02/18/07SLB-047 & 0481 SLB- 048: Rest and Godliness Titus 2.

02/18/07 SLB-047 & 048 1

SLB- 048: Rest and Godliness

Titus 2

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Rest and Godliness: Titus 2:6-8

• Translation. The young men likewise be exhorting to be exercising self-control; concerning all things showing yourself a pattern of good works; in the teaching, uncorruptness, gravity, sound speech which cannot be censured, in order that the one who is an opponent may be ashamed, not having one evil thing to be saying concerning us.

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• “Since young men are inclined to be somewhat impetuous and unrestrained in conduct, their basic need is to be ‘self-controlled,’ cultivating balance and self-restraint in daily practice.”49

• They do this by maintaining purity in the teaching of God’s truth as teachers or simply practitioners, by being dignified (serious, v. 2), and by speech that others cannot legitimately criticize.

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• Obedience to these particulars would rob the enemies of the church of any reasonable grounds for criticism (cf. 1:16). They would be “put to shame” because they would have no factual basis for their opposition.

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• NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:9-10

• 9 Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.

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• (2:9, 10) “Servants” is doulos (δουλος). These were Christian slaves serving for the most part in pagan households.

• “Be obedient” is hupotassō (ὑποτασσω), used in a military sense of soldiers arranged in battalions under the commanding officer, thus, in subjection to him.

• Here it refers to the obligation of the slave (middle voice) to put himself in subjection to his master.

• “Master” is despotēs (δεσποτης) (our word “despot”), “a master, lord, one who has absolute ownership of and uncontrolled power over another.”

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Rest and Godliness: Titus 2

• “In all things” is to be construed with “be obedient.” • “To please well” is euaristos (εὐαριστος). Alford

says that it is a servant’s phrase, like the English, “to give satisfaction.”

• “Answering” is antilegō (ἀντιλεγω), “to speak against, contradict.”

• How believers handle even difficult situations and conditions is a clear, strong witness of their faith in Christ (cf. Eph. 6:5–9).

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• “Purloining” is nosphizō (νοσφιζω). Expositors says that “the particular form of theft implied is the abstraction or retention for one’s self, of a part of something entrusted to one’s care.” The word “pilfer” will translate it well.

• “Fidelity” is agathos (ἀγαθος). Expositors suggests, “trustworthiness.”

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Rest and Godliness: Titus 2• “Adorn” is kosmeō (κοσμεω), “to put in order,

arrange, to ornament, adorn, decorate, garnish.” The noun is kosmos (κοσμος), “an ordered system, a system where harmony prevails.”

• Expositors says: “The teaching, though really practical, can be plausibly alleged to be mere theory; it must then, by good works, be rendered attractive to them that are without.”

• Kosmeō (Κοσμεω), as used in our present passage, means therefore “to embellish with honor” the doctrine (teaching) found in verses 11–14.

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• Translation. Exhort slaves to put themselves in subjection to their own masters in all things; to give them satisfaction, not crossing them, not pilfering, but showing the utmost trustworthiness, in order that the teaching of God our Savior they may embellish with honor in all things.

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• Slaves were (1) to be submissive to their own masters in everything and (2) to try to please their masters. They were (3) to refrain from talking back when given instructions, (4) not to steal from them, and (5) to prove completely trustworthy. Again the reason for this kind of behavior follows. It is that such behavior is in harmony with and therefore adorns (contributes to the enhancement of by providing a complimentary setting for) the teaching concerning God our Savior.50

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• NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:11-14• 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing

salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

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Rest and Godliness: Titus 2• This brief passage (vv. 11–14) gives the

theological reasons for Christians living godly lives. • “The previous paragraph [2:1–10] has been a

challenge to the several groups in the Cretan churches to accept the specifically Christian pattern of behavior.

• Paul now eloquently reminds Titus that they have their basis in the gospel itself.

• It was precisely in order to raise men to a higher quality of life that God intervened in history in the incarnation.”54

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• (2:11–15) 2:11 “For” introduces Paul’s full theological reason for requiring the conduct above, why such conduct harmonizes with sound doctrine (v. 1).56

• In short, it is the proper response to God’s grace. God has manifested His grace (unmerited favor) in Christ and the gospel.

• This has resulted in two things: the possibility of salvation for all and the actual salvation of all who believe in Christ (1 Tim. 2:4, 6; 4:10).

