Chapter 2

1 Directions given unto Titus both for his doctrine and life. 9 Of the duty of servants, and in general of all Christians.

1. Speak thou. The Greek stresses the contrast between the content and manner of Titus’ teaching and that of the false teachers in Crete (see on ch. 1:10–16). Paul here outlines the third task confronting Titus. He was (1) to organize and acquaint the Cretan brethren with church government (ch. 1:5–8); (2) to refute the “vain talkers and deceivers” (v. 10), who were teaching unsound doctrine, and blighting the moral tone of the whole church by their ungodly lives (vs. 9–16); (3) to communicate clearly and accurately the truth of the gospel.

Sound doctrine. See on ch. 1:9.

2. Aged men. Gr. presbutai, “older men.” Compare 1 Tim. 5:1. See on Acts 11:30.

Sober. Gr.nephalioi, “abstainers from wine” (see on 1 Tim. 3:2, 3).

Grave. Gr.semnoi, “worthy of honor,” “dignified” (see 1 Tim. 3:8).

Temperate. Gr. soµphroµn, “prudent,” “sound-minded” (see on 1 Tim. 3:2). Older men in the church ought to be respected for their wise counsel. When one is disciplined by God, such counsel should not be taken lightly.

Sound in faith. See on ch. 1:13.

Charity. Or, “love” (see on 1 Cor. 13:1).

Patience. Gr. hupomoneµ, “fortitude,” “endurance” (see on Rom. 5:3). These qualities must ever be kept healthy. As the years go by, men may become weary and their faith may become adulterated by superstition and tradition, their love weakened into mere sentiment; their patience, into apathetic acquiescence. Paul’s own life was a glorious illustration of the ideal here set forth, a pattern of splendor for all men and women.

3. Aged women. Compare 1 Tim. 5:2. Christianity elevated the status of womanhood to a position hitherto unknown. However, this new status required a corresponding response from Christian women. They were to fulfill God’s original purpose as bulwarks of tenderness and devotion. Thus, Christian women were to set the pattern of purity and devotion to home and children, both for their own daughters as well as for their pagan neighbors (see Titus 2:4).

As becometh holiness. Or, “as those engaged in sacred service,” literally, “as priestesses.”

Not false accusers. See on 2 Tim. 3:3.

Not given to. Or, “no longer remain enslaved to.”

Much wine. See on 1 Tim. 3:8. Because the church at Crete was newly established the “aged women” were those who had lived most of their lives by the standards and habits of a pagan society. The drinking of wine is a common practice in the Middle East and the Orient. After a long life of such practice, enslavement to wine would be the rule, not the exception.

Teachers of good things. In contrast with mere gossip, slander, or “old wives’ fables” (1 Tim. 4:7).

4. The young women. The virtues of womanhood are best transmitted from one generation to another by emotionally mature women who have learned well the lessons of self-discipline and personal piety. It is tragic for young women to assume the duties of wifehood and motherhood without having been properly taught by precept and example the responsibilities of Christian womanhood.

To be sober. Gr. soµphronizoµ, “to make sound-minded,” that is, to train for emotional maturity (see on v. 5).

Husbands. The sound-minded wife realizes that the harmony and strength of the home depends upon her role as a helper to her husband, not as a competitor.

Children. Paul emphasizes the basic law of family security and emotional development. The contribution of a loving mother, consistently and unselfishly offered to every growing child, cannot be fully supplied otherwise. Children are to be considered neither as barriers to adult happiness nor as organisms that automatically develop noble and respected virtues.

5. Discreet. Gr. soµphroµn, “prudent,” “self-controlled,” “sound-minded.” Paul’s frequent emphasis on soµphroµn and its derivatives in his letters to both Timothy and Titus (1 Tim. 2:9, 15; 3:2; 2 Tim. 1:7; Titus 1:8; 2:2, 4–6, 12) reflects a studied endeavor to solve a major problem in church organization and character development. Self-control denotes victory over selfishness. Personal desires are to be made subordinate to the over-all good of the family and others, and disappointments are to be met with courage and buoyancy.

