We don’t know very much about Paul’s mission to the
island of Crete; in fact, no records exist of when he was actually there, but
we know he was (see Titus 1:5). The letter that Paul sent to Titus was meant to
assist this faithful young man as he put things in order and set the new believers
into churches in Crete. Paul shares very practical advice on what specific
groups to address and what to talk to them about.
In Titus 2:9-10, Paul focuses on what today would be the
large, middle-income working class. Bondservants of Paul’s day were the blue-collar
workers, the office workers, the laborers who made the country run. Many of
these had come to faith in Christ during Paul’s visit to Crete.
“[Slaves] 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).
Here is a brief synopsis of Paul’s teaching for them:
1. Be
obedient to their bosses. They were to submit to the leadership of the place of
business where they worked.
2. They
were to be “well pleasing in all things.” This meant they were to do their work
with excellence, with an eye for detail and with a good attitude.
3. They
were to handle conflict with grace, and use wisdom and courtesy by not
answering back.
4. They
were not to pilfer. That means no stealing. If that pen in your pocket belongs
to the company, why is it on its way to your desk at home? Pilfering shows a
lack of integrity.
5. Good
workers are loyal and dependable. Paul emphasizes this when he says, “Show all
good fidelity.”
This is practical advice for believers living in a
corrupt and immoral society, which is exactly what Crete was known to be (and how
about the world we live in today?).
Not only is this good advice for daily living but Paul
brings it into sharp focus when he says, “So
that in everything they may adorn the
doctrine of God our Savior” (Titus 2:10).
How can we adorn or make attractive the teaching which is
about our Savior?
First, let’s talk about the word “adorn.” Paul may have
been engaging in a little wordplay here. Crete was known as a center for the
manufacture of jewelry; we could say it was “the bling capital of the first
century.” So Paul, who was no slouch with words, may have been using this to
capture the attention of Titus and the Cretans.
The word adorn means to present something in a
way that makes what it is attached to more attractive, like an ornament on a
tree, or jewelry on a pretty lady. The second way this word is commonly used in
the New Testament is to trim, as in “trimming the lamp.” Why were lamps
“trimmed”? Because after hours of use, the wick would burn down, ash would
accumulate on the wick, and the light from the lamp would dim considerably. A
trimmed lamp had the ash removed and the wick slightly elevated so that the
amount of light that went forth was noticeably increased.
To “adorn the doctrine of God” does not mean to add to
the gospel . . . not at all. The heart of what Paul is saying here is that when
we truly embrace and live the truth of the gospel, we attractively show the
message to unbelievers. There is nothing more persuasive to the unbeliever than
the life of someone living in the grace and mercy of the Lord — it is
compelling to them! Don’t worry about what they say or how they may insult or
ridicule; the life of a believer fully committed to Him brings the presence of
the Holy Spirit with it and that brings conviction and a drawing to Christ.
Paul is saying to the Cretans, “When you live like a
believer, you show forth the qualities of obedience, excellence, grace,
integrity and loyalty! The amount and quality of the light you show to the
world is greatly enhanced and they will see God’s life in you much more
clearly!”
What does it mean if, instead of showing forth these
qualities as believers, we show forth the opposite? What does that do to the
beauty of the message? Ouch!
The message, then, is, “We can adorn the doctrine of God
by the life we live.”
One hundred years ago in Japan, businessmen would seek
out and hire Christians, at that time just a tiny, tiny minority of the
population, to work in the financial areas of their businesses. Why would they
look for Christians? Because Christians in Japan were known to be people of
exceptional integrity. Is that a great testimony or what?
As St. Francis of Assisi was reported to have said,
“Preach the gospel always and, when necessary, use words.”
