Discussion Titus 2:1-5

[Kanitra Cobbs]

Ladies I would like to apologize, this weekend I was feeling under the
weather. It is always something trying to block your efforts when the
purpose is to glorify God. I hope that all have read the scriptures
and are ready to discuss.

When I came across this passage, I felt it is a very vital foundation
to success of being a virtuous woman of God or getting to that point.
This message is not just targeted to a certain age group but it
addresses older and younger women which I saw it befitting for our
group. To give a little background on this scripture, Paul is speaking
and he is giving instruction to various groups. Paul is a chosen
disciple of God that was sent for two main concerns: faith and
knowledge of truth. Truth according to Godliness and truth leads to
right living, a God-honoring lifestyle.

In the first scripture it discusses a must of teaching a sound
doctrine. Sound in this scripture is referenced as an adjective which
translates to good sense and valid reasoning, including all necessary
aspects and details that are worthy of God’s approval. In other words
“whole” and as believers we have to be grounded in the truth therefore
we will not be persuaded by tragic situations and emotions or an
excellent speaker that is not of God; hence the Anti-Christ and Cult
leaders. We have to be rooted in the word just as it is mentioned in
Jeremiah 17:8 “For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and
that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat
cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the
year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” I am
reminded of a situation when a young lady lost her faith in God
because she lost her mother. She questioned God’s existence, she
questioned God’s ability to hear, heal, and love. All I could think of
was her faith needed to have some depth; are we to give up on God when
something doesn’t go our way? What if God reversed his mercy? What if
God dismissed us because we fell short of his word? Would any of us be
here? Sorry, a little off the subject but that is what is on my heart
at this moment. Knowledge and acceptance of this sound doctrine should
lead to righteous living; your behavior must match your belief.

Titus 2:3 “teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live”
reverent is so powerful in this scripture. Reverent in the present
tense is reverence and that means feelings of deep respect and or
devotion. So what this scripture breaks down to say is teach older
women to be devotional to God, to be worshipers. Everyone can praise
God but everyone can’t worship him because worship involves more than
praise. In our worship to God, we show our love through obeying his
commandments, living the way of life he has revealed through the word,
and a communication flow through prayer. I could keep going but I want
to stay on the topic. So these women have to be at the level of a
worshiper and at the level of a worshiper there is no slandering and
addition to wine. But let’s take a deeper look into addiction to wine;
let’s refer to the word wine as anything that is not of God, anything
that does not give God glory. God is a jealous God, it’s in the word;
you can look in Exodus chapters 20 and 24, Numbers 25, Deuteronomy 4,
and many other passages. You can’t have an addiction to anything
expect for having an addiction to God. An example, you love this car,
you wash it every Sunday morning, you park the car double park so that
no one can hit it. You take pictures of the car, your mind is always
on the car, you think of ways to enhance the car, nobody can eat in
car, no one can lean on the car, this is your baby, you love this car.
Tornado comes swipes your car, your house is not affected, your
neighbors’ cars and houses are not affected, your community doesn’t
even look like it had been touched by a tornado except for your car
dangling in the tree in your front lawn. And you responded Lord why,
why may car? And the Lord will simply remind you, that anything that
you put before him he is subjected to take it away. You will not
worship anyone, any idol (thing), or other God but him. I hope you
found humor in that story but it’s true, that will provoke God to
anger. So these women had to be at a level of worship in order to
teach what is good. They had to know what is good, they had to
understand what is good, they had to live what is good so that they
could be an example and illustrate a life of goodness according to
God’s word.

Titus 2:4 “Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands
and children”… Okay so after they are at the level of Worshipers then
they can urge young women. There is a difference in teach and the word
urge. Urge has a great pressing meaning because urge is to advise
strongly, firmly with persistence. Teach is just to impart knowledge
but when you are urging someone there is an impulse in you to have
someone to do something that you strongly need them to do. And in this
passage, these women worshipers need for the younger generation to
learn how to love. Of course these women are the idea individuals to
guide the younger women to loving their children and husband because
they have wisdom; they have been there or are there. Who else would be
better qualified? I could go into an example but for the sake of time,
I am going to try to keep this brief. Keep in mind the era of this
scripture, a lot of times marriages were arranged, so they had to
learn how to love their husbands. But even in today, we have to still
learn how to love our husbands. We have to learn how to love one
another. It’s not a consequential feeling that comes on its own you
have to work at it. That’s how so many people can “fall out of love”
they were not in love in the first place. When people get divorced
they have to re-learn how to love. Same goes for children, love is not
automatic. Isaiah 49:15 “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that
she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may
forget, yet will I not forget thee.” Loving your children is more
than providing food and clothing it also includes much attention,
teaching, restraint, and discipline. There are many women who resent
their children, angry because they had to wait on their advancement in
their careers, unhappy with the extra weight that seems to never
leave, upset because they have less recreational time. That’s why in
the scripture is states urge, because it has to be a strong control or
curbing of a woman’s ideas and thought processes in order for them to
be able provide love for their spouse and children. It has to be
learned.

Titus 2:5 “to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be
kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign
the word of God”… Self-control, very simple: careful and cautious of
keeping a good name. How do you do that? Pay attention to your
attitude, appearance, behavior, and dress. If you examine your life
off just those four things are you painting a picture of holiness? You
don’t have to answer that, well not to me anyway. The next thing the
scripture says is Pure. I like to use the word Chaste, has the same
meaning of pure but I have a saying “are you trying to be chaste or
chased?” Our society teaches our younger generation and encourages
them on how to be attractive to men physically, sexually, not
spiritually, really not mentally. This quote is not scripture but “A
woman’s heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to
seek him first to find her”. In other words to find purity you must go
to the source of purity which is God. He is unadulterated,
uncontaminated, unpolluted, uncorrupt, and untainted. “To be busy at
home” does not mean that you cannot work outside the home. Proverbs
31:10-31 discusses a virtuous woman who used all her gifts and talents
to make succession. This woman keeps her house in order, she had her
own business, she sold her linen in the markets; she was a business
woman outside of the home but she took care of her business in the
home. Your husband should not be asking for a roll of tissue to wipe
his behind and your response is that we are out because you lack to
purchase it but you are strutting around in a brand new pair of Steve
Maddens that you purchased this morning. You have to take care of your
business at home, that is what that means. “Subject to your husbands”
a lot of women today do not like this part of the scripture because it
suggests obedience or governing over your life. This scripture has
been abused by telling women that they are owned property but that is
not the intentions of this scripture. Should you be under submission;
yes but he has to be under submission as well, it’s scriptural. Will
the heart of your husband safely trust you; yes. Should you do him
only good and no evil all the days of your life; yes. These are the
attributes of a virtuous woman. If you are submitting to your husband
does that mean he is going to abuse not if he knows the word.
Ephesians 5:21-25 “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear
of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the
Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the
head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the
church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own
husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ
also loved the church, and gave himself for it”. Ephesians 5: 28-29
“So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth
his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but
nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church”. Let’s take
this message to today’s society, can you think of any decision that a
husband should make WITHOUT consulting or considering his wife and her
wishes? I cannot! So be submissive to your husbands. Last but not
least is “malign the word of God”. What does malign mean? It is to
criticize the word of God, to falsely mislead the word of God. All of
the things that we discussed today must be order so that God’s word
will not be tainted. Of course it all comes back to glorifying God. To
live a life that is God-honoring.

Questions??? Please give feed back!

Now, this is not how I envisioned the bible study to be set up. I want
everyone collectively to take the scriptures and we break them down
together. But under the circumstances, I went on and just gave my
interpretation of the word.