6  The Character of a Healthy Church—part 2  (2:6-8)

YOUNG MEN

Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. (2:6-8)

As with young women, the general age group for young men would be from marriageable age to 60 years old or so.

EXHORTATION

Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things (2:6-7a)

Urge translates parakaleō, which means “to strongly entreat someone.” As in verses 2 and 5, sensible carries the broad meaning of having common sense, good judgment, and self-control. Just as older men and young women are to be sensible, so likewise are young men.

Paul exhorted his young friend Timothy to “flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22). Peter commands young men to “be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5).

The phrase in all things properly belongs at the end of verse 6. It refers to being sensible and emphasizes the broad scope of this admonition. Young men, who frequently are impulsive, passionate, ambitious, volatile, and sometimes arrogant, are to exercise self-control and show good sense and judgment in all things.

“Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things,” Paul reminded believers in Corinth. “They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable” (1 Cor. 9:25). Because self-control is so important in living for and serving the Lord, even that great apostle, after many years of faithful, sacrificial service to his Lord, went on to say of himself, “Therefore, I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:26-27).

Self-control, a synonym for sensible, is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23). With the Spirit’s help, therefore, young men, like all other believers, are enabled to master all areas of their lives in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.

THE EXAMPLE

show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, (2:7b-8a)

Having given a general admonition for Titus to pass on to other young men under his care in Crete, Paul then gives that young spiritual leader a personal charge to show [himself] to be an example for them, as well as for all other believers in the churches, to follow. He was to confront them not only with spiritual words but with a spiritual life that corresponded to those words. Even the most forceful and compelling counsel will fall on deaf ears if the one who gives it fails to live by it.

Tupos (example) literally refers to a mark or impression left by an instrument such as a pen, a sword, or a hammer. Thomas refused to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead unless he saw “in His hands the imprint [tupos] of the nails” (John 20:25). It also came to be used figuratively of a pattern, mold, model, or copy of the original of something, whether a physical object, such as a statute, or a principle or virtue.

If example does not follow advice, the one giving it will be viewed rightly as a hypocrite, and hypocrisy never promotes righteousness, no matter how sound and biblical a person’s teaching and counsel may be. Others may be inclined to accept the principles intellectually but will see no reason for living by them, and will themselves, like their teacher, become hypocrites.

Jesus’ harshest words were to religious hypocrites. To some Pharisees and scribes in Jerusalem, He said, “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me’” (Matt. 15:7-8). When another group of Pharisees tried to trick Him into treason, “Jesus perceived their malice, and said, ‘Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?’” (Matt. 22:18). The evil effect of their hypocrisy went far beyond their own lives. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,” the Lord castigated them, “because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in” (Matt. 23:13). Hypocrites “say things,” He said, but “do not do them” (Matt. 23:3).

In his sorrowful meeting with the Ephesian elders on the seashore near Miletus, Paul gave them the parting advice to “help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35b). We can be sure that his counsel was taken fully to heart by those men. He reminded them—doubtless unnecessarily—that, while he was among them, he had “coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know,” he continued, “that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you [these principles] by working hard in this manner [myself]” (w. 33-35a).

With perfect confidence, the apostle could exhort believers at Corinth to “be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1; cf. 4:16) and the brethren in Philippi to “join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us” (Phil. 3:17). In his second letter to the church at Thessalonica, he said, “We [did not] eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you” (2 Thess. 3:8). It was “not because we do not have the right to this,” he went on to explain, “but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, that you might follow our example” (v. 9). Paul did not want to give even the appearance of using his ministry as a means to financial gain or of his life being in the least way inconsistent with his teaching (cf. 1 Thess. 5:22).

