Titus 2:1-5 meaning

In Titus 2:1-5, Paul instructs the older men and women of Crete how they should comport themselves.

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to Titus to aid him during his time on the island of Crete. Titus was tasked to correct false teaching and establish church leadership in the local community of believers.

In Chapter 1, Paul wrote a lengthy introduction to establish himself as an apostle and bond-servant of Jesus, sent to preach the gospel (Titus 1:1-4). There is corruption among the believers on Crete; many of them are openly sinning and disobeying God’s word, and need to be taught how to live in the grace given them through Jesus Christ (Titus 1:10-16).

Paul also established requirements for church leaders in the community. This was the main reason Titus was still on Crete, "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you" (Titus 1:5). This implies that Paul had been there at the initial planting of these churches, but his mission took him away from the island, while Titus remained behind to help build up the new communities of believers.

This missionary journey to Crete took place in the final years of Paul’s life. No missionary journey to Crete is recorded in the Book of Acts; the closest Paul came to the island in the recorded journeys was as a prisoner on a ship that sailed along the coast of Crete before being blown into the open sea by a storm (Acts 27:7, 12-14). It could be that in saying he "left" Titus he means Titus was assigned to remain while others were dispatched to go elsewhere, and Paul never visited Crete. It is also possible he visited Crete on an unrecorded journey.

While Luke’s account in Acts confirms that Paul’s apostolic authority is real and equal to that of Peter, it is not comprehensive. After his pardon from Caesar, Paul went back to work preaching the gospel throughout the Roman empire for the last few years of his life. Some traditions say he went as far as Spain. Other scriptures demonstrate that he was able to visit Macedonia again (where he had planted churches in the cities of Berea, Thessalonica, and Philippi) (1 Timothy 1:3). As he wrote this letter to Titus, he had made plans to winter in Nicopolis, a city on the western coast of Greece, opposite Italy (Titus 3:12).

If Paul visited Crete, his time was apparently brief. Notwithstanding, the new churches were in good hands with Titus, whom Paul had led to faith in Jesus, describing him as his “true child in a common faith” in his greeting in Chapter 1 (Titus 1:4).

Titus was not only his true child in a common faith, he was also Paul’s ministry partner. We see in Paul’s final letter that Titus is still working with Paul, having been dispatched to Dalmatia (2 Timothy 4:10). Titus plays a vital role in the epistle of 2 Corinthians. There, Paul sent Titus to resolve a controversy, apparently involving false teachers (see commentary on 2 Corinthians 7:5-11). Perhaps that was Titus’s area of expertise; his task in Crete is similarly to teach and model the truth and to defend these new assemblies from corrupting influences in the church body (Titus 1:5).

Here in Chapter 2, Paul will exhort Titus to teach the Cretans fundamental behaviors to implement in their lives, describing how different genders, ages, and social stations can live lives of faithful obedience to God, now that they are new creations in Christ.

Paul addresses Titus directly, giving him personal advice of how to effectively lead the Cretan believers:

"But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine" (v 1).

Titus was up against multiple corrupting influences in Crete. Some were possibly Judaizers, "those of the circumcision"—Jewish believers who were pressuring Gentile households to become Jewish by submitting to the Mosaic Law, distracting them from the complete salvation found in Christ (Titus 1:10, 14). Other sources of conflict were from some of the Gentile Cretans (Titus 1:12-13).

The newborn Cretan believers were being preyed upon from all sides, and apparently from within the church body, being led astray and exploited by false teachings. Titus was contending with these various sources of deception. The Cretans needed to learn the basic aspects of walking with Christ. It is in following Christ that people can be set free from exploitation and manipulation by other humans.

Thus, Paul tells Titus But as for you, teach the Cretans the truth: speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine (v 1). The doctrine which the Cretans needed to hear must be sound, firm, reliable, truthful.

In the following passages, Paul elucidates how various categories of believers should behave. It is likely that portions of this letter were meant to be read to the Cretan believers to hear Paul’s authority and oversight on how they were to act in accordance to their new life in Christ.

He begins with the senior men and women in the faith communities: Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance (v 2).

