Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. Titus 2:9-10

Today we look at a text that many non-believers will claim supports the idea of Western cultural slavery. And at first glance in the English translation, it might seem that way. But to understand the Bible , we need to understand the cultural context and look at the original Greek language. With a little research, the skeptic claims are easily debunked. After all , historically speaking, The BIble was used as the foundation to end slavery by Abraham Lincoln. What was the difference? Context is key, many who quote the Bible , have no true understanding of The Bible

So as we look at our controversial word, the original Greek “Doulos” which is translated in English several ways as slave, servant, and bondservant. So which English translation is correct? Well if we understand the cultural context, they are all technically correct, but the question is do we understand the Greco-Roman concept of a slave? Most people don’t , they use their Western cultural idea of slave, which is not the context of the Bible. We when try to apply our 21rst century ideas to the context of the BIble, that’s when error begins

As we look at different commentaries, Elliots commentary begins “The accurate translation here is bond servants” If we look at alot of our reliable English translations such as ESV, NASB,  and NKJV , they all translate to Bond Servants/Slaves also. I would argue this is the best translation in our English language also, why? Because Bond Servant gives us the best context and understanding of what is being conveyed here. 

What is a Bond Servant? Bond Servants are almost what we consider employee/employers relationships today. Bond Servants often voluntarily committed themselves as servants to a master in exchange for housing and food. This is not the same concept as we would think of a slave in Western culture. It’s not someone held against their will to a ruler, its more of a employee/employer relationship

So what is the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit trying to teach us? That in all things we should be obedient to authority. Just as we are obedient to our Lord Jesus Christ , we should also be obedient and subject to our employer, or government, or families ect. We should have a “servant-like” mentality as a Christian. We should be willing to serve and glorify our God. We should work honestly and hard working, not living immoral or any behavior that is disgraceful to our Lord , because in everything we do , we do it for the glory of God

Now when come to remaining loyal to our employers or government, I understand there are limitations. If our governing bodies are corrupted and wicked, then we obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29) But primarily our goal is to “strive to live in peace with everyone” (Hebrews 12:14) Be the salt and light of Christ , (Matthew 5) be the hands and feet of Christ in everything we do, all Glory to God! Amen!

Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. Titus 2:6-8

As I want to continually remind you we are in a spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6) Satan wants to destroy your soul and Jesus wants to save your soul. Every human alive is in this battle, and they don’t even know it. While the world like to seduce and deceive the masses, by keeping them intoxicated and slaves to sin, God is raising up a Holy Army to fight the demonic forces of this world.

Where are the Men of God in this generation? People like to complain about the problems of this world, the moral collapse of society and the family, the root of this problem is the majority of men have abandoned their God ordained role as a Man of God, the Head of the Family and Church.  The collapse of the family and the Church are direct result of most men living in disobedience to God. Just as the angels abandoned their God ordained positions to fornicate with the world (Jude 1:6), most Men have done the same

So what does God expect of us? Be sober minded or self controlled. How can you hear the voice of the Great Shepherd when your never sober? How can you keep your flesh under control of sin when you’re intoxicated? The reality is most crime happens when people are under the influence. The battle begins in your mind, once you become drunk, you already lost the battle, your vulnerable for the devil to devour you like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8) 

As a Man of God, you are a leader , you need to set a good example for the community. When you fall to sin, not only do you fail yourself, but you failed your entire family and community. As the Apostle Paul says here “Show yourself to be a pattern of good works” Do others see Christ in you? If you want to see a change in your family or Church, you be the change, set the tone, make a difference, be the Man of God your called to be

The Apostle Paul mentions also “in your doctrine or teaching” As the Man of God you are a teacher for your family and community. How can you be a teacher when you don’t practice what you preach? Live with integrity, reverence, and incorruptibility. The world will oppose you and call you strange, receive this as a badge of honor to serve The Lord Jesus Christ

Lastly, make sure your speech can’t be condemned, preach and speak the truth. The world loves to gossip and brag, making carnal stories. Be a Man of integrity, speaking truth that can’t be refuted. Notice the Apostle Paul calls these people your opponent , make no mistake you are in a spiritual warfare!

Now I know this is a big calling, and its not for the faint of heart, but Christ has given us the Holy Spirit to lives inside of us, the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead is living inside of You! (Romans 8:11) Live for Christ, because Christ died for You! Amen!

