Paul & Titus had been co-laboring together in ministry on the Island of Crete. When Paul left to go to minister elsewhere, he appointed Titus to set the churches in order, to remedy the weakness, & to ordain bishops/pastors. Paul warned Titus about false teachers who would oppose their ministry. Why am I in the “Pastorial Epistles?” 1 Tim. 3:14-15 is the answer: “these things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly (Timothy): but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” OUR IDENTITY requires “That each body member know how we ought to behave ourselves in the house of God” according to the doctrine. “Godliness” – God like ness!
Paul wants Timothy & Titus to know what to do in the event he is detained. In both cases Paul wants them to know how to conduct themselves in the house of God, which is the church that belongs to the living God. And Saints, WE are the church because the Spirit of the living God dwells in us (Rom. 8:9). “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Cor 6:19) “Christ purchased the church with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). Therefore, Timothy & Titus are to model “godlness” (God like ness), which is the result of the doctrine working effectually in their inner man. The local church is a microcosm, a smaller picture of the larger church, BOC. It is the visible manifestation of the BOC in the community working together in evangelism, edification & expansion. Godliness on Display!
The church is the “pillar and ground of the truth.” This is a building term. A pillar holds up the various foundations, levels, or roof of the edifice. The church is NOT the truth; But the Church UPHOLDS Christ truth. Amen. A pillar does not teach! The truth teaches! The ground or foundation, is Christ and His redemptive blood. Paul laid the foundation for the BOC on top of Christ’s foundation. We hear him proclaim this truth in 1 Cor. 3:10 “according to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation (of the mystery of Christ), and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” And that brings me to Titus 2:1. Sometimes saints, we can be building with wrong materials because we have not read. “When you read” Eph. 3:4.
Paul is leaving instructions to Titus to teach both the men and women in the assembly, CBOC, what godliness looks like. Paul starts in (Chp. 1 vs 5) by listing the qualifications of a bishop, 6. he must be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riotous & unruly living, 7. Again, he must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon (quickly) angry (it’s alright to “be ye angry, but sin not (Eph. 4:26).” Not given to much wine, no striker, (thank God for our man caves!) not greedy for filthy lucre. 8. But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate (self-controlled), 9. Holding fast the faithful word (13 letters) as he had been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort (teach) and to convince those who speak against the mystery. That is what “godliness” (God like ness) looks like on the pastor & the pulpit!
So, what does “godliness” look like on “the aged (mature) men. WE ARE TO TEACH SOUND DOCTRINE!” Titus 2:1;“But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: vs.2 “That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, and charity, and patience. The false teachers, just like today, professed that they knew God but in works they deny him, because they do not believe that Jesus sent Paul to preach the mystery to BOC. In contrast to the false teachers. Paul tells Titus to concentrate on preaching the things which are becoming to sound doctrine so that the whole
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congregation (men, women & children) can be sound in the faith, behaving in a God honoring way, & by serving God by doing “good works.” Titus was to ordain bishops that hold fast to doctrine/faith,
and “charge them to teach no other doctrine” (1 Tim. 1:3). The goal is that Christ’s doctrine will effectually work making them sound in the faith & behave in a godly manner. Let me tell you something, Aged, Older men ARE SUPPOSED to be more experienced & wiser than young people! The aged men are to be sober-minded, serious about the truth, restrained from the influence of false teaching, sound in the faith, in charity (love in action), and patient with others. That’s what Godliness looks like on Aged men, (our ID) in the CBOC according to Paul, the author of right division.
Now comes the “Aged, Older women” in the CBOC. Everything Paul just said to the men also applies to the women. They should be taught by Titus what “godliness” looks like! The aged women should be taught to be sound in the faith (not tossed to & fro). (3.Their behavior, or conduct, should be becoming of holiness, a life set apart for serving God & teaching His truth. The older women should be role models to the younger women. That’s “godliness.” The older women are to graciously, humbly lead by example, demonstrating how they themselves love their husbands & children. The Aged women should be sober minded, clear headed in the truth of what God is doing. They should not be false accusers or discredit people who speak the truth. (That ungodly tongue, it’s an unruly evil). They should not spread rumors or be gossips, but rather be teachers of good things. That’s godliness!
They should not be in the habit of drinking much wine (drunk). (4. The Aged women are to have their own teaching ministry to young women, teaching them to be sober minded, to love their husbands & children. The young women should want their own husbands & children to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. Now, they may be grown, but we are to pray for & with them, & lovingly share the truth of God’s word with them. We should not waste our time on earth worshipping “uncertain riches,” (the lust of the flesh, & the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life) which have no eternal value! When godly women behave in an honorable & loving way to their own husbands & children, “because of the angels” (I Cor. 11:10); God & the angels are pleased & the word of God is not evil spoken of.
(5. Aged women are to be discreet (w/ the ornament of grace), chaste (unspotted), keepers at home (the wife is the one who makes a house a home), good (virtuous), obedient to her OWN husband, that the word be not evil of. 6. And teach their sons to be sober minded! Saved only by grace. Godliness.”
There is more that I can say but you get the idea saints, Our ID, our moniker of righteousness requires that we put “Godliness on display!.” Each believer needs to know the word of God so we can live a life that pleases God & brings glory to His word. But One thing I have found out, Satan doesn’t want us to teach “godliness.” He’s mad because we studied “godliness.”1. He will attack the message of “godliness”. 2. Satan will attack the messenger, hoping he can instill “a spirit of fear” trying to shut me up! 3. And if that won’t work, Satan will upgrade his attack & try to discredit & discourage me & he doesn’t care who he uses!
Satan hates the “Mystery of Godliness,” he hates (us) that twice dead Gentiles can be Godly. “BUT NOW,” “In a Great House, CBOC, Great is the Mystery of Godliness, now we can THINK like God, the Father; WALK like God, the Son; & CO-LABOR with God, the Holy Spirit’ I have to leave you now, but I heard Paul say to Timothy: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
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persecution. But IN THE LAST DAYS OF GRACE evil men & seducers shall wax worse & worse in ungodliness, deceiving & being deceived. (WILLINGLY IGNORANT!) But CONTINUE in the things which thou hast learned 2 Tim. 3:12-14.
11. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12. Teaching us that, denying UNGODLINESS & WORLDLY LUSTS, we should live SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, & GODLY, IN THIS PRESENT WORLD.” Titus 2:11-12
OUR ID REQUIRES GODLINESS TO BE ON DISPLAY IN THE DETAILS OF OUR LIVES, EVERYDAY!
Colman J. Gilliland 