Making The Teaching Attractive
MAKING THE TEACHING ATTRACTIVE
TITUS 2:1-10
Paul not only gives Titus advice on how different groups should apply the gospel to everyday life; he also calls on him to be an example of such qualities.
Again we have an emphasis on sound doctrine. Whatever is the case with the false teachers, Titus is to teach what is correct. Throughout the Pastoral Epistles this concern for teaching what is right is constant. But it is also the case that these same letters stress the importance of lives that commend the sound doctrine that is taught. Paul insists that right teaching and right living must go together. At the end of this passage he urges slaves to live in such a way that “they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way” (2:10), and this might well be considered to apply to all. Paul looks for Christians who will show by their lives what kind of faith they profess.
As in 1 Timothy he has instructions for various groups in the church. The older men, who were then looked up to as leaders and revered for their experience and wisdom, are to show due appreciation of the seriousness of life (2:2). The older women are likewise to act appropriately and to train up the younger. The injunction tells us a good deal about both age groups. The younger women are to be especially careful of their home and family duties (2:4f.). When he refers to young men, Paul singles out the importance of self-control, an appeal that still needs to be heeded today. Titus himself is not excluded, and indeed the appeal to him personally is much more detailed than that for young men in general (2:7f.). “To whom much is given shall much be required.” As elsewhere in the New Testament, slaves receive special mention. As we saw when dealing with 1 Timothy 6:1f., Christian slaves, especially if their masters were also Christian, were strongly tempted to presume on their relationship, and Paul is very anxious that they should commend the Christian faith.
Notes 2:2: notice “love”; Paul always sees it as important. 2:3: “reverent” has a meaning like “suited to a sacred character.” For the Christian all of life is sacred.