David Guzik’s weekly devotional, based on a verse or two from the Bible.

blessed hope

The Blessed Hope

Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13)

In the previous verse, Paul told Titus what grace teaches: that we should deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and that we should live righteous lives. Titus 2:13 carries on the same thought, adding to what grace teaches us.

blessed hope

Said plainly, grace teaches us to look for the second coming of Jesus Christ. In continuing the thought of what grace teaches, Paul wrote that we should be looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

In other words, grace teaches us to expect and prepare for our blessed hope. That hope is not heaven or glory, but Jesus Himself, face to face, closer than ever.

Yet we don’t just wait for the coming of Jesus; we live in active expectation of the return of Jesus. We are looking for it. The return of Jesus Christ should be precious for Christians to consider.

Jesus came the first time to save the soul of man; He will come a second time to resurrect the body.

Jesus came the first time to save the individual; He will come a second time to save society.

Jesus came the first time to a crucifixion; He will come a second time to a coronation.

Jesus came the first time to a cross; He will come a second time to a throne.

Jesus came the first time in humility; He will come a second time in glory.

Jesus came the first time and stood before Pilate; He will come a second time and Pilate will stand before Him.

Jesus came the first time and was judged by men; He will come a second time to judge all men.

Finally, notice whom Paul says will return: our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. From time to time, some people try to say that Paul and other early Christians didn’t really believe Jesus was God. This shows that not only did Paul know Jesus was God, but that He was and is the great God and Savior.

That same Jesus came once – and He will return just as He promised. Let grace teach you to keep looking for His return and be ready for that great day.

Click here for David’s commentary on Titus 2

grace teaches

What Grace Teaches

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age (Titus 2:11-12)

There is hardly a more wonderful theme in the Bible than the grace of God. The truth that God freely gives His favor and approval in Jesus Christ to the believer, and He does this without measuring whether or not that believer deserves such blessing – this is a profound truth, one that sets many free with its power and glory.

grace teaches

I think that it is impossible to take grace too far. The Bible teaches us that there are two principles upon which we can relate to God: the principle of law and the principle of grace. We don’t need to “balance” law and grace; God deals with the believer on the basis of grace, and we must respond back to Him the same way.

If it is impossible to take grace too far, it is possible to take grace wrongly. One wrong way to teach grace is to ignore what Titus 2:11-12 says about grace.

Said plainly, grace teaches us to live godly lives. Those who seem to abuse grace don’t take grace too far; they refuse to listen to what grace teaches. According to one commentator, the idea in this passage is that grace is presented as a person, someone who teaches the believer how to live the Christian life, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts.

Grace puts ungodliness and worldly lusts in our past. Now grace teaches us to renounce those things, not only to avoid them. One may say that in a world where we are tempted to say “Yes” to every desire and feeling, that the reality of our faith can be demonstrated by what we say no to, by what we are willing to deny.

Grace also teaches us how to live in the present age. We must live soberly (self-controlled) in regard to ourselves. We must live righteously in regard to the people around us. And we must live godly (“to take God seriously”) in regard to our God.

Taken together, we see that the fear of the legalist – that preaching grace produces Christians who don’t care about obedience – is unfounded. Grace teaches us obedience.

We need more of God’s grace, not less. You can’t take grace too far, but you can take it wrongly. God’s grace is teaching. Are you listening?

Click here for David’s commentary on Titus 2

shining forth

Shining Forth

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men (Titus 2:11)

This brief statement of the apostle Paul in his letter to Titus introduces a new thought, but even this starting line has a wonderful truth for us to consider.

Paul begins speaking of the grace of God. We remember the greatness of God’s grace, the undeserved favor and acceptance that God gives to those who put their trust in Jesus Christ.

shining forth

Here Paul considered that the grace of God actually does something: it brings salvation. That’s how great the favor and acceptance of God is. It changes the past, present, and future of the man or woman who receives it. In this sense, salvation isn’t just a ticket to heaven. It means God’s active power and life in the here and now, not just in the eternal future.

Notice also that grace brings salvation. You don’t go out and “get” salvation; it comes to you in the grace of God and you have the opportunity to receive it by faith. That’s one a fundamental difference between Christianity and every other religion or faith system on earth. Many religions tell how to find God and get something from Him. Biblical Christianity is the message of how God, by His grace, brought salvation to us.

There is something else wonderful in this short verse. Paul says that this grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. I see at least two beautiful things here. First, there is one gospel of grace for all men. God doesn’t have a gospel of grace for some and a gospel of law or self-justification for others. All men (and all women) find salvation by the grace of God.

