These, then, are the things you should teach.
Summary: Who is Paul saying should “teach?” The kind of things Paul is talking about can be taught by example.
Continue reading “Titus 2:15 (a) — Syllabus”Titus 2:15 (a) — Syllabus
Titus 2:14 (d) — Doing Good
… eager to do what is good.
Summary: Paul describes what godly living is all about, and the end of his thought is that God’s people are eager to do what is good. The question then becomes, “What is good?” Paul points us to some things that help us define good from God’s perspective instead of our own.
Continue reading “Titus 2:14 (d) — Doing Good”Titus 2:14 (c) — The Keys of Heaven
… and to purify for himself a people that are his very own …
Summary: Learning to live for God is a purifying process. We give up what is ungodly and embrace what is godly. Having paid the price for our redemption, God changes us into people who are his very own.
Continue reading “Titus 2:14 (c) — The Keys of Heaven”Titus 2:14 (b) — Up and Down
… to redeem us from all wickedness …
Summary: Being redeemed is not like snapping your fingers. It is a process. There is a payment to be made, and then there is a collection process. Eventually we see our Redeemer face to face. At that point we have been redeemed.
Continue reading “Titus 2:14 (b) — Up and Down”Titus 2:14 (a) — The Eyes of God
[Jesus Christ,] who gave himself for us …
Summary: The story of our salvation is amazing. Our part is rather sad and embarrassing. The exciting part is provided by God’s Son, Jesus Christ. He left heaven to become a man, live a good life, and then allowed mankind to take that life away from him. Under the law, he now has the right to take our lives, but instead, he gives us life.
Continue reading “Titus 2:14 (a) — The Eyes of God”Titus 2:13 (b) — In The Air
—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ …
Summary: Paul’s words in this passage identify Jesus as God and Savior. These are two parts of what scholars call “the Trinity.” The word is dangerous if it causes someone to think that they understand our God. That would be a bit like an ant claiming to understand Shakespeare.
Continue reading “Titus 2:13 (b) — In The Air”Titus 2:13 (a) — Gospel Train
… while we wait for the blessed hope …
Summary: Waiting for heaven is a bit like waiting at a train station. We are hoping for something that has yet to happen.
Continue reading “Titus 2:13 (a) — Gospel Train”Titus 2:12 (c) — The Age
… 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”Titus 2:12 (b) — The Meaning of Godly
… and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives …
Summary: Paul has written about being self-controlled four times. He has also mentioned being upright before. In this passage he introduces the idea of living a godly life.
Continue reading “Titus 2:12 (b) — The Meaning of Godly”Titus 2:12 (a) — Saying “No”
It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions …
Summary: Matthew chapter four recounts the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He is sent into the wilderness without food for forty days and nights. What happens next are a series of questions Satan poses to Jesus. These questions help us understand what godly behavior looks like.
Continue reading “Titus 2:12 (a) — Saying “No””