Titus 2:1, 7-8, 15 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine… 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us… 15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
INTRODUCTION
I can’t remember whether or not I made it clear that Titus is known as one of the “pastoral epistles” (along with 1 and 2 Timothy). They are called that, as you might imagine, because they are written to pastors (Titus and Timothy) about how to conduct themselves as pastors over their churches. These letters are very practical, emphasizing how Titus and Timothy are to behave, and how they are to instruct the Church to behave in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Consequently, while much of Titus contains instructions for the members of Titus’s church, occasionally Paul steps back and speaks to Titus directly. This is almost always easily recognizable by Paul’s switch in person, from the third (they or them) to the second (you).
Titus 2:1-2 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine [second person]. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness [third person].
So far we’ve looked mainly at Paul’s third person instructions to Titus concerning Titus’s church. This morning, though, we’re going to look at Paul’s second person, pastoral instructions to Titus himself.
Before I pray, I want to quickly answer one question: why would I do that when most of you are not pastors? In other words, why would I spend two entire sermons (this week and next) focusing on the pastoral instructions from Paul to Titus when they directly speak to relatively few of you? I want to offer three brief reasons.
First, because it’s in the bible. We need to learn to love all that is in the bible, regardless of whether or not its implications for us are immediately plain to us. The bible is God’s Word. We must learn to love God’s Word, all of it. I still remember getting notes from Gerri when we were first dating. I remember how excited I was every time she passed me a note. It mattered what she said, but the very fact that she was saying it to me was a thrill in itself. If a note from another person (even a special person) can do that in us, how much more should a letter from God himself. I’m preaching on this because it’s God’s Word and we must learn to love all of it because we love God.
Second, because even though most of you are not pastors and will never be pastors, you will always, Lord willing, have pastors. This passage is filled with insights into how you should pray for your pastors and what you should expect from your pastors (the kind of heart and mind and life and job God calls us to). There’s a selfish tendency among us (test yourself to see if there are seeds of this in you) to think mainly of ourselves. There is another misguided tendency in us to think of Christianity in individualistic terms. I’m preaching on this because we are meant to look not only to our own good but to that of others as well, and because Christianity is decidedly not primarily about me and God, but about God and his people.
Third, as I’ve mentioned before, commands or instructions or advice for pastors always have corresponding implications for congregation members. Therefore, to rightly hear commands for pastors is to hear implied commands for yourself. These verses are no exception.
Therefore, elders, listen carefully. This is a glorious word from God, directed at you and I. And church, listen carefully this is a glorious word from God with significant implications for you seek to live in a manner pleasing to God and pleased by God. And seeker, listen carefully, these instructions from God are key to the heart and mind of God you are called to trust in. Let’s pray that God would work these things in us this morning.
BUT AS FOR YOU
In this short letter there are nine charges that Paul gives directly to Titus. Two of them are from chapter 1. Three of them are from chapter 2. And the remaining four are in chapter 3. I’m going to quickly list them all. Then I’m going to explain a few things we can see from the list as a whole that we might miss if we only looked at the individual charges. And finally, this week, I’m going to look more closely at the first of the three charges in chapter 2 (because we’ve already looked at those from ch. 1 and we’re about to look at those from ch. 3).
Paul’s charges to Titus
Consider Paul’s charges to Titus and see if you can pick up on any themes. The first one is found in 1:5.
- “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order and appoint elders in every town as I directed you” (1:5).
- “Therefore [implied you, Titus] rebuke [the false teachers] sharply” (1:13).
- “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine” (2:1).
- “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame having nothing evil to say about us” (2:7-8).
- “Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you” (2:15).
- “[Implied you] remind them to be…[godly]” (3:1).
- “I want you to insist on these things…” (3:8).
- “[Implied you] avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law…” (3:9).
- “After warning [divisive people] once and then twice, [implied you] have nothing more to do with [them] (3:10).
The big-picture significance of Paul’s charges
As I said earlier, before looking in greater detail at the three particular charges listed in chapter 2, I want to make note of a few principles that we can draw from the list as a whole.
First, these are serious charges. This is quite a list of expectations that Paul placed on Titus. I’m sure that in many ways this must have felt quite heavy, even as it felt right to Titus. And I’m also fairly sure that some of these commands feel too strong and too serious to many in this room. We’re so accustomed to flippancy and light-heartedness and a lack of anything with gravity that it’s hard to imagine anyone speaking like this to us or about us. Paul is serious in what he expects of Titus and what he expects the results of Titus’s obedience to be.
We’ve worked hard here to think rightly about elders. We’ve worked hard here to train elders. It’s taken years and years to get where we are and we still have a long ways to go. What’s more, our attempts to be obedient to this charge have met all kinds of responses. Some have appreciated them, others have become angry and left.
