Lessons #31 and 32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instructions to various groups of believers (Titus 2:1-6)
1You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul instructed Titus with respect to his responsibility as a resident pastor in Crete. His responsibility included instructing believers of different genders and ages, as it is borne out in the passage before us. This passage should remind pastors that while instructing their congregations, they should be mindful of the gender and age of those in the congregations so that special emphasis should be made to them regarding their general conduct. Take for example, when sexual sin is to be taught the focus will usually be on the younger adults since most older men and women may not be subject to temptations in the sexual area because of their age. This, however, does not mean that older men and women are never guilty of such sins but that such sins may be more prevalent among younger persons. The implication is that when a pastor teaches on such a topic he should do so with greater focus on the younger members of the congregation who may be easily tempted in this area. The point is that pastors should recognize the differences in gender and age of the members of their congregations as they instruct them.
Be that as it may, the Holy Spirit through the apostle wants us to recognize that there are teachers or pastors who would not be true to the Christian doctrine in that their focus would be on things that are not necessary for spiritual growth or even untrue. Therefore, the apostle begins verse 1 of the second chapter of Titus with a Greek phrase that is not explicitly translated in the NIV. The Greek of verse 1 begins with the phrase but you. The Greek is such that it is clear an emphasis is put on Titus as the resident pastor in Crete in such a way as to indicate that he is being contrasted with the false teachers that were the concern of the apostle in verses 10 to 16 of the first chapter of this epistle. He was to be different in what he instructs believers unlike the false teachers. As we indicated, the translators of the NIV did not explicitly reveal contrasting emphasis placed on Titus at the beginning of verse 1 but some English versions did. For example, the NET began the verse with the phrase but as for you to indicate that there is a contrasting emphasis between Titus’ instruction to believers and those of the false teachers the apostle mentioned in chapter 1.
The instructions Titus are to give should be reflective of the apostolic doctrines. It is this fact that is conveyed in the sentence of Titus 2:1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Literally, the Greek reads but you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. This is because the word “teach” of the NIV is translated from a Greek verb (laleō) that is concerned with expressing oneself in speech so that it means “to speak, to talk”, as reflected in many of our English versions that do not use the word “teach” but use such other words as “talk” or “tell” or “say” in their translations. Here the word is concerned with communication of truth so that the meaning may be “to teach” or “to communicate.” The Greek indicates the apostle wants Titus to carry out repeatedly the instruction he gave here. He is to communicate or teach again and again the content of the instructions given in this passage. In effect, it is probably that Titus should make it a habit to communicate again and again what the apostle instructed him to carry out that the apostle wanted to convey in the command teach. Pastors should recognize that they have the responsibility of repeated instruction to believers since it is easy for us to forget truth communicated to us than some other kind of information that we receive. We are saying that no pastor should think that once a particular truth has been communicated once that that means everyone has gotten the doctrine. No! Truths need to be repeatedly communicate so that believers will not forget what they have been taught.
What is it that the apostle wants Titus to communicate repeatedly in the section we are about to consider? The answer to this question is not easily discerned from the translation of the NIV because of the expression teach what is in accord with sound doctrine that literally the Greek reads speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. The literal translation indicates that the apostle wants Titus to teach things which are fitting for sound doctrine. The question is; what does the apostle mean in the phrase the things? In the context, the things in view are behaviors that are in keeping with sound doctrine. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the apostle then proceeds to describe the various behaviors Titus is to communicate to believers. Thus, what the apostle wants Titus to communicate involves behaviors that are expected of those who accept the apostolic doctrines or the doctrines of the Scripture in general. Some of our English versions capture this interpretation in their translation. For example, the NET translated the responsibility of Titus as communicate the behavior that goes with sound teaching while the translators of the God’s Word translation rendered the Greek as Tell believers to live the kind of life that goes along with accurate teachings. Regardless of how the Greek is rendered, it should be apparent that the Holy Spirit through the apostle wanted to convey the implied truth that there are those who may be sound in doctrine but do not exhibit the lifestyle that goes with correct doctrines of the Christian faith.The point is that the apostle is concerned that Titus should communicate repeatedly behaviors that are in keeping with truth as given in God’s word. It is expected that believers should conduct their lives in such a way to reflect they believe and accept truths God has given to us in written form. In effect, there is a fitting behavior that is expected of those who claim to be believers. We say this because the verbal phrase is in accord of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (prepō) that means “to be fitting, to be suitable.” So, there are behaviors that are suitable of those who receive accurate or sound doctrines of the Scripture. These behaviors are explained with emphasis on a specific age group or gender group. But before we proceed to consider these behaviors that are emphasized with respect to a specific group, we should recognize that the behaviors in question apply to all believers although emphasis is placed on a specific group probably on the assumption that each group has problem with the behaviors that are being focused with respect to the group involved.
The first group the apostle focused on the behaviors that should be communicated to them are the older men as in the phrase of Titus 2:2 the older men. By the way, although the translators of the NIV included at the beginning of the verse the word teach that is not found in the Greek text but its addition is to help the English reader to recognize the connection between verse 2 and the instruction of verse 1 that required Titus to communicate about fitting behaviors for believers. Anyway, the expression “older men” is translated from a Greek word (presbytēs) that refers to an adult male that is advanced in years so means “old man, aged man.” Although there is no fixed age for those so described but other writings of the time the apostle wrote indicate that a minimum age for one to be described as “old man” was sixty years.
Apparently, old men may have the tendency to be loose in their behavior probably because of not being too concerned about what the younger people think of them or because of a thinking that they have earned the right to behave anyway they choose. Whatever, the reason, the Holy Spirit through the apostle stated four distinctive attributes that a pastor should teach with respect to the older men. The first attribute mentioned in Titus 2:2 is “temperate.” The word “temperate” is translated from a Greek word (nēphalios) that may pertain to being very moderate in the drinking of an alcoholic beverage and so means “temperate, sober.” The word may also pertain to being restrained in conduct hence means “self-controlled, level-headed.” It is a word the apostle used to describe the virtues to be found in an overseer or a pastor in 1 Timothy 3:2:
Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
It is used to describe the virtues to be found in the wife of a deacon in 1 Timothy 3:11:
In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
In our passage of Titus 2:2, it is probably used in the sense of showing restraint in one’s conduct. This implies that a person who shows restraint in conduct, if such an individual uses alcoholic beverage will do so in moderation. Nonetheless, it seems that the emphasis in our passage is with respect to conduct especially since not everyone drinks alcoholic beverage despite the reference to alcoholic beverage in verse 7 of the first chapter that was concerned with the characteristics of overseers or pastors of local congregations. However, the older men in view were not the elders or the spiritual leaders. Therefore, a pastor should remind the older men repeatedly that they should conduct themselves in such a way that it can be said they show restraint in what they do or how they behave so that it be said they are level-headed in the way they act.
That it is the restraint in conduct of older men that was the concern of the apostle is supported by the next attribute described in the phrase worthy of respect of Titus 2:2. The expression “worthy of respect” is translated from a Greek word (semnos) that may pertain to evoking special respect hence it may mean “worthy of respect or honor, noble, dignified, serious”, as the word is used to describe a person who is to be a deacon in a local congregation in 1 Timothy 3:8:
Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
The Greek word may mean “honorable, venerable, holy, above reproach.” It is with the meaning “honorable” that the word is used to describe the kind of things believers should be concerned in their thought in Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
The clause whatever is noble of the NIV may alternatively be translated whatever things are honorable. In our passage of Titus 2:2, the Greek word is used in the sense of “worthy of respect” or “dignified.” Regardless of the English word used in translating our Greek word, the instruction of the apostle concerns the conduct of the older men in the local church. The requirement of being worthy of respect or dignified implies that older men are to behave in such a manner that will lead others to respect them.
Respect is that which a person receives because of several reasons. A person may be respected because of his/her achievement. This truth is illustrated by the fact that Naaman as a military commander was respected or highly regarded by the king of Aram due to his military success, as we read in 2 Kings 5:1:
Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Another reason a person may be respected is the individual’s life of righteousness or devotion to God. Thus, Cornelius was respected by the Jews because he was righteous and God-fearing, as described in Acts 10:22:
The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.”
