Titus 2

In contrast to the false teachers, Titus was to “speak the things which belong to healthy doctrine” (Titus 2:1, literal translation). What germs are to a physical body, false teaching is to a spiritual body, the church. In the verses that make up this section, you will find a blending of doctrinal teaching and practical admonition, for the two must go together. Paul discussed several different areas of ministry in the local church.

The Older Saints (2:1–4a) How easy it would be for a younger man like Titus to misunderstand or even neglect the older members of his congregation.

“I want a church of young people!” a pastor once said to me, forgetting that one day he would be old himself. A church needs both the old and the young, and they should minister to one another. The grace of God enables us to bridge the generation gap in the church. One way to do this is for all members, young and old, to live up to the standards that God has set for our lives.

The older men were to be sober, which means “to be temperate in the use of wine.” Old men with time on their hands could linger too long over the cup.

Grave means “dignified,” but it does not suggest a solemn person who never laughs. There is a dignity to old age that produces respect, and this respect gives an older saint authority. How I thank God for the venerable saints who have assisted me in my own pastoral ministry! When they stood to speak, the whole church listened and took heed.

Temperate describes an attitude of mind that leads to prudence and self-control in life. It is the opposite of frivolity and carelessness that are based on ignorance. It is translated “sober” in Titus 1: and 2:4, 6, and 12, and “discreet” in 2:5. Seriousness of life and purpose are important in the Christian life, and especially to older saints who cannot afford to waste time, for their time is short.

Sound in faith, in love, in patience all go together. The older men should know what they believe, and their doctrinal convictions should accord with God’s Word. For a knowledge of Bible doctrine is no substitute for the other necessary virtues, such as love for the brethren and patience in the trials of life. In fact, a right faith in God’s Word should encourage a believer in love and endurance.

Possibly the word likewise in Titus 2: means that the older women were to have the same qualities as the older men, plus the additional ones listed. The deportment (behavior) of these older women must always reflect holiness. They must not be slanderers (“false accusers”—the Greek word is “devils,” which means “slanderers”), picking up gossip and spreading it. They must also be temperate in their use of wine.

When it comes to the older women, Paul’s emphasis is on teaching: “teachers of good things.” Experienced, godly women are usually excellent teachers. The word teach in Titus 2: is related to the word translated “temperate” in Titus 2:2, and probably should be translated, “that they may train by making sober-minded.” It is not only that the older women should show the younger mothers how to keep house, but that they put within their hearts and minds the right spiritual and mental attitudes.

One of the strongest forces for spiritual ministry in the local church lies with the older believers. Those who are retired have time for service. It is good to see that many local churches have organized and mobilized these important people. In my own ministry, I have been greatly helped by senior saints who knew how to pray, teach the Word, visit, troubleshoot, and help build the church.

The godly older women have the responsibility of teaching the younger women how to be successful wives, mothers, and housekeepers, and the younger women have the responsibility of listening and obeying. The Christian home was a totally new thing, and young women saved out of paganism would have to get accustomed to a whole new set of priorities and privileges. Those who had unsaved husbands would need special encouragement.

The greatest priority in a home should be love. If a wife loved her husband and her children, she was well on the way to making the marriage and the home a success. In our Western society, a man and a woman fall in love and then get married, but in the East, marriages were less romantic. Often the two got married and then had to learn to love each other. (Eph. 5:18–33 is probably the best Scripture for a husband and wife who really want to love each other in the will of God.)

Surely a mother loves her children! Yes, this is a natural instinct, but this instinct needs to be controlled. I once heard a “modern mother” say, “I love my child too much to spank her.” In reality, she had a selfish love for herself and did not really love the child. “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him” (Prov. 13: niv). While it was usually the father who disciplined the children in Eastern homes, the mother could not escape being a part of the procedure, or else a child would run to its mother for protection.

“To be discreet” (Titus 2:5) is our familiar word sober-minded again (“temperate” in Titus 2:2). Outlook determines outcome, and if a person is not thinking rightly, he will not act properly. A woman needs a correct and disciplined outlook on her ministry in the home. “Self-controlled” is the idea contained in this word. If parents do not discipline themselves, they can never discipline their children.

“Chaste” means “pure of mind and heart.” A Christian wife is true to her husband in mind and heart as well as in action.

“Keepers at home” does not suggest that her home is a prison where she must be kept! “Caring for the home” is the idea. “Guide the house,” Paul wrote (1 Tim. 5:14). The wise husband allows his wife to manage the affairs of the household, for this is her ministry.

“Good” (Titus 2:5) can be translated “kind.” She does not rule her household with an iron hand, but practices “the law of kindness” (Prov. 31:26).

While the wife is “busy at home” (niv), it is the husband who is the leader in the home, so the wife must be obedient. But where there is love (Titus 2:4) there is little problem with obedience. And where the desire is to glorify God, there is no difficulty that cannot be worked out.

“That the Word of God be not blasphemed” is a good motive for cooperation and obedience at home. It is sad to see the way family problems, and even divorces, among Christians cause unsaved people to sneer at the Bible.

Titus was to let older women minister to younger women, lest he get himself into a difficult situation. But he was to be an example to the younger men with whom he would easily identify. Exhortation and example were to be his tools for building them up in the faith (Titus 2:6–7). He was to exhort them to be selfcontrolled, for there were many temptations to sin.

But Paul wrote more about Titus the example than he did about Titus the exhorter! A pastor preaches best by his life. He must constantly be a good example in all things. Whatever the pastor wants his church to be, he must first be himself. “For they say, and do not” was our Lord’s indictment against the Pharisees (Matt. 23:3). This is hypocrisy.

