Interpretation in Action: Digging into Titus 2:3-5
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.—Matt. 7:7-8
After the last post, I’m ready to actually dive in and give this a try? Will you join me?
Before we do, a couple pointers:
Try to do your own work first before reaching for the commentary for answers.
Do what you can with the text first, including searching for context and cross references. When needed, pull out the tools for interpretation like Bible dictionaries, atlases, encyclopedias to give you definitions and background details. (In that case, sometimes the introductory notes in a commentary can help too.)
Don’t let the fear of doing it “wrong” stop you from taking a shot at interpretation.
Checking a commentary at the end will help us know if we’re on the right track. Pray for wisdom and discernment (Matt. 7:7-8), then jump in! Learn how to study as you study.
Back to Titus 2:3-5
With that said, let’s go back to the passage I started with a few posts ago—Titus 2:3-5. In case you forgot what it was, here it is again for reference:
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, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
So what do we do first?
Determine the Overall Genre
As we discussed in my last post on genre, getting a sense of the type of literature is helpful. In this case, Titus is generally a piece of expository writing, which is a little more direct. Unlike a prophecy or proverb, we can expect less figurative language (though it might still have some).
I’ll confess that the epistles are my favorite genre of biblical literature for this very reason, and I already have a lot of experience here. But there are some finer details that I discovered.
A Little About Reading Epistles
To help extend the little I know, I did a little extra research on the nature of the epistles from Fee and Stuart’s How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth for this post. Here are some things I learned:
The epistles have a general form—as our letters today do—that sets them apart.
Letters can be written to an individual to a church in general—or both.
Paul wrote four letters to individuals (1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon). Of these, the letters to Timothy and Titus are further classified as pastoral epistles because they are meant to help them set up and lead the fledgling church.
Two things to help us understand epistles accurately are: 1) each letter is written in response to an occasion, and 2) it is written in the first century. These two facts can make what would seem rather straightforward exposition a little more challenging to interpret.
Theological discussions found in the epistles are meant to lead to practical applications.
The epistles are not written as summaries or apologetics. If Paul waxes eloquent on a doctrine, it is meant to be the foundation, purpose, and motivation for a distinctly new way of living as new creatures made alive in Christ (Eph. 2:1; 2 Cor. 5:17).
Likewise commands are no longer external rules to follow, for God’s law is now written on our hearts (Jer. 31:33). The truths of Scripture come to bear on the specific occasion and situation—and then lead to commands to live differently.
Which means we need to figure out what that situation is!
Reconstruct the Historical Setting
Reading an epistle is like listening to half a phone conversation. So our first job is to try to reconstruct as accurately as possible the reason why the writer is writing this letter in the first place!
In the first century, the Christian faith is new. It may have ties to Judaism, but they’re not the same. Not only that, it is open to both Jews and Gentiles—and they were starting out at ground zero.
In fact, Titus himself was a converted Gentile (Gal. 2:3). And now he was leading a church in a pagan city? He needed all the help he can get!
This, then, is the occasion for Paul’s letter to Titus. Though I am only focusing on Titus 2:3-5, it is helpful to reread this (thankfully!) short book again with this goal to reconstruct the setting. Some questions I am asking myself include:
What did Titus need help with? What was going on in this first-century church that needed addressing? Was there something that needed correcting?
If he shares doctrinal truth, what does it lead to? In this time in redemption history, why is this important?
Though the letter is addressed to Titus, the focus is his leadership in the church at Crete. So what can we learn about them?
A clue from Titus 1:12 suggests that they are liars, not known for telling the truth. This is in contrast to God, who never lies, a trait Paul particularly highlights in 1:2. They also seemed to be having trouble with false teachers causing trouble and ruining households for dishonest gain (1:10-11)
Besides seeing what is in the text, we may need to do some informed extrapolation based on what Paul does highlight. If we hear Paul commanding certain things, it may be fair to assume that they were struggling with the opposite. Some of these things may include
a lack of self-control (2:5, 12),
enslavement to passions and pleasures (3:3),
foolish controversies over secondary issues (3:9),
and lack of submission and lawlessness to authorities (2:5, 14b).