Similarly, have you ever rebuked someone sharply or been rebuked sharply by someone? This is really hard to do and receive well and it’s really easy to do and receive wrongly. In our flesh we want to jump on this or avoid it altogether. We want to jump on it because when someone wrongs us or hurts us we want to let them have it. We want to jump on it because we believe we’re the just judge of the cosmos and we are right to let them have it. And on the other end we want to avoid it because it’s never easy or pleasant, and almost always leads to greater conflict and messiness. We want to avoid it because we’re never absolutely certain that we’ve got the facts right. And yet, in spite of all the ways it could be done or received wrongly, Paul charged Titus to sharply rebuke others rightly. These are serious charges
How about insisting on things? How has that gone for you? How would you feel if we, as elders, insisted on something for you? Most people are open to suggestions. Few are eager to be commanded and compelled.
Again, don’t miss the fact that because of the seriousness of the cross, God’s leaders have been given serious, heavy, glorious charges. Elders, don’t think for a moment that our charges are less. And church, consider this as you pray for us, as you appoint men to lead you, and as you respond to our leadership in praise or criticism.
Second, Paul assumes that Titus has real authority, under God, to fulfill these charges. This is a big deal and a fairly counter-cultural understanding of church leadership. Again, most people are open to suggestions and appeals and encouragements, but not many really understand authority in the biblical sense.
What is authority? In its most basic sense, the word translated “authority” (exousia) in the New Testament means “power to decide”. We have authority when we have the right to make decisions.
Who has authority in this sense? Or who has the power to decide? God, of course, has ultimate authority over all the universe because the universe is his—he created it. Who else has authority? Only those whom God has specifically made stewards.
Paul taught that elders were among those who had been entrusted by God with the right to decide certain things on behalf of the church they led. And, therefore, as an elder Titus had been given real authority to do the work of God.
Take note of this, elders. Our power to decide is real. Though it is always under God’s authority, it does not honor God if we pretend it’s fake. And take note of this, members. It does you no good to pretend that God was kidding. Of course, like Paul, Matt and Kyle and I almost always prefer to appeal to you rather than exercise our God-entrusted authority.
Philemon 1:8-9 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you…
And yet, Titus was given real authority to lead his church in God’s ways, in order to show God’s glory.
Third, these charges are the effects of the gospel. As I’ve noted many times in Titus, it is only because the grace of God appeared, bringing salvation for all people, that Titus must and is able to do these things. Because of the gospel, Paul commands Titus in these ways. And because of the gospel Titus has certain hope of accomplishing them. If Jesus hadn’t died on the cross to redeem his people, these commands would be out of line and Titus would be in way over his head. But Jesus did die and he did redeem his people and so these charges make sense and their success are ensured by the blood of the Lamb. And, therefore, we too are charged with these things and able to accomplish them because of the cross.
Fourth, finally, all of these charges are directed ultimately at the glory of Jesus, but also at the good of the Church, and never for Titus’s personal gain. Most of the bad taste we all have in our mouths from the exercise of authority is that it was exercised in wrong ways and for wrong reasons. Sometimes people without real authority act as if they did and that is always destructive. Sometimes people with real authority use it to get rich or powerful and that is always destructive. And sometimes people with real authority used it in cruel and abusive ways and that too is always destructive.
Titus had real authority as an elder, but it was not his to wield however he wanted or for whatever purpose he wanted. Rather, he was (as we are still today) to use it to bring glory to God and good to the Church.
Again, there are certain things that we are far more likely to see when we place all of these charges down next to one another. Specifically, when we do so we see that these are serious charges, that in issuing them Paul assumes that Titus has real authority, under God, to fulfill these charges, that these charges are the effects of the gospel, and that they are directed ultimately at the glory of Jesus, but also at the good of the Church, and never for Titus’s personal gain. As I said earlier, there is much for God’s elders and God’s people to gain from this understanding.
With that, let’s consider the first of three charges of chapter two (we’ll look at the last two next week).
Teach what accords with sound doctrine
“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine” (2:1).
The primary things to note from this particular charge (2:1) are that: 1) God’s elders must teach doctrine that is sound (explicitly taught in 1:9), and 2) God’s elders must teach the sound actions that necessarily flow from sound doctrine (that’s what he means by “teach what accords with sound doctrine”).
Somewhere back in the early 2000s I attended a theological conference in Colorado Springs with a few friends. On the way back our young minds were full and challenged and naive and so we figured that we could solve all the theological problems we’d encountered at the conference during the 14 hour drive home. Not wanting to waste a minute we dove right in as we drove north on I25. As we neared Denver our friend who was driving asked what road he was supposed to take (and this was before GPS and cell phones). Still debating the merits of open theism, my other friend and I glanced at the map and told him to take 270. Our driving friend asked “to 70?” and we impatiently nodded.
Some significant time later, as the debates still raged, our driver asked if we’d gone through Kansas on the way to the conference. My other friend and I laughed at his good sense of humor and continued arguing. He kept driving and we kept arguing. Sometime later still we looked up and saw a sign for Kansas City. Confused, we asked why we were in Kansas at all and our driver shot us an exasperated look.