Paul starts with the Older men probably because they are naturally looked up to and imitated by those younger than themselves. It is natural that the younger generation of any community looks to the older for permission structures and blueprints on what is acceptable behavior. These Older men are to be temperate. The Greek word “nēphalios” is translated as temperate here. It most commonly refers to showing self-control and moderation in consuming alcoholic drinks, such as wine. In some usages, it means complete abstinence from drinking. Essentially, Paul is saying that the Older men in the Cretan churches need to set a good example by avoiding getting drunk. Ephesians 5:18 depicts drunkenness as placing us under the control of a substance rather than the Spirit.

In that vein, they are to also be dignified. The Greek word "semnos" is translated as dignified, and can also be translated as "venerable" or "honorable." Paul is making clear that these senior men in the community ought to be worthy of imitation and admiration. The opposite of dignified men would be undignified—foolish men, drunk with wine, men who are laughed at and ignored due to their lack of dignity and self-control, or worse, men whose undignified behavior is accepted and copied by the younger men. There were possibly generational failings passed on from the old to the young among the Cretans, and Titus was attempting to break the pattern for both age groups.

In various lists Paul provides in his epistles, he contrasts types of sinful behavior with acts of righteous behavior (Romans 12:9-21, Galatians 5:16-26, Ephesians 4:17-32, Philippians 4:8-9, Colossians 3:5-17). In these passages he contrasts actions beneficial to others with those that spread harm to others. Sin is death, and death is separation. God designed humans to reign over the earth in service to God and others. To exploit others breaks this design; it separates us from this design. The act of separating from God’s design is sin, and the consequence is death.

Sin corrupts more than just the individual who sins. An older man has the potential to share wisdom, to be an example of a life well-lived in obedience to God. Conversely, he can waste this opportunity by being addicted to alcohol and demeaning himself. He can provide further damage to others by leading younger men into such self-destructive behavior. Paul desires the older Cretan men to make better choices, choices that lead to life (connection with God’s design).

Older men, if they are to walk with God and bless their brothers and sisters in Christ, should be sensible and sound in faith (v 2). The word sensible is a translation of the Greek "ōphrōn," which means "of sound mind" or "sane." It is to be in possession of one’s senses, another term emphasizing the self-controlled, honorable way older men should conduct themselves. The ultimate act of being sensible is to recognize what actions provide true benefit and what actions lead to harm and destruction. God’s ways lead to connection with God’s design, which is life.

They should likewise be sound in faith, "hygiainō pistis." The word "hygiainō"/sound gives the sense of something that is healthy, strong, reliable, firm, and not easily changed. Older men, providing an example to younger men especially, should be firm in their faith. The implication is that their faith is in the truth, rather than the false teachings rebuked in Chapter 1. They will hear and be exposed to these false teachings and have a sufficient foundation in their faith to withstand and combat them.

The example of these older men who walk in soundness of mind and firmness of faith, believing the truth and holding to it on a daily basis, will provide something for the younger Cretans to look up to. It will give them a model to emulate as they grow and mature. The alternative of being sound in faith is to be inconsistent and unreliable, someone who picks and chooses when they will live their faith (James 1:6-8, 22, Matthew 15:7-8). The opposite of being sensible is to be foolish, to follow paths that lead to destruction while believing or rationalizing away the reality that they are, in truth, leading to death.

Paul lists two other attributes the older Cretan men should be sound in: in love and in perseverance (v 2).

Love is foundational to living our best life on this side of eternity. While we are here on earth, forgiven, born again spiritually, empowered to reject the power of sin and choose life, our actions are best served when rooted in love. The Greek word "agape" used here is one of several Greek words that are all translated as love.

The New Testament uses "agape" to refer to a choice leading to action that is rooted in a commitment to something. In 1 John 2:15-16, the Apostle John exhorts believers not to agape-love the things of the world: the lust of the flesh and eyes, and boastful pride. Actions rooted in a commitment to gain the promises of the world are fleeting. But actions of agape-love lead to great benefit both now and in the age that is to come.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul describes actions of agape-love rooted in Christ as being those that seek the best for others. In seeking the best for others, we also choose what is best for us. Being a servant-leader, serving Christ and His kingdom, is what connects us with our design. Being connected with our design leads to our best possible experience of life here as well as our greatest rewards in the age to come (2 Corinthians 5:10-11).

In that same chapter, Paul then meditates on how empty a life would be without agape-love; even if he was mighty in multiple spiritual gifts, had faith to move mountains, gave all possessions away, and died a martyr’s death—all without love—it "profits me nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). We "profit" from thinking of others first because that is serving others (which connects us to our design), and it lays up treasure in heaven. To serve others is to pursue greatness in God’s kingdom (Matthew 18:4).

