Titus 2:2-4 (ESV)
Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified,
self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.
Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves
to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to
love their husbands and children,
In the first verse of chapter two, Titus is
instructed to “teach what accords with sound doctrine.” That which accords with
sound doctrine includes two things. It includes a life of Christlike character,
and an influence on those who are younger. These verses are clearly not
exhaustive lists of character qualities. Rather they are a sampling of
character qualities that reflect Christ. We tend to want to take passages like this
and apply them as though they are gender specific and exhaustive. If that were
true then we would have to conclude that older women are to avoid drunkenness,
but it’s perfectly acceptable for older men since it’s not mentioned in their
list. Likewise, we would conclude that older women are to be training young
women, but older men have no such responsibility toward younger men. When we
turn lists like this into laws, we miss their purpose. Older saints ought to be
men and women of Christian character whose lives model Christian maturity for
those who are younger. Unfortunately, I too often see older Christians excusing
bad behavior with statements like, “That’s just the way I am. Take me or leave
me.” Or, “He’s been that way for sixty years. He’s not going to change now.” Since
I am now among the older crowd, let me simply say that as older believers we
should never stop growing in Christ, which means growing in character. May
those who come behind us see Christ in us.
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