Titus 2

1 But as for you, you must speak in a manner that befits wholesome teaching.
2 Exhort aged men to be temperate, grave, sober-minded, robust in their faith, their love and their patience.
3 In the same way exhort aged women to let their conduct be such as becomes consecrated persons. They must not be slanderers nor enslaved to wine-drinking. They must be teachers of what is right.
4 They should school the young women to be affectionate to their husbands and to their children, to be sober-minded, pure in their lives,
5 industrious in their homes, kind, submissive to their husbands, so that the Christian teaching may not be exposed to reproach.
6 In the same way exhort the younger men to be discreet,
7 and above all make your own life a pattern of right conduct, having in your teaching no taint of insincerity, but a serious tone,
8 and healthy language which no one can censure, so that our opponents may feel ashamed at having nothing evil to say against us.
9 Exhort slaves to be always obedient to their owners, and to give them satisfaction in everything, not contradicting and not pilfering,
10 but manifesting perfect fidelity and kind feeling, in order to bring honour to the teaching of our Saviour, God, in all things.
11 For the grace of God has displayed itself with healing power to all mankind,
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and all the pleasures of this world, and to live sober, upright, and pious lives at the present time,
13 in expectation of the fulfilment of our blessed hope--the Appearing in glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 who gave Himself for us to purchase our freedom from all iniquity, and purify for Himself a people who should be specially His own, zealous for doing good works.
15 Thus speak, exhort, reprove, with all impressiveness. Let no one make light of your authority.

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Titus 2 Commentary

Chapter 2

The duties which become sound doctrine. (1-8) Believing servants must be obedient. (9,10) All is enforced from the holy design of the gospel, which concerns all believers. (11-15)

Verses 1-8 Old disciples of Christ must behave in every thing agreeably to the Christian doctrine. That the aged men be sober; not thinking that the decays of nature will justify any excess; but seeking comfort from nearer communion with God, not from any undue indulgence. Faith works by, and must be seen in love, of God for himself, and of men for God's sake. Aged persons are apt to be peevish and fretful; therefore need to be on their guard. Though there is not express Scripture for every word, or look, yet there are general rules, according to which all must be ordered. Young women must be sober and discreet; for many expose themselves to fatal temptations by what at first might be only want of discretion. The reason is added, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Failures in duties greatly reproach Christianity. Young men are apt to be eager and thoughtless, therefore must be earnestly called upon to be sober-minded: there are more young people ruined by pride than by any other sin. Every godly man's endeavour must be to stop the mouths of adversaries. Let thine own conscience answer for thine uprightness. What a glory is it for a Christian, when that mouth which would fain open itself against him, cannot find any evil in him to speak of!

Verses 9-10 Servants must know and do their duty to their earthly masters, with a reference to their heavenly one. In serving an earthly master according to Christ's will, He is served; such shall be rewarded by him. Not giving disrespectful or provoking language; but to take a check or reproof with silence, not making confident or bold replies. When conscious of a fault, to excuse or justify it, doubles it. Never putting to their own use that which is their master's, nor wasting the goods they are trusted with. Showing all good fidelity to improve a master's goods, and promote his thriving. If ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? ( Luke 16:12 ) . True religion is an honour to the professors of it; and they should adorn it in all things.

Verses 11-15 The doctrine of grace and salvation by the gospel, is for all ranks and conditions of men. It teaches to forsake sin; to have no more to do with it. An earthly, sensual conversation suits not a heavenly calling. It teaches to make conscience of that which is good. We must look to God in Christ, as the object of our hope and worship. A gospel conversation must be a godly conversation. See our duty in a very few words; denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, living soberly, righteously, and godly, notwithstanding all snares, temptations, corrupt examples, ill usage, and what remains of sin in the believer's heart, with all their hinderances. It teaches to look for the glories of another world. At, and in, the glorious appearing of Christ, the blessed hope of Christians will be complete: To bring us to holiness and happiness was the end of Christ's death. Jesus Christ, that great God and our Saviour, who saves not only as God, much less as Man alone; but as God-man, two natures in one person. He loved us, and gave himself for us; and what can we do less than love and give up ourselves to him! Redemption from sin and sanctification of the nature go together, and make a peculiar people unto God, free from guilt and condemnation, and purified by the Holy Spirit. All Scripture is profitable. Here is what will furnish for all parts of duty, and the right discharge of them. Let us inquire whether our whole dependence is placed upon that grace which saves the lost, pardons the guilty, and sanctifies the unclean. And the further we are removed from boasting of fancied good works, or trusting in them, so that we glory in Christ alone, the more zealous shall we be to abound in real good works.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO TITUS 2

In this chapter the apostle exhorts Timothy to the discharge of his office with respect to all sorts of persons, of every age, sex; and condition, he was concerned with, giving reasons for it, taken from the nature of the Gospel of Christ: he exhorts him in general to insist in his public ministry on those things, which were agreeable to sound doctrine, Tit 2:1 and particularly what became aged men and aged women, and young men and young women, Tit 2:2-6 in all which, both with respect to doctrine and practice, he desires him to be a pattern to them, that so even his very adversaries may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of him, Tit 2:7,8. And next he charges him to exhort servants, to obey their masters, and seek to please them, and not contradict them, and to be faithful to them; that so the doctrine of God their Saviour, professed by them, might be adorned in all things, Tit 2:9,10. And the reasons why the apostle would have duty urged on persons of every age, sex, and state, are taken from the nature of the Gospel being a doctrine of grace and salvation, which was preached to all sorts of persons, Tit 2:11, and from the efficacy of it, in teaching men to deny sin, and live a holy life and conversation, Tit 2:12 and from an expectation of eternal glory and happiness at the appearance of Christ, which the Gospel encourages to, Tit 2:13; and from the end of Christ's giving himself for his people, and redeeming them from sin, the sum and substance of the Gospel, which was, that they might be purified, and be zealous of good works, Tit 2:14 and these exhortations were to be delivered by Titus with authority, and in such a manner, that he might not be despised, Tit 2:15.

Titus 2 Commentaries

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