Titus 2:1-10·~1 min

Teaching Sound Doctrine

Paul tells Titus to speak the things that accord with sound doctrine.

B¹ut as for you, speak the things that are consistent with sound doctrine.

Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and perseverance, while older women are to be reverent and not enslaved to slander or wine. In turn they are to train younger women in love, purity, kindness, and ordered household life so that the word of God is not dishonored.

²Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and perseverance. ³Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or addicted to much wine, but teachers of good. ⁴In this way they can train the young women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled, pure, managers of their households, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be discredited.

Younger men are to be self-controlled, and Titus himself must be an example in good works, integrity, dignity, and wholesome speech that leaves opponents ashamed and unable to accuse the church.

⁶In the same way, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. ⁷In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, ⁸and wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.

Slaves are to submit, please their masters, avoid argument and theft, and show complete faithfulness so that in every respect they may adorn the teaching about God our Savior.

⁹Slaves are to submit to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, ¹⁰not stealing from them, but showing all good faith, so that in every respect they will adorn the teaching about God our Savior.

Section summaryPaul tells Titus to speak what accords with sound doctrine by directing different groups in the church toward lives marked by dignity, self-control, reverence, faithfulness, and good works. Older women are to train younger women, younger men are to be self-controlled, Titus himself is to model integrity, and slaves are to serve faithfully, so that in every case the teaching about God our Savior is honored.

Role in the chapterThis opening section shows sound doctrine taking visible shape across the whole community. It presents the church as a place where truth is taught not only by words, but by embodied patterns of life.