Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
… in this present age …
Summary: There are limits to what we can know about Paul’s thinking. Yet there are clues in his letter to Titus that give us confidence that his words are still relevant today.
Continue reading “Titus 2:12 (c) — The Age”
Teach the older men to be … worthy of respect …
Summary: Respect is different for the worldly than it is for the believer. Worldly people are impressed by outward appearance. Spiritual people are impressed by one’s closeness to God.
Continue reading “Titus 2:2 (c) — Mr. Diggs”
Teach the older men …
Summary: Paul has told Titus to teach. Now he provides specifics. Begin by teaching the older men. What he should teach is the topic of this section of Paul’s letter.
Continue reading “Titus 2:2 (a) — Older Men”
You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.
Summary: Paul’s letter to Titus has explained who is qualified to be responsible for teaching “sound doctrine” and who is not. Now Paul turns to what and how to teach.
Continue reading “Titus 2:1 — Milk or Meat?”
To the pure, all things are pure …
Summary: Paul needs a way to illustrate how impure the rebellious people are. To do so he gives us a glimpse of what it means to be pure.
Continue reading “Titus 1:15 (a) — Clean and Unclean”
… or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth.
Summary: Paul has been explaining why churches need an overseer. Today’s passage points us toward another threat that the overseer is to protect against.
Continue reading “Titus 1:14 (b) — Tofu Turkey”
… and will pay no attention to Jewish myths …
Summary: Paul draws our attention to Jewish myths so that we can avoid them. He does not go into detail, but it is clear that he wants us to focus on Jesus.
Continue reading “Titus 1:14 (a) — Myth Understanding”
Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith …
Summary: Some people are more sensitive than others. Some are less sensitive. What we are used to creates an expectation that we often apply to other people. Sometimes this has disastrous results.
Continue reading “Titus 1:13 (b) — My Normal is Your Pain”
… especially those of the circumcision group.
Summary: The case of the circumcision group offers us an example of disagreements in the early church. Some were resolved by discussion. Others festered and turned into open conflict.
Continue reading “Titus 1:10 (c) — That All May Be One”
For there are many rebellious people …
Summary: Understanding what Paul means by “rebellious people is difficult. It is probable that his only concern is protecting the purity of the Gospel.
Continue reading “Titus 1:10 (a) — Rebellion Defined”