You see, way back south of Denver, when our driver friend asked which way to go and we said 270, he heard “to 70”. 270 is the city bypass which takes you to 76 which takes you north toward Minnesota. 70 on the other hand drops back south and takes you to Kansas. We were close, but close cost us several hours.
Grace, the same is true and 1,000,000 times more when it comes to doctrine. Paul charged Titus to teach sound doctrine because close doesn’t cut it.
In the Garden of Eden, the serpent told Adam and Eve that they would not die if they ate of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eating it, they did not immediately die physically. They did immediately die spiritually and they did immediately bring death to mankind, however. Satan’s doctrine was close, but being off by just a bit has led to suffering beyond our imagination.
In Numbers 20 God commanded Moses to speak to a rock and water would come out. Instead, Moses struck the rock and did not get to enter the Promised Land. Close, but not quite.
In 2 Samuel 6 Uzzah put his hands on the Ark of God to steady it and keep it from falling. However, God had told them in no uncertain terms that no one was to touch the Ark. Uzzah died. Again, close, but not quite.
In Romans 3 Paul addresses a group of Jews who had accused the Paul of preaching a gospel of sin. They argued that Paul’s version of the gospel taught that people should go on sinning because that would mean that God would go on giving grace—that there was no more moral law because grace had replaced it. It is clearly true that God’s grace is sufficient to cover all the sins of everyone who would trust in Jesus, but it is also clearly true that this knowledge is meant to empower God’s people to turn from sin, not to it. Paul said that the condemnation that they would receive for believing such things—close as they were—was just.
In 1 John 1 there were false teachers who believed and taught that they were without sin. It is true that Jesus paid the debt for the sins of those who would trust him and that Christians no longer must sin, but it is decidedly not true that Christians will no longer sin in this life. John calls these people liars as these people call God a liar. Close, but not quite.
Throughout the early church significant heresies began to spread. Believing heresy, by definition, is incompatible with saving faith in Jesus Christ. You cannot believe a heresy and go to heaven.
By the early 200s a heresy known as Gnosticism was spreading. Gnostics believed that matter was inherently corrupt and that only spiritual things could be truly pure. They therefore denied the true humanity of Jesus.
In around 250 Arias taught the heresy that Jesus was not truly divine, but was created by the Father.
Later came the heresies of Pelagianism and then Semipelagianism. Pelagianism taught that mankind was capable of choosing good without God’s help. Semipelagianism taught that grace helped the will in choosing good rather than causing it to do so. Again, there is some truth in these ideas, but they are destructively wrong.
And on and on…
From the beginning, redemptive history is filled with examples of the destructive consequences of getting doctrine soundish, but not sound. Paul charges Titus to teach sound doctrine because the alternative always robs God of his glory, and at best robs people of joy and at worst robs people of salvation. Titus and all of God’s elders must teach sound (not soundish) doctrine because glory and joy and salvation are at stake.
Finally, the second thing to notice from this passage, from this direct command to Pastor Titus, is that Titus and all of God’s elders are to teach not only sound doctrine, but also the actions and behaviors and attitudes that must flow from genuine belief in sound doctrine. We must teach sound doctrine and all the actions that accord with sound doctrine.
Grace, this is one of my great hopes and prayers for our church—that the Spirit would be pleased to make a much tighter connection in us between the sound doctrine that we hear (and claim to believe) and the application of it to our lives.
Somewhere along the line we’ve bought into the lie that understanding and appreciating sound doctrine alone is pleasing to God. It’s not, Grace. It’s not! In fact, if we don’t have both we don’t really have either. If there is no application, there is no true understanding. We do not truly understand sound doctrine if it does not produce godly fruit in our lives.
James says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:22-25).
Paul charges Titus to help God’s people understand the types of doings that are consistent with the sound doctrine he was teaching. Grace, let this serve as a call to action. Listen to us as we plead with you to turn from your sin and to righteousness.
Where you find the command to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), don’t stop at thanking God for his great plan to reach the world with his gospel, go over to someone’s house and read the Word with them.
Where you find the command to confess your sins and pray for one another (James 5:16), don’t stop at delighting in the power of God to heal sickness through confession and prayer, call someone up and confess!
Where you find the command to love other Christians and outdo them in showing honor (Romans 12:10), don’t stop at acknowledging the goodness of this command, call someone up and tell them how much you appreciate them.
Where you find the command to be self-controlled (Titus 2), don’t stop at lamenting your lack of self control, smash your alcohol or pornography or credit cards or chocolate stash or television or whatever other instrument your lack of self-control is pleased to use and begin meditating on God’s promises to you in those areas.
Titus was commanded to teach sound doctrine and that which accords with it. Grace, let us never accept soundish doctrine and mere assent to its implications. Instead, let us learn to love both sound doctrine (orthodoxy) and all that accords with it (orthopraxy) .
CONCLUSION
As I mentioned at the very beginning, these charges are directed at Titus specifically, and the elders of God’s churches generally. And yet, there is so much here for all of God’s people. The good news of the big gospel of Titus is that God is already working all of it for us and that it will certainly be accomplished in us. Amen.