Consistency of life with teaching is perhaps the most important aspect of effective spiritual leadership. The writer of Hebrews could confidently admonish his readers to imitate “those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you,” because the conduct of those leaders corresponded to their counsel (Heb. 13:7). Paul informed Timothy that the surest way to overcome the perceived disadvantage of his youthfulness was to make sure that, “in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity,” he showed himself “an example of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:12). Members of the church at Ephesus might resist the bare words that he taught, but they could not deny the power of the truths that were faithfully exemplified in his life. If his speech in daily living, not just “from the pulpit,” was godly; if the conduct of his personal life was moral and selfless; if his love for the Lord and for fellow believers was genuine; if his faith was manifested in genuine trust in the Lord; and if his life was characterized by moral purity; he could be sure that his ministry would be effective, that it would be blessed and bear fruit.

There were several categories in which exemplary behavior was to be manifest. First, Titus was to be an example in doing good deeds. Kalos (good) does not refer to that which is superficial or cosmetic but to what is genuinely and inherently good, righteous, noble, and excellent. Titus’s deeds were to be true reflections of what he preached and taught. Christians are the Lord’s divine workmanship and are “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

Second, Titus was to be an example of purity in doctrine. Perhaps Paul was urging this young elder to make sure that he preached pure, orthodox doctrine, which he has already mentioned in 1:9 and 2:1. On the other hand, there may be another explanation. Aphthoria (purity) is a negative form of a term that carries the basic idea of being morally corrupt and vile, which in extrabiblical literature was often used of morally depraved people such as rapists, seducers, and abortionists. A related form of the word is used by Peter, who says that false teachers promise “freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved” (2 Pet. 2:19, emphasis added). Paul may have used this term to admonish Titus to live a life of moral purity that corresponds to the pure doctrine that he proclaimed.

Third, Titus was to set the example of a dignified life, a serious life that is fixed on God and honors whatever honors Him. As noted previously in relation to older men (v. 2), being dignified does not preclude a sense of humor, laughter, or enjoyment. It does mean that they should be able to distinguish between that which is important and that which is trivial.

Fourth, Titus was to set an example by being sound in speech that is beyond reproach. Sound is the same word (hugiainō) that is found in verse 1 and has the basic meaning of “being well, healthy, and whole.” Logos (speech) is often translated “word” and frequently refers to the Word of God, both written Scripture (see, e.g., Mark 7:13; Rev. 1:2, 9) and the living Christ (see, e.g., John 1:1; Rev. 19:13). But the Greek term has a number of other connotations, including those of “talk” and “language.” In Ephesians 4:29 it is rendered “word,” referring to conversation, and in Ephesians 6:19 as “utterance.”

The issue here is not doctrine or theology but conversation, day-by-day speech. Titus’s speaking, whether formal teaching or informal conversation, was to be sound, healthy, edifying, life-giving, appropriate, and beyond reproach. Such virtuous and consistent conversation is surely the mark of a genuinely spiritual man.

The writer of Ecclesiastes says, “Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things” (Eccles. 11:9). The guard against foolishness and sinfulness is to “remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them’” (12:1).

THE EFFECT

in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. (2:8b)

The phrase in order that the opponent may be put to shame is the second purpose clause in this passage that reflects a reason for such high standards of holy living (see also w. 5, 10) and refers back to the admonitions in verses 2-8a. The godly lives of older men, older women, young women, and young men all have, as part of their purpose, the putting to shame of the critics of Christ, His church, and His people. The opponents on Crete obviously included the “many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision” whom Paul mentions in 1:10.

When an opponent makes a rash, unfounded charge against a believer, the obvious and public testimony of that believer’s life should be so commonly known that the accuser is embarrassed by his false criticism.

The true effectiveness of evangelism does not come from man-made methods, strategy, or marketing techniques adapted from the culture, but from the genuine virtue, moral purity, and godliness of believers whose lives give proof of the truth of God’s Word and the power of Christ to redeem men from sin. That is what silences the critics and makes the gospel believable.

It is for that reason that Peter admonished believers to “abstain from fleshly lusts” for the sake of their own spiritual well-being, because those lusts “wage war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11). He then urges them to “keep [their] behavior excellent among the Gentiles” for the sake of those to whom and before whom they witness, “so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation” (v. 12; cf. 2:15). He means that, when the Lord returns, they will be among those who glorify God because they have come to salvation through the testimony of godly saints (cf. Matt. 5:16).