Keepers at home. Textual evidence favors (cf. p. 10) the reading “workers at home.” Mothers who spend a great portion of time outside of the home sometimes neglect family responsibilities. To allow the children to roam without parental oversight, or to place them under the guidance of a paid assistant, does not fulfill the divine instruction here given.

Good. Paul’s description of a Christian woman compares with the classic portraiture of the honorable mother and wife in Prov. 31:10–31.

Obedient. See on Eph. 5:22; 1 Tim. 2:11.

Blasphemed. Because Christians bear the name of their God and profess to represent Him, Paul urged a careful review of the daily habits by which the power of religion is judged. Like pagans, many church members choose to observe elaborate ritual instead of faithfully living for God day by day. The faithful performance of daily tasks constitutes the first responsibility of a Christian woman. No church duties, however well performed, can compensate for a lack of proper child care or emotional immaturity. If the pagan notes that Christian women are not more self-controlled and responsible than pagan women, the cause of Christianity suffers great loss. Because of Christianity’s loftier view of woman’s role in the home and the church the pagan world will scrutinize carefully the results of such a profession. Paul’s special care was to establish the church on right principles, knowing that the moral and spiritual tone of the home and community is largely determined by its women.

6. Young men. That is, in contrast with the “aged men” (v. 2).

Sober minded. See on vs. 4, 5. Perhaps Titus, being a young man, would be most successful in counseling those of his own age.

7. In all things. Compare similar counsel to Timothy (see on 1 Tim. 4:12). Genuine Christianity includes every activity in which a man can engage with his thoughts captive to the will of God (2 Cor. 10:5).

Shewing. Both the Christians of Crete and their pagan neighbors had the right to expect that the Christian pastor would faithfully exemplify the principles of Christianity.

In all probability Titus had been reared in a pagan home, possibly in the luxurious and wicked city of Antioch. He had been drawn to the Master’s service in the freshness of his youth. He had been tested in the furnace of trial and difficulty. Here Paul reminds Titus that for him to set an example by his own self-restrained and disciplined Christian manhood would provide the most effective inspiration possible for the Cretan believers.

Doctrine. Or, “teaching.” Compare 2 Tim. 3:10.

Uncorruptness. Or, “soundness.” Compare v. 1.

Gravity. Gr. semnoteµs, “dignified behavior” (see on 1 Tim. 2:2).

Sincerity. Textual evidence favors (cf. p. 10) the omission of this word.

8. Sound. Or, “healthy,” a frequent emphasis in this epistle (chs. 1:9, 13; 2:1, 2, 8). Because of sin human nature is diseased, but the gospel is Heaven’s prescription for removing the cause of the infirmity and for restoring men and women to sound health—mentally, physically, spiritually. False teachings, like the nostrums of medical quacks, do not cure the disease, and often complicate it. Paul thus reminds Titus that his opponents will closely observe both his life and his words in order to find something against him. If Titus, however, takes care to speak precisely, carefully, and prayerfully, his opponents will be put to shame. They will be left without a basis for the criticisms they hope to make.

Contrary part. Neither the “vain talkers and deceivers” (ch. 1:10), who were within the church, nor the pagans without were to have a basis for criticism.

9. Servants. Or, “slaves” (see on John 8:34).

Please them well. The conversion of slaves to Christianity was not to make them less satisfactory workers, but to change sullen disobedience into cheerful helpfulness. For a discussion of Paul’s counsel concerning Christian slaves see on Eph. 6:5–9; Col. 3:22 to 4:1; 1 Tim. 6:1, 2.

10. Purloining. Or, “misappropriating,” “embezzling.” Slaves were often employed in duties besides those connected with the house or farm. Some were entrusted with business ventures and permitted much personal freedom. This gave them opportunity for dishonesty. At times they received an elaborate education as artists or physicians, in which capacity they worked for their masters. Thus, in the days of Paul a slave had many opportunities to cheat his owner. Thieving or embezzling of the master’s property was so common in Crete that frequently servants were called thieves. Christian slaves were to be manifestly superior in loyalty and honesty.

Good fidelity. Christian slaves were to be completely trustworthy as they served their earthly masters.

Adorn. See on 1 Tim. 2:9. Paul asserts that the Christlike life alone can rightly commend the gospel to the world. New men, not new methods, constitute God’s plan for the advancement of the gospel (see on 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Peter 3:12).

