Titus 2:15-3:1 (ESV)
Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all
authority. Let no one disregard you. Remind them to be submissive to rulers and
authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,
Paul instructed Titus to make sure that he does not let
anyone disregard him. What does it mean to let no one disregard you? It means
to not allow anyone to look down on you. If we misread this we might think that
Paul is saying that Titus should be actively defending his reputation, but that
is hardly the point. We cannot take responsibility for what other people think.
Some people will always believe the worst. Some people will act on partial
information with their minds set. Some people will intentionally and willfully
oppose us. Titus is not being told to defend himself against that. His is being
instructed to live and teach above reproach. What Paul is challenging Titus to
do here is what he told him, in chapter 1, to look for in elders. The
accusations ought not to stick. Titus is to live in such a way that if he were
taken into a court of law no proof could be presented that would convict him.
His life is to reflect the gospel he is proclaiming.
Finally, Titus is told to cause people to remember. What are
they to remember? They are to remember to live a godly lifestyle. But notice,
Paul doesn’t say anything about how they are to live until he first makes sure
that they have been reminded of the gospel. Titus is told to speak, encourage,
and expose the gospel. He is then told to live in line with the gospel.
Finally, he is to remind people of how they ought to be living. We cannot
separate the reminder of what their lives should look like from the truth of
the gospel. Sound living is built on sound doctrine.
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