Similarly, Ananias was respected because of his devotion to God as evident in his devotion to obedience of the law, as we read in Acts 22:12:
“A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.
Another reason a person may be respected is the person’s position or authority. It is for this reason that slaves are to show respect to their earthly masters, as stated in Ephesians 6:5:
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
Of the three reasons, we have given for respecting a person, it is probably that due to a life of righteousness or devotion to God that the Holy Spirit had put in the mind of the apostle as he instructed that older men should be dignified or worthy of respect. This means that a pastor is to teach repeatedly older men that they should conduct themselves in righteousness and show they are devoted to the Lord so that other believers would respect them. Not only believers that will respect the older men but also unbelievers when they recognize the lifestyle of such men. Therefore, pastors are to remind repeatedly the older men that it is necessary for them to conduct their lives in such a way that others would have respect for them. Normally, we would expect people to show respect to an older man, but such respect will not be forth coming if the older man has flawed character. This being the case, it is important that older men who are believers should distinguish themselves through their life of righteousness and devotion to the word of God so that they will win the respect of others. The point is that whether we describe what is expected of older men with the expression “worthy of respect” or “dignified” that what is to be taught to such individuals is that they should behave in such a manner that no one would disrespect them. As a general principle, every believer should live in such a way that others would respect him/her. We have to be careful to recognize that people may respect us but may not like us. This is particularly the case if we live righteously. People will respect us that we hold on to principles of truth but may not like us because we do not live like they do. Nonetheless, it is important that believers conduct themselves in such a way that others will respect them. Anyway, pastors should endeavor repeatedly to bring to the mind of everyone in the congregation the necessity of living the lifestyle that would cause others to respect such an individual, with special emphasis on older men. The emphasis on older men to live in a way that will cause others to respect them is not difficult to understand. As we have indicated, it should be natural to respect the aged although when there is moral decay such seems to be lacking since people either are ignorant of truth or do not care to obey the truth that concerns respect to the aged stipulated in Leviticus 19:32:
“‘Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.
Since it is expected to respect the aged, then it is important that the aged or older men should not do anything that will cause people not to respect them. Thus, every older man who is a believer should live the lifestyle that will make it difficult for others to disrespect him. In effect, the second attribute associated with being dignified or worthy of respect implies the cultivation of life of righteousness.
The third distinctive attribute mentioned with respect to older men in Titus 2:2 is self-controlled. The expression “self-controlled” is translated from a Greek word (sōphrōn) that pertains to being in control of oneself and so means “prudent, thoughtful, self-controlled.” The word is used in Hellenistic literature to describe an individual who avoids extremes and who carefully considers his action hence the word may mean “sensible, moderate.” Anyhow, a pastor should remind repeatedly all believers, especially older men in his congregation the importance of being thoughtful in what they do. This means that older men should not be quick to act or do anything without careful consideration of the impact of what they are about to do on themselves and others. It is when an individual is very thoughtful that such a person may exercise self-control. Exercising of self-control requires an awareness that one’s action has consequences. If a person understands that what he/she does will have either negative or positive effect on the individual or others then such a person will think carefully before acting. A person who does this, is one that exercises self-control. It is particularly important for older men to be self-controlled since in some cases older persons, as we have stated, do not care too much about what others think of them. Nonetheless, older men who are believers should be conscious of their relationship with the Lord so that they are more reflective over an action before taking it. Anyway, the point is that pastors should repeatedly remind believers, especially the older men in the congregation, that they should be careful or considerate before taking any action. It is this that will help a believer to be self-controlled as demanded here with respect to the older men in a local congregation.
The fourth distinctive attribute expected of older men is being correct in three specific areas of spiritual life mentioned in our passage. It is this attribute that is conveyed in the word sound in Titus 2:2. We use the word “correct” because the word “sound” in Titus 2:2 is translated from a Greek verb (hygiainō) that is used in Titus 1:9 that means “to be healthy” so that it is used as a formula in an epistolary greeting in 3 John 2:
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
The verbal phrase enjoy good health is more literally to be healthy. Another meaning of the Greek verb is to be sound or free from error and so means “to be correct, to be accurate”, as it is used in 2 Timothy 4:3:
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
In our passage of Titus 2:2, the meaning is that of being correct or accurate but a Greek participle is used that here functions as an adjective and so it is translated “sound” or “accurate, correct.” This aside, there are three areas Titus and so all pastors should ensure they communicate to the older men to be sound or correct.
A first area of soundness or correctness is in the Christian doctrine and practice. It is this that is given in the phrase in faith or literally in the faith of Titus 2:2. The word “faith” is translated from a Greek word (pistis) with a range of meanings, but we consider those that are possible candidates in our passage. The word may mean “belief and trust” in the active sense of “believing”, as the word is used in Acts 14:9:
He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed.
The clause saw that he had faith to be healed may be translated saw that he believed and could be healed. The Greek word may mean proof or assurance, as the word is used by Apostle Paul when he preached in Athens, as recorded in Acts 17:31:
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
The verbal phrase given proof of this is literally having given faith. Few commentators understand the literal phrase to mean that God has given all men the opportunity to have faith, but most commentators understand our Greek word translated “faith” to mean “assurance” or “proof” in this context. The word may mean “firm commitment” in the sense of “genuine devotion or true piety” that in the NT indeed means being a Christian, as Apostle Paul used the word in Romans 1:8:
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
Faith here could either refer to the fact that the Romans accepted the gospel message or to their firm commitment to Christ so that it is the quality of the faith and not merely the fact they believed that is being reported all over the ancient world. The Greek word translated “faith” may have the meaning of “conviction” which is the sense that our Greek word is used by Apostle Paul in Romans 14:23:
But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
It is true that the translators of the NIV translated our Greek word “faith” in this passage of Romans 14:23 but the sense of faith here is that of conviction. Thus, it is not surprising that the United Bible Society Handbook on Romans suggests that our Greek word translated “faith” could here mean “confidence” so that they suggest the clause everything that does not come from faith is sin could be translated as “and if we do anything without the confidence that it is right, then it is sin.” Another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” refers to the Christian faith as a religious movement, as that is the sense the word is used in Galatians 1:23:
They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
Faith is taken by some here as being synonymous with the gospel but it is more likely that it is used in the sense of the Christian movement in general. Another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” is as a reference to a Christian virtue as it is often coupled with other virtues such as love and endurance, as for example, in 1 Thessalonians 3:6:
But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.
Another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” is that which is believed hence means “teaching, body of faith, that is, doctrine, belief.” It is in this sense that the word is used by Apostle Paul in his second epistle to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
The word “faith” here could be interpreted either as “trust” meaning that the apostle has faithfully carried out the ministry the Lord assigned to him or it could mean “doctrine”. Nonetheless, it is more likely that the apostle meant doctrine so that he was saying he had preserved the Christian teaching or the Christian message from any error. In our passage of Titus 2:2, as in Titus 1:13, our Greek word is used in a general sense that encompasses both Christian virtue and Christian teaching. This being the case, the apostle indicates that Titus should instruct the older men in Crete to ensure they are correct with what they believe and the lifestyle that is associated with the Christian faith. This requires that a pastor should be engaged in accurate teaching of the word of God. For it is as a pastor is correct or accurate in his teaching that those he instructs will also be correct or accurate in what they believe. Thus, a pastor should labor to ensure that he communicates correctly the content of the Scripture and applies it correctly so that the older men in the congregation would be correct in what they believe. However, we should understand that the pastor’s function of communicating accurately or correctly the doctrines of the Christian faith will not automatically make older men or any believer in his congregation to become accurate in what they believe or in the practice of the Christian doctrine. There is the responsibility on the part of those who receive his instruction. They must focus and be devoted to what the pastor communicates. We mean that the older men have the responsibility of paying close attention to what is taught at the time it is taught but that is not the end of their responsibility. They should go home and do further study of what has been communicated. In other words, the older men should go home and meditate on what they heard taught by their pastors. It is only when what is taught is firmly rooted in the thinking of the older man can such a person be in a position to be correct or sound in the faith. Hence, it is important that older men be committed to the word of God not only in consistent attendance to the place of worship where the word of God is taught but also in investing of time to reflect on what is taught in the local church. In any event, the first area the older men are expected to be sound or accurate is with respect to the Christian doctrine and its application.
The second area that it is expected that older men should be sound or correct is with respect to love as in the phrase of Titus 2:2 in love. Without a doubt the concept of love is one that is misunderstood that it is important for an older man to be sound or correct with respect to it. You see, the word “love” is understood by some as a reference to sexual affection or attraction. Others think of love in terms of having their way. For example, a child who does not get his/her way immediately assumes a parent does not love him/her. This feeling is not limited to children because many adults are that way. Take for example, a wife may think that husband does not love her because he would not let her have her way in whatever the case may be. These various ways people understand love demand that a pastor correctly communicate what love is as far as believers are concerned. This involves understanding of the Greek word that is used in our passage. The word “love” is translated from a Greek word (agapē) that is used in two ways in the Greek NT. A first usage refers to the common meal eaten by early church in connection with their worship, for the purpose of fostering and expressing mutual affection and concern and so means “fellowship meal, love-feast”, as it is used in Jude 12:
These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead.
A second usage that is predominant in the NT refers to the quality of warm regard for and interest in another hence may mean “esteem, affection, regard, love.” It is in the sense of non-sexual affection and regard for a person and their good in keeping with God’s moral character that the word is used in our passage.
In any case, for older men to be sound or correct with love requires that a pastor should teach the subject of love in practical way that is derived from the Scripture. This should begin with a practical definition of love. To this end, we define love as a thought-action phenomenon that involves a subject and an object. What this definition does is that it immediately removes love from “feeling-centered’” to “thought-centered.” To be sure, thought does not exclude feeling but it should control it. However, we should caution that this one sentence definition must be elaborated upon for anyone to truly understand love. That notwithstanding, it is designed to help us organize our understanding of love as we will shortly realize in this brief consideration of the subject of love. There is another implication of our one sentence definition of love, which is that because in general there are two subjects of love and two objects of love (God and man) that love could be generally classified into two categories – human and divine. Because the Holy Spirit through the apostle did not specify the object of love that is concerned in the older men being sound or correct with respect to love, then we should briefly comment on the two categories of love that involve humans and God.
Human love may be understood in terms of sexual passion or having special interest and concern for another. The sexual passion is not part of the human love focused in the Scripture and so the human love should be thought primarily in terms of having interest and concern for another. Examination of the examples of genuine human love given in the Scripture reveals four facts. First, human love is always a matter of degree. This means that we can love one person more than the other. For, if this was not the case a man or a woman could not possibly marry. Even when polygamy was permitted we know that a husband would love one wife more than the others. Our best example of this is with Jacob and his two wives Rachel and Leah, according to Genesis 29:30:
Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.
Second, human love can overcome anyone to the point that he becomes very helpless. Therefore, love is compared to death in Song of Solomon 8:6:
Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.
Many people develop human love, especially between the opposite sex, without any logical explanation. Many people have often said, I do not know what he saw in her or what she saw in him to cause them to be married to each other. Well, the truth of the matter is that human love cannot always be explained because it often involves our emotions which are often not predictable. What may appeal to one person would not appeal to the other. But, in marriage it is important for people to evaluate their emotions carefully so as not to be misled into a relationship that is based on emotion and nothing more. Third, true human love is resilient and cannot be bought with money as per Song of Solomon 8:7:
Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.
This verse says two things to us. If there is true love human love between people nothing can destroy it. It would withstand the test of time, pressure from every quarters. But when there is no true human love, the slightest discomfort would flush it out. Also, this passage says that all this people who fall in love with individuals because of their wealth or fame could not possibly have the human love since their love was bought by money or fame. What I am saying is that true human love is not forced on a person. Fourth, true human love involves devotion to the object of its love. The weakness of human love lies also in this matter of devotion. For, people become weak in attempt to show devotion to the objects of their love. This explains why people support those they love even when they know they have done something wrong. In some cases, they help to cover up for them. In other words, they lie for those they love to help them out. It is rare to find a mother who agrees that the child has done what he has been accused of in the public even when the evidence is glaring at her. This is because of her blind devotion to her child. You see this in case after case reported in the news media. Parents stand behind their children who have been accused of terrible crimes and often try to justify their actions or they explain that something has happened to them to cause them to act the way they have. It is important that we always remember that human love because of its devotion can change a person’s character. We have examined briefly human love and so we will briefly consider divine love.
