Titus 2:1-15

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Titus

Rusty's Notes

• Paul is responding to Titus based upon the word he had received while in Macedonia.

SOUND TEACHING AND CHRISTIAN LIVING
TITUS 2
1 But you are to proclaim things consistent with sound teaching.

• The sound doctrine of which Paul was a minister is the Gospel of grace.
• The New Covenant is our foundation (2 Corinthians 3:6-7).
• Anything that violates this is not sound doctrine no matter how popular the teaching.

2 Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance.

• Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. [1]Paul seems to be equating older age with Christian maturity assuming that sound doctrine is held as one ages.
• Older men - In Paul’s first-century ad context, this refers to men over age 50.[2]
• This is why he encourages older men to behave in a loving manner.
• NASB – “Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.” [3]
• Sober, sober-minded.
• Old men with time on their hands could linger too long over the cup.
• The older men should know what they believe, and their doctrinal convictions should accord with God’s Word.[4]
• Titus was young and Paul was encouraging Titus to not overlook the older men and women in discipling the younger generation.
• Youth Ministers come to a point where they realize the impact of parents is greater than their own ministry.

3 In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, and in submission to their husbands, so that God’s word will not be slandered.

• 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.[5]
• Similarly, older women are to be examples for younger women of how to love their husbands and children.
• Christ breeds love in His children.
• 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.[6]
• The more we know sound doctrine, the more we will see this love come forth.
• Also, important to note: According to this verse women were teaching in the early church.
• They are teaching younger women about godliness.
• So, evidently, Paul assumed that women were fully capable of teaching in the ministry context.
• Paul consistently encourages husbands and wives to submit to one another (See also Ephesians 5:21).
• Here the wife is in focus.
• The wife shows love to her husband by submitting to his needs and desires.
• This prevents the dishonoring of the word of God, or the Gospel, in a public atmosphere.
• People can see Christians living in unity with one another and consequently being attracted to the Gospel.
• So, the marriage is not to be a place of oppression for women or men. Rather, a place of submissive love and servitude.

6 In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled 7 in everything.

• Just as older men and women are to be of sound doctrine and love, so also are young men and women.
• Paul does not allow age to discount someone’s value and effectiveness in God’s kingdom.
• He is more concerned with spiritual maturity than age.

Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching.

• Good deeds are not synonymous with legalistic practices.
• Good deeds, or good works, always arise out of our new identity in Christ.
• Good deeds are Christ’s work within His children.
• As we allow Him to express fruit through us, we produce good works in the world.
• This is Paul’s consistent message to his readers.

8 Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn’t have anything bad to say about us.

• Paul encourages Titus to instruct people to live at peace with one another while maintaining pure doctrine.
• This puts to shame those who are antagonistic to Christians and the Gospel message.  

9 Slaves are to submit to their masters in everything, and to be well-pleasing, not talking back 10 or stealing,

• Paul likely has the employee in mind.
• In Greek culture slaves referred to those who were manual laborers, tutors, and other jobs often held for a family or individual.
• Paul does not have in mind an oppressive system of slavery.

but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

• The good works being encouraged by Paul are decorating sound doctrine.
• As we express Christ to people light is shined on the sound doctrine of the Gospel.
• People will see the fragrant aroma of Christ amongst Christians and inquire about the source of their joy.
• Christ’s life within us is attractive to the world.

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

• God, through Jesus, did not die for some people or a select group.
• Jesus died for the whole world because He wants all people to believe.

12 instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age,

• God’s grace teaches people to live godly lives.
• This, in contrast, to the Old Covenant law which is a ministry of condemnation and death.
• So, Paul’s point is that grace saves us and teaches us.
• As we rest in grace, we will see Christ’s life shine through our own lives in beautiful ways.

13 while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

• Paul has an incredible optimistic view of Christ’s Second Coming.
• There is no room in Paul’s theology for the believer’s fear at Christ’s return.
• There is no movie of our bad works to be played. Instead, we will step into the full reality of our salvation.

14 He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.

• “redeem” - The Greek word used here, lytroō, (lay-troe-o) means “to release” or “set free,” especially from slavery.[7]
• “lawlessness” - In our unsaved condition, we were rebels against God’s law; but now all of that has been changed.[8]
• Because Christians have a new heart, they are eager for good deeds.
• These good deeds are the fruit of the Spirit produced within us and through us.
• Christians are eager and zealous to live righteously.
• This is reality regardless of what we feel or experience.

15 Proclaim these things; encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.[9]

• Paul is not speaking of being combative with people but rather standing confidently in the Gospel of grace.
• He wanted Titus to bolster the church in their identity so that they would be confident during persecution and rejection.[10]

Be confident in who you are what you know… you have been entrusted with the Gospel… the Good News!

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update (Tt 2:2). (1995). The Lockman Foundation.
[2] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Tt 2:2). Lexham Press.
[3] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update (Tt 2:2). (1995). The Lockman Foundation.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 264). Victor Books.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 265). Victor Books.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 265). Victor Books.
[7] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Tt 2:14). Lexham Press.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 266). Victor Books.
[9] Christian Standard Bible (Tt 2:1–15). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[10]  Farley, Andrew. www.BibleCommentary.com. Titus 2.