When an unbeliever criticizes us, our righteous living should make it clear that he really has nothing bad to say about us. Hopefully our godly testimony will arouse his curiosity, then his consideration, and ultimately his receiving Christ as Savior and Lord.

Us may simply refer to Christians in general, because people often judge a local church, or the Christian faith, by what they know about Christians. But it seems likely in this context that Paul includes himself in this us. All believers on Crete, and doubtless a large number of unbelievers as well, knew of Paul’s close association with Titus. Therefore, if Titus did not lead an exemplary spiritual life, his failure would reflect negatively on the apostle as well. And, on the other hand, Titus’s faithful living would also reflect positively on the noble apostle.

SLAVES/EMPLOYEES

Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. (2:9-10)

Unlike the first four, the fifth category of believers about which Paul admonishes Titus is not based on age but on social standing. Douloi (bondslaves) refers to slaves, those who were owned and controlled by their own masters.

The Roman Empire depended on bondslaves for most of its labor, and they were an essential part of society and the economy. Many, if not most, slaves were abused and often brutalized. For even minor infractions, or simply for displeasing their owners in some way, they could be severely beaten or killed. Many of them, however, were given great responsibility and authority in running a household and sometimes a family farm or other business. Some of them—frequently those who were captured in war—were highly educated and cultured, in many cases having superior education to that of their owners. Slaves were allowed to marry and raise their own families, their children becoming slaves like their parents. A slave sometimes was given a small parcel of land on which to grow crops to feed his family and perhaps earn a small income.

But Paul does not address the condition of slavery. He offers no judgment about its basic fairness or morality. He simply recognizes that it exists and deals with the attitude that Christian bondslaves should have toward their own masters, whether those masters were believers or unbelievers.

Although slavery was carefully regulated under Mosaic law, neither the Old nor New Testaments condemns slavery as such. Social strata are recognized and even designed by God for man’s good. Some people will be served and some will serve others. That is the nature of human society. How they treat each other is what concerns God. Slave/master relationships and responsibilities are dealt with much as those of employer/employee, and both testaments give considerable instruction about God’s plan for these relationships and associated responsibilities. As I have written in the Ephesians volume in this New Testament commentary series,

Nowhere in Scripture is rebellion or revolution justified in order to gain freedom, opportunity, or economic, social, or political rights. The emphasis is rather on the responsibility of slaves to serve their human masters faithfully and fully, in order to reflect the transforming power of God in their lives.

In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote unambiguously, “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph. 6:5-6). After giving similar instruction to believers at Colossae (Col. 3:22-23), the apostle added, “knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (v. 24). And to Timothy he wrote, “Let all who are under the yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine may not be spoken against” (1 Tim. 6:1).

For many Christians today, as throughout church history, the most important and fertile field for evangelism is the place where they work. That is their mission field. As in almost no other place, unbelievers have the opportunity to observe believers in day-by-day situations and activities. They see whether the believer is patient or impatient, kind or uncaring, selfless or selfish, honest or dishonest, clean or vulgar in his talk. They have the opportunity to see how well the Christian lives up to the faith he professes and the principles of the Scripture he claims to hold dear. Inviting unsaved friends to church certainly has a place in witnessing for Christ, but it will be useless and even counterproductive if one’s attitude, reliability, and honesty on the job are questionable.

As Paul points out in the passages just cited above, the primary purpose for working hard and for respecting our employer, even more than leading someone to faith, is to bring honor to Christ. And our most important compensation is not the possible praise or increase in pay we may receive from our employer but the assured reward that we will receive from our Lord. He is the One who determines and assures what the eternal compensation will be (cf. Rev. 20:12-13).

In Titus 2:9-10 Paul gives five character qualities that should distinguish every bondslave and every other believer who is employed by someone else. As clearly indicated from the apostle’s comments in the above passages from Ephesians, Colossians, and 1 Timothy, these characteristics are to be genuine and from the heart, and are to be without reservation, not superficial or hypocritical.

