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre:

Nearby Context

Titus 1:5 For this cause I left thee in Crete: that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting and shouldest ordain priests in every city, as I also appointed thee:

Titus 1:6 If any be without crime, the husband of one wife. having faithful children, not accused of riot or unruly.

Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be without crime, as the steward of God: not proud, not subject to anger, nor given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre:

Titus 1:8 But given to hospitality, gentle, sober, just, holy, continent:

Titus 1:9 Embracing that faithful word which is according to doctrine, that he may be able to exhort in sound doctrine and to convince the gainsayers.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bishop", "must", "without", "crime", "steward", "proud", "subject", and "anger". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bishop" and "must", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "If any be without crime the husband..." into verse 8's "But given to hospitality gentle sober just...", so "bishop" and "must" belong inside that flow. In Titus context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "bishop" and "must" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.