In this study, Paul describes the six primary vocational roles God has given mankind in this life: Husband-Wife; Parent-Child; and Employer-Employee. In Titus 2, Paul describes God's intended behaviors for these roles and does it is a creative way when compared with the direct passages previously in this series from Ephesians and Colossians. In Titus 2, Paul puts an "artistic" flow onto God's vocational roles. The older women are to teach the younger women and Titus, by example, is to teach the younger men. Pastor Rhode contrasts God's intended behavior for the husband and wife vocation with the current, upside down behaviors our culture dictates for them. All husbands and wives will benefit by hearing this key teaching.

Chapter 2 records Paul going to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus to visit Church leaders. Paul receives approval from them of his message to the Gentiles that the Gospel gives us freedom in Christ, setting us free of any obligation to obey the Old Testament Law and ceremonial practices. When Peter later comes to Antioch, Paul publicly rebukes Peter for his hypocritical conduct that communicates to the Gentiles they must obey Jewish law and practices. Paul then writes the core theological argument of this letter stating that justification is by faith alone in Christ and salvation requires no works. Paul adds that Christ's death is made meaningless when works of the law are added to Christ's work which is graciously given us as the only means for our salvation.

Rules for Christian Households: Colossians chapter 3: verse 18: wives, v.19: husbands, v.20: children, v.21: fathers (parents), v.22:

slaves (employees), chapter 4:1: masters (employers).

3:23: "Whatever you do work heartily as for the Lord and not for men". Submit, obey, love not relative to someone's worthiness, but out of obedience to God's will.

Look to your own specific household before seeking to help your community or the world. If you are single, you are called to serve the church.

In this section of Paul's letter, he gives a stern warning against defecting from the one true Gospel. He declares that Christ has graciously given Himself for our sins and delivered all professing Christians from this present evil age; and any works of the Law are unnecessary for salvation. False teachings that had risen in the Galatian churches compromised this core truth then, and even continue today as enemies of God's Church continue to question the divine origin of the Christian message, causing doubts and confusion among some believers. In chapter 2, Paul goes to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus to visit Church leaders who, in spite of some opposition in their midst, approved of Paul's message and his mission to the Gentiles.

Here is an excerpt from this teaching: The very things we are most likely to count as our problems are, in fact, the very things that God is intentionally using to grow us- in other words, they're not the problems, they're the cure to the problems...the problems we don't even see, and what we reckon as problems are cures to the problems we don't yet recognize.

Haustafel is a German word for household. This short series focuses on texts in Scripture that specify responsibilities and actions of individuals in the home.

At the opening of this letter, Paul declares his authority in writing it. Then he immediately declares his astonishment at finding out that the Galatian churches were betraying God the Father who called them to salvation through Jesus. The Galatian churches were wrongly influenced by the false teaching Judaizers and in the process of switching back to the old Jewish ceremonial and Old Covenant practices. This lays the foundation for the rest of the letter.

Hard-hitting introduction into texts of scripture that teach us details of how we are to live according to the vocations (callings) in which God places us.

Known in German as the "haustafeln" (household) texts.

Refreshing, so important, and so out-of-step with what the world and even most of the modern Christian church embraces!

This beautiful poem/hymn, written in the 4th century by St. Ephrem the Syrian, is the subject of this lesson. It contains 16 stanzas of conversation between Satan and one that personifies Death. This form of poetry is in the Syriac Tradition.

A PDF of this poem/hymn attached for your reference.