Titus 2:1-6 Live out sound doctrine

Church of Christ Dapto The Letter to Titus Lesson 3 – Live out sound doctrine Titus 2:1-6 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 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. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 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. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.          Titus Chapter 2 gives the positive side of what the Church should be, in contrast to what the false teachers want to make it to be as shown in Chapter 1. Chapter 1 was about the Elders opposing false teachers by strong action and bringing the members to do the same. Chapter 2 is about displaying the Truth in Christ and revealing the lies of false teachers, through the Godly life of all members of the Church. The life of a Teacher of Truth Titus 2:1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. A teacher of Truth in Christ must stand in complete contrast to the false teachers. Teach False teachers must be silenced, but the speakers of Truth must continue to proclaim. Teaching is not just telling, but explaining the Truths of Scripture by the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about a mental, spiritual and behavioural change in the lives of the hearers. Teaching indicates that the qualities of life mentioned in this chapter must be learned, and can be learned, by the members of the Church. These qualities are not automatic, or natural for a Christian. Good teaching brings a benefit of eternal effect. You may have heard the Word, but you have only accepted its teaching if you have changed as commanded. You have fully learned when you have applied the teaching to your life by accepting these changes, and can explain the reason for the changes to another. Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Sound doctrine 2 Timothy 1:13-14 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Titus is not to express his own opinion or teach it. That is the method of the false teacher. What he is to teach is the Word of God shown in the Gospel of Christ, which is not based on our opinions. All the qualities that the members of the Church are to display as a result of being taught sound doctrine are directly opposite to the qualities shown by the people of the world, in their case the “old Cretans”. Obeying sound doctrine means making great changes in your life. Without change in your life, there is no evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit in you. 1 Corinthians 6:11  And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Teaching sound doctrine to the Church The teaching which follows shows that the qualities are to be taught because they are not natural and must be learned, and the qualities are directly opposite to the worldly quality of being self-centred! You are either Christ-centred, or self-centred. Older men Titus 2:2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Sound doctrine taught to the older men in the Church brings them to a standard of life which is shown in their behaviour. The older men are to be taught to be: Temperate They are to learn to not be controlled by alcohol but be sober minded and alert. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. worthy of respect They must learn to earn the respect of the members by their behaviour and serious nature. self-controlled They must learn to not be self indulgent Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. sound in faith They must learn how to not vacillate or be influenced by false teachers Ephesians 4:14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. sound in love They must learn how to be not founded in the love of the world which is hatred They must learn to not show love as the world does, which destroys, but show the love of God which saves. sound in endurance They must learn to not give up at the first sign of trial or temptation but be determined to persevere in the faith until the end of their lives. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Teaching sound doctrine to the Church Older women Titus 2:3 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. Sound doctrine taught to older women brings them to a faith which makes them stand out from the people of the world in the life that they live. These are the things that they are to learn, which are contrary to normal behaviour. Be reverent They must learn to show holiness in their behaviour and devotion to God. Not be slanderers They must learn to not spread gossip about other members, or members of their wider community. Not be addicted to wine They must learn to not be enslaved to alcohol, but be a “slave” of Christ. Romans 6:16  Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? To teach what is good They must learn how to not be a female false teacher in their words and actions. To do the work of older women in the Church Titus 2:4-5 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 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. They must learn that the teaching of the younger women in the Church is the responsibility of the older women who set the example. Younger Women Likewise, younger women must learn the qualities taught and demonstrated by the older women in the Church. Such behaviours are not natural, but only learned in Christ if we obey Him. Love their husbands and children They must show Christian love to husband and children as a quality which must be learned! self-controlled and pure They must learn to not be self-indulgent and corrupt. The word used for self-control here refers particularly to the thought-life of a person.1 Teaching sound doctrine to the Church Younger Women busy at home The natural position is to be lazy and unproductive in the home, but this is not possible for a true Christian wife and mother. They must learn this quality. kind Kindness is not a natural quality but a learned one. 1 Timothy 5:10  and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. subject to their husbands The people of the world mock this quality and suggest that it is a sign of weakness. The truth is, possessing this quality is a sign of real personal strength because the woman who is subject to her husband is so by choice to deny self-centredness. It is a quality which is learned. not giving ammunition to those who oppose The younger women, perhaps because they would be more often seen in the community, are indicated as the ones whose behaviour—their words and attitudes—will either raise the standing of the Gospel and the Cretan Church or will give the opponents and false teachers ammunition in their attempt to destroy it. The younger women are thus to be a positive advertisement of the Gospel of Christ’s Church by displaying the aspects of love and service listed. The change in their lives and their work as a Christian wife is not an end in itself but to make the life in Christ attractive to the people of the world. Younger men Titus 2:6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. The young men are not naturally self-controlled, but self-centred. Self-control can be taught because it must be learned. Perhaps the younger men are not given a list of commands because their greatest problem of lack of self-control is a sufficient burden to overcome and in their overcoming it, to be outstanding examples of the power of the Holy Spirit.          The non-self centred Church Imagine a Church where all its members have heard the sound doctrine, and learned to make the permanent changes in their lives required by it. This is a Church which would bring glory to God because all its members are so different to the people of the world that they are all beyond truthful criticism. They bring glory to God because their lives have been changed in ways that are impossible if they had followed the teaching of the world. Only God’s Spirit could create such a Church and such members.          What are you to learn? You have a part to play in protecting the Church from false teachers. The first responsibility is that you are not one! You can be a false teacher without speaking but through your example which shows that you do not really believe the Gospel. If you demonstrate the qualities your group are commanded to learn, so that the whole Church benefits, then you are being a teacher of sound doctrine by example. Sound doctrine counters false teachers because sound doctrine brings life change. If you are not living up to the required standard, led by the Holy Spirit, you show that you do not care about the other members of the Church by not playing your part in defending them from false teaching. You show that you do not think that teaching is important in the Church. You remain self-centred. It does not matter if you have sound doctrine or false teaching if you take no notice of the first. The truth is, if you ignore sound teaching by not responding to it, you are a false teacher. You show you believe teaching is important and sound doctrine is essential by showing that you have learned from it by obeying it, thereby being an example to the whole church. You are called by Christ to be an example to all believers, not a follower. You are not to judge yourself by what others are doing, and whether they are following the teaching. Judge yourself and choose to obey the Word. Hear what your group is commanded to be, and learn to change your life to conform to sound doctrine. Learn to be a true member of the greatly blessed Church of Jesus Christ.          Next Lesson: (April 14) Be an example Titus 2:7-10 Focus Verse: Titus 2:7