July 18, 2021 AM, Titus 2:6-10.
The results of the Christian lifestyle in every age and social group are
found in verses 5, 8, and 10:
“That the word of God may not be blasphemed.”
“That one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing
evil to say of you.”
“That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”
We discern two directions in the purpose of Paul’s teaching. The first
is toward God. It is not just the reputation of the church or the
shame of an individual that is at issue: God’s honor and glory are
even more important. If we behave badly, the world easily notices
and this drags God’s word and name into the mud. That ought to
be a deep concern to us. Compare this to Romans 2:23-24. If we
live well, God’s teaching is “dressed up nicely” with our conduct
and it makes God and His doctrine all that much more appealing to
an outsider.
The second direction in which a truly Christian lifestyle makes an
impact is toward people. If we behave well consistently and in a
loving fashion (not a haughty fashion) then we will have an impact
on others around us. They may persist in denying Christ or saying
that they do not believe like we do, but they cannot deny that our
lives are well-lived and there is nothing evil to say. However, when
a church has an incident of abuse or a split or does strange things
in the community, that gives the people an excuse to reject not
only the church, but God as well.
The church family’s ethics must be superb. The church must stand out
in a society that is unethical. But Paul’s concern is not just that the
church be different so it is non-conformist. His instructions are not
an expediency to keep the church alive in the Roman culture. His
concern is the truth of God, the doctrine which is in agreement
with godliness (Titus 1:1). It is applicable in every culture
throughout all time. Truth supersedes culture and whether
following truth means the church is well-thought-of or ill-thoughtof does not matter ultimately. What matters is that God is honored
by faithful obedience to His word.
When you examine your own life in light of the instructions for men
or women and servants, how do you stack up? Is your life honoring
your Savior and Lord, or is it dragging His name down?
Our Scripture reading was found in Ezekiel 1:1-28.