Paul extolls "faith, hope, and love" as three things which the Corinthians should abide in, "but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). To seek the best for others includes confronting what is untrue. That puts their actual welfare above fear of rejection. Paul’s instruction to Titus and the elders to confront and refute false teaching is exhorting them to take acts of agape-love by pursuing such actions for the purpose of equipping and building up those in the churches of Crete.

Agape-love is only experienced in relationship to others outside of ourselves. Such love is the antidote to self-seeking. The older Cretan believers need to be sound in love so that their dignity, self-control, and wisdom is given as a benefit to others in the church. The alternative to agape-love is to lord over others, putting them down with moral superiority. If confronting false teachers is motivated by gaining personal power, then, as Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 13:3, there is no reward in that action, it profits us nothing. This could be why Jesus confronted the church in Ephesus for forgetting its "first love" even though the Ephesian believers were appropriately and properly confronting false teaching (Revelation 2:1-5).

Lastly, the older Cretan men need to be sound in perseverance. The Greek word "hypomonē" translates to perseverance, with the connotation of something being patiently maintained, steadfastly continued. To persevere is to keep going. Perseverance is essential to growing any kind of habit, strength, or skill. Paul is telling these mature men to be reliable, to have integrity, to be the same example every day, not just sometimes. To walk in faithful obedience to God, imitating Christ, in an ongoing manner, persevering through this life and its distractions.

Paul then addresses the senior women in the Cretan churches:

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good (v 3).

Paul advises Titus on what kind of behavior the Older women of Crete ought to exhibit, and he possibly meant for this to be read to the Older women themselves to hear it straight from Paul. He writes that they likewise are to be reverent. The word likewise refers to the instructions just given to the older men. Just as the older Cretan men are expected to live reverent lives, the Older women are likewise given the same standard. To be reverent is to honor God’s ways as a priority. Irreverence does not care about God’s word or expectations. Reverence is to focus on God’s ways and to be guided by them above all other principles.

Paul provides two negative behaviors which reveal a lack of reverent behavior. The first counterexample to being reverent in the older women’s behavior is to be malicious gossips.

This may have been a real issue pervading the Cretan churches, that some of the older women were gossips. They may have been talking about the personal business of others, whether true or false; personal matters that did not affect them, or matters in which they are providing no help, but are simply broadcasting others’ mistakes or hardships.

Gossips are prone to spreading rumors, half-truths, or outright lies. Gossip is corrosive to harmony in community; it brings people to knowledge of problems that aren’t their own, creating judgment, division, and pride. Gossip can be considered a form of judgment. Jesus was clear that it was not our job to judge others (Matthew 7:1-2). When we judge others, we elevate self. But worse, we put ourselves in God’s place, for it is only He who will judge (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Not only is Paul warning against gossips, but malicious gossips. The English translation here is sufficient in getting the point across, but the literal Greek word Paul uses puts an even finer point to his warning, which will be discussed momentarily. The English word malicious implies that this gossip is deliberately intended to damage those being gossiped about. The spreading of sensitive personal information with the explicit goal of harming that person or persons. To practice malicious gossip is not an indicator of being reverent toward God and His ways. It is a way of actively putting down others and boosting oneself, serving our sin nature and making us lord over others.

The translators rendered one word into two: malicious gossips. But the literal, singular Greek word Paul used is "diabolos." This word may be recognizable to some readers without an explanation; "diabolos" means "devil" or "Satan." "Diabolos" is translated as "devil" in most New Testament passages (Matthew 4:1) to refer specifically to the enemy of God, the devil. Some translations render it as "slanderer" when used in the epistles to describe behavior that imitates Satan (1 Timothy 3:11).

Satan is the "false accuser" (Revelation 12:10). We can observe Satan’s accusatory approach in the Book of Job. There, Satan debated God’s claim that Job was righteous. He accused both Job and God of being transactional, saying that God was simply buying favor with Job, and Job was buying blessings from God (Job 1:9). We can also note that Satan demanded permission to sift Peter like wheat, but Jesus prayed for Peter’s faith, and Satan’s permission was denied (Luke 22:31).

Psalm 8 indicates that God appointed humans originally to reign over the earth, even though humans were lower than the angels, like weak, newborn babes. Psalm 8:2 implies that part of God's intent in creating humankind was to silence Satan, "the enemy." It seems that a primary tactic Satan applies to thwart God’s design is to induce humans to behave as he behaves; thus making the term "diabolos" (falsely accusing) an appropriate one.