To understand divine love, it is necessary to appreciate what happened on the cross. This is because the Apostle John indicated clearly that to understand love we must understand the sacrifice made on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ, as he wrote in 1 John 3:16:
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
The emphasis is that before we can understand the divine love, we must understand what it involves and what it means for Jesus Christ to lay down His life for us. If we may put it in another way, to understand the divine love we must look at what happened on the cross. The cross is the meeting point of man and God. It is where the Son of God paid for the sins of the world. The cross is a place of contrasts. It is where sin is revealed in its ugliness and holiness of God demonstrated. The cross was God’s response to the helplessness of humankind because of sin, as Apostle Paul indicates in 1 Corinthians 15:3:
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
It is not only that man sinned against God, but he was also indifferent about his condition. We may say that man seemed not to care about his condition. Not only did man not have reverence for God, he was helpless and didn’t even know it. Anyway, it is as we understand what happened on the cross that we will understand divine love. The cross involves sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the underserving. Thus, the incident of the cross gives us a clearer explanation of what divine love is. Recall, we defined love as “a though-action phenomenon” that involves a subject and an object. This is exactly what the cross portrayed. God thought about our plight, our condition and realized that if He did nothing about it humans would forever be doomed. So, He acted through the death of Christ on the cross. Hence, that love is a thought-action phenomenon is confirmed. In keeping with what love is as demonstrated on the cross by the death of Jesus Christ, believers should understand that love is sacrificial and so costly. In effect, a correct or sound understanding of love involves this idea that love is costly and sacrificial, indicating that loves demands a person be capable of forfeiting his/her rights and privileges to benefit another. The implication is that to love humans or God requires this element of sacrifice. Believers, especially older men, should arm themselves with such a knowledge. If they did, they would be correct or sound in their exercise of love. We can have good thoughts about someone and execute them if we are filled of the Holy Spirit. It is not difficult to understand this concept because love is a facet of the fruit of the Spirit listed in the fifth chapter of Galatians. If we act under the filling of the Spirit, then we will automatically demonstrate love for our fellow humans. Of course, the filling of the Spirit attests to our love for God since no one can be filled of the Spirit without being free of sin at the instant of being filled of the Spirit. This is in keeping with the fact that love for God is evident in obedience to His word. Thus, when we obey God we will be free of sin and consequently will be filled of the Spirit. Anyway, a pastor should labor to explain love as we have attempted to do so that older men of a given congregation would be correct or sound with respect to the concept of love. They will be sound or correct with respect to love in that they will genuinely demonstrate it to all people. In any event, the second area that it is expected that older men should be sound or correct is with respect to love.
The third area that it is expected that older men should be sound or correct is with respect to the capacity of holding out or bearing up in the face of difficulty. It is this area that is described in the last phrase in endurance of Titus 2:2. The word “endurance” is translated from a Greek word (hypomonē) that may mean “patience, endurance, steadfastness, perseverance,” that is, the capacity to hold out or bear up in the face of difficulty. Another meaning of the Greek word is “expectation”, that is, the act or state of patient waiting for someone or something. In our passage, the sense is that of endurance or patience or perseverance. For older men to be sound or correct with respect to endurance requires that a pastor of a congregation repeatedly instruct the believers on the necessity to exhibit endurance in the spiritual life. This requires that believers be reminded that they are to endure hardship because of the hope they have in Christ Jesus. It is hope of future with Jesus Christ that will lead a believer to endure sufferings that come to them because of their faith, as implied in 1 Thessalonians 1:3:
We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Anyway, it is the responsibility of a pastor to encourage older men and other members of the congregation to ensure they are persistent in endurance regardless of the difficulty they face. Since the apostle is not explicit in what the endurance is about then he probably meant that older men should bear up in face of difficulties due to the faith and to be loyal to the Christian doctrine despite any attempt to dissuade them from it. The attributes that have been discussed with respect to older men also apply to all believers in the local church and so it is important that we all apply carefully what we have considered.
05/26/17