Sound Doctrine-8

Sound Doctrine – 8

Titus 2:1–10 (NIV84)

1You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.

2Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

3Likewise, 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.

4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children,

5to 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.

6Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.

7In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness

8and 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.

9Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them,

10and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

Titus 2:11 (NIV84)

11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

For denotes that the appearance of the grace of God is the reason why we must live out the mandates prescribed in verses 1-10. For is also defined because (γάρ gar).

We do the things listed in verses 1-10, because the grace of God has appeared to us.

Grace = χάρις charis 155x = a beneficent disposition toward someone, favor, grace, gracious care/help, goodwill; that which one grants to another, the action of one who volunteers to do something not otherwise obligatory.

Kindness given to someone who doesn’t deserve it: hence, undeserved favor, especially that kind or degree of favor bestowed on sinners through Jesus Christ (Eph 2:4–5).

Goodwill freely disseminated (by God); especially to the benefit of the recipient regardless of the benefit accrued to the disseminator.

Grace is the unearned favor generously given by God, bestowed for the good of the recipient without regard to any benefit for the giver.

It is not mercy.

Grace is receiving what we do not deserve (God’s unearned favor and blessing).

Mercy is not receiving what we do deserve (God’s compassion that withholds judgment or punishment).

God’s grace refers to his goodness toward those who ought to experience his judgment, that is, he does give us what we do not deserve.

Daniel Akin: That the sovereign God of creation would reach down from heaven and rescue undeserving sinners from the bondage and slavery of sin, from spiritual death and eternal separation from God in a place called hell, can only be described in one word: grace.

Titus 2:11 (NIV84)

11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

Appeared = ἐπιφαίνω epiphainō 4x = show oneself, make an appearance.

to be manifested, revealed.

In the LXX epiphainō is the chief rendering of Hebrew ’îr, to cause to shine. It occurs in the Aaronic blessing (Num. 6:25, make shine).

Related to the noun epiphany, that is, appearing or manifestation (for example, of the sun at sunrise).

That brings salvation = σωτήριος sōtērios 1x = imparting salvation, saving.

bringing salvation; saving.

To all men. What is meant by all men here means not (by all) every particular man in the world; (for it is manifest, that all shall not be saved) but some of all sorts of men.

Male or female, old or young, rich or poor: all are guilty before God, and from them all God gathers his people. Aged men, aged women, young women, young(er) men, and even slaves should live consecrated lives, for the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to men of all these various groups or classes.

Grace did not bypass the aged because they are aged, nor women because they are women, nor slaves because they are merely slaves, etc. It dawned upon all, regardless of age, sex, or social standing.

Hence, no one can derive, from the particular group or caste to which he belongs, a reason for not living a Christian life.

To all men does not imply universalism (i.e., that all people are saved). Rather, the point is that salvation is universally offered to all without exception.

Titus 2:12 (NIV84)

12It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

Teaches = παιδεύω paideuō = to admonish, instruct by admonition.

Admonish: warning or guidance given to persons through a reminder of certain principles by which they should be living. Admonition is not condemnation, and when it cites the biblical principles for Christian living, it forms a valuable element in spiritual discipline.

to assist in the development of a person’s ability to make appropriate choices, practice discipline; correct, give guidance (LXX) τινά (to) someone.

Say “No” = ἀρνέομαι arneomai = to refuse to pay any attention to, disregard, renounce.

to refuse someone (something); restrain, especially from indulging in some pleasure.

In the Christian life, there must be a conscious, willful rejection of thoughts, words, and actions that are in opposition to us being like God. The word “deny” (arneomai) means to reject or refuse. It means to decline or to give up.

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (NIV84)

3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

4The weapons we fight with (the weapons of our warfare, ESV, LSB) are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

What are the weapons of our warfare, if they are not the familiar weapons of the world?

Ephesians 6:10–18 (NIV84)

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

The full armor of God consists of five defensive pieces and two offensive pieces.

The two offensive pieces are the spiritual weapons with which we demolish strongholds.

They are the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and prayer.

Isaiah 55:8–11 (NIV84)

8“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

9“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

The Word that God speaks never returns empty; it will always accomplish and achieve what God desires.

Matthew 24:35 (NIV84)

35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

God’s Word is eternal; it will never pass away.

John 6:63 (NIV84)

63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

God’s Words are not just physical words on a page. They are God-breathed, they have the very breath, the very Spirit and Life of God within every word.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NIV84)

16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Only God’s Word can thoroughly equip every Christian believer.

2 Peter 1:19–21 (NIV84)

19And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.