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• (2:11–15) “Grace” is charis (χαρις). Of this word, Trench in his Synonyms of the New Testament has this to say: “It is hardly too much to say that the Greek mind has in no word uttered itself and all that was at its heart more distinctly than in this.” With regard to its use in the New Testament, we could say; “It is hardly too much to say that the mind of God has in no word uttered itself and all that is in His heart more distinctly than in this.”

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• In the ethical terminology of the Greek schools, charis (χαρις) implied a favor freely done, without claim or expectation of return. Aristotle, defining charis (χαρις), lays the whole stress on this very point, that it is conferred freely, with no expectation of return, and finding its only motive in the bounty and free-heartedness of the giver.

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• But in pagan Greece, this favor was always conferred upon a friend, not upon an enemy. When charis (χαρις) is taken over into the terminology of the New Testament, it takes an infinite leap forward, and acquires an added meaning which it never had in pagan Greece, for the favor God did at Calvary’s Cross, He did, not for a race that loved Him but which hated Him. Thus, in the n.t., charis (χαρις) refers to an act that is beyond the ordinary course of what might be expected and is therefore commendable.

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• “bringing salvation to all men” God sent Christ to die for all humans, but they must personally respond by repentance, faith, obedience, and perseverance.

• The following passages reflect the universal scope of Christ’s work: (1) “for the world” (John 1:29; 3:16; 6:33, 51; II Cor. 5:19; I John 2:2) and (2) “all men” (Rom. 5:18; I Cor. 15:22; I Tim. 2:4–6; Heb. 2:9; II Pet. 3:9).

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• “That bringeth salvation” is sōtērios (σωτηριος), “bringing salvation,” an adjective qualifying “grace.”

• “Hath appeared” is epiphainō (ἐπιφαινω), “to appear, become visible, to become clearly known.”

• “Teaching” is paideuō (παιδευω), “to instruct, train.” This literally meant child discipline or training (cf. I Tim. 1:20; II Tim. 2:25; 3:16). Grace is personified as a loving parent (cf. Heb. 12:5ff).

• “Ungodliness” is asebeia (ἀσεβεια), “lack of piety or reverence toward God.”

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• “Lusts” is epithumia (ἐπιθυμια), “a passionate desire.” Our word is “motivator”.

• “Worldly” is kosmikos (κοσμικος), “worldly, having the character of this present age.”

• The word kosmos (κοσμος) is used here of the world system of evil of which Satan is the head, the fallen angels and the demons are his emissaries, and all the unsaved are his servants, together with the pleasures, pursuits, practices, and purposes of the individuals involved.

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• “Soberly” is sōphronōs (σωφρονως), “with sound mind, temperately, discreetly.” “Godly” is eusebōs (εὐσεβως), “piously, godly.” “World” is aiōn (αἰων) which Trench defines as “that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define, but which constitute a most real and effective power, being the moral or immoral atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale, again inevitably to exhale.”

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• Christians live in this atmosphere. We breathe it. It confronts us wherever we go. It seeks our destruction. It is pernicious. It surrounds us like the air we breathe. We take it in unconsciously like every breath of air we breathe. We must therefore be well supplied with an inner antidote which will counteract its evil tendencies, the fullness of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, a godly life, and the upward look for the coming of the Lord Jesus.

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• “Looking” is prosdechomai (προσδεχομαι), “to receive to one’s self, to admit, give access to one’s self, to receive into intercourse and companionship, to expect, look for, wait for.” The verb has an atmosphere of expectancy about it, and a readiness to welcome the person looked for and expected. The a.v. makes “that blessed hope” and “the glorious appearing” to be two different things, whereas the Greek text requires that they be construed as one.

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• We have Granville Sharp’s rule here, which says that when there are two nouns in the same case connected by kai (και) (and), the first noun having the article, the second noun not having the article, the second noun refers to the same thing the first noun does and is a further description of it.

• Thus, that blessed hope is the glorious appearing of our Lord. The translation should read, “that blessed hope, even the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.”

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• The same rule applies to the words, “the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Both expressions refer to the same individual. The deity of the Lord Jesus is brought out here by a rule of Greek syntax. The pronoun “our” is polemic. The god and saviour of the Roman empire was the Emperor himself, who was looked upon as a god and as the saviour of the world in that he by his government brought peace and prosperity to the people. He was worshipped as a god in the state religion of the Roman empire, which was Emperor Worship.

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• But the Christian’s God and Saviour is Jesus Christ. This is a protest against emperor worship. “Blessed” is makarios (μακαριος), “prosperous.” The hope we have of the return of our Lord to catch out the Church, is one that is prosperous, it is filled with richness, benefits, good things. “Appearing” is epiphaneia (ἐπιφανεια), which was used by the pagan Greeks of the glorious manifestation of their gods.

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• “For” is huper (ὑπερ), the preposition of substitutionary atonement. It means, “for the sake of, in behalf of, instead of.” It is used in John 11:50: “It is expedient for you that one man should die instead of the people, and not that the whole nation perish.” In Galatians 3:13 we have: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse instead of us.”

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• The local meaning of huper (ὑπερ) (instead of) is “above.” One could translate, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse above us.” In His death on the Cross, He came above us and between us and a holy God, thus intercepting the penalty that would have fallen upon us.

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• “Redeem” is lutroō (λυτροω). There are three words in the n.t., translated “redeem,” which tell the story of the Cross. The first is agorazō (ἀγοραζω), “to buy a slave in the market place” (I Cor. 6:20, II Peter 2:1, Rev. 5:9). The slave market is this earth. All the unsaved are slaves of sin and Satan. Our Lord paid the penalty for sin at the Cross. Those who trust in His blood, belong to Him as His bondslaves.

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• The second is exagorazō (ἐξαγοραζω), “to buy off, to buy up,” thus, “to buy out of the slave market” (Gal. 3:13, 4:5). The saved are never to be put up for sale in any slave market again. They belong to the Lord Jesus forever. The third is lutroō (λυτροω), “to set free by the payment of a ransom” (Titus 2:14, I Peter 1:18). The Lord’s slaves are set free from sin and their old master Satan, to experience in their lives, that for which God created them, fellowship with and service to God.

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• “Iniquity” is anomia (ἀνομια), “lawlessness,” made up of nomos (νομος), “law,” and Alpha privative, thus, “without law.” “Peculiar” is periousion (περιουσιον), from the participle of perieinai (περιειναι), “to be over and above.” It also means, “possessed over and above,” that is, “specially selected for one’s own; exempt from ordinary laws of distribution.” It refers therefore to a private possession. The word “peculiar” is from peculium (πεχυλιυμ), “a private purse, a special acquisition of a member of a family distinct from the property administered for the good of the whole family.” Thus, Christians are the private possession of God.

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• “zealous of good deeds” The goal of Christianity is not only heaven when believers die but Christlikeness now (cf. Eph. 1:4 2:10).

• God’s people are characterized by an eager desire for good works (cf. James and I John).

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• “with all authority” Jesus is said to have all authority ( exousia ) in heaven and on earth (cf. Matt. 28:18).

• He delegated this authority to His Apostles (Paul being the last, one born out of due time).

• Paul delegated his authority ( epitagē ) to both Timothy and Titus as his personal representatives.

• Since the death of these eye-witnesses, the written New Testament (as well as the OT) has become the authority “for all subsequent generations of believers” (cf. II Tim. 3:15–17).

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• “let no one disregard you” This is a PRESENT ACTIVE negated IMPERATIVE (cf. I Tim. 4:12).

• This refers to

• (1) those within the church with regard to Titus’ age or delegated authority or

• (2) those involved with the false teachers, possibly even a chief spokesperson.

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Rest and Godliness: Titus 2:15

• 2:15 “speak and exhort and reprove” There are three PRESENT ACTIVE IMPERATIVES: continue teaching (cf. 2:1), continue exhorting, and continuing reproving (cf. II Tim. 3:16).

• Pastors must encourage the saints and recognize false teachers

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• Translation. For the grace of God bringing salvation, appeared to all men, instructing us that denying ungodliness and worldly cravings, we should live discreetly and righteously and godly in the midst of this present age, expectantly looking for the blessed hope, even the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself on our behalf in order that He might set us free from all lawlessness, and purify to Himself a people of His own private possession, zealous of good works. These things be constantly speaking and exhorting; and be rebuking with all authority. Let no one despise you.

02/18/07SLB-047 & 0481 SLB- 048: Rest and Godliness Titus 2.

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