Daily Bread 2011 - Titus 2
What Must Be Taught to Various Groups
1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
What Does This Mean?
Paul begins to expound upon what life in the Christian community looks like. It starts with sound doctrine. All of our ethical response is based on the sound doctrine of being saved by grace through faith based on the Word of God. Therefore, none of the accompany lifestyles mentioned after this mean anything without this foundation. Paul’s call to ethics in the churches of Crete begins with sound teaching and doctrine.
As you will notice, Paul separates out groups with specific aspects of their Christian faith and life that will help the whole community. The older men and women are to be models of genuine faith and a source of encouragement to the younger men and women. As they have already been tested and gone through trials, their faith experience is especially helpful to the next generation. We need more of this in the church.
Importantly, this call to this type of lifestyle has as its most important feature attracting people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As these believers exhibited these characteristics through their life and behavior, this would draw more people to faith versus repelling them away. As Paul says, “So no one will malign the word of God.”
What Does This Mean For Us?
Although men and women have different challenges, we are both called to model the Christian life for those younger than us. Intergenerational ministry is built into the DNA of the Church. To the extent we segregate Children’s, Youth, and Adults, we can be in danger of missing out on this valuable life teaching tool. Of course, we need times for each group to gather, but we mustn’t miss out on times to be together as well.
Paul even goes as far as the slaves should show sterling character with their masters in order to make the gospel of Jesus Christ attractive to them. Though we don’t have that cultural issue today, we might translate that as “employees should live their lives in such a way to reflect well on the name of Jesus to their superiors”. If you are Christian and leave work early, or handles finances improperly, that is not a good testimony to Christ. Although we are not always verbally talking about our faith, we are a living letter by the way we live our lives each day with all we come in contact with. We never know when our behavior is going to be used as a rationale for someone to say, “That is why I am not a Christian, look at that hypocrite”. Of course this has to be balanced with the fact that none of us is perfect, that is not the point. The point is to live a life worthy of imitating, especially with those who look to you for advice or as role model. God gave us authority and we should use it wisely.
Father, help us to live such lives on this earth so that it would attract people to discover your love in Your Son. Teach us to say no to those things that would not reflect well on what we stand for. When we are wrong help us to admit it and ask for forgiveness showing honesty and integrity at all times. Amen.
1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
What Does This Mean?
Paul begins to expound upon what life in the Christian community looks like. It starts with sound doctrine. All of our ethical response is based on the sound doctrine of being saved by grace through faith based on the Word of God. Therefore, none of the accompany lifestyles mentioned after this mean anything without this foundation. Paul’s call to ethics in the churches of Crete begins with sound teaching and doctrine.
As you will notice, Paul separates out groups with specific aspects of their Christian faith and life that will help the whole community. The older men and women are to be models of genuine faith and a source of encouragement to the younger men and women. As they have already been tested and gone through trials, their faith experience is especially helpful to the next generation. We need more of this in the church.
Importantly, this call to this type of lifestyle has as its most important feature attracting people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As these believers exhibited these characteristics through their life and behavior, this would draw more people to faith versus repelling them away. As Paul says, “So no one will malign the word of God.”
What Does This Mean For Us?
Although men and women have different challenges, we are both called to model the Christian life for those younger than us. Intergenerational ministry is built into the DNA of the Church. To the extent we segregate Children’s, Youth, and Adults, we can be in danger of missing out on this valuable life teaching tool. Of course, we need times for each group to gather, but we mustn’t miss out on times to be together as well.
Paul even goes as far as the slaves should show sterling character with their masters in order to make the gospel of Jesus Christ attractive to them. Though we don’t have that cultural issue today, we might translate that as “employees should live their lives in such a way to reflect well on the name of Jesus to their superiors”. If you are Christian and leave work early, or handles finances improperly, that is not a good testimony to Christ. Although we are not always verbally talking about our faith, we are a living letter by the way we live our lives each day with all we come in contact with. We never know when our behavior is going to be used as a rationale for someone to say, “That is why I am not a Christian, look at that hypocrite”. Of course this has to be balanced with the fact that none of us is perfect, that is not the point. The point is to live a life worthy of imitating, especially with those who look to you for advice or as role model. God gave us authority and we should use it wisely.
Father, help us to live such lives on this earth so that it would attract people to discover your love in Your Son. Teach us to say no to those things that would not reflect well on what we stand for. When we are wrong help us to admit it and ask for forgiveness showing honesty and integrity at all times. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment