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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