Satan seeks to weigh us down, to lead us into sin away from God’s light, primarily by attacking us and accusing us of our guilt. He can use hateful gossip as his instrument to multiply the pain of someone in crisis rather than provide them aid. But thanks be to Jesus Christ our Lord, who sets us free from this condemnation (Romans 7:24-25, 8:1). Satan’s words are empty and impotent when we walk in the new life Jesus has given us, because Jesus took away all of our sins (Hebrews 10:10, 12). Wisdom is to refuse to participate in gossip or slander, and thus do Satan’s will.

The older women of Crete are not to act like Satan, the accuser, the slanderer. He tries to accuse us of our sin and failings. But Jesus Christ has paid for our sins. We do not need to listen to the slanderer, Satan. We can walk in the newness of our resurrection life and in forgiveness for sins we confess. We are to be Christlike, not Satan-like. We should not act as Satan’s instrument and help his cause by attacking others through gossip. We should instead seek to love and help one another through our mistakes or difficulties. In treating one another with love, we restore God’s design, which is to the benefit of others as well as ourselves.

The other way older women may show a lack of reverence is by being enslaved to much wine. This is the same bad behavior Paul warned the older men of Crete to cease (Titus 2:2). Paul’s inclusion of this instruction to woman as well as to the men infers that drunkenness was something both the men and women of Crete needed to unlearn.

Pagan Greco-Roman culture was permissive and even endorsed excessive drinking, especially during festivals and religious ceremonies. Drunkenness was a practice which Paul had to make note of in many of his epistles, teaching the new believers that being enslaved to much wine is not reverent toward God’s ways (Romans 13:13, 1 Corinthians 5:11, 6:10, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, 1 Timothy 3:3, 8). Consuming alcohol to the point of losing our senses and judgment does not take God’s ways seriously. Drunkenness is described by Paul as a substitute for being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

Paul does not instruct against the consumption of wine. Jesus made wine and drank wine and promised to drink more wine when He came into His kingdom (John 2:1-12, Luke 22:17-18). Paul told Timothy to drink a glass of wine each day for health reasons (1 Timothy 5:23). But being enslaved to anything results in damaging or even ruining our lives. Wine and other types of alcohol can become tyrannical masters, controlling us and keeping us from loving others. In the modern era, Paul’s instruction could also apply to an overuse or misapplication of drugs.

It is unwise to allow any substance to dominate our thoughts and actions. This leads to self-harm as well as bringing harm to others. The warning is against addiction and dependency, which is akin to being enslaved, and from drinking much wine, to excess, to the point where we’re no longer thinking rationally or capable of serving others. In Romans 1:24, 26, 28, Paul describes a progression of sin that could be described as progressing from lust to addiction to loss of mental health. This is the natural consequence of sin, and applies to substance abuse.

Having given two examples of what irreverent behavior looks like, Paul now guides the older women toward productive, God-honoring behavior: teaching what is good (v 3). Older women are called to a specific role where they can provide benefit and add to the harmony of the community of believers. Their calling is to be teachers, teaching what is good, setting an example and tutoring others on how to live a good life, a life which pleases God and lifts others up.

The students of old Christian women are, naturally, young Christian women:

so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children (v 4).

The older women of Crete are commended to teach what is good to the young women of Crete, so that they may encourage the young women in living reverently. The word encourage can also be translated "train."

There are several examples of ways in which young women need to be encouraged, trained, and taught by older women. They need encouragement to love their husbands and to love their children. Elsewhere in Paul’s letters he puts a high standard of love on husbands, that they should love their wives in the sacrificial way Christ loved the church, and with as much love as any man loves himself (Ephesians 5:25-33, Colossians 3:19).

The Greek word translated “to love their husbands” stems from the Greek root word “phileo” which is the love of affection. The inference in context is “choose to orient your primary affection to your family rather than distractions such as wine or gossip.” All believers are called to agape-love one another (John 15:12, Romans 13:8).

We can note that Paul only instructs husbands to agape-love their wives while instructing wives to respect and submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-25, 28, 33). This might be to offset the natural physical advantage men have over women and the natural relational advantage women have over men (see our commentary on 1 Peter 3:7). Here Paul focuses not on asking wives to respect. Rather, his focus is on their choice or priority of where to focus their affection.

