Tit 2:1 | KingComments | STEP | Chapter 1 deals especially with the flock of God and the dangers that threaten the flock. Therefore the Lord gave elders, pastors and leaders. They can lead the flock and keep them from dangers. The practical things are connected with the doctrine and with those chosen of God. That shows how precious the believers are to God’s heart. That is what should determine the behavior of the leaders and what makes their responsibility great in dealing with them. Chapter 2 deals with, as it is said at the end of this chapter, an “own special people” for the Lord Jesus who are zealous for good works. We are His own special people. The Lord Jesus wanted to have His own people or nation in this world, a people who are a joy and pleasure to Him. That sounds in each group that is being addressed in this chapter. He wants to have the older men, the older women, the young women, the young men and the bondslaves for Himself. He wants to be able, in the midst of all nationalities, to point to a nation or at people of whom He can say: ‘They are My people.’ Kings and rulers have their people, He has them too. Our task is to live in such a way that He can really say with joy, without being ashamed of us: ‘They are My people.’ Then certainly not only the gatherings are the point here, where we are visibly together from our living environment and people see a nation or a unity of people. It is about what the Lord Jesus sees when He looks at us in our houses and at our working place. He sees all of those different groups in their environment, not gathered, but often as a solitary individual in the midst of so many who do not belong to His people. He not only loves to see His people when they are together, but also in everyday life in the midst of the world. . To make sure that He can look at us with joy, Paul commands Titus to speak things which are proper for “sound doctrine”. By the way, this verse starts with: “But as for you.” That indicates a contrast to the previous. He should not stop to minister the saints with the sound doctrine by speaking about it again and again. This is the best remedy against the influence of the false teachers. Titus doesn’t receive the command to teach the sound doctrine, but to ‘speak the things’ that are fitting for it. This may have to do with the fact that the work of Titus is not so much that of a teacher, but more of a pastoral worker, which implies that he often has individual conversations. Public preaching is often not sufficient to meet all needs. A person who especially ministers as a shepherd, once said to me: ‘From what you bring in the meeting as doctrine, I take small chunks which I use for an individual believer who needs care.’ This is how to complement one another and this is also what the Lord purposed. The starting point is the sound doctrine. That’s the doctrine which is sound in itself and which also makes all people sound who take in this doctrine. It is like fruit. In healthy fruit there are no worms or rotten spots. When you eat healthy fruit, it improves your health. Apparently Titus is still a young man. This makes it more necessary that he only speaks things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Only then the different age groups will accept his exhortations. Each category has a doctrine that is fitting for that certain group. Titus has to talk about that with each separate group. The differences between the groups will then not cause the believers to live separately from each other, or worse, in opposition to each other, but on the contrary in harmony with one another. In that way the sound doctrine will have a sound effect. You may say that a sound church consists of the four categories mentioned. The phenomenon ‘youth church’ ignores this and isolates the youth of the larger whole of the church. In a church as it is presented here, you see a mixture of the maturity and experience of the older people and the energy and activity of the youth. Paul doesn’t address the groups directly, as he does in the letter to the Ephesians and the letter to the Colossians. He gives instructions to Titus on how he should properly minister each group by age and gender so that they may walk in accordance with their profession. First it is important to consider that each position that is mentioned here, is given by God (age, gender) or is acknowledged by Him (bondslave, master). As long as you are in that position, you ought to act in a way that is fitting for that position. . The first category that is being addressed is the “older men”. Not all older men are elders. Spiritually these older men are not much older than the young people, but they certainly are regarding their age and wisdom of life. Still, their old age goes together with its own dangers. When they get older a feeling of uselessness can arise or not knowing what to do anymore. 1. The danger arises that they open themselves for influences that cause them not to be “temperate” anymore. In that case they are no example anymore for the young people who look upon them. A sober person is free from exaggeration and excitement in words and deeds. 2. Their behavior should not be like that of a puppy, necessarily wanting to act like a young person, but “dignified”. An older man ought to have an attitude with a certain dignity. 3. He will be “sensible” and adopt a tactful reservation. He no longer needs to assert himself so much. 4. Another danger of getting older is that conversation become limited and one-sided. Therefore he must be instructed to be “sound in faith”, which means: sound in what he believes. Then he will be balanced in his speech about the truth, whereby he doesn’t overemphasize certain truths and neglects other truths. 5. Also “in love” he ought to be sound, that it goes out to all God’s children and is not limited to a select few. 6. The last thing that Titus must tell the older men is that they must be sound “in perseverance”. The older you get, the more the danger increases to become despondent. The feeling can arise that nothing makes any sense at all. Weariness of life may occur. The older men may bear in mind that the Lord has His purpose with their stay on earth until the last minute of their life. Professor Gunning said it this way when he grew old: ‘I will not give death that honor to wait for it.’ He looked forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus. The expectation of Him with perseverance also renews the strength of older men ( ). . After the exhortations to older men now those to the “older women” follow. Their behavior, which means their whole visible performance in daily life in words, gestures, clothing, decoration, ought to be “reverent”. That means that they are continually aware to be living in God’s presence. Anna is a wonderful example of such a woman. You read of her that she “never left the temple” ( ). The abuse of the tongue by “malicious gossips” is a great danger for older women. Anna did not commit that sin. On the contrary, she spoke about God. She also served God night and day. She was full of God and praised Him ( ). Therefore she was “not enslaved to much wine”. She did not have to turn to the bottle out of boredom to get a kind of happy feeling by drinking wine (cf. ). Titus must instruct older women that they should spend their time in a good way by “teaching what is good”. Older women do not have to care for a family anymore and therefore they have less domestic occupations than when there were children to care for. You may be thinking: ‘But isn’t it written that the woman is not supposed to be teaching’ ( )? You are right about that. However, here it is not about explaining certain truths of God’s Word, but about how something is to be done. They do not perform as teachers before the whole church, but their teaching is only focused on just one certain category: the young women. The teaching here regards the efforts to make clear to young women how they can be good witnesses in daily life. Now read Titus 2:1-3 again. Reflection: Do you know older men and older women in your environment with whom you see something of the characteristics mentioned?