But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:1-5

Church discipline is something most Christians today may not of even heard of, its something that is not practiced or implemented in most Churches today, which is most likely why we see such depravity in the Church today. From the Word of God, there is an order of the Church and their is an expected conduct of the Church also. We can’t claim to be Christians when we look nothing like Christ, the Church should model their lives and conduct after our Lord Jesus Christ

Now as we look at the list of ways the Church should be behaving, this should be common sense. If your calling yourself a Christian, then you should be Born Again, filled and led by the Holy Spirit and in obedience to your Lord Jesus Christ. You should walk in the Spirit and not by the flesh (Galatians 5:16) A Church that is carnally minded and driven is worldly, it’s known by its fruit. Unless a Church be led by the Holy Spirit and not the ways of the world, it will never fulfill its anointed purpose to be the body of Christ

As we see in this teaching by the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God has a creation order, God , man, woman, and children. This order and structure is the infrastructure to creation and the Church. This is why Satan spends so much time trying to destroy the order of Creation and the family. All of these attacks on the divine nature of creation, are deliberate personal attacks against God. When you break down the order of Creation, not only does society suffer but also the Church suffers, as the Church compromises and adapts worldly ideas that weakens the leadership of the Church

I like how the Apostle Paul concludes this list by saying “that the Word of God may not be blasphemed or discredited” There are many who will reject this list given by the Apostle for the Church, to disregard these instructions is to blasphemy the Word of God. The Church is a family of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, when we act and behave like the family of God, we bring glory to our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen!

Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Titus 1:15-16

There is a dividing line between the pure and the defiled and its the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ foundational teaching “Unless you are Born Again, you wont see the Kingdom of Heaven” (John 3:3) This is the dividing line between a true Christian and a false convert. As the Apostle Paul says under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Unto the pure all things are pure” So who is the pure, and how can you become pure?

The pure are those who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, those who have been called by the Father and cleansed by the blood of Christ. You are alive in Christ and dead to sin (Ephesians 2) This is the only way to become pure by Christ, and when you have been made alive in Christ, the law of God is written on your heart, you now walk in the Spirit and not the flesh, therefor you have freedom in Christ, because you are no longer under the law but under grace, a concept the world can’t comprehend

But to those who have not been baptised by the Holy Spirit, they are still defiled, therefor they see the world in a depraved state. They live by the flesh and not the Spirit, they are driven by their carnal lusts and needs, which defiles their minds and bodies even further daily. They can’t see the beauty in the gifts from God because they are corrupted and tainted. 

However there are many who claim to be saved, many who claim to be Christians, some even leaders in the Church who are not regenerated. They are wolves in sheeps clothing, so how can you decipher? As the Apostle Paul says “They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him” As the Lord Jesus said “You will know them by their fruit” (Matthew 7) They claim to be Christians but their lives and actions tell a different story. They walk by the flesh and not by the Holy Spirit. 

The NKJV says “they are disqualified for every good work” Just like the Pharisees and Saudacees , there are many corrupt religious leaders in today’s Church, that are disqualified to be serving. What is the difference? They are unregenerate, and  without the Holy Spirit, you are not qualified to serve The Lord

In the words of The Lord Jesus Christ “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8) Amen!

For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Titus 1:10-14

As we continue to take a look at the role of leaders in the Church and their responsibilities and qualifications. It’s very clear, one of the roles of the leader, whether Pastor, Elder, or Bishop, is to protect the Church from false teachers and rebuke those false teachers sharply. Again the word Pastor is latin for Shepherd, so think of the leadership role in the Church as a Shepherd overlooking their flock. This is how God designed the Church

The Apostle Paul also gave some specific examples to Titus to emphasize his points. Paul explains these false teachers are deceivers and rebellious people. In todays Christianity we don’t want to rebuke anyone, we don’t want to offend anyone. But its Biblical, as a leader of the Church, you must protect your flock from false teachers and rebuke those wolves. Failure to do this is failure to fulfill your calling as a leader of the Church

So what is the result if you don’t protect your Church from false teachers? Well the Apostle Paul reveals to us “who subvert entire households, teaching things which they should not teach, for lucrative gain” If you allow these false teachers to penetrate the Church, they will deceive a large portion of the congregation. This will have disastrous results on your congregation, as they will become split and divided

Now here’s an interesting note, the Apostle Paul says “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said” So what is Paul talking about here? Did God ordain a false prophet? No, to understand this we need to understand the Greco-Roman context of the scripture. It was common in the Greek culture to reference poets as prophets, infact the words were typically used interchangeably. The Greeks were a pagan culture, and believe in many gods, so it’s not suprising they would believe a poet could be divine is some way. So the Apostle Paul is pointing out, one of their famous poets declared “All Cretens are liars, evil brutes, and lazy gluttons”