The other beautiful thing here is the phrase translated has appeared. According to Adam Clarke, it is the ancient Greek word epiphaino and it means, “has shined out.” Clarke believe this was a picture taken from the shining of the sun. Just as the sun rises in the east and makes its way across the entire globe, so the wonderful grace of God in Jesus Christ started in Jerusalem and began to shine over the entire human race.

Just as with the grace of God, the light and warmth of the sun is for the whole earth; but it does not shine upon the earth all at the same time, nor in the same intensity from place to place. God shines forth His grace according to His wisdom and plan; but we know that He always shines forth His grace through the Sun of Righteousness, Jesus Christ (Malachi 4:2). Seek Jesus, trust Jesus, and let His grace shine on you today.

Click here for David’s commentary on Titus 2

adorn

Adorning God’s Truth

Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. (Titus 2:9-10)

Titus was to teach bondservants about their specific duties as Christians. Because slaves were welcome to be full members of the church, Christians shocked the larger culture in the ancient world by mixing slaves and masters in the social setting of the church service. This meant that a slave might go to church and be an elder over his own master.

adorn

Nevertheless, Christian slaves were to be obedient to their own masters. Paul didn’t say that bondservants should be obedient to every free man, only to their own masters. This means that Paul recognized that bondservants had obligations, but only to their own masters.

At the same time, as in every arena of human submission, our obedience and submission are limited by our higher responsibility to obey God. As Peter said in Acts 5:29, We ought to obey God rather than men when there is a conflict between the two.

Another way Christian servants were to honor God was by not pilfering. This type of offence was so common in the ancient world that sometimes the words servant and thief were used interchangeably. It was assumed that servants would steal from their masters in these small ways.

Simply, Titus must direct servants to be good workers in all ways, to be well pleasing in all things. By their hard work and humble submission, they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

That’s a wonderful thought: that believers, by their godly living, can adorn God’s truth; in some way decorate it make it beautiful. According to one commentator, to adorn “literally means to take precious jewels and arrange them so as to show their true beauty.”

In one sense the gospel doesn’t need adornment. At the same time, we can show the beauty of the gospel by the way we live. We often think we need better words to adorn the gospel. Better words are fine, but what we really need are better lives.

You don’t need a high position to adorn God’s truth. Even the bondservants among the early Christians could display and reveal the beauty of the doctrine of God our Savior.

This week, ask God for the wisdom and strength to adorn His truth.

Click here for David’s commentary on Titus 2

pattern

The Importance of a Good Example

In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. (Titus 2:7-8)

Paul told Titus how to speak to the different groups of people in the church, and he told Timothy to tell the young men “to be sober-minded” (Titus 2:6). Then Paul explained to Titus the importance of being a good example himself.

pattern

This is what Paul wrote: “In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works.” Titus had to be more than a teacher, he also had to be an example, a pattern. His guidance to others could not be taken seriously if he himself was not walking after God’s truth. This is a powerful, basic principle that is often neglected. If the preacher or teacher does not live what he teaches, why should anyone else?

This doesn’t mean that leaders in the church must be perfect. Like anyone else, they will have their weaknesses and failings. Leaders can’t be examples of perfection, but they certainly can be examples of humility and repentance.

There’s a specific way that Titus had to be an example: “In doctrine showing integrity.” Titus had to be an example in doctrinal stability and integrity. If he wasn’t comfortably settled in his understanding of the Scriptures, he wasn’t ready to lead.

Titus also had to be an example of reverence, of incorruptibility, and of sound speech. Titus had to teach the older men (Titus 2:2) and the older women (Titus 2:3) to be reverent, but he had to be an example of reverence first. Titus had to teach the older men to be sound in faith (Titus 2:2), but his faith had to be incorruptible.

When God’s leaders live this way, it gives those who oppose God’s work no excuse to accuse and reject the truth. Paul put it this way: “That one who is an opponent may be ashamed.” Of course, Jesus lived this better than anyone. Jesus could say to an angry mob, “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46) and no one could say anything.

I’m sure there are people that you really want to see come to faith and a real relationship with Jesus Christ. There are probably many others you know who already love Jesus but need to be taught in some important areas of the Christian life. With both groups, remember that your example means so much.

If we fail to be good examples of the Christian life, what we teach others is of little effect. If we fail to be good examples of the Christian life, we give others the opportunity to excuse their unbelief.

We can humbly ask Jesus to forgive us for all the times we have failed in being good examples, and then ask Him for the ongoing strength to represent God and His people by our good example.