‏ Titus 2:1

Older Men, Older Women

Chapter 1 deals especially with the flock of God and the dangers that threaten the flock. Therefore the Lord gave elders, pastors and leaders. They can lead the flock and keep them from dangers. The practical things are connected with the doctrine and with those chosen of God. That shows how precious the believers are to God’s heart. That is what should determine the behavior of the leaders and what makes their responsibility great in dealing with them.

Chapter 2 deals with, as it is said at the end of this chapter, an “own special people” for the Lord Jesus who are zealous for good works. We are His own special people. The Lord Jesus wanted to have His own people or nation in this world, a people who are a joy and pleasure to Him. That sounds in each group that is being addressed in this chapter. He wants to have the older men, the older women, the young women, the young men and the bondslaves for Himself. He wants to be able, in the midst of all nationalities, to point to a nation or at people of whom He can say: ‘They are My people.’ Kings and rulers have their people, He has them too.

Our task is to live in such a way that He can really say with joy, without being ashamed of us: ‘They are My people.’ Then certainly not only the gatherings are the point here, where we are visibly together from our living environment and people see a nation or a unity of people. It is about what the Lord Jesus sees when He looks at us in our houses and at our working place. He sees all of those different groups in their environment, not gathered, but often as a solitary individual in the midst of so many who do not belong to His people. He not only loves to see His people when they are together, but also in everyday life in the midst of the world.

Tit 2:1. To make sure that He can look at us with joy, Paul commands Titus to speak things which are proper for “sound doctrine”. By the way, this verse starts with: “But as for you.” That indicates a contrast to the previous. He should not stop to minister the saints with the sound doctrine by speaking about it again and again. This is the best remedy against the influence of the false teachers.

Titus doesn’t receive the command to teach the sound doctrine, but to ‘speak the things’ that are fitting for it. This may have to do with the fact that the work of Titus is not so much that of a teacher, but more of a pastoral worker, which implies that he often has individual conversations. Public preaching is often not sufficient to meet all needs. A person who especially ministers as a shepherd, once said to me: ‘From what you bring in the meeting as doctrine, I take small chunks which I use for an individual believer who needs care.’ This is how to complement one another and this is also what the Lord purposed.

