Paul shifts his focus to Titus as the second chapter in this brief letter begins. In chapter one, he discussed elders and their need to address false teaching. Now, he shifts to the true doctrine that Titus is to instruct the churches, and breaks it down for various groups.
He begins with older men in Titus 2:1-2:
In contrast to the false teachers and their intent to lead people astray, Paul encourages Titus to focus on teaching solid and sound doctrine to the people in the churches in Crete. This section is organized similarly to 1 Timothy 5:1-2, where Paul breaks things down by gender and age for Timothy as well. Here, however, his focus is less on how to relate to each of these divisions, and more on how they are to behave. Their behavior, in accordance with sound doctrine, will allow them to lives lives that shine a light into the darkness in Crete.
Paul begins by changing his focus a bit. In the previous passages, his instructions were to the elders of the churches. But now, he shifts to speak directly to Titus. This is what he is to teach, this chapter gives Titus the direction he is to fix his focus as he leads these churches.
In comparison, his instruction is to be solid in sound teaching, or healthy teaching. This stands in stark contrast to the unhealthy teachings of the false teachers.
He begins by addressing what Titus is to teach older men. He will follow that with older women, younger women, young men and slaves. Here he gives six characteristics for Titus to instill in the older men, men who are not elders in the churches, but are older than 40 years of age, and probably older than 50, in light of Cretan culture during this time frame.
Temperate
This term is used of both elders and deacons in 1 Timothy. Literally, it mans to abstain from wine or strong drink, but eventually came to mean “sober in judgment.” This is the opposite of over-indulgence. Men of this age should know by know what the true pleasures of life are, and just how damaging over-indulgence can be to their credibility and witness.
Worthy of respect
This word carries the idea of being dignified. An older man should be someone that a younger man can look up to and emulate. Again, this quality is listed for those in leadership in 1 Timothy 3:8.
Self-controlled
Once again, this is a quality that is comparable to those listed in 1 Timothy 3:2. They are to be sensible and thoughtful, in contrast to the thoughtlessness and carelessness that is common to youth. Self-control is a quality also listed in the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, and is a quality that all believers are instructed to develop.
Sound in faith, in love, and in endurance
Paul repeats a triad of qualities here that he uses frequently. In 1 Corinthians 13:13, he calls them faith, hope and love. In 1 Timothy 6:11, they are listed again. And in 1 Thessalonians 1:3, he repeats them as well. The difference lies in the fact that, where Paul usually lists “hope,” here he uses the word “endurance” or “perseverance.” Perhaps that is because older men needed to have that patience and perseverance over hope at this point in their lives.
Regardless of the reason for the shift in vocabulary, Paul’s point to Titus is this: these men are to be healthy in these traits. They are not just instructed to have faith, love and endurance; they are instructed to vigorous in their faith, love and endurance.
By the time men reach this age, they should know what they believe, and be willing to explain it and defend it. It should line up with the truth found in the Word of God. They should be learning to trust God more as they grow older, and not be swayed by the false teachings and attacks upon the Christian’s faith that were becoming increasingly more common.
By the time men reach this age, they should have learned to be loving towards others. They should be spiritually helpful to those around them. All too often, as we age, we become less loving and more critical and picky. Paul’s instructions to Titus is that this shouldn’t happen. Our love for one another must grow.
By the time men reach this age, they should have learned that this world will throw trials and struggles before them. Many of these are simply the difficulties of life. Others are efforts of the enemy to make us fall. The temptation to relax our moral and spiritual strengths as we grow older must be resisted. In a culture that venerates retirement, we must be wary of “retiring” from service to Christ just because we have stepped down from our careers. Perseverance and endurance are required to the very end.
Each of these traits are a necessity for us to develop as we grow older. However, each of these traits could take a lifetime to master on their own, much less all of them! Regardless, this is a shining example for men to strive for as they grow older.
This is where I am at in my life. After spending more than two decades in youth ministry, I found that it was time to “grow up” a bit. As I have adjusted to life in a new role, as a lead minister, I’m finding that these character traits, while there before, have now begun to display themselves more and more visibly in my life. As I strive to grow in these areas, I am encouraged by Paul’s words to Titus. I can take these instructions to heart and benefit greatly from them as well.
Question: If you are a man, how are you doing in these areas? If you are a woman, how can you see these qualities in the men in your life? You can leave a comment by clicking here.