Doctrine of God. Probably, “doctrine about God,” the source of every Christian hope, which Paul develops in vs. 11–15.

11. Grace. Gr. charis (see on John 1:14; Rom. 1:7; 3:24; 1 Cor. 1:3). Only by the grace of God can aged men (Titus 2:2), aged women (v. 3), young women (vs. 4, 5), young men (v. 6), Titus (vs. 7, 8), and slaves (vs. 9, 10) each fulfill the responsibilities of his particular status in life. The triumphant note in Paul’s gospel is that men and women do find victory over sin, that the Christlike life, once revealed in flesh and blood, may be duplicated in every Spirit-motivated man or woman. Every command from God is accompanied by His “grace”—the power to fulfill His purposes (see on 2 Cor. 12:9; Heb. 13:9).

Appeared. “Grace,” that is, the abundant saving love of God manifested to sinners, has always been available to men (see on Ps. 51:1–17; see Additional Note on Psalm 36). But God’s plan for saving men was made clearer at the coming of Jesus.

All men. Compare John 1:9; 3:17; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9. All men are given sufficient opportunity to be saved, but the stubborn refusal of many to accept the “grace of God” results in eternal death; thus, God’s purpose is, to that extent, thwarted and the gift of salvation neglected. That Christians should rightly represent the principles of the Christlike life in order that pagans may be impressed with the superiority of Christianity is the theme of Paul’s counsel in this chapter.

12. Teaching. Gr. paideuoµ, “to educate,” “to give guidance to,” frequently used to describe the process of bringing up a child. Saving grace not only helps men to eradicate sinful practices; it actively cultivates new and worthy habits. This daily instruction from God may be described as the process of sanctification (see on Rom. 6:19; 1 Thess. 4:3).

Denying. Or, “renouncing.”

Lusts. Or, “desires,” which aspire to nothing higher than the pleasures of this world. Compare 1 John 2:15, 16.

Soberly. Gr. soµphronoµs, “sound-mindedly” (see on v. 5). The genuine Christian recognizes his social responsibilities as well as his spiritual duties as a child of God. The “grace of God” imparts sufficient power so that men may display true self-control (see on Eph. 4:13).

Righteously. Or, “justly.”

Godly. Gr.euseboµs (see on 2 Tim. 3:12).

Present world. See on 1 Tim. 6:17.

13. Looking for. Gr. prosdechomai, “to wait for,” “to expect.” Paul adds a second incentive as he appeals to the Cretan church members to live as representatives of Jesus Christ. In addition to living superior lives on earth the Christian is rewarded with the immeasurable gift of eternal life. Consequently, the daily life must be in harmony with the Christian’s professed eagerness for the quick return of Jesus. As Simeon was rewarded for his faithful “waiting” (prosdechomai), when he beheld Jesus (see on Luke 2:25), so a great company of Christians will one day find their greatest joy as they witness the glory of Christ’s second coming.

Blessed hope. The hope of Christ’s return has been the grand incentive of the Christian faith for nearly 2,000 years, buoying the believer’s spirit and steeling his courage amid all the vicissitudes of life. The dark moments of discouragement, disillusionment, or sorrow in this life’s experience are gloriously compensated for by the Christian’s hope in the second advent.

Glorious appearing. Or, “appearing of the glory.” For epiphaneia, “visible appearance,” see on 1 Tim. 6:14. The phrase “blessed hope” is in apposition with “glorious appearing,” or “appearing of the glory,” that is, the appearing constitutes the blessed hope. The translation “appearance of the glory” suggests the unveiling of Christ’s divine attributes as He returns to this earth as King of kings, surrounded by the glorious splendor of myriads of heavenly angels.

God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Compare 2 Thess. 2:8; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8. The Greek of this expression is ambiguous, hence uncertainty exists as to whether Paul is speaking of both the Father and the Son or of Christ only. Many commentators prefer to regard the expression as referring to Christ only. No difficulty is encountered when it is so interpreted, for Paul ascribes the prerogatives of the Godhead to Jesus (see on Rom. 1:7; Phil. 2:6; Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 1:1). For a discussion of the deity of Christ see Vol. V, p. 917. Compare 2 Peter 1:1 for a similar Greek construction. Paul’s context is the “appearing” of Christ in the second advent, as Jesus Himself promised (see on John 14:1–3). Because of the two tremendous facts here revealed, that Jesus Christ is God in the fullest sense, and that His return to this world constitutes the grand climax of history, this verse has been an exceptional source of comfort to Christians in every age.

