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.

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