Page 87 - Pastoral Epistles I & 2 Timothy, Titus

This pastoral letter from Paul to Titus was intended to offer encouragement and wisdom as Titus endured
ongoing opposition from the ungodly and from legalists within his congregations. Paul instructed Titus to
complete his assigned job of establishing overseers (elders) for the churches under his care. He described what
sort of people these leaders should be, and how all believers should live in relation to each other as well as in
their interactions with nonbelievers. Proper Christian behavior is based on the fact that “the grace of God has
appeared, bringing salvation for all people,” and therefore those who believe in Christ are to “live self-controlled,
upright, and godly lives” as they await his return (2:11-13).

Titus 2:1-15.
If it is true that since God has made us in His image, then we need to know and understand how we are supposed
to live and act. But we, as Christians, should also know why we act the way we do. We need instructions about
the kind of people we should be.

We need to understand … what is Christian behavior?
Titus 2:1-5. 1 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to 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 urge 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.

The church is called both the body and the bride of Christ. The church should be developing as a beautiful body,
as it displays the splendor of our Savior. As His bride, the church should develop into a beautiful body to attract
others to our Savior.
V1. Notice the emphasis on sound doctrine.

Sound doctrine is the content of our faith. But how can we recognize when teaching is sound and when it is not
sound?

 First, we must understand the truth of God’s Word.
We must be familiar with specific texts to refute errors.

Jesus must remain at the center of our faith.
Values are passed from one generation to the next by both teaching and character. If the character does not
reflect the teaching, we will never pass the truth to the next generation. They will see us as hypocrites.
God wants us to live our lives in such a way that others will be drawn to the Gospel. And yet most churches have
people who believe that God’s grace means that God gives out free passes that allow us to sin, with no
consequences for disobedience.
But let’s look at the passage a little closer.
12
11
Titus 2:11-12. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It
teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright,
and godly lives in this present age.
There is nothing in V11-12 that tells us God’s grace allows us to pick and choose how we want to live. Instead,
the passage clearly tells us that grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness and teaches us to live self-controlled
lives.

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