21For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

God’s Word is God’s Word, not man’s word.

Jeremiah 23:23–32 (NLT)

23Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord. “No, I am far away at the same time.

24Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the Lord.

25“I have heard these prophets say, ‘Listen to the dream I had from God last night.’ And then they proceed to tell lies in my name.

26How long will this go on? If they are prophets, they are prophets of deceit, inventing everything they say.

27By telling these false dreams, they are trying to get my people to forget me, just as their ancestors did by worshiping the idols of Baal.

28“Let these false prophets tell their dreams, but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word. There is a difference between straw and grain!

29Does not my word burn like fire?” says the Lord. “Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?

30“Therefore,” says the Lord, “I am against these prophets who steal messages from each other and claim they are from me.

31I am against these smooth-tongued prophets who say, ‘This prophecy is from the Lord!’

32I am against these false prophets. Their imaginary dreams are flagrant lies that lead my people into sin. I did not send or appoint them, and they have no message at all for my people. I, the Lord have spoken!

Charles Spurgeon: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are deluding you.” Here is one mark of a false prophet:

He makes you feel that you are fine, that something in you is good.

“They speak visions from their own minds, not from the Lord’s mouth.”

Here is another of the marks of a false prophet:

Such a man as that is a great thinker.

He has thought out his theology himself; he has imagined and invented it himself.

“They have said to everyone who follows the stubbornness of his heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’ ”

They speak out of their own heart, not out of the mouth of God.

This is yet another mark of the false prophet:

He always tries to smooth down the consequences of sin.

“In the future state,” he says, “sin may occasion some temporary inconvenience, but all things will come right sooner or later.”

They try to make it easy for us to sin by denying the greatness of the penalty attached to it.

Isaiah 8:12-13, 19-20 (NIV84)

12“Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.

13The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread,

Christians are called to live their lives coram deo (before God), rather than coram hominibus (before man).

We must always recognize that our ultimate audience is God. The Bible thus calls us to fear God and not man.

19When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?

20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

Romans 1:16–17 (NIV84)

16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

The Word of God alone is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. What a promise!

It’s so good to know that we don’t need anything else to help God or us out in seeing others get saved.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (NIV84)

4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

Demolish = καθαίρεσις kathairesis 3x = demolition: the act of tearing down (a building) so as to make flat with the ground.

(2 Cor. 10:8; 13:10): tearing down: the act of making something less full, complete, or mature (in order to disassemble it completely); understood as if assisting in the demolition of a building. (versus complete extinction)

pulling down; razing to the ground.

demolition; extinction. (total annihilation)

Strongholds = ὀχύρωμα ochurōma 1x = of the arguments and reasonings by which a disputant endeavors to fortify his opinion and defend it against his opponent.

The arguments and reasonings by which a disputant endeavors to fortify his opinion and defend it against his opponent.

Entrenched patterns of thought that exalt themselves against Christ.

Bible Hub: Any deeply rooted obstacle – ideologies, attitudes, or habits – that resists the knowledge of God. These strongholds can manifest as disbelief, pride, moral compromise, or any worldview that attempts to nullify the truth revealed in Scripture.

Biola University: Strongholds are:

Arguments raised against the knowledge of God.

Lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God.

Thoughts (or ideas) that would lead someone away from obeying Christ.

Strongholds are not clusters of demons or besetting sins somehow connected to demons.

Strongholds relate to our thoughts, opinions and allegiances.

Such strongholds can and should be addressed by meditating upon the truth (as revealed by God in Scripture), declaring such truth, and tearing down the faulty arguments raised against the truth that hinder people from believing the truth.

Streams Ministries International: A stronghold is any thought pattern, set way of thinking, or consistent desire that does not agree with God. It is any way of thinking that would hinder someone from knowing Him or the truth He brings—any opinion that would keep someone from obeying Jesus.

All these definitions of strongholds center around thoughts and mindsets, not demons.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV84)

5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Verse 5 confirms the definition of stronghold, by stipulating what needs to be demolished.

Arguments = λογισμός logismos 2x = Romans 2:15, thoughts; fallacious and deceptive reasoning and, by implication, based on evil intentions; false reasoning, false arguments.

Pretension = ὕψωμα hypsōma 2x = height, Romans 8:39; a towering of self-conceit, presumption.

an exaggerated evaluation of what one is or of what one has done; conceit, pride, arrogance.

That sets itself up = ἐπαίρω epairō = to offer resistance to; be in opposition, rise up.

Exalting oneself, being lifted up with pride.

We’ll continue looking into this verse and the importance of thoughts next time, the Lord willing.