Lesson for January 18, 2023

The Book of Titus

Chapter 2:1-10

Verses 1-5

“But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,to be sensible, pure, workers at home, good, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

In chapter one, the subject was false teachers, now the subject is the communication of accurate Bible doctrine. Speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine means to communicate accurate Bible doctrine that would combat false teachings. The Greek word for sound is “hugiaino” and means to be healthy, to be sound, correct, or accurate.

Bible doctrine is the only source of divine viewpoint. (II Corinthians 10:5; Isaiah 55:7-9) Bible doctrine is the basis for orientation to God’s plan. (Romans 8:28; Isaiah 26:3,4) Bible doctrine produces stability of mind. (James 1:8) Bible doctrine is the basis for divine guidance as well as orientation to grace. (Romans 12:2-3) Remember, the possibility exists for Satan to corrupt the minds of believers with human viewpoint thinking and false teaching. (II Corinthians 11:3)

Bible doctrine is the only way to know and love Jesus Christ. You cannot love Jesus Christ apart from Bible doctrine. (I Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 3:10) Bible doctrine leads to occupation with Christ. (Hebrews 12:2-3) How much capacity you have to love Jesus Christ is dependent upon your knowledge of Bible doctrine. (John 14:21)

Older men and women refer to spiritually mature believers who are also older in years. Spiritually mature believers should desire to teach the younger men and women in the church by example, as they apply sound, accurate doctrine to their own lives, and when asked, encourage them by giving doctrinal advice.

Spiritually mature men should:

1. Be temperate – Temperate means to be self-disciplined, mentally stable, and self-controlled.
2. Be dignified – Dignified is the Greek word “semnos,” meaning honorable, honest, or regarded with admiration.
3. Be sensible – To be sensible is the Greek word “sophronizo” [“sophron” = to think; “izo” means in a specific field] and refers to using common sense, being rational, and being practical.
4. Be sound in faith – Sound in faith is the Greek word “hugiaino,” which means to be healthy, sound, correct, or accurate in Bible doctrine.
5. Be sound in love – Sound in love means to have a sound, healthy, correct, accurate understanding of both impersonal love and personal love, which combined is virtue-love.
6. Be sound in perseverance – Sound in perseverance is the Greek word “hupomone,” which means endurance or patience.

Spiritually mature women should:

1. Be reverent in their behavior – Reverent in behavior means that which is becoming or appropriate to holiness. Holiness refers to the proper expression of experiential sanctification.
2. Not be malicious gossips – Malicious gossips means slanderers, maligners, or gossipers.
3. Not be enslaved to much wine – Enslaved to much wine refers to drunkenness, not drinking wine for enjoyment.
4. Teach what is good – Teaching what is good means communication of doctrine.
5. Encourage the young women to love their husbands – When a Christian wife loves her husband, she will partner with him to become a corporate testimony for Christ. She will express her love for him by reaching spiritual adulthood, so that she can raise their children to know and love God, and be the helpmate God designed her to be.
6. Encourage the young women to love their children – the greatest influence in the life of a child is their mother. When a Christian mother loves her children, she will want them to know Christ as their Savior and learn Bible doctrine.
7. Encourage the young women to be sensible – To be sensible is the Greek word “sophronizo” [“sophron” = to think; “izo” means in a specific field] and refers to using common sense, being rational, and being practical.
8. Encourage the young women to be pure –Pure is the Greek word “hagnas,” which means to be pure in thought and act, not to be defiled, to refrain from sexual sins.
9. Encourage the young women to be workers at home – Workers at home means a worker in the home, domestic. There’s nothing glamorous about keeping a house unless it is done as unto the Lord.
10. Encourage the young women to be good – Good is the Greek word “agathos” meaning divine good. Divine good is divine production. The physical age of a person has no bearing on their divine production. Any believer who is living their spiritual life under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit can produce divine good.
11. Encourage the young women to be subject to their own husbands – Being subject to their own husbands means a Christian woman recognizes the role in marriage that God has assigned to her. And she willingly embraces that role as her husband’s marriage partner and helpmate. The husband’s role in marriage is to be the spiritual leader of the family recognizing the extremely important role his wife plays within the family.

So that the word of God will not be dishonored means the Christian home is to be a testimony for Christ. It can be a poor testimony or a wonderful testimony. A Christian marriage takes three to be successful and to be a testimony to others – a spiritually maturing man, a spiritually maturing woman and Jesus Christ. When the spiritual life of either the husband or the wife is neglected or ignored, spiritual disaster will follow. The husband is to lead his family spiritually and set an example for his wife and his children.

Dishonored is the Greek word “blasphemeo,” which means to blaspheme, rail at, revile, or to be evil spoken of. When your testimony at home does not reflect the love of Christ, then your Christian testimony outside the home will not be believed. We are to be testimonies at home in the same way that we are to be testimonies for Christ at work, at play, at church, at social gatherings, etc.

Verses 6-8

Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech, which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.”

Young men, like older men, older women, and younger women were to be sensible. To be sensible is the Greek word “sophronizo” [“sophron” = to think; “izo” means in a specific field] and refers to using common sense, being rational, and being practical. 

 Titus was encouraged to be (show yourself to be):

1. An example of good deeds – By embracing and living his spiritual life on the basis of sound, accurate Bible doctrine, Titus would be an example of divine production to others.
2. Pure in doctrine- the Greek word for purity is “aphthoria” meaning uncorrupted, accurate, and sound.
3. Dignified – Dignified is the Greek word “semnothes,” which means honesty, poise, or integrity. So, it meant Titus was to stay calm with a relaxed mental attitude under all conditions.
4. Sound in speech – This phrase is two Greek words, “logos,” which means communication and “hugies,” which means healthy, clear, or lucid. If Titus followed this rule, he would be beyond reproach. The Greek word for reproach is “akatagnostos,” which means not to be condemned.

So that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. This is a recognition that Titus would have opposition. Opponent refers to those who oppose accurate Bible doctrine. Will be put to shame is in the sense that the false teachers would not be able to accuse accurate Bible doctrine of not working in the lives of believers in Crete. Having nothing bad to say about us means that if the believers in Crete learned and applied the accurate Bible taught by Paul and Titus, it would completely shut down the claims by the false teachers that the apostles’ message of grace didn’t work.

Verses 9-10

“Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.”

Titus was also to urge those who were slaves to subject themselves to their masters. Paul was not condoning slavery, merely recognizing it as a reality. If a person was a slave and a believer, they were obligated to be the best slave they could be and a testimony for Christ. This subjection was a free will decision to honor Christ.

Well-pleasing means to be acceptable to your master by working as unto the Lord. He was not to be argumentative or insubordinate. Pilfering was a word used for stealing, which could refer to stealing property or even stealing time by not working. Showing all good faith means to be honest on the job by demonstrating their Christian faith. Adorning the doctrine of God means Christian slaves were to be a testimony for Christ by applying Bible doctrine.