SUBMISSIVE

Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, (2:9a)

First, Christian workers are to be submissive, subject to their own masters, their own employers. Hupotassō (to be subject to) was often used by the military to designate a soldier’s relationship to his superior officers. The relationship is not conditional or optional but an absolute and inescapable given.

In God’s sight, the obligation of Christian workers to their bosses is just as unconditional and universal. To be subject to translates a passive imperative verb, and is therefore a command to submit oneself. Regardless of how unreasonable a boss may be or how oppressive a work situation may be, the faithful believer willingly submits himself in everything as long as he is employed in that job. If a situation becomes intolerable, he should look for work elsewhere.

Proper submission to authority is essential in a family, in which children are subject to their parents (Eph. 6:1; Col. 3:20). It is essential in government, in which citizens are to respect and honor their leaders (Rom. 13:1-7; Titus 3:1). It also is essential in the work place. A Christian worker who is first of all concerned about his personal rights and who participates in noncompliance efforts and work stoppages against his employer dishonors God.

Masters translates despotes, from which we get the English “despot,” which denotes a person with absolute authority and power. If bondslaves are obligated to submit to their absolute and often cruel and arbitrary masters, how much more are “free” believers obligated to submit to an employer, even one who is mean, unreasonable, and overbearing (cf. 1 Pet. 2:18-19).

COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE

to be well-pleasing, (2:9b)

Second, a Christian worker should be well-pleasing, committed to excellence in his work. Well-pleasing translates euarestos, which, in the New Testament, is almost always used of being acceptable and pleasing to God. Paul urges believers “to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:1-2). Later in that letter, he says that whoever has “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit … serves Christ [and] is acceptable to God and approved by men” (14:17-18). It was always the apostle’s “ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him [Christ]” (2 Cor. 5:9). He declared that the sacrificial giving of Philippian believers was “a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God” (Phil. 4:18). It should be the purpose of every Christian “to learn [and to believe and to do] what is pleasing to the Lord” (Eph. 5:10).

Even in the workplace, Christ is our ultimate overseer, and in His Word He makes clear that being well-pleasing to our heavenly Master includes being well-pleasing to our earthly master, or boss. Some Christians reason that, if their employer is a Christian, they have less obligation to respect and please him, because we “are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). But equality in the spiritual realm does not translate to equality in the earthly. “Let those who have believers as their masters not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren,” Paul says, “but let them serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved” (1 Tim. 6:1-2).

It is not wrong to work hard, do excellent work, and seek to please our employer in order to advance in a company and increase our income. In the right spirit, those motives are legitimate. But they should never be a Christian’s highest objectives. Above all else—far above all else—should be the sincere desire, even on the job, to do that which is pleasing and acceptable to our Lord.

RESPECTFUL

not argumentative, (2:9c)

Third, a Christian worker should be respectful to his employer in such a way that he is not argumentative. Antilegō (to be argumentative) means literally “to speak against,” in the sense of talking back or contradicting. It carries the ideas of “mouthing off,” of being contentious or obstructionist—at least partly, if not entirely, just for the sake of being disagreeable. Being argumentative is the opposite of being submissive and well-pleasing.

Paul used the same verb in 1:9 in regard to church members who want to contradict sound teaching. In Romans 10:21, the word is translated “obstinate.” And in Pisidian Antioch, when Jewish leaders saw that “many of the Jews and of the God-fearing [Gentile] proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas,” and that “nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of God … they were filled with jealousy, and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming” (Acts 13:43-45, emphasis added).

The noun form (antilogia) of that verb is rendered twice in the book of Hebrews as “dispute” (6:16; 7:7). Later in that letter it is used of the “hostility” that Christ endured “by sinners against Himself” (12:3), and it is used by Jude in referring to the “rebellion of Koran” against Moses (Jude 11; cf. Num. 16).

