Titus 2

Teaching Sound Doctrine

¹But as for you, speak the things that are consistent with sound doctrine.

²Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and perseverance.

³Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or addicted to much wine, but teachers of good. ⁴In this way they can train the young women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled, pure, managers of their households, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be discredited.

• TIT 2:3[NOTE]OLDER WOMEN. They are to be teachers of good and train the younger women. On women teaching in the church, see the two Big Question pages in 1 Timothy. On submissive in 2:5, see the Ephesians 5:21 note.
• TIT 2:5[TEXT]Managers of their households follows the oldest Greek copies, like Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus, which say workers at home. Later copies say keepers at home, the KJV wording.

⁶In the same way, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.

⁷In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, ⁸and wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.

• TIT 2:7[NOTABLE]Titus was young and left to lead a messy church. Paul does not tell him to win arguments first. He tells him to live so well that critics have nothing bad to say.

⁹Slaves are to submit to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, ¹⁰not stealing from them, but showing all good faith, so that in every respect they will adorn the teaching about God our Savior.

• TIT 2:9[ARCHAEOLOGY]The Gortyn law code, Crete, about 450 BC, the longest Greek law inscription, with laws on slaves, marriage, divorce and family property
• TIT 2:9[NOTE]SLAVES. Many people in the Roman world were slaves. It was not based on race, and some bought their freedom, but people were still owned. Paul tells Philemon to take a runaway back as a dear brother, Philemon 16, and tells slaves to gain freedom if they can, 1 Corinthians 7:21. About AD 379 Gregory of Nyssa preached that no one should own a person. Later some used verses like this to defend American slavery, while Christians like William Wilberforce fought to end it.

God’s Grace Brings Salvation

¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone. ¹²It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. ¹⁴He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

• TIT 2:11[NOTABLE]Grace does not only save you, it trains you. The same grace that forgives also teaches you to say no to what hurts you and yes to a godly life.
• TIT 2:11[FULFILLS]He is Salvation to the ends of the earth ← IS 49:6
• TIT 2:13[PROPHECY]Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ → STILL TO COME
• TIT 2:13[FULFILLS]Called Mighty God (El Gibor) ← IS 9:6
• TIT 2:13[NOTE]ONE PERSON, TWO TITLES. In Greek one the covers both titles: the great God and Savior. In 1798 Granville Sharp, an English scholar who also fought slavery, showed that this pattern means one person, so both titles belong to Jesus. 2 Peter 1:1 is the same. The KJV, the great God and our Saviour, can be read as two persons, and the Jehovah's Witness Bible says the great God and of our Savior.
• TIT 2:14[ALLUDES TO]Refers to ← PS 130:8; EZK 37:23; DT 14:2
• TIT 2:14[NOTE]HIS OWN POSSESSION. The KJV says a peculiar people. In 1611 peculiar meant your own special treasure. The Greek word is the one used for Israel in Exodus 19:5. It does not mean strange.

¹⁵Speak these things as you encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.