2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES

Wednesday in the Word

Second Baptist Church

February 15, 2012

Titus 2:1-15

I.    Verse 1. In this section, 2:1-10, the apostle moves from the issues of church leadership and false teachers to the various groups within the church and their moral obligations before the world in which they live. He is concerned that they show the beauty of the truth about Jesus Christ in order to have a positive impact on an unbelieving world. Paul sets forth a contrast between Titus and his responsibilities and the beliefs and behavior of the false teachers. They were so engrossed in sickly doctrines that they were already having negative results on the moral conduct of the Christians at Crete, especially in the realm of the home. This contrast highlights the important responsibility God has given us to carefully communicate His Word in view of the many false teachers who stand opposed to the truth. Titus was to "rebuke sharply" the opponents, but he is to "teach" to the people. Sound or healthy teaching is teaching that is in accord with the message of the Savior. This message gives eternal life, but it is also designed to produce behavior that corresponds to the Savior’s purpose for coming into the world as evidenced in His person, life, and work on the cross. He came to die for the penalty of sin and to give eternal life as a free gift, but He also came to overcome Satan`s rule and sin’s reign in the lives of those who put their trust in Him (ct. Rom. 5:17, 6:1 ff; Heb. 2:14-15; Eph. 2:1-10; 1 John 3:5).

II.    Verse 2. This verse is directed toward the senior men in the congregation, who should naturally model Christian truth to the younger men, but being a good example will depend on their moral character. Temperate refers to being free from all forms of excess or life-dominating patterns through the control of the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). This is seen in contrast to the "lazy gluttons," a term used to describe the false teachers. Worthy of respect means honorable, noble, dignified. The older men should carry themselves in such a way that they are well respected in the community. Self-controlled means "of sound mind, sane, sensible, thoughtful," or "self-controlled, sober-minded." Since "temperate" as listed above contains the idea of self-control, perhaps the focus here is on "soundness of mind in thought and judgment." This word is a favorite of Paul in the Pastoral Epistles. It is used of elders (1Tim. 3:2, Tit. 1:8), of the younger women (Tit. 2:5) and is used of younger men (Tit. 2:6). So here is a spiritual quality that should be a part of the life of all Christians, one that is easily recognizable. Sound in faith, in love and endurance speaks to the overall qualities that make the mature man of faith able to do what has already been mentioned. In order to be self- controlled, temperate, and worthy of respect these men must lead the way in faith, be grounded in love and have an enduring faith that has stood the test of time.

III.    Verses 3-5. Next the apostle turns his attention to the older women in the family of faith. The older woman should be worthy of respect as well. These women are to live lives honoring God with how they speak and act. The word reverent means to live mindful not to offend the Lord. This is normally called living in holiness. This holiness included that these women refrain from idle talk that could be seen as character assassination on others with lies or unsubstantiated facts. We usually call this gossip. Another thing the older women should avoid is excessive drinking, something that was a common practice among women of that time. They would spend their afternoons drinking wine and spreading gossip. The apostle tells Titus to encourage the women to avoid these fruitless behaviors that led to division and sin. Instead of spending their free time drinking and gossiping, the older women should spend their free time teaching the younger women the things that can make them better wives and mothers. The issue is of time management. The older women could spend their time building up women in the faith or they could spend time tearing other women down. The older women could spend their time helping the younger women become better wives and mothers, or they could spend their time showing the younger women how not to be. Basically the older women are to teach and demonstrate to the younger women how to live a holy life, being busy for the right things, and learning how to be faithful women of God (Eph 5).

IV.    Verses 6-8. The next group in line for godly instructions is the young men. Titus is encouraged to teach the young men to control their passions knowing that this is the main cause for young men getting into trouble. Titus is to do this by first demonstrating self- control in his own life. Titus will not be able to really impact the lives of the young men if his teaching is not in line with his behavior. He must walk in integrity so that the young men cannot use his inability to live holy as a license for them to live in an ungodly fashion. Titus must live what he preached so that his critics would not be able to really use his life as a witness against him.

V.    Verses 9-10. The apostle moves to the issues of slaves, and how they could live in such a way as to make the gospel of Christ attractive. The bible never condones slavery. Slaves of the ancient world were not like the slaves of what we knew in our American history. A master would be jailed for physically harming a slave for anything other than a crime. Paul was not trying to change the long standing social structure, but he knew that he could change the hearts of people by living in a Christ-like fashion. The point the apostle was to make was that it was the duty of a slave in this culture to not do anything that would cause their masters to reject Christ based on the actions of a slave. A believer was to be honest, well-mannered and hardworking. In Ancient Greece, more than half of the people were slaves. The slaves had a great opportunity to take the gospel message to their masters and so their lifestyle was of great importance for the spread of the gospel.

VI.   Verses 11-14. These verses are actually one long sentence in the Greek. The apostle shares that the reason for all that he is asking Titus to do is in response to the goodness of God that was found in Jesus Christ, the grace that appeared who brought to all of the world salvation and redemption. This grace, Jesus Christ, teaches us to say no to the old ungodly ways we used to live in, and yes to the way of holiness that God always wanted from his children. Christ gave his life to save us from the wickedness and impurity of the world, so our response to his great gift is to live for him and honor him with our lives as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God. While we wait for his glorious return to reclaim his own, our lives must be in total submission to the Lord’s will.

VII.   Verse 15. Titus is reminded to teach these things to the people rebuking the wrong and encouraging the right. He is reminded that this is a difficult work and he should not let anyone despise him or discourage him from completing his task.

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