All of us want to behave like a Christian. Billy Graham said, "A real Christian is a person who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip."

When my computer was upgraded to Windows 95, I purchased a book which advertised itself as the most complete reference book on Windows 95. It contains 1174 pages and is only recommended for those who are serious about their computer. For the person new to computing, there are simpler manuals such as Windows 95 for Dummies and The Idiot’s Guide to Windows 95. In spite of my best intentions to read all 1174 pages, there are probably things that my computer can do that I am still unaware of.

When it comes to an instruction manual for being a Christian, we are very fortunate. God has provided us a basic instruction manual here in the second chapter of Titus. It’s sort of like a Christianity for Dummies!

Paul starts off his basic instruction with this command - teach sound doctrine. God hasn’t changed and the Bible hasn’t changed. We are to teach the sound doctrine of historic Christianity. We are not to base our teachings on new fads or our own ideas or especially how we feel about something. But rather we must teach the sound doctrine that God has preserved for us in his word. There may be some things in there we don’t want to hear or we don’t understand or we don’t want to obey. But we are not to teach a contemporary re-interpretation of God, but rather sound doctrine.

Adamson comments, "You ought to hear with serious attention, having repaired to the house of God with holy awe, having composed your spirits by prayer, lay aside each low and earthly thought, and earnestly devote your minds to learn the things that are profitable unto salvation. You must hear with meekness. Come to the house of God with modest and tractable dispositions, bring along with you the persuasion that you need frequently to be reminded of your duty. They only, who in good and honest hearts receive the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit."

There seems to be a lot of disagreement as to which foods are good for you and which are bad for you. Some say you should eat little fat and meat and a new diet fad recommends you eat a lot of meat and fat in a high protein diet. Experts seem to be constantly changing their minds. But the true judge of what is right is that good food leads to healthy people! So it is with Christian teachings - sound doctrine produces healthy Christians.

Paul exhorts the older men to set the example. Those of us who have been serving Christ for many decades need to exhibit spiritual maturity. Wagstaff proposes that this verse teaches the duties of old men which includes three sins to be avoided: indulgence in wine, irreverence, and folly; and three virtues to be cherished: stability, love, patience.

If there is a strong group of older men in the church, it will add stability. I remember a mother of a ten year old who had been going from one contemporary church to the next. As her son got older, she realized there were no older role models for him. So in a dramatic move that surprised all of us that knew her well, she started attending a very traditional service. We knew she preferred the livelier worship in the contemporary services, but she said that she got a good feeling worshipping in a church of mature men who offered a stability and steadfastness that she had been missing.

Next Paul gives instruction for the older women. He mentions they should not be slanderers. We’ve all heard of churches where the women’s groups were known as the Women’s Gossip Circle. Some people seem to get pleasure in spreading bad news. But we are not to be that way. Notice Paul says we should be teaching what is good. If we really care about others, we will not be slandering them.

The Biblical Illustrator remarks, "A good woman never grows old. Years may pass over her head, but if benevolence and virtue dwell in her heart, she is as cheerful as when the spring of life first opened to her view. When we look upon a good woman, we never think of her age; she looks as charming as when the rose of youth first bloomed on her cheek. That rose has not faded yet: it will never fade."

Older women can be a wonderful example for younger women. As we get older we need to be careful to make time to encourage younger families and newer believers. God has brought us through so much and we have learned many important lessons of faith that we can share.

Wagstaff points out, "Women have duties peculiar to their age. The younger have duties of obedience; the middle-aged have the cares of the home life; the aged have the instruction of the younger."

Next, the younger men are encouraged to practice self-control. We all know the pressures of growing up and the many temptations that await young men. Our culture puts the emphasis on all the wrong things. It is up to the church to attempt to restore a balance with our younger believers. We need to exhort and warn, pray and encourage, and especially teach and instruct the young men in the church. As we learn how to turn our desires over to God as a young person, we find it is so much easier to put God first in our life in the years ahead. But when we give in to temptation and fail to control our behavior, we will find nothing but sorrow and heartache.

We are told to be a model of good deeds. Christians may think that they only live for themselves and God, but the fact is we are a model to others. Paul tells us the kind of model we should be - we should be doing good deeds, show integrity, be serious in our teaching, and only display sound speech.

Have you ever sewn from patterns? Or have you wondered how they made the patterns in the first place? My wife Lorna was recently sewing a costume for our annual Fall party. She simply sewed it up without ever purchasing a pattern. As she worked on the fabric, I realized that she did have a pattern - years of sewing experience and a picture in her mind of what it should look like. Each one of our lives is a pattern or a model that others can copy and use. When they use our pattern, will the garment they make look glorious or will it look twisted and misshapen? What kind of model for good deeds are we?

