Text for the Week: A Trustworthy Light

Scripture: Titus 2:1-15

But you should talk in a way that is consistent with sound teaching. ² Tell the older men to be sober, dignified, sensible, and healthy in respect to their faith, love, and patience.

³ Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in their behavior, teaching what is good, rather than being gossips or addicted to heavy drinking. ⁴ That way they can mentor young women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ and to be sensible, morally pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, so that God’s word won’t be ridiculed. ⁶ Likewise, encourage the younger men to be sensible ⁷ in every way. Offer yourself as a role model of good actions. Show integrity, seriousness, ⁸ and a sound message that is above criticism when you teach, so that any opponent will be ashamed because they won’t find anything bad to say about us.

⁹ Tell slaves to submit to their own masters and please them in everything they do. They shouldn’t talk back ¹⁰ or steal. Instead, they should show that they are completely reliable in everything so that they might make the teaching about God our savior attractive in every way.

¹¹ The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. ¹² It educates us so that we can live sensible, ethical, and godly lives right now by rejecting ungodly lives and the desires of this world. ¹³ At the same time we wait for the blessed hope and the glorious appearance of our great God and savior Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ He gave himself for us in order to rescue us from every kind of lawless behavior, and cleanse a special people for himself who are eager to do good actions.

¹⁵ Talk about these things. Encourage and correct with complete authority. Don’t let anyone disrespect you.

Questions

1. Why are the people under Titus divided into different categories by age and gender?
2. Why does verse 5 end with “so that God’s word won’t be ridiculed”, what is God’s word, and what is the ridicule Paul is afraid of?
3. What does integrity and seriousness mean and why are these characteristics highlighted for Titus to model?

Background

Related Scriptures: Psalm 7:8, Zechariah 8:9-17, Matthew 5:37, Ephesians 4:15-31

This section of Titus is meant to contrast what he is supposed to do as a good teacher with the false teachers mentioned in 1:10-16. He is meant to be an example to the community but everyone in the community is also meant to be an example to one another.

The values laid out in 2:1-15 would have been common to Roman society at the time, the difference is that Christians would have grounded them in God’s work and desires and which would intensify some of these characteristics.

There is no clear distinction between older and younger the categories are simply meant to say encourage people to be good examples of Christ and encourage those new to the faith or young to follow those examples.

The word integrity translates ἀφθορίαν which means: whole, sound, uncorrupted, someone who displays true character. Closely related to seriousness σεμνότητα which means worthy of respect.

For more background watch my video here

Reflection

Titus 2 is a difficult passage for many in contemporary America, this is one of the passages that in previous generations was used to control and oppress slaves. Further, many are uncomfortable with what they see as the role given to women in this passage. Many therefore look down on Titus for what they see as oppressive and unloving ideals within its verses. But is this a proper view of the passage, or perhaps are we so far removed from the social context of these verses that we are ill suited to understand them? Are the exhortations for women to submit to their husbands and slaves to obey their masters establishing a universal paradigm or do they reflect the culture of Titus? I believe that these words are addressed to women and slaves because they were expected to be subservient within the patriarchal culture of 1^st century Rome. The church, in contrast, taught a radical equality that gave women and slaves new dignity within society. The theme of this passage is integrity: defined as a person or thing that displays true character. The repeated theme of this section is to hold to ethical conduct that is above reproach, and the reproach the community should be concerned with is that of the larger society. The goal of this passage is to present a community of believers that lives with such ethical fidelity that the larger society respects them.

Breaking down this section it is noteworthy that none of the groups is called to live out explicitly Christian lives, rather each characteristic is common to the social morality at the time. Yes, these ideals would have meant something different to Christians than to the larger society, but in living out their ideals Christians would have exceeded the expectations of the larger society. The advice Titus is being given is lead the community in such a way that the secular world around them finds no inconsistency and therefore no fault in them. The calling was to willingly adopt a lifestyle that would impress the surrounding culture through a high commitment to morality. Thus, if the culture around the Christians expected subservience from women and slaves, then, as early Christians taught, whenever possible without violating one’s commitment to God one should be humble. This does not mean that patriarchal and slave owning systems are good or right, rather than exercising one’s Christian freedom would be seen by the larger culture as immoral rebelliousness and Christians must remember that. Christians therefore were being called consider what integrity and character look like when they are approaching the world around them. They were not being asked to give up the freedoms they had in Jesus but to remember those freedoms were only recognized in the Church and outside of that community integrity meant fitting into the space secular society assigned and doing it well. This did not mean that Christians would not fight to end these oppressive systems, they did several times throughout the centuries, but Christians were being called to remember that if they were to convince people they were right they had to first impress those outside the Church with their morality.

For this reason Titus is encouraged to teach with integrity, and to not “allow people to disrespect you”. This latter phrase meant that Titus, and the entire congregation, were to practice a standard of living that people outside the community could not help but respect. Titus is being told to look around him at what the larger society considers as “good people” and then to create a community that excels in that because of the even higher commitment to loving God and one another. His calling is to help Christians live lives of complete ethical purity so that everyone around him will be impressed by his congregation.

Takeaway

A life of integrity is one that models for people the highest character, one which people inside and outside the church can respect. When we commit to this standard we both provide an example for others in the Church and a compelling witness to those outside the Church.