Jesus teaches that our heart follows our treasure (Luke 12:34). The application of that principle here would be for wives to spend their time and resources primarily on activities that build up their families (see also our commentary on the honorable wife in Proverbs 31 that revolves around a diversity of activities that bless her family). This is a natural antidote to drunkenness and gossip. A Proverbs 31 woman would be too occupied with activities that benefit her husband and children to have time for such foolishness.

Scripture is clear that husbands and wives should agape-love one another, because all believers are commanded to agape-love one another (John 13:34-35, 15:17, Romans 13:81, 1 Thessalonians 4:9). This also requires choice, a choice to seek the benefit of one another above our own interests.

What Paul advises in this brief letter to Titus concerning the new communities of believers on Crete may indicate what was lacking, what needed special attention to direct the young Cretan Christians toward walking with God and building up one another. Each of Paul’s letters was written to specific locations with specific needs, while being broadly applicable to all believers.

The older women of Crete are called to encourage the younger women also to love their children. Children are the neediest members of society. They depend on their parents for food, protection, and instruction. An unloved child leads to a multitude of issues in not only that individual’s life but to others with whom they come into contact in their lives (Colossians 3:21, Proverbs 29:15).

A loved child is given the best advantage to live well by being well trained. Such training requires time and attention. It is an assigned mission in every parent’s life, entrusted to us by God, to love our children. Loving our children does not mean only taking care of their basic needs, it means serving their benefit by training them in the ways of God. This includes training them in knowledge of and trust in God, which empowers them to live faithfully themselves and bless others—all to their benefit (Proverbs 22:6).

Ultimately everyone is responsible for their actions, and even children raised in loving homes can go astray (Ezekiel 18). Parents should exercise their stewardship of their children as unto the Lord; that is what God will appraise (Colossians 3:23-24). But experience shows that children are much more likely to thrive when they are raised in love, rather than abuse or neglect (Ephesians 6:1-4).

Love of our spouses and our children has a positive net effect of harmony to the individuals and the community of believers as a whole. While these young Cretan women have their fleeting opportunity to raise their children before they are grown and gone, they are to do so with love.

Other ways in which the older women of Crete can encourage the younger are to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored (v 5).

To be sensible is to use common sense, to be reasonable and rational, not making foolish decisions or pursuing foolish actions. This word also carries the idea of being self-controlled, in one’s right mind, not doing things that are contrary to what is right and healthy.

The young women are called to be pure. The Greek word translated here is "hagnos," which can range from meaning "exciting reverence" to being "modest, chaste," or pure from sexual sin. It can also mean "clean." The general theme and context in this passage is encouraging young women to honor God through their role in their family, as wives, mothers, and managers of their household. So the calling to be pure in this case seems to be about sexual purity, not attracting or seeking relationships that would violate their relationship with their husband.

Statistics show that crimes are overcommitted and prisons are populated substantially by men who grew up without fathers in the home. Men greatly fear female rejection, and are attracted to female responsiveness. The responsiveness to husbands Paul urges will likely also serve their children by providing an environment in which the husband is more likely to abide and engage.

Elsewhere in scripture Paul instructs men to be pure and devoted to their wives (Ephesians 5:25-28). It seems the focus in this letter is not so much addressing husband-wife relations as addressing the choice of how women spend their time and resources. We can infer that some of the Cretan believers were wealthy, and some of the women had the option of spending their time imbibing wine and spreading gossip. Paul’s instruction is to replace all such counterproductive behavior with actions that benefit their husband and children.

The behaviors and attitudes Paul is addressing would logically be provided to replace behaviors that were remnants of the former pagan culture the new Cretan believers were struggling to leave behind. The corrupting influences in Crete which Paul addressed in Chapter 1 may also have been promoting bacchanalia type behavior—addiction to wine and sexual promiscuity (Titus 1:10-16).

The young women are advised to be workers at home, rather than spending time and focus in wine shops. Paul encourages them to be like the Proverbs 31 woman and focus on blessing their families. The Proverbs 31 woman engages in many activities, including real estate and farming. But none of the activities described are self-indulgent. They all focus on taking care of the needs of and providing blessings to the household and their families.

Young women are also to learn to be kind. To counteract the self-centered culture of wine drinking and gossip they were unlearning, kindness is a powerful antidote.

