Commentary - Titus 2:3-5

Bird's-eye view

In this potent little section of Titus, the Apostle Paul lays out the curriculum for a healthy church, and it is a curriculum that runs entirely contrary to the spirit of our age. This is not about setting up formal, bureaucratic programs; it is about establishing a culture of discipleship that flows naturally from the character of godly saints. Specifically, Paul turns his attention to the women. He instructs the older women, seasoned in faith and life, to take the younger women by the hand and teach them the high calling of Christian domesticity. This is a glory that our world has forgotten, and sadly, that much of the church has forgotten as well. The goal is not to produce repressed little housewives, but rather to cultivate a feminine piety that is robust, sensible, joyful, and ordered. The ultimate aim of this domestic discipleship is profoundly theological: it is so that the Word of God, the gospel itself, will not be slandered by the watching world. The Christian home is meant to be a billboard for the gospel, and the conduct of Christian women within that home is a central part of the message.

Paul’s instructions here are a direct assault on the twin errors of feminism on the one hand and a detached, unbiblical pietism on the other. He is not interested in women who are either corporate ladder climbers or cloistered mystics. He is interested in women who are building Christian civilization from the ground up, starting in their own homes. This passage is a divine mandate for a grassroots, woman-to-woman ministry that is essential for the health and witness of the church. Without it, the church becomes unmoored from the created order and its testimony is compromised.

Outline

Context In Titus

The book of Titus is one of the Pastoral Epistles, written by Paul to his apostolic delegate, Titus, whom he had left on the island of Crete. The task was a difficult one: to "put in order what remained, and appoint elders in every city" (Titus 1:5). Crete was a notoriously corrupt and dysfunctional culture, and the churches there were infected with this cultural rot. Paul's letter is a blueprint for establishing gospel order in the midst of chaos. After dealing with the qualifications for elders and the problem of false teachers in chapter 1, Paul turns in chapter 2 to the various demographics within the church. He gives instructions for older men, older women, younger women, younger men, and slaves. This is not a random collection of ethical advice; it is a strategic plan for building a robust Christian society that will be a powerful witness to the pagan world. The instructions for the women in verses 3-5 are a critical piece of this larger project of bringing the Cretan church to health and maturity.

Key Issues

A Culture of Godly Discipleship

What Paul outlines here is nothing less than a counter-culture. The Cretans were known as "always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons" (Titus 1:12). In a world like that, the Christian community was to be an outpost of sanity, order, and goodness. And this transformation was not going to happen through a top-down, programmatic approach alone. It required the cultivation of a culture where godliness was passed down organically from one generation to the next. The older women, having walked with the Lord for years, were to be the repositories of practical wisdom. They had managed homes, raised children, loved husbands, and navigated the challenges of life. They were now to turn around and invest that accumulated capital into the next generation. This is not a formal "women's ministry" in the modern sense, with its own budget and staff and committee meetings. This is life-on-life discipleship, happening over coffee, in living rooms, and in the midst of daily life. It is the ordinary means of grace applied to the ordinary spheres of life, and it is absolutely essential for the church's health.

Verse by Verse Commentary

3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good,

Paul begins with the older women, the matriarchs of the faith. Their instruction is fourfold. First, their behavior, their whole deportment, is to be reverent. The word suggests a priest-like demeanor, appropriate for someone who lives in the temple of the Holy Spirit. This is a woman who carries herself with a settled gravity and grace that comes from a long walk with God. Second, she is not to be a malicious gossip. The Greek word is diabolos, the same word used for the devil. A slanderer is doing the devil's work. This sin is particularly tempting for those who have more time on their hands, and it is a cancer in the church. A godly older woman bridles her tongue. Third, she is not to be enslaved to much wine. In a world without modern painkillers, the temptation to self-medicate with wine would have been strong. But enslavement to any substance is incompatible with lordship to Christ. She is to be self-controlled. Finally, and positively, she is to be a teacher of what is good. Her life is not over; she has a vital teaching ministry to fulfill. And the curriculum is defined in the next verses.

4 so that they may instruct the young women in sensibility: to love their husbands, to love their children,

The teaching ministry of the older women has a specific aim: to instruct the young women. The word for instruct here means to train, to bring to one's senses, to encourage. It's a hands-on, mentoring relationship. And what is the first subject on the syllabus? Sensibility. They are to teach them to be husband-lovers and children-lovers. The Greek uses two compound words here, philandros and philoteknos. This is not about a sentimental, Hollywood-style romance. It is about a deep, abiding, affectionate loyalty. I would render it that they are to teach the young women to be "into their husbands" and "into their kids." This is a matter of their orientation, their priorities. In a fallen world, and especially in a culture as corrupt as Crete, this kind of focused, domestic affection does not come naturally. It must be taught, modeled, and encouraged. The older women are to show the younger women how to cultivate a warm affection for the very people God has placed at the center of their lives.

5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be slandered.

The curriculum continues with a list of virtues that define this domestic calling. They are to be sensible or discreet, not given to emotional frenzies but exercising sound judgment. They are to be pure, chaste in thought and deed, faithful to the marriage covenant. They are to be workers at home. The Greek is oikourgos, which means busy at home, keepers at home. This does not mean a woman is chained to her house, but it does mean her priority is the home. She is the executive director of that domain, responsible for its management and productivity. She is to be kind, or good, demonstrating a gracious and generous spirit. And, climactically, she is to be subject to their own husbands. This is the biblical pattern of headship and submission that images the relationship between Christ and the Church. It is not a matter of inferiority, but of God-ordained order and function. And then Paul gives the ultimate reason for this entire domestic curriculum: so that the word of God will not be slandered. When Christian women live out this pattern, the gospel is adorned. When they do not, when their homes are chaotic, their marriages are filled with strife, and their priorities are worldly, the watching world looks on and concludes that this Christianity thing is a sham. The reputation of the gospel is at stake in the way a Christian woman runs her home.

Application

The instructions in Titus 2 are not a cultural relic from a bygone era. They are the timeless Word of God, and they are desperately needed in our confused and chaotic age. For the older women in the church, this is your high calling. You are not to be put out to pasture. You are to be the generals in the army, training the new recruits. Look around you. Find a younger woman to invest in. Teach her how to love her husband, how to manage her home, how to raise her children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Share your wisdom, your failures, and your faith. Your ministry is absolutely indispensable.

For the younger women, this is your assignment. Humbly seek out the wisdom of the older women. Reject the lies of feminism that tell you that fulfillment is found in a corner office. Your calling to be a wife and mother and homemaker is not a consolation prize; it is a glorious and strategic post in the kingdom of God. Embrace it with joy and diligence. Learn to be "into your husband" and "into your kids." Cultivate a home that is a haven of peace, order, and hospitality. Understand that your faithfulness in the so-called "little things" of domestic life is a massive testimony to a watching world. When you live this way, you are not just making a home; you are making a compelling argument for the truth and beauty of the gospel.