The starting point is the sound doctrine. That’s the doctrine which is sound in itself and which also makes all people sound who take in this doctrine. It is like fruit. In healthy fruit there are no worms or rotten spots. When you eat healthy fruit, it improves your health.

Apparently Titus is still a young man. This makes it more necessary that he only speaks things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Only then the different age groups will accept his exhortations. Each category has a doctrine that is fitting for that certain group. Titus has to talk about that with each separate group. The differences between the groups will then not cause the believers to live separately from each other, or worse, in opposition to each other, but on the contrary in harmony with one another. In that way the sound doctrine will have a sound effect.

You may say that a sound church consists of the four categories mentioned. The phenomenon ‘youth church’ ignores this and isolates the youth of the larger whole of the church. In a church as it is presented here, you see a mixture of the maturity and experience of the older people and the energy and activity of the youth.

Paul doesn’t address the groups directly, as he does in the letter to the Ephesians and the letter to the Colossians. He gives instructions to Titus on how he should properly minister each group by age and gender so that they may walk in accordance with their profession. First it is important to consider that each position that is mentioned here, is given by God (age, gender) or is acknowledged by Him (bondslave, master). As long as you are in that position, you ought to act in a way that is fitting for that position.

Tit 2:2. The first category that is being addressed is the “older men”. Not all older men are elders. Spiritually these older men are not much older than the young people, but they certainly are regarding their age and wisdom of life. Still, their old age goes together with its own dangers. When they get older a feeling of uselessness can arise or not knowing what to do anymore.

1. The danger arises that they open themselves for influences that cause them not to be “temperate” anymore. In that case they are no example anymore for the young people who look upon them. A sober person is free from exaggeration and excitement in words and deeds.

2. Their behavior should not be like that of a puppy, necessarily wanting to act like a young person, but “dignified”. An older man ought to have an attitude with a certain dignity.

3. He will be “sensible” and adopt a tactful reservation. He no longer needs to assert himself so much.

4. Another danger of getting older is that conversation become limited and one-sided. Therefore he must be instructed to be “sound in faith”, which means: sound in what he believes. Then he will be balanced in his speech about the truth, whereby he doesn’t overemphasize certain truths and neglects other truths.

5. Also “in love” he ought to be sound, that it goes out to all God’s children and is not limited to a select few.

6. The last thing that Titus must tell the older men is that they must be sound “in perseverance”. The older you get, the more the danger increases to become despondent. The feeling can arise that nothing makes any sense at all. Weariness of life may occur.

The older men may bear in mind that the Lord has His purpose with their stay on earth until the last minute of their life. Professor Gunning said it this way when he grew old: ‘I will not give death that honor to wait for it.’ He looked forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus. The expectation of Him with perseverance also renews the strength of older men (Isa 40:31).

Tit 2:3. After the exhortations to older men now those to the “older women” follow. Their behavior, which means their whole visible performance in daily life in words, gestures, clothing, decoration, ought to be “reverent”. That means that they are continually aware to be living in God’s presence. Anna is a wonderful example of such a woman. You read of her that she “never left the temple” (Lk 2:37).

The abuse of the tongue by “malicious gossips” is a great danger for older women. Anna did not commit that sin. On the contrary, she spoke about God. She also served God night and day. She was full of God and praised Him (Lk 2:38). Therefore she was “not enslaved to much wine”. She did not have to turn to the bottle out of boredom to get a kind of happy feeling by drinking wine (cf. Eph 5:18).

Titus must instruct older women that they should spend their time in a good way by “teaching what is good”. Older women do not have to care for a family anymore and therefore they have less domestic occupations than when there were children to care for.

You may be thinking: ‘But isn’t it written that the woman is not supposed to be teaching’ (1Tim 2:12)? You are right about that. However, here it is not about explaining certain truths of God’s Word, but about how something is to be done. They do not perform as teachers before the whole church, but their teaching is only focused on just one certain category: the young women. The teaching here regards the efforts to make clear to young women how they can be good witnesses in daily life.

Now read Titus 2:1-3 again.

Reflection: Do you know older men and older women in your environment with whom you see something of the characteristics mentioned?