The Greek word tupos (“pattern,” Titus 2:7) gives us our English word type. The word originally meant “an impression made by a die.” Titus was to live so that his life would be like a “spiritual die” that would impress itself on others. This involved good works, sound doctrine, a seriousness of attitude, and sound speech that no one—not even the enemy—could condemn. Whether we like it or not, there are “contrary” people who are always looking for a fight. A pastor’s speech should be such that he stands without rebuke.

It is not easy to pastor a church. You do not punch a clock, yet you are always on duty. You must be careful to practice what you preach; you must be the same man in and out of the pulpit. Hypocrisy in speech or conduct will ruin a man’s ministry. No pastor is perfect, just as no church member is perfect, but he must strive to be the best example possible. A church will never rise any higher than its leadership.

Paul usually had a word concerning the slaves (see Eph. 6:5–9; 1 Tim. 6:1–2). We are glad for this word to Titus because Paul backed it up with one of the greatest statements about salvation found in the New Testament. Paul always linked doctrine and duty.

Paul warned these Christian slaves about three common sins they must avoid (Titus 2:9–10). First, disobedience. They were to obey their masters and seek to please them, which meant going the extra mile. It is possible to obey, but not “from the heart” (Eph. 6:6). It is possible to do a job grudgingly. Some unsaved masters would not be thoughtful and would overwork their slaves.

The second sin was talking back (“answering again,” Titus 2:9). While a slave would not carry this too far (his master might severely discipline him), he could argue with his master since the master probably knew less about the job than the slave did. The slave could also “gripe” about his master to others on the job. This would certainly be a poor testimony for a Christian slave.

Christian slaves were also to avoid the sin of stealing (“purloining”). This was the sin Onesimus probably committed against Philemon (see Philem. 18). It would be easy for a slave to pilfer little items and sell them, and then report that they had been broken or lost.

There are no slaves in our society today, but there are employees. Christian workers must obey orders and not talk back. They must not steal from their employers. Millions of dollars are lost each year by employers whose workers steal from them, everything from paper clips and pencils to office machines and vehicles. “They owe it to me!” is no excuse. Neither is, “Well, I’ve earned it!”

Paul gave a good reason why Christian workers should be trustworthy (“showing all good fidelity”): This will “embellish with honor” the Word of God (wuest). When we serve faithfully, we “beautify the Bible” and make the Christian message attractive to unbelievers. When Paul addressed the slaves in Timothy’s church (1 Tim. 6:1), he used a negative motive: “that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.” But the positive motive, to make God’s message attractive, and the negative motive, to keep God’s teaching from being slandered, ought to control our lives.

Here (Titus 2:11) Paul expanded the meaning of “Saviour” (Titus 2:10) by explaining what was involved in this salvation that we have through Jesus Christ. The emphasis is on grace—God’s lavish favor on undeserving sinners. Paul pointed out three wonderful ministries of the grace of God (Titus 2:11–14).

Grace redeems us (vv. 11, 14a). People could not save themselves. God’s grace had to bring salvation to lost mankind. This salvation was not discovered by sinners; it appeared to them via the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God in His grace sent His Son to redeem those in the bondage of sin. This salvation is for “all men” who receive it (see 1 Tim. 2:4–6). There is a universal need, and God provided a universal remedy for all who will believe.

Paul explained this salvation further (Titus 2:14). Christ “gave himself for us,” which means that He became our substitute. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). The word redeem means “to set free by paying a price.” We were all slaves of sin (Titus 3:3) and could not set ourselves free, but Jesus Christ gave Himself as the ransom for our sins. By His death He met the just demands of God’s holy law, so that God in His grace could forgive and free those who believe on Christ.

We have been redeemed “from all iniquity,” which means that sin should no longer master our lives. (Remember that the context of this passage is Paul’s counsel to slaves. They knew the meaning of “redeem.”) “Iniquity” means “lawlessness.” In our unsaved condition, we were rebels against God’s law, but now all of that has been changed. This led Paul to the second ministry of the grace of God.

Grace reforms us (vv. 12, 14b). Salvation is not only a change in position (set free from the slavery of sin), but it is also a change in attitude, appetite, ambition, and action. The same grace that redeems us also reforms our lives and makes us godly. “Teaching” has the idea of “disciplining.” We are disciplined by God’s grace, trained to be the kind of people that glorify Him.

Godly living involves both the negative and the positive. We deny “ungodliness [whatever is unlike God] and worldly lusts” (see 1 John 2:15–17). The verb means that we do it once and for all. It is a settled matter. Then, we work on the positive. “Sober” is our familiar word for “self-control, prudence, restraint” (see Titus 2:2). This emphasizes the believer’s relationship to himself, while “righteously” deals with his relationships with other people. “Godly” speaks of the Christian’s relationship to the Lord, though the qualities must not be separated.

Christians live “in this present age” (niv), but they do not live like it or for it. Christ has redeemed us from this evil age (Gal. 1:4), and we must not be conformed to it (Rom. 12:1–2). Neither should we walk according to its standards (Eph. 2:2). We have tasted the powers of “the coming age” (Heb. 6: niv), and we should not desire to cultivate the present age with its shallowness and godlessness.

Grace reforms us because God purifies us and makes us His own special possession (Titus 2:14b). This process of purification is called “sanctification,” and its goal is to make the believer more like Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29). Sanctification is not only separation from sin, but it is also devotion to God (2 Cor. 6:14—7:1). “Peculiar” does not mean “odd” or “strange.” It means “a special people for God’s own possession” (see Deut. 14:2; 26:18).

Grace rewards us (v. 13). We are looking for Jesus Christ to return; this is our only hope and glory. This verse boldly affirms that Jesus Christ is God, for there is only one article in the Greek: “the great God and our Saviour.” Paul did not go into detail about the events surrounding the return of Christ. Believers should always be expecting His return and live like those who will see Him face-to-face.