Titus 2:1

As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching.

Paul’s letters are incredibly down to earth. He was very concerned to ensure that everyone understood the basic elements of Christian doctrine. They needed to know who God is and why He sent Jesus into the world to save us from our sins. But he knew that Christian teaching also needed to be turned into action. In this fascinating chapter, Paul guides his young friend Titus in the way in which he should teach and guide the church members. His guidance was coloured by gender and age in a very interesting way.

The older men needed to live wisely and carefully, to have sound faith and to be full of love and patience (v2). The older women were told not to slander other people or be heavy drinkers and were encouraged to train the younger women to love their husbands and their children (vv3-4). Young men were also encouraged to live wisely (v6). Alongside all this, Paul urged Titus to be an example “by doing good works of every kind” (v7). Titus had his work cut out!

Paul’s teaching challenges us to reflect on what it means to serve God in terms of our age and circumstances. We are, of course, all called to be loving, wise, patient and faithful, but that will demand different things of us depending on our circumstances. Christian leaders need to reflect carefully on the teaching that they give, working out what its implications will be for the range of people in their congregations. Living for Christ will mean very different things for teenagers, parents, middle-aged people, old people, the sick, the employed, the unemployed and the retired.

Thoughtful, practical teaching will always need to sit alongside the personal example of the church leader. Paul described Titus as his true son and we may presume that Titus was younger than many of the people in the Cretan churches. But everyone was looking to him, so he needed to ensure that he was walking closely to the Lord and setting a really good example.

Question

What advice do you think needs to be given to people of your own age?

Prayer

Lord God, help me to apply my Christian faith to the way in which I live for You today. Amen