Paul has just described those who are rebellious against God as "detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good". Titus is to stand out as a stark contrast to this, both in what he teaches and how he lives his life. He is to teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. He is also to teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, sound in faith, love and endurance. So he is to teach others to live a godly life, not a Cretan life.
The women are to be taught likewise. One shudders to think what life was like in Crete at that time. Perhaps one of our city centres on a Saturday night would give a rough picture. The women were to be taught to teach what is good. The younger women were to be urged to be good wives and to submit to their husbands. Now this no doubt causes the hackles of some to rise, but this is because we have a distorted view of what submission means. It does not mean that the husband is domineering or gets all his own way. Rather the husband is meant to be like Christ, sacrificing his life for the good of his wife (Ephesian 5:21:33).
Young men are to be self-controlled. Self-control is one of the key fruits of the Holy Spirit,, and stands in stark contrast to the way that society is going. Then Titus is urged to be a living example of all that he teaches.
Slaves are to be good workers. Now we need to remember that being a slave was quite normal in those days, and this is not supporting "human trafficking" or similar exercises as some seem to claim. Slaves are to be an example of a Christlike life.
This chapter closes with a summing up of the motivation for all this. Christ has appeared to offer salvation to all. And this salvation teaches us to say no to ungodly passions. We do not have to go the way of the world. And Christ is the supreme example of how we go about presenting this good news to the world.
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