COMMENTARY ON TITUS
LESSON NUMBER 11
“ Tit 2:4 [The aged women . . .] That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” (Titus 2:4-5)
SPEAKING THINGS BECOMING SOUND DOCTRINE, #2
INTRODUCTION
Paul has admonished Titus to speak “the things which become sound doctrine,” “which are fitting for sound doctrine,” NASB or “what is fitting and becoming to sound (wholesome) doctrine.” AMPLIFIED These “things” are not the doctrine itself, but are complementary of the doctrine. Later this is referred to as living in such a manner as to “adorn the doctrine” (2:10). The doctrine itself has to do with Christ, and is referred to as “the doctrine of God our Savior” (Tit 2:10), which is “the doctrine of Christ” (Heb 6:1; 2 John 1:9). Proper doctrine must be paired with appropriate lives, else God will not work through it. A woman who has the spirit of divination may speak of Paul and company saying, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). However, such words are not allowed, for they are coming from a defiled vessel. Paul, “being grieved,” commanded the evil spirit to come out of the woman, thus ending what she was saying. Admonishing the brethren in Crete to live properly was particularly important because of the culture there. It was like a great rock upon the soul, pushing it downward into the quagmire of sin. People must see that God neither dwells nor works in defiled vessels. This is one reason for the new birth, washing, and sanctification. It is one of the reasons for a new heart, new spirit, and new mind. The church is not to be tolerant of manners of life that actually disqualify people for the fellowship with Jesus into which they have been called. The truth of the matter is that there is a frame of heart and mind within which the Spirit works. This is why we are warned not to grieve or quench the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30; 1 Thess 5:19). “The things that become sound doctrine” have to do with maintaining a manner of life in which the Holy Spirit will work, changing the person from one stage of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18). These “things” are exceedingly practical, which causes men to often treat them with unbecoming casualness. Paul has already addressed older men and woman. Now he will speak to the younger women and men.
SOBRIETY AND LOVE AMONG THE YOUNG WOMEN
Titus 2:4 “ That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.”
Older women are to be admonished to be holy, not false accusers, not given to much wine, and teachers of good, or wholesome things. Not only is this kind of life necessary to walking in the light and fellowship with Jesus, it enables the older women to teach the younger women. This teaching is done by example as well as with words.
THAT THEY MAY TEACH. Other versions read, “admonish,” NKJV “encourage,” NASB “train,” NIV “instruct,” GENEVA “show,”NJB “to make,” PNT and “wisely train.” AMPLIFIED The word translated “teach” is not the ordinary word for teaching, as commonly understood. Technically, the word means “restore one to his senses; to moderate, control, curb, discipline; to hold one to his duty.” THAYER It has more to do with the result of the teaching than the act of teaching itself. This is not speaking of holding a class in which the nature of good behavior is outlined, although that may very well be involved. The idea here is that the older women, by their godly deportment, are to effectively teach what follows. The necessity of this kind of teaching lies in the fact that it is becoming of the sound doctrine, causing it to be seen as God intends for it to be seen.
THE YOUNG WOMEN. As is evident from the instruction that follows, these are not children, but mature women who are embarking on adult life. They are no longer under the care of their parents, and yet there is a sense in which they are not on their own. They too have a responsibility before God to live in such a manner as will not detract from the doctrine of Christ. In newness of life, there is no such thing as a freedom that allows the believer to live without due regard to the Savior, and the doctrine that expounds Him.
TO BE SOBER. Both by example and words, the older women are to effectively teach the younger women to be sober. Coincidentally, in this verse, the same Greek word is used for “sober” as that which is used for “teach.” As used in Scripture, the word “sober” means “freedom from any inordinate passion; that quiet self possession which enables one to devote himself to the matter in hand.” McCLINTOK That is the flip-side of the definition provided above: “restore one to his senses; to moderate, control, curb, discipline; to hold one to his duty.” In a society fitly described as being made up of “liars, evil beasts, and slow bellies,” this would prove to be quite a challenge. It would certainly put them out of synch with that indulgent society. Our nation has also become such a society, so that the threat of a depression is more foreboding than the thought of facing the God whom they offend. Pleasure has been deified, so that men seek it above all other things. However, it has impacted the way people reason: how they think about God, Christ, and the Scriptures. Whereas Christ is at the center of what God is doing, self is at the center of all pleasure and self-gratification.