Specifically, in Titus 2:3-5, I noticed that the address to older and younger women is part of his extended discussion addressed to different members of the household. It is preceded in 1:5-9 with a call to choose elders (older men) and followed with exhortations to younger men in 2:6-8.
At this point, this is a good time to check my work by reviewing some introductory materials on Titus. Here are a few other things I picked up from The Bible Project, the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast episode, and Leland Ryken’s introduction:
Crete was an island off the coast of Greece, but at this time, it was not a vacation destination!
It had strategic harbors, which also made it perfect for a network of churches.
The word “Cretan” is related to the word for liar. They were infamous for their treachery, greed, violence, and sexual corruption. At this time, the church was not very different than their prevailing culture, which was an issue.
This background study starts making the passage come alive! It also prepares us for the next step.
Trace the Argument
Given what we have learned from the culture, it seems like Titus, a Gentile himself, had his hands full leading this church into ways of godliness. With the false teachers pressing in and a pagan culture to fight against, what’s a new pastor to do?
Before I try to zoom into this passage, let’s take a look at the flow.
Chapter 1 starts with salutation, with the writer’s name (1:1), the recipient (1:4), and a greeting or benediction (1:4b).
Right away, Paul jumps straight into the body of the letter with pastoral instructions for Titus to both put into order and appoint elders. As is common throughout Titus, he gives a list of qualifications for both elders and overseers (perhaps deacons?) as well as contrasting traits to avoid.
This list is important because there are many opponents trying to deceive this new church, and they are typical Cretans—liars one and all (1:12-13). To these, Titus is to rebuke them, not merely to put them in their place, but so they would likewise “be sound in the faith.” They sound like they may sound like Christians (1:16) but their disobedient and detestable actions do not match up.
Chapter 2 transitions from the church family to the domestic family. Verses 1-10, of which my selected passage is a part, highlights all the key categories in a home by age, gender, and status. Verses 11-15 close the chapter with some doctrinal truth and a charge to Titus to teach and rebuke courageously, regardless of how people respond to him.
Chapter 3 turns returns back to the church family and outlines specific commands on how the church is to treat one another (vv. 1-2), but these commands are rooted in doctrinal truth (vv. 3-7).
After Paul’s theological reminder, he shows them how to apply these truths once again by exhorting them to do good works (v. 8), a theme that I am noticing as I reread. By listing things they should not do (vv. 9-11), Paul implies that good works are the opposite. The letter closes final instructions and closing benediction (vv. 12-15).
Figure Out How My Passage Fits into the Argument
As I re-read once again, this helps me to orient how Titus 2:3-5 fits in. Good works are evidence of true faith, and unfortunately, this is lacking in those who are causing trouble (1:16).
At this point, I went back to do a quick search in my concordance of “good works.” It shows me that Paul talks about good works four times in Titus (2:7, 14; 3:8, 14). Titus himself is to be a model of good works, and the church is to be zealously devoted to doing good works because this is what God has saved us for.
The problem, it seems, is that this fledgling church was succumbing to the false teachers (who were not fruitful in good works—see Titus 1:16) and living ungodly lives. This makes sense, for a false gospel that does not come from the true Vine will show itself in a lack of fruit (John 15:1-2, 6).
This helps me to understand Titus 2:3-5 much better. This is not merely a call to older women to pass on the faith to the younger woman or help them be better wives, mothers and housekeepers. There is far more at stake here!
In the context of this passage, this is one way older women of faith contribute to this encroachment of false doctrine that weakens the church’s testimony. This is a call for women to share their faith to the next generation of home builders so that through their love for their families, their diligent work at home, “the word of God may not be reviled.” (v. 5)
If we have been saved by the grace of God, we will demonstrate this by renouncing ungodliness and worldly passions and instead live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives today (2:11-12). While we wait for Him to return, we participate in the sanctification process through getting rid of what is evil and committing to growth so that God can purify us as people who are zealous for good works (2:14). This is one way older women can help younger women do just that—in the context of their daily life at home as wives, mothers, and homemakers.
Timeout!
I don’t know about you, but this is all I can take for today! When I get to a point where I have a lot to chew on, I stop so I can think about this a little more.
I’ll continue the process in my next post, so stay tuned! Until then, let these truths settle into your own mind and soul.