14. Gave himself. Paul here describes the work of the Son of God as He fulfills the office of “Saviour” (v. 13). Christ’s role as Saviour and Mediator for lost man was not thrust upon Him by the arbitrary will of the Father; Christ “gave himself” as a voluntary sacrifice for His wayward creation (see on John 10:17, 18; Acts 3:15). In the person of Jesus Christ, God revealed the love of the divine Father. Though His sons and daughters suffer the consequences of moral and physical transgression, God has manifested His love by sharing with man the pain caused by sin. Christ’s gift cancels all doubts regarding the supreme splendor of God’s love to those who have disobeyed Him. From the inception of sin God has experienced the pain of unrequited love. Christ’s life on earth is cause enough for the praise of the redeemed throughout eternity. Angels stand silent in wonder that man’s only obligation consists in accepting this matchless love of the Saviour and in returning to the family of God.

Redeem. Gr. lutrooµ, “to set free,” “to rescue.” For the related noun lutron see on Matt. 20:28. Compare Ps. 130:8. God’s plan is to restore in lost men the original image in which they were created. Sin will not be overlooked, but eradicated. The process of sanctification consists of the grace of God acting upon the fully dedicated will of man, so that every trace of sin may be completely removed from the life (see on Rom. 3:24; 5:1; 6:19). To deliver man from the alluring power of sin and to lead him into habits of righteousness demands nothing less than the power of God. Because of sinful habits etched deeply within his life man has no other resort than to grasp the rescuing hand of God for complete deliverance. Yet, though the whirling worlds respond instantly to the directions of God, man, the climax of all creation, often limits the power and designs of God by his rebellious will.

Iniquity. Gr. anomia, “lawlessness.”

Purify. See on 1 John 1:7, 9; 3:3. No mere Jewish ritual or ceremony will suffice here (cf. Acts 15:9). The result of man’s rescue from sin by the grace of God is a life cleansed of every evil thought and deed.

Peculiar. Gr. periousios, “chosen,” that is, by God for Himself. In Old English the word “peculiar” designated what had become a personal possession.

The Christian church is the successor to Israel as God’s special agent for the communication of the gospel (see on 1 Peter 2:9). The same mission, privileges, and responsibilities that literal Israel had were transferred to spiritual Israel (see Vol. IV, pp. 35, 36).

Zealous. The Christian church, while awaiting the second advent, will also fulfill the mission once assigned to the Jewish nation of revealing, in word and deed, the principles of God’s government.

15. Speak. Paul here gives three methods of teaching and leading Christian congregations. Some church members are eager to listen; others need additional urging and more direct counsel; still others, for various reasons, need stronger admonition coupled with incontrovertible evidence.

Authority. The minister’s authority ultimately rests, not in his office, but in his divine commission and in the integrity of his ministry.

Despise. Titus should present his teachings so cogently that his hearers will not honestly avoid what he is saying or find his arguments illogical, and thus lose confidence in him.

Ellen G. White comments

1, 2 1T 415

5     2T 315

6     CT 535; FE 192

6–8AA 369; CSW 119; GW 60; MYP 368; TM 148; 1T 415, 499

7     1T 446

8     COL 338; 2T 709

10   CS 27; 1T 507; 3T 422; 5T 439; 8T 195

11   GC 261; MB 7

11, 12  4T 332

11–14AA 205; CT 330; 3T 52

11–15TM 148

12   AA 505; 1T 285

12–141T 507

13   Ev 220; 2T 194

13, 14  1T 274, 487

13–151T 283, 287

14   AA 519; CW 102; FE 483; ML 218; MYP 400; Te 199; TM 441; 1T 136, 150, 305; 2T 105, 150, 317; 3T 538; 4T 17, 332; 5T 148, 592, 730; 6T 372; 8T 248

15   1T 276; 3T 359