‘Holding fast’ – do you see the implication there? Holding fast. ‘Paul, why does Titus need to appoint people who will hold fast?’ Because the word of truth and the faithful word will be under attack. People will constantly come along with novelties, with innovations, with corrupt versions, with foolish interpretations. Maybe everyone else goes after it, and you will be left out. You be one of a small number who stand for the obvious interpretation and message of Scripture. Don't be swayed by your peers if they are all going after something which is wrong. ‘Hold fast’; cling on as tightly as you can to the word of God, and that alone, because you are going to be in a battle. Read too fast, and you miss the words ‘holding fast’.
The faithful word. ‘As he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine’ – not by his own inherent authority, but by the teaching of the word – ‘both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.’ That is, to exhort, to encourage and appeal to; or to convince, to reason with, all who would contradict, gainsayers, contradictors. These qualifications are worthy of careful study by us all. Verses 6 to 8 really apply to all of us, and that is how we should read them. But they do apply to elders as qualifications. That is the work of Titus: to bring about independent churches in every city with such elders, and those are the standards of the Christian life for us.