Click here for David’s commentary on Titus 2

balanced life

A Life in Balance

Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded. (Titus 2:6)

As Paul told Titus how to guide and encourage different groups of people in the church, he eventually came to the young men. In speaking of what Titus should say to the young men, he started with the word “likewise.”

balanced life

Likewise is a linking word. It shows that what the young men need to learn isn’t all that different from what the younger women, the older women, and the older men need to learn. We may need a slightly different emphasis depending on our station in life, but the essential message of godly living is the same.

Yet, there was specific instruction to direct to the young men: that they be sober-minded. This was a quality that the older men were also to have (see Titus 2:2), but this quality had a special importance for young Christian men.

In English, we usually use the word “sober” to mean “not intoxicated,” either by alcohol or drugs. The ancient Greek word that is translated here has a deeper significance. According to William Barclay, “The word is sophron, and it describes the man with the mind which has everything under control… strength of mind which has learned to govern every instinct and passion until each has its proper place and no more.”

I like the way that the Living Bible translates the phrase, “exhort the young men to be sober-minded.” It says, urge the young men to behave carefully, taking life seriously. This was the only command Titus was told to emphasize to the young men, but it is sometimes a difficult one for them to live. Young Christian men have a special calling to not live an out-of-balance life, but one that take seriously both this life and eternity.

The sober-minded man or woman can certainly laugh and have fun in life, but at the same time they know that there is more to life than having a good time. They know the place for fun, and they know the place for serious work. They know the danger of making everything a joke or making everything serious. Sometimes we say, “a place for everything and everything in its place.” For the sober-minded man or woman, they know and live that wisdom.

Is God speaking to you about some way your life is out of balance? Ask God for the wisdom to pursue and live a sober-minded life.

Click here for David’s commentary on Titus 2

young women

Learning and Teaching the Basics

That they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. (Titus 2:4-5)

According to Paul’s instruction, Titus was not to make it his work to teach the young women directly. Instead, he was to equip and encourage the older women to teach the young women. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the young women were barred from listening to Titus teach. It simply means that it was wrong – and perhaps risky – for Titus to make the young women a focus of his ministry. If there was a young women Bible Study group, Titus shouldn’t teach it. The older women should teach and encourage the younger women in some rather basic things.

young women

We shouldn’t assume that Paul thought that these were the only things that the young women needed to know, but these were important. What were those things?

– That they should love their husbands and be obedient to their own husbands.
– That they should love their children.
– That they should be discreet, chaste, homemakers, and good.

Instruction for the young women was to begin with home matters. God has given them a strategic position of influence and assistance to their husbands and their children, and they must let love dominate their influence and assistance.

That seems pretty basic – but there is an important lesion even in that. More people than we think need to be taught the basics. We often assume that everyone grows up learning how to do these things, we many people (or even most people) do not.

We should not say, “I know how to do those things. I really don’t have anything to learn.” There may be important aspects of family life or other life basics that we haven’t learned or haven’t learned correctly. We may have bad habits of thinking or doing that need to change and brought under God’s wisdom.

We don’t only look at what we need to learn; we should also look at who we could teach. Perhaps God has put people in your circle of influence that you can teach in some basic things of life. There are people who need to learn about godly family life and the kind of habits that build a happy life. Don’t just assume that everyone knows those things. You might be the one to help them.

These basics are important for us to learn, know, and teach – so that the word of God may not be blasphemed. When Christians don’t live in a Biblical, godly manner it means that the word of God might be blasphemed among the ungodly.

Learn, know, and teach the basics.

Click here for David’s commentary on Titus 2

slanderers

Doing the Devil’s Work

The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they admonish the young women (Titus 2:3-4).

In this section of Paul’s letter to Titus, the apostle told his younger associate how to deal with particular groups of Christians in the churches on the island of Crete. It is something like this: “Keep this in mind when you deal with the older men. Keep this in mind when you deal with the older women. This with the younger women, this with the younger men.”

slanderers

In the section dealing with the older women, he told Titus to pay attention to the following things, because the older women have their own set of temptations and opportunities.

That they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers: The idea behind behavior includes a suggestion of dress and how a woman carries herself. It was important for the older women to be good examples in their life and words (not slanderers).

Not given to much wine: This was a common failing of older women in Roman and Greek culture. Paul recognized that this special challenge needed special instruction. In fact, Paul’s phrase here is that they should not be “slaves of wine.” It’s easy to let what seems to be an innocent liberty to become something that enslaves us.

Teachers of good things: If the older women have special challenges, they also have special opportunities. God can use their wisdom and experience as they admonish the young women. This gives the older women something positive to live towards, instead of only the negative things of inappropriate living, talking, and alcohol abuse.

The instruction I would most like to focus on is one that applies far beyond older women in any culture. It is a potential trap for anyone. Paul warned that Christians should be “not slanderers.”

The word for slanderers is the same word used for “devils.” When the older women – or anyone else, for that matter – slander and gossip, they then do the devil’s work. When we spread lies about other people it is as if we say to the devil, “You can take a break. Let me do some of your work for you.” When we use the troubles or failings of other people as conversational entertainment, we do the devil’s work.

This is a word for all of us, not only the older women. Each one of us should determine that, God helping us, we will speak the truth about others. We will speak well of others. And when we do need to speak of some kind of sin or error in others, we will do it in truth, love, and humility. Don’t do the devil’s work for him!

Click here for David’s commentary on Titus 2

Old Man

Good Old Men

But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: That the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience. (Titus 2:1-2)

The Apostle Paul spent a lot of time in Titus chapter 1 telling his younger associate how to deal with problem people. But Titus didn’t only need to give attention to the problems, he also had to teach Christians the right way to live.

Old Man

That’s what Paul had in mind when he wrote, “things which are proper for sound doctrine.” The idea behind this phrase has to do with right living, not just right thinking. The Living Bible translates this, “Speak up for the right living that goes along with true Christianity.” The New Living Translation has “Promote the kind of living that reflects right teaching.”

We can’t escape it. The Bible is a book that tells us how tolive. It is the height of hypocrisy to say that we believe its truth if we ignore how it tells us to live our lives. We don’t always like it, but we always need to hear how God expects us to live.

Paul simply wanted Titus to fulfill the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20: Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. In that effort, he first told Titus how to teach the older men.

Titus had some older men among the Christians in Crete. They had to be approached with love and wisdom, or they might easily be offended when they were taught by a younger man like Titus.

Paul wanted Titus to know that the older men must live with the maturity and wisdom that their years should give them. This means sober, reverent, and temperate lives. The command to teach these things means that they do not come automatically with age. Sometimes we think that when people are older, they must be wiser. This is often the case, but not always.

The older men must also have stability, being stable in the right things: sound in faith, in love, in patience. As we get older, we tend to “harden” in our ways. This is a good thing if we “harden” in the ways of faith, love, and patience. Becoming hard of heart is no way to grow old gracefully.

Finally, notice that Paul wrote that the older men should be concerned with patience.

That is the great ancient Greek word hupomone. It means a steadfast and active endurance, not a passive waiting. Older men are not to just patiently wait around until they pass on to the next world. They are to actively endure the challenges of life; even the challenges of old age. Doing this they will not only be blessed themselves, but a blessing to all who know them.

As you grow older, are you growing in the right direction?

Click here for David’s commentary on Titus 2

disqualified

Disqualified

They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. (Titus 1:16)

Paul wrote to Titus about the kind of people causing trouble among the Christians on the island of Crete. He described them in several ways.

disqualified

First, Paul said “They profess to know God.” If you asked these difficult people if they knew God, they would absolutely say, “Yes!” But it isn’t enough to claim to know God; one must have more than good words. In James 2:19 it says that even demons believe that God exists, and it makes them tremble!

While these difficult people claimed to know God, Paul also said of them: “but in works they deny Him.” They talked a good talk, but in works they deny Him. How they lived contradicted their profession to know God. We can’t just go by what a person says. We have to also look at how they live.

The Bible tells us that it is possible for a person to do a lot of good, and yet still not be in right relationship with God. Jesus warned us of those who claim to know God and even do good things in His name, yet Jesus would say to them: “I never knew you; depart from Me.” (Matthew 7:21-23).

That’s why Paul could use such strong language of these difficult people: “Being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.” These were strong words, but Paul meant it. These difficult people probably pretended to have a higher spirituality than Titus or other godly leaders. But Paul saw right through their spiritual façade and wanted Titus – and all the Christians on Crete – to see through it also.

To me, the most interesting word in that short list is “disqualified.” According to William Barclay, this translates the ancient Greek word adokimos, and was used in many different ways

– It was used to describe a counterfeit coin.
– It was used to describe a cowardly soldier who failed in battle.
– It was used of a candidate rejected for elected office.
– It was used of stone rejected by builders. If a stone had a flaw that was bad enough, it was marked with a letter A (for adokimos) and set aside as unfit.

It’s important that we receive God’s grace and never become disqualified in any of those ways.

– To be true, and never counterfeit in our faith in God.
– To be brave in our life and service of Jesus Christ.
– To live in a way that honors God’s election of us in Christ Jesus.
– To fulfill our place as a stone set in the “temple” of God’s people.

God helping us, we will never hear those terrible words, “I never knew you; depart from Me.” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Click here for David’s commentary on Titus 1