Or, Embodied Doctrine for Those Under Authority
Scripture: Titus 2:9-10
Date: August 18, 2024
Speaker: Sean Higgins
I said at the start of our series through Titus that the burden of the letter is adorning the doctrine of God our Savior. That may sound poetic, some see it as problematic.
In our podcast circle—by which I mean, the kind of teachers we read and listen to and watch their content—some men argue against the idea that we should live the gospel, even calling it “foolishness.” There are reasons for resistance to that language. Perhaps some have hidden behind that language, avoiding hard truths in the name of good works. It is possible to miss the message—which of course the gospel is—by a wrong focus on mission.
The gospel is the truth that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, took on flesh and the form of a servant who never sinned and then died on the cross as a substitute sacrifice for sinners. He was so dead, they buried Him. But after three days in the grave He rose again from the dead, defeating sin and death and demonstrating that God is both just and the justifier for all who believe in Jesus. There is a deep magic woven into creation that when a righteous person gives himself in love for another, life and blessings will abound. Jesus taught and embodied this glory.
What are we supposed to do with the gospel? We are supposed to believe it, receive it, and learn more about it, and obey the One who is at the center of it, and tell others about it. The gospel is the good news of forgiveness and cleansing of conscience and reconciliation unto fellowship with God through the Son by the Spirit. We are saved! In light of the good news, we should also give thanks and give praise and give glory, naming His name.
There is content to our faith. This content/teaching is called doctrine. So sometimes we talk about the faith, the body of teaching. It’s truth, which is sentence-able. You can say it, you can write it out.
AND this truth “accords with godliness” (Titus 1:1). The content fits with a certain kind of conduct. From the start of Titus 2, Paul told Titus to “teach what accords with sound doctrine” and all the things in verses 2-10 are about truth, not just in word but in deed. Verse 10 is the surprising climax of the descriptions, a way for slaves to adorn the doctrine.
Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. (Titus 2:9–10 ESV)
A man can’t wear news, and yet he absolutely can. The difference between a lot of Reformed bros/truth-tubes/serious-doctrine/theology-people and us: we make teaching look good.
We’ve considered virtues for old and young, men and women, along with application for younger men who are church leaders. These are virtues for groups in the church, virtues to take home, but again, less household codes (as such lists are sometimes called) and more church codes.
This sixth group would also be in the church, but they are not singled-out by age or gender. It is a class: bondservants. That’s sort of a made up word in English, intended to be a little easier on modern ears. But Paul is telling Titus what to teach slaves. This group must have had enough liberty to meet with some other believers sometime, but while some would have been more like family, and some more like employees, others would be more like property. They had a boss, they had a master, and our English word despots is derived from the word used here (δεσπότης).
The first virtue for them was to be submissive to their own masters in everything. Be subject to, yield to the will of another.
Like a wife with her own husband (not every man), so a slave with his own master. It’s a recognition of dignity that a slave was not every-and-anyone else’s tool.
In our context, employees are not slaves, but they have something to learn. We can see application for those under authority. The point is, in certain relationships, the way to embody sound doctrine is to follow instructions/orders (and see Titus 3:1 for more).
They were to live as those under authority, and there are four particulars of that, two do nots in the middle of two dos.
To be well-pleasing is everywhere else in the NT directed toward God. If one pleases God, the greater Lord, it seems one would in most cases be pleasing the lesser, human lord by extension. This seems in context, however, to be concerned with caring about the joy of the earthly master. Don’t be reluctant because it might make the boss happy.
To be not argumentative is to resist anti-speech, or what parents of my generation called being a back-talker. These are AFRs: Arguing First-Responders. What a testimony “Yes, sir” can be. What exhaustion it is, for everyone involved, for smart-aleck questioning. They must be told and convinced, and how often does the talking about what is to be done take more time than doing it? You weren’t saved to be a smart-mouth.
To be not pilfering acknowledges that many slaves were given responsibility for assets, and perhaps not given many extra resources as slaves, so skimming off the top or dealing under the table were regular temptations. Ananias and Sapphira “kept back” in Acts 5:2-3. The Cretans were known as liars anyway (Titus 1:12), so stealing from the boss was probably the expected behavior. Don’t misappropriate.
To be showing all good faith is an interesting phrase, one not found anywhere else in Scripture. Good is found alongside of faith, yes, but “good faith” stands out. When we act in good faith we demonstrate that we are honest and fair.
Then we get to the purpose statement: so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.
Adorn is doing the good work here. It translates the Greek word cosmeo (κοσμέω), and the noun form is cosmos. Our word cosmetics derives from this, to arrange and highlight highlight for beauty. It’s order rather than disorder, formed and filled instead of tohu va bohu—without form and void. Not just organizing or fixing, make it look good. Show off how attractive it is. And again, in everything.
Two surprises: First, we would not think the doctrine of God our Savior needs adorning. And, while it does not need to be made good, it can and has been made to look not good by many who profess to believe it. Christians act as if believing the good news increases our knowledge of how much we need the good news, not our rejoicing in what the good news accomplishes. Go ahead, live doctrine up.
Second, we would not think slaves would be adorners. Strange, isn’t it? And as an argument from the lesser to the greater, if even the lowest can adorn the greatest, then how much more should all of us?
Interesting parallel instruction for slaves in 1 Timothy 6:1-2, “so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled,” with follow up about especially not being disrespectful to believing masters just because they are brothers.
Adorn the doctrine, make it look good. Our habits of life matter, including how we respond when we are under authority, for our jealousability in light of God our Savior.
It is one thing to obey totally, happily, immediately, and quickly. Is your obedience attractive? You know, and have so much, good teaching, so, Christian, make it look good. Adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24–25 ESV)