A Study of the Book of Titus
Sermon # 2
“Qualities of a Sound Church”
Titus 2:1-10
You will remember that the apostle Paul left Titus on the island of Crete to “set in order the things that are lacking and appoint elders in
every city…” (Titus 1:5). So Titus is given the job of seeing that the
churches grow in spiritual maturity to the point that pastors can be set in place. Paul
first outlines a general principle concerning spiritual growth and then he gave Titus
specific instructions concerning the behavior expected of the various age groups that make
up the church. Paul not wanted them to live holy lives in order that they are able to
preserve a powerful testimony to the community around them. He wanted a healthy,
well-balanced group of believers who could clearly and attractively present the gospel to
their lost friends and neighbors.
GENERAL
PRINCIPLE (2:1)
“But
as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine.”
Paul begins his directive to Titus with an
emphatic “you.” Paul says
“others may be teaching error with wrong
motives, but you, Titus – by contrast must teach
what is sound.”
Paul states that Titus is to devote himself
to those things that “are proper for sound doctrine.” The
word for “sound”
in the Greek is the word from which we get “hygiene,”
it is a word that literally means “healthy.” Titus is to devote himself to those things that
promote spiritually healthy Christians.
So how is Titus, to
carry out this assignment? First, we need to look back at what Paul says, he tells Titus
to “speak the things that are proper for sound
doctrine.”
We will miss
something if we do not dig a bit deeper, the KJV translates this phrase as “speak the things that become sound doctrine.” The
word “becoming” means you do
the things that are suitable. The point
is as you teach the people sound doctrine, train them how to behave in a way that is becoming to that teaching. As people are taught
what sound doctrine is they need to know what suitable behavior is. They are to behave in such a
way that they make what they believe attractive. Whether we stop to realize it our not,
our lives are a strategic presentation of what we say we believe.
SPECIFIC ETHICAL INSTRUCTION
Paul now turns his attention
from the general principle to teach sound doctrine and gives ethical instruction for
personal conduct for each class of persons in the church.
We are forced to ask
ourselves, “What is occurring in the church of that period that
would require such emphatic teaching?”
The list
of issues facing Titus sound thoroughly modern. Kent Hughes in his commentary on Titus
says, “The list
of issues that Titus must address in his teaching includes anger, immorality, immaturity
in life and doctrine, lack of reverence, slander, meanness, substance abuse, idleness,
family breakdown, crudity, dishonesty, frivolity, disobedience, back talk and theft.” [R. Kent Hughes & Bryan
Chapell. 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus: To Guard the Deposit. (Wheaton, Illinois:
Crossway Books, 2000) p. 325]
What is conveyed here is a clear
understanding that teaching of the gospel by word and by actions is not a responsibility
of the pastoral leadership of the church alone, but it is a responsibility and privilege
of all believers no matter what their
age or station in life!
Directive to Older Men (2:2)
Paul begins by stating that the
teaching of sound doctrine was so “… that the older men
be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience.”
His first words are
directed to the“older men.” I have been told that there are only three states in
life, youth, adolescence and “My, you’re looking good!” It is
being said that America is now the oldest society in the world. By that they mean there
has never been a society with a higher percentage of older people. Material comfort, good
medical care and a low birth rate have led to what is now being called the “graying
of America.” They tell us in 25 years one out of every five people in America will be
over 65 and one out of every ten will be over 80.
“Sober”
here means clear-headed. Since the Cretans had a
reputation of having a national pastime of drinking, the older Christian men were called
to be examples of sobriety.
“reverent” or “dignified” is
also translated “grave” in (KJV) this does not mean that they are not to have a
sense of humor but rather that they are men who are worthy of respect because of the bearing of their
character. Sadly it is possible to go through our whole life and arrive at our silver or
golden years with a reputation so tarnished as not have much to offer to younger people in
the way of advice.
“temperate”
or “sensible” means
that this mature men are to exemplify discretion and discernment.
“sound
in faith, in love, in patience”
Again the “sound” is literally
“healthy.”
As
we age physically we find often find that we are not as healthy as we once were, but this
not have to be true spiritually. The mature Christian men are called to be sound in three
things in faith, in love and in patience.
Directive to Older Women (2:3-4a)
“the
older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much
wine, teachers of good things— (4) that they admonish the young
women…”
The Older women are
specifically told to avoid two moral failures with which they have sometimes been
associated; they are
“not (to be) slanderers” or to be “given
to much wine.” What is being prohibited here is in his admonition not to
engage in slander is gossip. In my
studies I came across a definition of gossip that I had never heard before, “Gossip is sharing
something you like about somebody you don’t!”
Sometime people with too much time on their hands allow themselves to be
drawn into inappropriate behavior out of sheer boredom.
But rather these mature women are given a
new responsibility of “admonishing”
(v. 4) or teaching the younger women.
Our mature Christian ladies have the god-given responsibility to teach the younger women
how to be good wives/mothers/homemakers. Who is teaching the younger women their values
today? I’m afraid that in my case it is someone like Oprah or Dr. Ruth.
Directive to Younger Women (2:4b-5)
“admonish
the young women… to love their husbands, to love their children, (5) to be discreet, chaste,
homemakers, good, obedient
to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”
It was for a good reason that Paul admonishes
the younger women “to love their husbands” (v.
4). In a day in which most of the marriages where formal
arranged marriages a woman who truly and deeply loved her husband would stand out as a
representative for the gospel in the culture in which she lived.
We
certainly live in a change
climate in the USA concerning women in the work force. It is not my purpose here to use
this verse as a prohibition against women working outside the home, I believe that that
would be both inappropriate and untrue to the text. We need to be careful not to impose
modern debates about women’s roles on our interpretation of these words.
However, it should be
said that a woman who accepts the vocation of marriage (or a man for that matter) and has
a husband and children, she should love them and not neglect them.
Studies tell us that “American women today consider a career to be as satisfying as caring for husbands, homes and children, according to a N.Y. Times poll. Thirteen years ago, 53% of women surveyed cited motherhood as one of the best parts of being a woman; in the Times poll, 26% did.” [World Vision – April, 1984. www.bible.org/illus/Titus.]
“The
U.S. Census Bureau says that more and more women are entering or staying in the work force
after having a baby. In 1977 only 32 percent of women with a child a year old or younger
were working. By 1982 this had increased to 43 percent. Last year it reached 52
percent.” [Management
Digest, Sept, 1989 -www.bible.org/illus/Titus.]
The U.S News and World Report predicts that
“by the year 2000, 80 percent of women age 25 to 54 will
head for the workplace each morning, compared with 70 percent today.” [U.S. News and World Report – Dec
25, 1999 - www.bible.org/illus/Titus.]
But in spite of the change attitude toward
working outside the home, and the increasing number of women who are doing so, of the
50,000 women who responded to a survey conducted by Family Circle Magazine found
that, “nearly 68% … said they would prefer to stay at
home with their children if it were economically possible for them to do so.” [Family Research Council in Homemade,
Sept. 1988 - www.bible.org/illus/Titus.]
With that in mind it is staggering to
realize what they are giving their lives to earn. According to Christian author and
financial guru, Larry Burrett, “approximately 65% of the
wives in America work at least a 40 hour job outside the home. Their average take-home pay
is $740 per month. After child care, transportation, work-related clothing and eating out,
they net approximately $370. In net wages, they work for approximately $2.30 an
hour.” [Larry
Burkett. How To Manage Your Money, May 15, 1988 (Issue 126)]
Ron Ritchie records an interesting response in a Saudi Arabian newspaper to the statement that Saudi women were not working outside the home as much as they could and there by making a contribution to society. The Islamic religious editor wrote, “When people talk about women going out to work, it is unfortunate that they take Western societies as their model. The social system of the West has got its advantages, but it is not necessarily the best system available to man. Indeed, it has its draw-backs which produce some serious effects on society . . . Perhaps it is useful to add that from the Islamic point of view, the most important role women should play in the society, is to look after its next generation. Thus, the man looks after the present generation by providing the means of living, while the woman ensures the continued strength of the society by looking after her children and bringing them up, inculcating in them the ideals and values which ensure the continued moral strength of the society.”
[Ron Ritchie. The Need For Pastoring Elders. Sermon on Titus 2:1-15. www.pbc.org/library/files/html/3910.html]
It is interesting to note that
this was also the Judeo-Christian perspective until recent generations. There was a time
in this country when it was taken for granted that a dignified and competent mother and
wife, devoted to her home and family, was a highly desirable constant in American culture.
Too often today young women are almost ashamed to admit that their primary goal in life is
to be a godly wife and mother with and idea of a career outside the home as secondary.