Paul wrote to Timothy expressing his desire that “the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully” (1 Tim 5:14). He also admonished him to treat the “the younger as sisters, with all purity” (1 Tim 5:2). Paul is doing much the same thing here, except it is against the backdrop of the decadent Cretian society. It especially required the younger women to be sober – alert and in their right and godly minds at all time, not degenerating into frivolous and fruitless frames of mind.
TO LOVE THEIR HUSBANDS. If younger women are to be effectively taught to love their husbands, it cannot be something that naturally occurs. Obviously, this is a rational, intelligent, and spiritual love. It is not raw emotion – something that is anchored to the soul rather than the spirit. Ephesians 5:33 reads that the wife is to “reverence her husband.” First Corinthians says that the wife is to render “due benevolence [marital duty NIV]. . . unto the husband” (7:3). Ephesians says the wives are to “submit themselves to their own husbands, as unto the Lord” (5:22-23). Colossians tells the wives “submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord” (Col 3:18). Peter admonishes wives to “be in subjection to your own husband” (1 Pet 3:1). All of this is to be done with the awareness that “the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church” (Eph 5:23).
Here we have the only place in all of the Bible where wives are taught to “love their husbands.” Every other place love is mentioned in association with marriage, it is the husband who is to love the wife (Eph 5:25,28,33; Col 3:19). Why does Paul write in this way to Titus, telling him the younger women are to be effectively taught to love their husbands? Love is the fundamental principle that produces all of the other requirements associated with marriage. Just as our love for God moves us to fulfill the other requirements, so the wife’s love for her husband will compel her to fulfill the revealed obligations she has to him, doing good to him (Prov 31:12).
TO LOVE THEIR CHILDREN. Solomon said his son was to “not forsake the law of thy mother” (Prov 1:8; 6:20). A virtuous woman provides for her household, even when it is inconvenient (Prov 31:15,21,27). Loving her children has to do with raising them properly, like Jochabed did Moses, and Lois did Timothy. It has to do with preparing them for a spiritually productive life, for she is to “guide the house,” or “manage the house” NKJV (1 Tim 5:14). She is not the servant of her children, but they are her stewardship. Love will ensure she does her work well.
DISCREET, CHASTE, KEEPERS, GOOD, and OBEDIENT
“ 2:5a To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands . . .”
There have been unusual women in Divine history – women who were leaders. They include Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Anna, Phebe, Philip’s four daughters, and others. God called all of them. We know that Deborah, Huldah, and Anna were married. Yet, with these noble women in the record, the younger women are not called to aspire to the greatness that God alone gives. They are rather admonished concerning, what we might consider, the normalities of life. It will be no different when Paul addresses younger men. There is a reason for this. Those who do not do well in the ordinary responsibilities of life ought not seek for leadership in the body of Christ. This is a rather personal matter, and I certainly do not mean to dictate in saying this. However, those who would be used by God in the church are to first learn to live honorably and for His glory. That is the kind of thing that is being addressed here.
DISCREET. Other versions read, “sensible,” NASB “self-controlled,” NIV “sober-minded,” ASV “temperate,” GENEVA “use good judgment,” GWN and “live wisely.” NLT English synonyms for “discreet” include careful, circumspect, and considerate. One who is discreet has a “sound mind,” which is the meaning of this word. Unlawful impulses are controlled, and the person is not pulled into improper involvements. A “discreet” wife can, as the virtuous woman, be trusted by her husband to make sound judgments (Prov 31:11). She will not squander their resources or be wasteful, nor does she require meticulous instructions on how to do her work. She can “consider a field” and “buy it” without being swindled (Prov 31:16). She can “stretch out her hand to the poor” without being unwise (Prov 31:20). She will provide adequate clothing for her family in the winter (Prov 31:21). There is such a thing as “silly women laden with lusts, led away with diverse lusts” (2 Tim 3:6) – but a “discreet” woman is not among them!
