Titus 2
by Pastor David Groendyk
Our chapter today is filled with lots of commands for different groups of people. Rather than expound on the various commands, let’s explore the different motivations that Paul gives for living in this kind of godly way.
- Living in a godly way affirms that you know God (v. 1). Immediately before Paul explains how to live in chapter 2, he is condemning the members of the circumcision party in 1:10–16 for their actions. They are empty talkers, deceivers, detestable, and disobedient, and this way of living effectively denies that they know God despite the fact that they profess to know God. On the contrary, all the actions that Paul lists for true Christians “accord with sound doctrine” (v. 1), meaning that obeying God in this way affirms that we truly know God. If we slander, do not love, are not self-controlled, do not act in a dignified way, then we are demonstrating that we have not truly experienced salvation through Christ.
- Living in a godly way assures that the Word of God is not reviled and closes the mouths of opponents (vv. 5, 8). The way that you act says a lot about the message you believe. In our case as Christians, when we live in ungodly ways, it reflects directly upon Christ, Scripture, and the gospel. If we act with duplicity or dishonesty, always slandering other people, or without any sort of self-control, that gives opponents of Christianity the occasion to criticize Scripture as something that makes people immoral. Living in such a way that no unbeliever could even accuse us of wrongdoing is what we are to aim for. Whether it’s our business practices, parenting, or the way we handle money, we ought to strive to be above reproach. Another area we need to apply this to is politics. (At the time of this writing, the election has not taken place yet, so I am making no comment on whoever has won.) As Christians, we need to be careful in the way we talk about our preferred political candidate. Both of our major presidential candidates claim to be Christians; clearly, they both have serious moral flaws; and Christians all over the country claim that their preferred candidate is the only sane Christian choice. (If you don’t believe me, just scroll through social media for a while. On second thought, maybe don’t…) What do serious moral failings in people who claim to be Christians say about the gospel? What does it say to non-Christians when we overlook, minimize, or explain away serious moral failings in people who claim to be Christians? Dear Christian, please do not let your support of a majorly flawed political candidate be the reason for a non-Christian to reject the gospel message.
- Living in a godly way adorns the doctrine of our God (v. 10). This is the less-harsh-more-positive way of saying #2. The word “adorn” stands out to me. “Adorn” means “to have an attractive appearance through decoration”. With Christmas right around the corner, it makes me think of a Christmas tree. Evergreen trees are beautiful in their own right, but all the ornaments, lights, tinsel, and garland is what makes the tree stand out. Our godly behavior is the decoration upon the gospel. What does that decoration do? It makes the gospel desirable. The gospel is meant to produce loving, self-sacrificing, honest, kind people, and that should be attractive to any unbeliever.
- Living in a godly way should lead to more people being saved (vv. 11–12). The “for” at the beginning of verse 11 is a critical transition word. Why should we adorn the gospel of God (v. 10)? Because the grace of God has come to save and sanctify all people (vv. 11–12)! We want more people to see and love the gospel. We want to bring more people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ at all costs, and being committed to living a godly life is part of our witness to the gospel.
Are you beginning to see a theme emerge? Paul is not merely concerned with making sure Titus and his fellow believers obey God. He is concerned with how their actions either credit or discredit the gospel. The way people are living in 1:10–16 discredits the gospel, but the way true believers live ought to be a credit to the gospel. Do you live your whole life as if it is reflecting directly upon Christ? Which of the four groups of people (older men, older women, younger women, or younger men) do you fall into? How are you doing with Paul’s specific exhortations to your group? In what ways do you need to ask for God’s forgiveness and help?