In our day of self-centeredness and self-elevation, being argumentative is almost a way of life for some people, including, unfortunately, some Christians. The prohibition does not refer to standing up for our convictions, for what we believe is right, proper, and God-honoring, but rather to standing up merely for our own self-interest and preferences.

If a worker has opportunity to express his opinions in a proper forum, that is certainly permissible. Workers today obviously have legitimate means for expressing grievances to an employer that slaves of New Testament times could not have imagined. We have many more appropriate means for doing so than workers in free societies even a century ago. But when management makes a final decision, that decision should be accepted and fully complied with by workers, no matter how disappointing and unfair it may appear to be. As already noted, if a policy or requirement is too onerous, involves doing something immoral or unbiblical, or in any other way is unacceptable to our conscience, the only permissible alternative at that point is to find another place of employment.

HONEST

not pilfering, (2:10a)

Fourth, a Christian worker is to show honesty by not pilfering. Pilfering (from nophizō) literally means “to put aside for oneself or misappropriate” and came to be used of stealing by embezzlement.

Because household stewards, or business managers, in New Testament times were frequently slaves, they had considerable opportunity to misappropriate money, food, jewelry, or other valuables entrusted to their care. In modern times, many workers have access to company funds and property that is easily converted to personal use. Many others pilfer by such means as submitting inflated time sheets and expense reports, taking office supplies home for personal use, making unauthorized calls on the office phone, and taking unauthorized trips in the company car. When Christians do such things, their actions not only are unethical and damage their employer financially but also are unspiritual and do damage to the Lord’s name and to their testimony.

In effect, Ananias and Sapphira embezzled money that belonged to the church, and therefore to the Lord. After selling a piece of property, they gave only part of the proceeds to the apostles but claimed they had given the full amount. As Peter explained to Ananias, they were not obligated to sell the property or to give any of the proceeds to the Lord’s work. But by giving less than they claimed, they lied not only to men but to God (Acts 5:1-4). Their deception amounted to pilfering and was so serious in the Lord’s eyes that it cost the couple their lives and caused “great fear [to] came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard of these things” (w. 5-11).

LOYAL

but showing all good faith (2:10b)

Fifth, showing all good faith describes that most cherished virtue of loyalty. Pistos can be translated faith, but in this context it seems preferable to render it as “faithfulness,” referring to faithfully doing whatever work a believer is supposed to do. It refers to trustworthiness and reliability, the quality of being utterly dependable, even when one is not being watched by the master or the employer.

Showing is from endeiknumi, which means “to show forth for the purpose of demonstrating or proving something.” The Christian employee is not to leave his loyalty in doubt but is to give ample evidence of it. Tragically, good faith loyalty to one’s employer, and to one’s fellow employees, is a common casualty of the modern “work ethic,” even that of some Christians.

THE RESULT

that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. (2:10c)

This last clause in verse 10 is the third purpose clause in this passage that gives a reason for such a call to holy living (see also w. 5, 8) and, like the one in verse 5, focuses on honoring and glorifying God’s Word.

Adorn is from kosmeō, from which we get “cosmetics,” the vast array of substances, both natural and artificial, that women (and men) use to make themselves more physically attractive. The root idea of the term is that of arranging something in proper order to give it symmetry, comeliness, and beauty. In ancient times it was used of arranging jewels in a brooch, necklace, ring, or crown in a way that best displayed the beauty of the gems.

Paul of course, was not speaking about physical and superficial adornment. What makes the church attractive and influential in the world for the Lord is not its strategy or its programs but the virtue and holiness of its people. His people therefore are to adorn the doctrine of God our Savior by their submissiveness, by the excellence of their work, by their respectful attitude, by their honesty, and by their loyal service to their employer—whether he is a fellow Christian or a rank pagan, fair or unfair, pleasant or unpleasant, deserving or undeserving.

Our supreme message to the unsaved about God is that He is our Savior and desires to be their Savior as well, because He is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). We are to let them know—by what we say, by what we do, and by the way we work at our job—that God “is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).