CHASTE. Other versions read, “pure,” NASB “clean in heart,” BBE “morally pure,” GWN and “holy.” MRD Chastity is something that is within – a frame of mind that keeps one from indulging in immorality. Being chaste deals with lust at the temptation level, rejecting its suggestions and choosing to remain “pure and undefiled,” and “unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). Those who fail morally first failed the test of chastity. They were impure within before they became defiled without. Like the Cretian society, our culture also targets foolish and vulnerable young women. The body of Christ is an environment in which young women can learn by both example and word the necessity of being chaste – having the kind of heart and mind to which the Lord can show life-sustaining spiritual realities.
KEEPERS AT HOME. Other versions read, “homemakers,” NKJV “workers at home,” NASB “busy at home,” NIV “good managers of the household,” NRSV “domestic,” RSV “take good care of their homes,” CJB and “fulfilling their duties at home.” NET
Being “keepers at home” does not imply always staying at home. It does mean the home is the base of their operation, so to speak. They are responsible for their homes, and are to take that responsibility seriously. As confirmed in the inspired word concerning virtuous women, such can be found seeking wool and flax (Prov 31:13), bringing her food from afar (31:14), considering a field and buying it (31:16a), planting and caring for a vineyard (31:16b), stretching out her hand to the poor and needy (31:20), and selling and delivering merchandise (31:24). Such a wife is not driven by selfish personal interests, but by a high regard for her husband and interest in her household. Joanna, wife of Herod’s steward, ministered to Jesus of her substance (Lk 8:3) – but certainly not to the neglect of her household.
GOOD. Other versions read, “kind,” NASB “gentle,” DOUAY and “good-natured (kindhearted).” AMPLIFIED Inherent is this word is the thought of being useful, pleasant, agreeable, upright, and honorable. THAYER “Goodness” is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and the young women are to possess it (Gal 5:22). This is the opposite of being inconsiderate, harsh, harping, nagging, and volatile, like a volcano about to erupt. This has to do primarily with the environment of the home, and extends out to other relationships. While this virtue is not limited to young women, they are not to be like acid in their interpersonal involvements.
OBEDIENT TO THEIR OWN HUSBANDS. Obedience means willingly subordinate, for “the husband is the head of the wife” (Eph 5:23). This obedience is within the framework of one’s identity with God. Thus other texts say of this obedience, “as it is fit in the Lord,” COL 3:18 and “as unto the Lord.” EPH 5:22 From the beginning, God intended that the wife’s will defer to that of her husband (Gen 3:16). The only exception to this rule is found when the husband’s will is in conflict with the will of the Lord. No husband can rule over his wife in matters pertaining to God. There are wives who, like Abigail, have more godly wisdom than their husbands. She acted in contradiction of her husband’s will, who was “harsh and evil in his doings” NKJV (1 Sam 25:3-38). But that is not the rule. Rather, it is the condoned exception to the rule. As difficult as it may seem to those unduly impacted by our society, godly wives are to “be obedient to their own husbands,” never giving another man more honor and respect than they give to their own spouse. The older women are to live this out before the younger women.
