Titus 2:2-5...

— But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine:

How do you make a Christian disciple? Ask most Christians that question and you’ll probably get responses like, “Take them through a class,” or “Assign them a mentor.” However, few would point to Scripture. Even fewer would point to the New Testament book of Titus. But that’s precisely where we find one of the rarest and purest treasures the Bible has to offer in regard to the process of making disciples.

How do you make a Christian disciple? Ask most Christians that question and you’ll probably get responses like,

“Take them through a class,” or

“Assign them a mentor.”

However, few would point to Scripture. Here is where we find one of the rarest and purest treasures the Bible has to offer in regard to the process of making disciples.

Before we focus on this process, we must understand the purpose behind it. Discipling our children is not about teaching them to behave in a way that won’t embarrass us.

We’re working toward something much more important than that. We’re actually raising our children with a view toward leading them to trust and to fol­low Christ.

Furthermore, as members of a local body, we’re striving to do this work in partnership with other families who are doing the same.

The result is a everyone working together push, designed to propel our chil­dren (collectively) into the next generation of kingdom service—

and all this is done in utter dependence upon God’s grace to do the work.

So we must consider the picture Paul paints in Titus from a much broader perspective than that of our own church family in isolation; we must view ourselves as part of something vastly greater.

Paul’s letter to Titus is marked by an earnest desire to see the gospel proclaimed, preserved, and passed on.

As such it contains a concise yet intense discourse on discipleship.

This is not to say discipleship is the sum total of Paul’s message in this letter, but it is a crucial element.

For Titus’s mission to succeed, he will have to

“teach what accords with sound doctrine” (2:1) and

“urge the younger men” (2:6); he must

“in all respects . . . be a model of good works” (2:7); he must

“show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame” (2:7–8).

He is to “declare these things” and to

“exhort and rebuke with all authority” (2:15), and to “remind them” (3:1).

In other words, Titus will have to be a disciple-maker.

Additionally, Paul makes it clear that Titus is not to do this on his own.

He charges Titus to appoint elders who “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught” and who “may be able to give instruc­tion in sound doctrine” (1:9).

These are who the men follow in the church.

Titus must urge older women to “teach what is good, and so train the young women” (2:3–4)

The younger women are supposed to be following the older women in the church. This is sound. This is how God protects His church.

RAISING GODLY, MATURE MEN AND WOMEN

Paul writes:

that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; 3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—

With these two simple sentences, Paul introduces us to the importance of godly, mature men and women in the church as an important tool in the disciple-making process. Each word in that description is important.

GODLINESS

In Paul’s exhortation, the first and most important quality for men and women to possess is godly character.

These aren’t just older men and women, nor are they

simply wise in a worldly sense of the word.

These are men and women of spiritual substance.

Many older people in our churches have indeed “changed their ways” for the better. However, not all of them are godly.

While some older people no longer live the way they used to

because God has transformed their lives—

they’ve undergone the supernatural process of sanctification—

Others have changed simply because they no longer have the

time,

energy, or

opportunity

to pursue the sins they continue to cherish in their hearts.

Paul is promoting transformed lives of older people who’ve walked with the Lord over a long period of time.

“sober” has the sense of clear headed.

“reverent” means that his actions and demeanor make him ‘worthy of respect or serious and worthy’.

“temperate” refers to the prudent, thoughtful aspect of self-control. Moderate and sensible in behavior.

The fourth characteristic required of older men is “sound” To have a healthy and correct view of...

So older men should manifest a healthy “trust” in God, “love” toward others, and a hopeful “perseverance and endurance” (in patience).

“faith”

MATURITY

Reverence for older men and women was the norm in ancient Eastern cultures. However, when Paul refers to older men and older women,

he’s speaking not merely of their age,

but of the mature character God forges over time as men and women walk with him.

The fourth characteristic required of older men is “sound” To have a healthy and correct view of...

So older men should manifest a healthy “trust” in God, “love” toward others, and a hopeful “perseverance and endurance” (in patience).

This is important, since the value of their example will depend on their moral character.

Nothing is more shameful than for an old man to indulge in youthful immorality.

Because of that chronological maturity, this spiritual maturity set forth by them is supposed to be the example for others.

However, moral character is precisely what God works in His people in sanctification.

“For those whom he foreknew he also pre­destined to be conformed to the image of his Son,...” ().

By God’s grace, believers are conformed to the image of Christ.

This transfor­mation is not something reserved for super Christians;

this is the essence of the Christian life for all.

It’s what happens as God works in us “both to will and to work for his good pleasure” ().

God’s plan is that 13 “...we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

This is the relentless pursuit of the Christian life. — I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

In v3 Paul begins his instructions for the next group, “older women”.

What does God want older women to be like in the congregation?

“reverent” here isn’t the same word given for the older men in v2.

This word means conduct that is befitting a holy person, in their behavior.

They are to be holy in their behavior since they belong to God by faith in Jesus Christ.

“not slanderers” These godly women are not gossips. Concern for others can degenerate into this vice.

“not given to much wine” Women who have constant access to the food and drink of the household, are warned not to be captured and controlled by wine.

“teachers of good things” is all one Greek word. This is teaching the younger women of what follows in v4, teaching the younger about their duties.

What does God want older women to do in the congregation?

God links the older to the younger as those who teach what they themselves are and seek to be.

“admonish” here means to encourage, advise, urge”

The older encourage and advise and urge the younger women to love their husbands and love their children.

It may seem strange for older women to be called upon to teach younger women to love their husbands and children.

But this is put into perspective when we realize that Christians are constantly being taught in the NT to love,

whether it be God or fellow Christians and neighbors (here the closest neighbor).

Maturity in Christians is marked not by gray hair, but by the fruit believers bear in keeping with their sanctification.

These are the men and women to whom Paul refers in .

Godliness and maturity are not only gifts granted by God’s Spirit to the individual believer;

the context of makes it clear that they’re gifts granted to the church

for the purpose of dis­cipleship and mentoring.

God’s design is for godly, mature men and women to impact the lives of younger believers.

This is crucial when considering what it takes to equip family shepherds.

If we’re going to see a generation of young men rise to the occasion and begin to disciple their families,

it will be due in large part

to the reestablishment of the biblical paradigm of mature believers pouring their lives into younger Christians,

and demonstrating godli­ness and maturity to them by their daily lives.

MEN AND WOMEN

It’s important to note that Paul refers to both men and women in .

While there are instances in Scripture where men and women work together to disciple a man (),

the wisest biblical counsel is for

men to disciple men & women to disci­ple women.

Here Paul instructs older women to “train the young women” ().

There’s a clear sense of specificity and order in his words.

It’s the women, not the men, who are charged with giving words of biblical wisdom to younger women,

with a view toward encouraging them “to love their husbands, to love their children,

— to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

This means that (1) both men and women are necessary in the disciple-making process, (2) there are important boundaries to be observed, and (3) the roles of men and women are distinct.

This means that

(1) both men and women are necessary in the disciple-making process,

(2) there are important boundaries to be observed, and

(3) the roles of men and women are distinct.

Thus the work of equipping family shepherds is men’s work.

However, those family shepherds will have an uphill battle on their hands if

younger women do not receive instruction from older women

in “loving their husbands and children” and being “submissive to their own husbands.”

Are there broken homes around us? How will order ever be restored in the home?

Well, for sure, it cannot happen apart from the presence and influence of godly, mature men and women in the church.