The command in verse five to be “obedient
to their own husbands” is contro-versial in our day. When Paul expands on the
husband/wife responsibilities in Ephesians 5 he makes it clear that this obedience or
submission on the part of the wife does not permit the husband to have a “Me
dictator, you doormat” attitude. Ephesians 5:22-25 says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as
to the Lord.(23) For the husband is head of the wife,
as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. (24)Therefore, just as the church is
subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.(25) Husbands, love your wives, just as
Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her…”
I like what Stuart Briscoe says here, “If Paul’s instruction was mildly surprising to the women,
his instruction to that men should love their wives as Christ loved the Church was
revolutionary, and his teaching on men and women subjecting themselves to each other was
positively mind-boggling.” [Stuart Briscoe. Purifying the Church:
What God Expects of You and Your Church. – A Topical Commentary on Titus.
(Ventura, Calif., Regal Books, 1987) p. 114]
J Vernon McGee tells the story that, A great, big, brawny fellow once came to see him in his office, and he
said, “I want you to talk to my wife and tell her to obey me!” I told him I
would do nothing of the kind, and he asked me why. I said, “When’s the last time
you told your wife that you loved her?” He couldn’t remember and said,
“What has that got to do with it?” I told him, “That has everything in the
world to do with it! Until you tell her that you love her, I don’t see why she should
respond to you. Didn’t you tell her you loved her when you were courting? Well, just
keep that up. The thing to do is to just keep up the courtship. You keep telling her that
you love her, and she will respond to you a great deal better than she has been.” The
wife is to respond to the love of her husband.” [J. Vernon McGee. Thru The Bible Commentary. Based on
the Thru the Bible radio program. (1997, c1981. - electronic ed.). Thomas Nelson:
Nashville]
All persons in the church are required to
be in submission to proper authorities
in their lives. This does not, however, give the right to anyone to be unfair, selfish or
abusive.
According to verse
five the reason for all of this is “that the word of God may
not be blasphemed.” The
young women are to live in such a fashion that the word of God will not be discredited or
maligned.
“Likewise,
exhort the young men to be sober-minded.” (v. 6)
Now Paul turns his attention to the young
men, and he probably means that Titus is the one who is to teach the young men. “In all things showing
yourself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing intregrity, reverence, incorruptibility.”
[Titus 2:7]. Paul says to this young
preacher Titus, “You be a pattern, an example,
for the other young men.”
In verse eight
he is told this is to be in
If Titus is the
example that he needs to be in what he says then his enemies will not have anything they
can use as ammunition against him. Anything his opponents would might say would then be
seen to be false, fabricated and evil.
Qualities of a Good Employee (vv. 9-10)
“Exhort
bondservants to be
obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, (10) not pilfering, but showing all good
fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”
Obviously in our culture today we do not have
to deal with the master-slave issue, yet Paul’s words can be applied equally well to
our modern lives in the area of employer-employee relationships.
“Obedient
to their own masters well pleasing in all things”
The NIV translates this phrase
in verse nine as, “try to please them.” This is a
very realistic command in that it recognizes the fact that it is impossible to please some
people. It is reminiscent of the command in Romans 12:18 where the Christian is
told, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, ?live peaceably with all men.” (NKJV) They should avoid the common faults of
slaves. Two of the most common are mentioned. “not
answering back” … involves arguing or disputing the master's commands,
and may include conduct which thwarts the master's desires. “Pilfering”
denotes keeping a portion apart for oneself… This was the usual word for petty theft. Such theft was a common vice
of slaves, since there was abundant opportunity.
But they are admonished rather to “show all good fidelity” that is to show that they can
be trusted.
The reason given for their changed behavior
is so “… that they may adorn the doctrine of God our
Savior in all things.” (v. 10). Slaves were to act in such a way as to “adorn the doctrine of God.” The verb (kosmeo) translated “adorn” is the
same word from which we get our English word “cosmetics” and also used to describe the arrangement of
jewels in a manner to set off their full beauty … and that idea is emphasized here.
By exemplary Christian behavior a slave has the power to enhance the doctrine and to make
it appear beautiful in the eyes of all onlookers. Such a principle as this should by no
means be confined to slaves.
Conclusion
In these verses (1-10) Paul has encouraged Titus to shepherd the church, to see that they are fed sound doctrine for four reasons (1) so that they might live spiritually healthy lives (v. 1), (2) so that the word of God might not be dishonored (v. 5), (3) so that false prophets might be put to shame (v. 8) and (4) so that even the lives of godly slaves might reflect the truth of Christ so that others might be drawn (v. 10) to Him.