THAT THE WORD OF GOD BE NOT BLASPHEMED
2:5b “ . . . that the word of God be not blasphemed.” Other versions read, “may not be dishonored,” NASB “that no one will malign,” NIV “may not be discredited,” NRSV “that no evil may be said of,” BBE “brought into disgrace,” CJB “that no one may reproach,” MRD “can’t be spoken against,” LIVING and “not be exposed to reproach (blasphemed or discredited).” AMPLIFIED
THE WORD OF GOD. It is not possible to overstate the importance of “the Word of God” – what He has said, or revealed. This is the means through which we are begotten again to be “a kind of first fruits of His creatures” (James 1:18). The Word through which that conception is carried out, enabled us to be “born again” (1 Pet 1:23). It is the means through which spiritual life is sustained (Lk 4:4). This is “the sword of the Spirit,” through which spiritual battles are fought (Eph 6:17). The “word of God” is what works effectively in those who believe it (1 Thess 2:13). This is the “word of truth” by which we are sanctified, or set apart for God (John 17:17). The “word of God” is what probes the inner recesses of man, distinguishing between soul and spirit, and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12).
Without a due regard for the Word of God, no work will be done within the individual – either initially or on an ongoing basis. If a person is going to be delivered and kept, there must come a time when a high regard is had for “the word of God.” A disrespect for God’s word brings with it unbelief in Christ Jesus, for He is the Incarnate Word (John 1:1,14; Rev 19:13). No person, regardless of mental aptitude, who despises the Word of God, can arrive at a proper conclusion concerning Jesus, perceive a need for Him, or desire Him. Those who say they have found Jesus, yet who despise the word of God, have simply lied. They are not to be believed, for God has magnified His word above all of His name (Psa 138:2).
Those who cast an unfavorable light upon the word of God have committed a great evil. They may have done it in the name of scholarship, throwing a veil of doubt upon the Scriptures. They may have held up the Bible to disdain by simply neglecting it, or even engaged in an initiative to rid society of it. Of course, that is the kind of people with whom those who fail to live in a godly manner are classed. That is the point of this text.
BE NOT BLASPHEMED. Blaspheming the word of God involves dishonoring it, maligning it, discrediting it, speaking evil of it, disgracing it, and reproaching it. It is holding up the word of God to disdain and contempt, so that men no longer hold it in high regard. And how is such a reaction provoked? It is because those who say they believe it live in a manner that contradicts what it says. The word says, “Be ye holy” (1 Pet 1:15), but they are unholy. It says, “Sin not,” but they sin (1 Cor 15:34). It says “work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” but they neglect the great salvation (Phil 2:12). It admonishes men to “Watch” for the coming of the Lord, but they are absorbed with life in this world (Mk 13:37).
And what is the effect of deviate conduct – when a person’s life contradicts what the word of God says, yet they profess that they know God? Well, Paul addresses the matter after a godly sort. He admonishes the young women to so conduct their lives that the word of God will NOT be blasphemed. This is not accomplished by admonishing people not to speak reproachfully of the word of God – although there is a place for that. It rather has to do with living in such a way as to confirm that this word, in fact, “effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thess 2:13). That is the truth of the matter. Yet, if a person says they believe this word, and are a Christian, yet live in contradiction of the truth, they have suggested that the word does not work effectively in those who believe it. Therefore the door to blasphemy is opened.
Paul gave the same type of instruction to Timothy: “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully” (1 Tim 5:14). Servants were admonished in the same manner: “Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and His doctrine be not blasphemed” (1 Tim 6:1).
Our text affirms that appropriate lives are to be lived out by the younger women with a due regard for the word of God. This consideration is not limited to them. Paul certainly does not mean to say that young men can allow such blasphemy to be spoken with impunity. When, for example, David sinned with Bathsheba, God judged him because he gave “great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” (2 Sam 12:14). When the Jews who professed themselves to be Christians were loose in their living, violating the law they said they had embraced, Paul chided them saying, “Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written” (Rom 2:23-24). When professing Christians live in a manner that contradicts both the spirit and the text of Scripture, it is a matter to be taken most seriously.
The greatest influence causing skepticism, doubt, blasphemy, etc, is not the atheist, the agnostic, or the person attempting to prove the Bible is nothing more than a compilation of writings originated by men. It is not the evolutionist, the scoffer, or the worldly philosopher. It is the professing Christian who lacks sobriety and godliness, and is at home in this world.