Living Within The Family

As we anticipate another Avengers movie at the end of this year, I was thinking about that moment near the end of Avengers: Endgame. (If you’re not familiar with the scene, some superheroes are fighting evil and it isn’t going well). Everything has fallen apart. The team is scattered. Half the universe was gone. Even when the fight starts, it’s chaos—one man against an army. And then… portals start opening. One by one, people step through and emerge to fight, from seemingly the four corners of the universe. But the moment isn’t just that everyone returns—it’s what happens next. They don’t just show up. They fall into place. Lines form. Roles are clear. Movement is coordinated. And Captain America looks out at all of it and simply says, “Avengers… assemble.” At that moment, chaos becomes order. The order wasn’t because new people arrived as much as everything finally came together in the way it was supposed to.

We’ve been looking for three weeks at the First Principles of Community Life. We’ve seen how God has a plan, that through the church His glory is seen throughout the world. And, those people are a family – a household. Our earthly families have an order to them that helps us function in a way God intended, centered on Christ. And, today, we see what it means to living within this family of the families the church. In our passage today, much like the scene in Endgame, Paul is writing to Titus, who he has left on the island of Crete after planting some churches there. In Titus 1:5, Paul gives him a task: “set in order what remains.” The church was there with all the people that knew Christ, but there was a deeper need for alignment. They needed established and put in order. Titus would bring people together and set things in order to help the church become who she was meant to be. 

If you read chapter 1, you can see how unsettled things were. And, the charge for Titus is to set things in order, which means “to cause matters to be ordered in the correct manner—to set right, to correct, to put into order” (LN); “set right or correct in addition to what has already been corrected” (BGD); “correct afterwards, to have deficiencies set right also, complete unfinished reforms” (LSJ). We’re focusing today on chapter 2. This entire chapter gives us a sense of what it means to have sound doctrine. Titus was to appoint elders who would give instruction in sound doctrine (1:9) because many were “insubordinate, empty talkers, and deceivers” (1:10) being dealt with in Crete. Like all of us when we first come to Christ or continue to progress in Him, some rough edges need to be addressed, because [we] “…profess to know God, but [could] deny Him by [our] works, [being] detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work” (1:16).

What do you think constitutes sound doctrine? What would having sound doctrine produce? How might it impact the way you live? Or does it? Some of us may have an idea that sound doctrine is a good distance from how we live. Today, these are some of things we’ll engage as we explore a simple formula for understanding sound doctrine. It’s this: Sound Doctrine = Healthy Intergenerational Formation + Sensible Missional Living. (Let’s read Titus 2:1-15 together. [This is God’s Word; thanks be to God.]) 

Sound Doctrine = Healthy Intergenerational Formation + Sensible Missional Living. 

To understand our equation, let’s notice something about the I. The Problem: We’ve Shrunk“Sound Doctrine” (Titus 2:1; Reed on *hugiainō*; Getz)

You might notice that chapter is bracketed by two tiny verses that we can easily miss because of all the other exciting stuff here in chapter 2. Verse 1 tells us: “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” In saying, “what accords,” Paul is inviting Titus to teach what is “consistent with”: “to be clearly seen, to be distinguished in or by a thing”(LSJ).

When we’re thinking of that description of “sound doctrine”, let’s think about the word “sound” (hygiano): “[It comes from a word group that] has the sense of ‘healthy,’ rational, intelligent, reliable, whole.” “The reference is to true teaching, to teaching that makes one whole. This teaching, validated by the apostles, is concerned, not with speculation, but with true, rational, and proper life in the world.” (TDNTA); literally, it means “to be sound, healthy, in health” (LSJ).

Then, we add in v.15 – “Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.” Let’s zero in what it means to teach with “all authority.” “All” speaks of “complete, completely, total, totally.” (LN) And, “authority” speaks of Titus’s “right to command, authority to command, authority” (LN); it’s really similar to the word “appoint” we saw in 1:9. Taking all of this together, Paul is giving pretty clear instructions to Titus. He’s saying: The things I am directing you in are clearly part of the sound doctrine I delivered to the churches; they carry apostolic authority. And you carry this authority in establishing this teaching; it’s the same authority you are commending to the elders, whom I commanded you to develop and appoint. That clearly means that this teaching carries Paul’s apostolic authority, and it is to be applied with authority by all future apostolic leaders and the elders they appoint; it is perpetual, for all churches. The household codes are Jesus’ commands.

In our tradition, we assume that if we get doctrine right, then right living will follow. And, there’s a quote in your notes from Gene Getz: “Paul's primary strategy for resolving this problem [in Crete], however, was not teaching 'sound doctrine' per se. If it had been, he would have spelled out carefully what this sound doctrine should be. