Titus Chapter 2

Conduct Consistent with Sound Teaching

2:1 But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with sound teaching.

As a pastor-teacher, Titus was commanded to teach Bible application along with sound doctrine. According to Acts 2:42, for a church to be a true Biblical church, it must do four things. First, the church must teach the apostles’ doctrine, found in the letters of Paul. Second, there must be fellowship among the believers, meaning that they must meet together to study the Word of God. Fellowship is not a group of Christians meeting together and watching the Superbowl or playing in a softball team together. There is nothing wrong with this type of community activity, but it is not Biblical fellowship. The church is not a social institution or a country club. It is for study, breaking of bread, and prayer. 

2:2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.

The Greek word for "older men" is πρεσβύτης (presbutais), meaning an elder, older man, or ambassador. Paul used his apostolic authority to demonstrate the behavior of senior citizens.

The Greek word for "temperate" is νηφαλέος (naphaleos), meaning to restrain from being intoxicated. 

The Greek word for "dignified" is σεμνός (semnos), meaning deeply respected. Senior citizens are to be examples to the younger believers. 

The Greek word for "self-controlled" is σώφρων (sophrown), meaning to be balanced. Senior citizens are not to be compromising and middle of the road, but they are to be balanced in the truth.

The Greek word for "sound in faith" is ὑγιαίνοντας τῇ πίστει (hugiainontas tay piste), meaning healthy in faith, or belief. Senior citizens are to possess healthy Bible doctrine, which produces a healthy belief in the Scriptures.

2:3 Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good.

Paul next used his apostolic authority to list the desired attributes of senior ladies.

The Greek word for "holy" is ἱεροπρεπής (ieroprepasi, meaning sacred temple. The senior ladies were to become sacred temples befitting to men, which is a metaphor for living a sacred life. They are not to become temple prostitutes, like many of the Cretan women.

The Greek word for "slandering" is διάβολος (diabolos), which is the proper name of Satan "the Accuser", meaning to accuse someone falsely. The senior ladies were not to use their tongues to gossip and slander others.

The senior ladies were not to become drunkards. 

2:4 In this way they will train the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children,

The women were to teach the truth to the younger women. They were to train the younger women to love their husbands and their children. 

2:5 to be self-controlled, pure, fulfilling their duties at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the message of God may not be discredited.

The Greek word for "self-controlled" is σωφρονεῖν (sophronein), meaning to have a God-controlled perspective. 

The Greek word for "fulfilling their duties at home" is οὐκουρός (oukouros), meaning a keeper of the home, or a homemaker. Keeping the house is a very serious and important ministry of God. He does not appreciate Women's Lib usurping His divine educational model. God has given men the muscles to work in the field, construct buildings, build roads, and dig ditches. God has given women the brains and the compassion to run the house and teach the children. God wants children raised in a godly home. He does not want any fathers to mess it up. Women's Lib has reversed these roles. They have reduced woman to a ditch digger, instead of the glorified godly teacher of the home. As more and more women fall into the Women's Lib trap, the minimum wage goes up, the value of the dollar goes down, employers gain more cheap workers, and Satan gets to educate the children.

The Greek word for "kind" is ἀγαθός (agates), meaning empowered by God to be intrinsically good. The senior lady is to be empowered by God's goodness, which comes from mastery of Bible doctrine.

The Greek word for "being subject" is ὑποτάσσω (hupostasso), a present passive participle, meaning to continually submit to God's divine plan. Senior ladies are to continually submit to their husbands because this is the divine arrangement that God established for husbands and wives.

The Greek word for "message" is λόγος (logos), meaning to express God's thoughts through the Spirit. It is the divine thought of God that senior ladies follow these divine guidelines. 

The Greek word for "discredited" is βλασφημέω (Blasphameow), a present middle subjunctive, meaning the strong possibility of continual blasphemy against God. Blasphemy is calling good evil and evil good. If a senior lady refuses to follow these divine guidelines, then there is a strong possibility that she is continually blaspheming the divine thoughts of God.

Therefore, God thinks of Women's Lib as blasphemy because they are rebelling against the divine plan of God. A woman who subjects herself to Women's Lib will never be happy because she is out of the will of God. She has exchanged the freedom of managing her own hours and teaching her own children for the slavery of manual labor. God has given man a body for manual labor, a woman a mind for managing the household and teaching the children. Human viewpoint has reversed this thinking. God’s thought's on home management brings honor to a woman. Women's Lib demotes the wife, mother, home manager, and teacher  to a servant who performs manual labor. Men and women working in the field or in the office increase their chances  of adultery and leave the education of children to the satanic world system.

2:6 Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled,

Paul now has some divine inspiration for young men. The Greek word for "self-controlled" is σωφρονεῖν (sopronein), meaning to have a god-controlled perspective. They are to possess divine viewpoint, which comes from a deep study of the entire counsel of the Word of God.

2:7 showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity,

Titus is to be an example to the young men. He is to take his teaching seriously. 

The Greek word for "integrity" is ἀφθαρσία (aptharia), meaning indestructible and incorruptible. Titus was commanded to teach that the Word of God was indestructible and incorruptible.

The Greek word for "dignity" is σεμνότης (semnotais), meaning to be transferred by God, deserving the utmost respect. Titus was to teach that the Word of God is worthy of respect because it was transformed by God himself.

2:8 and a sound message that cannot be criticized so that any opponent will be at a loss, because he has nothing evil to say about us.

The conversation of a believer should confirm that he is a child of God.

2:9 Slaves are to be subject to their own masters in everything, to do what is wanted and not talk back,

Next, Paul addressed a message to those who were slaves. Fifty percent of the Roman Empire consisted of slaves. 90% of the names on the catacombs are the names of slaves. The Roman Empire did not have much respect for slaves, but God did. He has a special place in His kingdom for slaves who served Christ through their hardships.

Paul did not teach the social gospel. He did not condemn or praise slavery. He did not attempt to change the economic system of Rome. Paul was very aware that God made men, and men made slaves. Paul knew he was living in a satanic world system that operated on human slavery. Paul's message to the slaves was that they were to be subject to their own masters in everything. They were to serve their masters faithfully without showing disrespect.

2:10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, in order to bring credit to the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

Slaves were not so steal from their masters. Businesses lose millions of dollars each year due to theft. Slaves were to demonstrate obedience in order to bring credit to the teaching of God in everything, even through the evilness of slavery. 

The Greek word for "bring credit" is κοσμέω (kosmeo), meaning to put on cosmetics in order to make oneself attractive and beautiful. Even under harsh conditions, slaves were to put on the make-up of the teaching of Christ in order to make themselves look more attractive and beautiful.

2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.

The Greek word for "grace" is χάρις (chars), meaning the kindness of God. God is so nice, that He appeared and brought salvation to all who believe upon His name. 

2:12 It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

The Greek word for "training" is παιδεύω  (paideuow), meaning to train up a child so that he can reach his full potential. This includes instruction and discipline. God is not attempting to reform the world. He is redeeming men out of it. 

2:13 as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Greek word for "happy fulfillment" is μακαρίαν (macron), meaning happiness that comes from God. Men are so depraved and totally evil, that they cannot even experience happiness unless they are born from above. This is why members of the satanic world system pay comedians millions of dollars a year to make them laugh. They are sad, so they spend the money. Happiness only comes from understanding and applying the entire counsel of the Word of God. This type of study produces suffering which leads to happiness. The divine viewpoint of happiness is one who has enough Bible doctrine to suffer for Christ.

The Greek word for "hope" is ἐλπίς (ellis), meaning what is sure to come. Many English translations translate this subject of the verse as "the Blessed Hope", but a better translation is "the Happy Assurance". Believers are waiting for the happy assurance of what is to come. What is sure to come is the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Cretans were not waiting for the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and/or the Second Coming. They were waiting for the Blessed Hope, or the Happy Assurance of what is to come. They were waiting for Christ to take them up to meet Him in the air at the Rapture. This is another verse that supports the doctrine of Immanency, meaning that Christ can return at any time.

The Greek prepositional phrase for "our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" is τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ (you megalou theou kai sotayros ham own christou iasou), meaning the great God and Savior our Christ Jesus. Jehovah Witnesses falsely claim that the Great God is Jehovah, but the Savior is Christ, meaning that Paul was writing about two different personalities. However, this is impossible in the Greek, because the whole phrase is in the genitive case, meaning that Christ Jesus is the great God and Savior. All of the nouns and pronouns in the genitive case are mentioning the same exact person as a unity.

2:14 He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good.

The Greek word for "set us free" is λυτρόω (lutroa), an aorist middle subjunctive verb, meaning that Jesus Himself emphatically paid the redemption price to free us from Satan's grasp. The verb is aorist, meaning that this was a onetime completed action of the past. The aorist verb destroys the false Arminian theology that states that a person can lose his salvation. The aorist tense does not allow this loss of salvation, because the action was completed. This verb is in the subjunctive mood, meaning that it is a strong possibility that the sinner must believe in the salvation process.

The Greek word for "lawlessness" is ἀνομία (anomia), meaning no law, without law, or a disregard for the things of God. Christ redeemed the elect from every type of sin.

The Greek word for "purify" is καθαρίζω (katharizo), an aorist active subjunctive verb, meaning the removing of all filth or dross from molten metal. Jesus gave Himself up on the cross so that He could remove all of the filthy dross (scum) out of those who believe in Christ. This verb is in the aorist tense, meaning that Christ did this as a onetime completed action of the past. The verb is active, meaning that the subject Christ actively did the removing. The recipient has nothing to do with the process. The mood is subjunctive, meaning that the person must believe for the process to take place.

The Greek word for "a people who are truly his" is ἑαυτῷ λαὸν περιούσιον (auto loan periousion), meaning a treasured and very valuable people who were chosen to Him. The Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself up emphatically on the cross to set free His treasured people who were chosen for Him. 

The Greek word for "eager" is ζηλωτής (zalotais), meaning a person who has a boiling-over, burning passion to do divine good works. The people who were saved now have a new nature, a nature that is boiling over to do divine good works. Before they were born from above, their nature was opposite. They wanted to perform human viewpoint works which build up the satanic world system. They believed that they were holy and justified by performing these human viewpoint works. However, according to Isaiah 65, these human viewpoint works were dirty menstrual rags to God.

The Greek word for "good" is καλῶν ἔργων (kagown ergown), meaning doing divine good works that motivates others to do the same. The Cretans were once known as liars, but now they are known for their divine good works. Their divine good works were motivating others to believe in Christ and to perform divine good works as well.

2:15 So communicate these things with the sort of exhortation or rebuke that carries full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.

Therefore, Titus as pastor, was to communicate these divine principles to the Cretans. He was to encourage his congregation, because a divine viewpoint congregation will experience persecution. He was to rebuke his congregation when they fell into sin, or into human viewpoint. Notice that as the pastor-teacher, Titus has the full God-given authority to do this. Most congregations will support a pastor who encourages them, but they will not support a pastor who rebukes them. This is why there are so many seeker-friendly churches today. The pastors of these churches do not want to get fired, or at best, lose their congregations. Satan loves seeker-friendly churches, because they do not teach a full gospel. They do nothing but encourage, meaning that the whole congregation is allowed to live in sin without being rebuked. This type of sin builds the satanic world system and weakens the church. However, most baby Christians and unbelievers love these kinds of churches. They will flock to them because they can still continue in their sin and be encouraged to do so. A seeker-friendly pastor who refuses to rebuke sin in his congregation is a coward who is more concerned about building numbers and drawing a salary than he is in building soldiers and ambassadors for the invisible angelic conflict. He will draw a large crowd and a large salary, but his flock will be devoured by a roaring lion that wants to destroy them.

A pastor should encourage a flock that is making divine viewpoint decisions, because they are right in the middle of the angelic conflict and they will be persecuted. A pastor should rebuke a flock that refuses to become involved in the angelic warfare. This type of flock is AWOL. They are living it up in the satanic world system instead of fighting alongside their brothers and sisters. When a pastor rebukes the flock, they will look down upon him. Paul informed Titus that he should expect the flock to look down upon him, but do not allow them to do so. His message was to keep teaching the Word of God at the deepest level. Titus was to encourage when necessary, but also to rebuke when necessary. He is not to worry about what the flock thinks about his presentation style, his lack of agape love, his teaching at too deep a level, or any other accusation that might come against him. He is simply to teach the Word of God at the deepest level and prepare his flock to be the best soldiers and ambassadors that they can be. 

It is interesting to note that ambassadors are only allowed in friendly nations. Soldiers are sent to enemy nations. This is also true in the angelic conflict. 

 

Every young preacher should study this book.