To be kind is not merely to be nice or polite, putting on a façade of manners. The goal of such activities is generally focused on self-seeking to gain approval or cooperation from others. Kindness seeks the best for others, often at an inconvenience to ourselves.

Here, kind is translated from the Greek word “agathos.” It is related to the Greek word, “agamai,” which means “to admire” or “look highly at.” Kindness looks highly at other people. It elevates others, considering them of great value. “Agathos” is most often translated as “good” (Matthew 12:35, Luke 6:45, Romans 2:7) and in one instance, “generous” (Matthew 20:15). To be kind is to be good to other people, which means to take into account their best interest.

Young women are called to be subject to their own husbands, to not cause pointless conflict or seek to exercise authority over their husband. This promotes peace, rather than chaos where a family is stuck in a power struggle or confusion because no one is providing direction, or everyone is at odds. It also places a priority on the needs of the husband, who fears female rejection and craves responsiveness and respect from their wives.

The idea of being subject is to seek the needs of another above our own. In 1 Peter 5:5, some versions of scripture include the same Greek word as in Titus 2:5 and tell everyone to be subject to one another. Ephesians 5:21 does likewise, instructing all believers to “be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” This is the same idea as loving one another—it is to seek to understand and serve the best interest of another person. To use scripture as a means to manipulate someone else to do as you wish does the opposite.

The Apostle Peter wrote similarly to Paul on the subject of husbands and wives, with the point of his instructions being that when each spouse focuses on serving the other, marriage can be high-functioning, with great mutual benefit, which pleases the Lord. Living to please the Lord creates blessing and brings blessing. Of course, these principles can only be lived out by choice. It is the responsibility of each individual to choose, and each believer will give an accounting to God for their choices (2 Corinthians 5:10).

That the Bible instructs wives to be subject to their husbands also demonstrates that this is a choice delegated solely to them. A voluntary choice to seek the best for another cannot be coerced. When scripture instructs believers to make life-giving choices, it follows both that a) these choices cannot be coerced, each of us has been delegated sovereignty and responsibility for our choices, and b) we cannot make choices for others.

Each person is to focus on being good stewards of their own choices. It is a misapplication to attempt to focus on instructions meant for others. To make demands of others to serve ourselves is the opposite of being subject to one another. We choose actions based on the perspective we choose, and we choose our perspectives based on what we believe. Both Peter and Paul exhort us to believe God when He says that we are best served by serving (Matthew 23:11). As with all scripture, a perspective that "my best interest is served by loving others" is a transformed way to think (Romans 12:2). Transformed thinking leads to transformed living, which leads to the greatest experience of life.

The Apostle Peter summarizes his spiritual advice by telling his readers, men and women alike, "To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit" (1 Peter 3:8). A wife can bring harmony and sympathy into a relationship by supporting her husband; likewise, a husband can bring harmony, humility, and kindness into his marriage by leading with wisdom and choosing what is best for his wife and children, over prioritizing himself.

Paul concludes by noting the result of these reverent behaviors for older women to teach younger women. By being sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, and subject to their own husbands, the positive result is that the word of God will not be dishonored (v 5). 

The word of God means what God has communicated to us, His revelation and input into our lives here in a fallen world. Believers are people who both have God’s Spirit leading us (Galatians 5:16, 25) and His Son’s eternal life in us (Galatians 2:20, Romans 8:10). But we all retain our sin nature which seeks to guide us away from His word (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 7:17-19). The word of God is what God has told us. His word is given to tell us what He expects from us, what He values, and what will matter in eternity after this world’s system is discarded and His kingdom is instituted forever (Matthew 4:4, 2 Timothy 3:16-17). God’s word also tells us our design and purpose (to be leaders who serve) and how to gain the greatest experience of life by restoring our design.

We have the daily choice to honor the word of God by obeying it, which leads to a closer fellowship with Him by faith, blessings in our own spiritual life, and blessings for those with whom our lives intersect. Or we can follow our sinful nature and the world’s values, which leads to loss of fellowship and reward, so that the word of God is dishonored, and our own opportunity to know Him by faith here and now is hindered.

Jesus focused on this daily choice when He said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). This daily choice is also a choice whether to walk the narrow and difficult path that leads to life or the wide and easy path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). It is a simple reality that it is difficult to serve others and easy to serve self. That is why the discipleship of following Jesus is a daily choice.

In the following passage, Paul will continue to describe what showing reverence to God’s word looks like in outward actions, specifically for young men and slaves.