Its obvious this is a very vague and discriminatory statement made by the poet, however their were people who took this statement as divinely inspired therefor created a false teaching. Do you see how these ideas can quickly escalate and create a life of their own. This is why the Apostle Paul is teaching Titus and us, it’s very important for the leaders of the Church, to rebuke these false teachings and whoever is spreading them without remorse for the greater good of the Church

So what was the Apostle Pauls conclusion for these false teachers “Rebuke them Sharply” don’t allow the wolves to overtake the Church, don’t allow the false teachings to creep into the Church and deceive the bretheren , Amen!

For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. Titus 1:7-9

We continue to look at the Apostle Paul’s divine instruction for the order and structure of the Church. Yesterday we looked at Gods qualifications for an elder or Pastor of the Church, today we are looking at the qualifications of a Bishop. Now if you look at the different English translations of verse 7, you get a more detailed idea of what the role of a Bishop is. It’s derived from the original Greek word “episkopon” which means overseer , this individual oversees many Churches not just one particular Church

Now the Apostle Paul under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is very clear about the qualifications of the Bishop, again its clear the Bishop should be a Man of God, just as we talked about in our previous post about the qualifications of the Pastor and Elder, Gods order of creation, God created man first and then the woman was created from man. The order of Creation is engrained in the family and the Church. Anything outside of this order is not natural and probably more issues will arise.

Its also very clear, not everyone should be a Bishop. The role of Bishop is not determined by academic degrees but by the holiness of a person. Most denominations fail as they promote people to positions of Bishop or Pastor based on resumes or academic achievements, but they neglect the spiritual life of the individual. Are they men born again in Christ? Are they led by the Holy Spirit and bear fruits of the Holy Spirit? If denominations would use the Bible as their instruction book instead of their own teachings, there would be alot less corruption within the Church.

As we look at the expectations of a Bishop, its clear this is not a calling for the faint of heart. This should be a man of great integrity , that has the fear of The Lord and walks with God. Someone who is not self centered but more concerned about his brothers and sisters in Christ at the Churches. 

Notice this man needs to be grounded in the Word of God, as the Apostle Paul says “holding fast the faithful word he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict” The Bishop not only needs to know the Word of God, but needs to be living the Word of God, and needs to be able to defend the Word of God against enemies of the Church

For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. Titus 1:5-6

One of the Apostle Pauls goals was not just evangelism but also to establish structure and order in the Churches. As we went through previously the Apostle Pauls teaching to the Church of Corinth about Order in the Church, here again we see there is an order and structure for the body of Christ. The Church is not to be ran in chaos, there is a hierarchy and structure, just as their is a structure to the family, the husband , wife, and children, this same structure applies to the family of God, the Church

This is why Satan is so determined to attack the natural order of God. The attack on the natural family, the attack on natural biological gender. Satan is opposing the authority and structure of God. And this has seeped into alot of our Churches, many people refusing to use the Word of God as their authority, and structuring the Church however they feel seems fit. But God has ordained a natural structure for the Church, just as he has ordained a natural structure for the family, anything outside of this structure introduces chaos into the hierarchy.

The Apostle Paul begins by saying “that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city”  A couple things we see from this, first Paul recognizes all the Churches need order and structure. Secondly every Church needs a spiritual leader overseeing them to protect the flock. The position of elder and pastor are used and considered interchangeable in the Bible. When you think of the elder position of the Church, you can basically think of it as a Pastor. If your Church is blessed enough to have multiple elders, consider your Church to be blessed. The more strong leadership a Church has, the less likely the Church will fall away from false doctrines

Now when you look at the qualifications of an elder, its very clear Gods intention was it to be a man, as the Apostle Paul said “if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of unruly behavior” Now those who say this a cultural issue, remember this letter Paul is writing is not to a specific Church, but to all Churches. You might ask why would Paul require the overseer to be a man? Well it goes back to Paul’s teaching 1 Timothy 2, the order of Creation, God created Adam and Eve was created from Adam. This is the creation order of the world, including the family and the Church. This is God’s natural design for creation, to go against this order is to go against God’s natural order.

We will continue this examination of the scriptures in the next couple posts as we work through Paul’s teachings here to Titus. I recommend you also study Paul’s teachings in 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy 2