We can apply most of the Bible teachings about slaves to our workplace. Some may even think it’s a very apt title for their job situation! When dealing with our boss, we need to be submissive, willing to follow the company plan. And we are told to give satisfaction in every respect. In other words, we are to be an exemplary worker. I used to know a woman in a previous church who held various leadership positions. The problem is that at work she was constantly complaining about the boss, the amount of work, how unappreciated she was, and how uncooperative other workers were. One of her fellow workers who was also a Christian took her aside one day and told her, "With all your complaining, you are giving Christians a bad name. If I were searching for spiritual answers, I would never want to have what your God offers!" These few words changed the woman’s life and she pledged to never be a complainer again. She didn’t realize what a negative picture of Christianity she was portraying until someone pointed it out to her.

Paul says we are not to be refractory. Refractory means to obstinately resist authority or control. As Christians we should realize that God is our master and he has everything under his control. So if we truly trust in God, no matter what happens at work, God is in charge. This should make us ready to give up control of situations into God’s hands. When we are resisting authority, we are really resisting what God is doing in our life.

As employees, we are given some specific instructions. We are not to steal from our workplace. Just because everyone else does it is not a good enough reason. Paul also tells us that we are to "show entire and true fidelity." In other words we should be faithful to our work and take our job seriously. What happens when we are a model employee is that we are an adornment on Christ’s teaching. As someone so beautifully put it, we may be the only Bible that some people read. What are they reading in your life? Do you honor God by your actions in the workplace? Or are you a shame to the cause of Christ.

Next, we are reminded that we don’t have to do these things in our own strength. It is the grace of God that has brought us salvation. It is the grace of God that will help us be the model Christian that God desires us to be. No matter what difficulties we may be facing, God’s grace is always extended to us. God reaches down with his hand to encourage us, to strengthen us, and to show us his mercy.

God Dwells in Me

If I have brought a gleam of light
To cheer a darkened day,
If I held out a friendly hand
To help along the way.
Then in these acts of kindness done
It is not me you see,
But glimpses of that Loving One
Who chose to dwell in me.

Bissland tells us, "The gospel is precisely suited for all the wants of a fallen sinner; it meets him in the hour of difficulty; and, consequently, its offers of mercy are addressed to every sinner. ... The rich dispensation of mercy revealed in the gospel beautifully illustrates the gracious character of our heavenly Father."

Do you realize that Jesus gave himself to redeem you from all iniquity and to purify you and cause you to be zealous for good deeds? Since we have been redeemed and purified, we are set free to reach out to help others. We are no longer under the bondage of sin, but we have been delivered into spiritual freedom. This new found joy causes us to be zealous to help others and point them to the same saving grace.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon exhorts us, "Would to God that all Christian men and women were disciplined by Divine grace till they became zealous for good works! In holiness zeal is sobriety. We are not only to approve of good works, and speak for good works, but we are to be red-hot for them. We are to be on fire for everything that is right and true."

A prisoner on death row does not feel inspired to compose a song or write a poem as long as the threat of the death sentence is hanging over him. It is difficult for him to concentrate on accomplishing any goals or doing anything productive. So it is with people who in their spirit sense that there is an eternal death sentence over them. Only when they are pardoned and set free from their prison of despair are they fully able to live their lives and reach their God-given potential.

Wagstaff tells ministers, "The Christian teacher should always act with mildness, yet with firmness. There are gradations to be observed. 1. Instruction: "declare these things." 2. Expostulation: "exhort." 3. Reproof: "reprove with all authority."

If we are to be the kind of Christian that God desires us to be, we need to be willing to declare, exhort, and reprove. We need to declare the message of Christ and the commands of God. We need to exhort each other to holy living and obedience. And we need to reprove each other when we fall into the trap of sin and turn our backs on God. If we will be always alert to these three things, we will find that we will encourage and strengthen each other in the faith and we will all grow together in Christ to become that model of behavior that God wants us to be.

This study on Titus 2:1-15 © 1999 by David Humpal, all rights reserved.
All scriptures unless otherwise noted are from the Revised Standard Version © 1971, A. J. Holman Company

Graham: quoted in the Complete Speaker’s Sourcebook pg. 54 © 1996, Zondervan Publishing House

Adamson: The Biblical Illustrator, vol. 20. pg. 56, Baker Book House

Wagstaff: The Biblical Illustrator, vol. 20, pg. 58, Baker Book House

The Biblical Illustrator, vol. 20, pg. 62, Baker Book House

Wagstaff: The Biblical Illustrator, vol. 20, pg. 61, Baker Book House

Bissland: The Biblical Illustrator, vol. 20, pg. 93, Baker Book House

Spurgeon: The Biblical Illustrator, vol. 20, pg. 135-136, Baker Book House