Titus: Displaying the Gospel of God's GraceSample

Do your eyes glaze over when you see the word doctrine? Perhaps the word musters up mental images of huge books written by stodgy-looking authors who lived centuries ago. But sound doctrine isn’t just about filling our heads with static knowledge. It’s about filling our lives with true scriptural teaching, meant to flow from our hearts to our hands as we live it out. Sound doctrine should drive our devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ and to our brothers and sisters in the local church. Sound doctrine is the only true foundation for sound living.

Paul used the word sound three times in Titus 2:1-10: sound teaching (v. 1), sound in faith (v. 2), and sound beyond reproach (v. 8). Remember, sound means, “healthy, whole, functioning, not broken.” Paul’s repetition of this word indicates its importance. In an oral culture, repetition was used to emphasize an idea, much like we might underline or italicize a word in our writing today. Notice that “sound teaching,” which can also be translated as “sound doctrine,” is listed first.

Paul started with sound teaching because he wanted it to undergird everything in the church. He knew that Scripture-rich teaching would produce authentic followers of Christ that displayed the gospel of grace. That is what the Bible does! It is living and effective (Heb. 4:12). It is profitable for teaching, for correcting, and for training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps. 119:105). God’s Word helps us understand who God is, who we are in light of Him, and how we ought to live as a result.

If you’re thinking, “This sounds familiar,” you’re absolutely right! Paul said earlier that the knowledge of the truth (sound doctrine), leads to godliness (sound living) (Titus 1:1). He also spent time listing the character qualifications of church leaders, including a charge for them to encourage the flock with sound doctrine and to rebuke those who

contradict it (1:6-9). Then, he followed it with a real-time situation Titus needed to deal with. Needless to say, Paul emphasized sound doctrine to Titus and the church in Crete. He knew good doctrine that leads to godly living would prove to the watching world that the gospel really was good news.

Paul had every member of the church in view when he penned this portion of his letter. Older and younger, in the home and outside of it, wherever they were, however they could, the church was designed to display the beauty of the gospel through life together. That, friends, is true discipleship.

The church is to teach and train its members in godliness. If we summarized the purpose of the list of instructions Paul gave the church in this section, we would probably use that exact word—godliness. It might be tempting to make the list of godly characteristics our focus, especially if you're a list-making, "Let's do this!" kinda gal. Hear us again: it is excellent and essential to apply Scripture to our lives, but as we do, we have to make sure our focus is rightly oriented on the One who produces godly living in us, not the desired outcome. Too often, we fixate on doing or being better in our own efforts, which makes us the center instead of Christ. We must resist the urge to place godly living at the center of our sound doctrine and keep Christ in His proper place at the center. He alone is worthy, and He alone enables us to live it out.

Thousands of years have passed since Paul wrote to Titus, but his words still remind us that true gospel teaching produces intergenerational gospel living that glorifies God.

Consider the season of life you’re in and the calling of God in your life right now. Ask God to help you receive every season with gratitude and gladness, so you can be an active, influential participant in the compelling, counter-cultural community of the church.