Titus 2.9-10-Paul Defines Proper Conduct for Christian Slaves
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday May 11, 2014
Titus: Titus 2:9-10-Paul Defines Proper Conduct for Christian Slaves
Lesson # 21
Please turn in your Bibles to Titus 2:3.
Titus 2:2 Older men are to be characterized as level-headed, dignified, sound-minded by being characterized as sound in the Christian faith, in the uniqueness of divine-love, in the uniqueness of godly perseverance. 3 Likewise, older women are to be characterized as reverent ones in the area of conduct, not slanderers, not enslaved to much wine, teachers of good 4 in order that they would be able to train younger women to be lovers of their husbands, lovers of their children 5 sound-minded ones, pure ones, homemakers, performers of divine good, those who voluntarily obey their own husbands so that the Word originating from God will not be slandered. 6 Likewise, you continue making it your habit of exhorting younger men to be sound-minded 7 while in each and every circumstance continuing to make it your habit of showing yourself to be an example of integrity, dignity, sound speech, irreproachableness who produces excellent works by means of the teaching 8 in order that the one who is from the opposition would be put to shame because they possess absolutely nothing bad to say about us. 9 Slaves are to make it their habit of voluntarily obeying their own masters in each and every task so as to be pleasing, by not talking back 10 by not stealing. But rather, by making it their habit of voluntarily demonstrating complete trustworthiness, which is performing divine good in order that they would be modeling the teaching of God, our Savior in each and every task. (My translation)
Titus 2:9 Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. (NASB95)
“Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything” means that Christian slaves were to voluntarily submit to the authority of their masters in each and every task assigned to them by their masters.
“To be well-pleasing” is a result clause which indicates that Paul wanted Christian slaves to voluntarily obey their own masters in each and every task assigned to them by their masters so that they would be pleasing to their masters and ultimately to God since it is His will that Christian slaves obey their masters.
“Not argumentative” denies any idea of a Christian slave talking back to their master and indicates that Paul wants Christian slaves to make it their habit of voluntarily obeying their own masters in each and every task assigned to them by not talking back to their masters.
It defines or explains how Christian slaves were to demonstrate their obedience to their masters.
Paul writes that Christian slaves were to make it their habit of voluntarily obeying their own masters in each and every task assigned to them by their masters.
Of course, when Paul says that slaves are to be obedient to their masters in each and every task, it should not be understood in an absolute sense.
For instance, if a master ordered his slave to steal or kill or lie, he was to obey God who prohibited these sins and not obey their master.
Paul then communicates the result of this obedience, namely Christian slaves will be pleasing to their masters.
Ultimately they would be pleasing to God since it is His will that is being communicated here by the apostle Paul in Titus 2:9.
In fact, Paul teaches the Colossian Christian slaves to be obedient to their masters since it is the Lord Christ whom they served ultimately (see Colossians 3:23-24).
Also, in this passage, he teaches they would be rewarded for their obedience but punished for not doing so.
In Ephesians 6:5-8, he says much the same thing to Christian slaves in Ephesus.
Paul teaches Christian slaves in Ephesus to be obedient to their masters as to Christ as His slaves.
He also says to the Ephesians that Christian slaves will have to give an account at the Bema Seat for their service to their masters.
In Titus 2:9, Paul reminds Titus that the means by which Christian slaves were to demonstrate their obedience to their masters in each and every task is by not talking back to their masters.
The obedience of Christian slaves to their masters would be extremely important since it would prevent non-Christian masters and other non-Christians from speaking evil of Christianity which is mentioned by Paul with regards to Christian slaves in 1 Timothy 6:1.
In Titus 2:9, the second reason why Paul instructed Titus to teach Christian slaves to be obedient to their masters is that those slaves whose masters who were non-Christian could be led to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through their obedient conduct.
Thirdly, those whose masters are Christians are to be obeyed because they are brothers and sisters in Christ which is mentioned by Paul to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:2.
The apostle Paul addresses the conduct of slaves and slave masters in regards to each other in many places (1 Corinthians 7:20-24; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Timothy 6:1-2).
Peter gives instructions regarding Christian slaves in 1 Peter 2:13-25.
Paul wants these slaves to be obedient and honor their masters if they are unbelievers in order to evangelize them.
Their insubordination will destroy their testimony before their unregenerate masters.
Respectful conduct towards their masters will go a long way to the evangelization of these masters and would promote unity in the body of Christ but also aid these masters.
Titus 2:10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. (NASB95)
“Not pilfering” denies any idea of a Christian slave embezzling money from their master and indicates that Paul wants Christian slaves to make it their habit of voluntarily obeying their own masters in each and every task assigned to them by not stealing money from their masters.
“But showing all good faith” presents an emphatic contrast with Christian slaves talking back to their masters and stealing from them and defines or explains how Christian slaves were to demonstrate their obedience to their masters.
Paul wants Christian slaves to make it their habit of voluntarily obeying their own masters in each and every task assigned to them by demonstrating complete trustworthiness.
He is making the assertion that the complete trustworthiness of Christian slaves is good in the sense that it is divine in quality and character because it is the direct result of obedience to Paul’s Spirit inspired command for them to obey their masters.
The complete trustworthiness of Christian slaves as a result of obedience to the apostle’s teaching is intrinsically valuable, intrinsically good, inherently good in quality but with the idea of good which is also profitable, useful, benefiting others, benevolent.
“So that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect” presents the purpose for which Christian slaves were to make it their habit of voluntarily demonstrating complete trustworthiness, which is performing divine good of intrinsic quality and character.
Paul wants Christian slaves to make it their habit of voluntarily demonstrating complete trustworthiness, namely to perform divine good “in order that” they would be modeling the doctrine of God our Savior in each and every task.
Titus 2:9 Slaves are to make it their habit of voluntarily obeying their own masters in each and every task so as to be pleasing, by not talking back 10 by not stealing. But rather, by making it their habit of voluntarily demonstrating complete trustworthiness, which is performing divine good in order that they would be modeling the teaching of God, our Savior in each and every task. (My translation)
Many slaves were in positions of trust.
Therefore, there were many opportunities for them to embezzle money from their master or in other words, steal from them, thus Paul wants Christian slaves to be trustworthy and honest.
If any of these slaves were caught stealing, it would serve to discredit Christianity and its teaching and ultimately cause non-Christian masters to slander God.
Remember, the Cretans had a bad reputation in the ancient world of being dishonest thieves.
So Paul wanted Christian slaves to live out the gospel in their lives and wanted them to stand in stark contrast to the non-Christian slaves on the island of Crete.
Non-Christian masters could be led to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as the direct result of these slaves being trustworthy.
Many non-Christian masters would never step foot in a home where the gospel was taught and practiced.
However, by Christian slaves demonstrating their obedience to the gospel resulting in their being trustworthy with their master’s affairs, these slave owners might give the gospel a hearing or simply believe in Jesus Christ as a result of their slaves trustworthiness.
Christian employees today in the twenty-first century need to do the same as Paul instructed Christian slaves to do in the first century.
Non-Christians not only need to hear the gospel but they need to see it lived out in the lives of Christians.
We, as Christians need to be trustworthy and conscientious employees who work hard for our employers.
Now, we must balance this by noting that the Christian’s trustworthiness in their job is not going to automatically cause their non-Christian employers to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Sometimes the Christian might encounter hostility from their bosses.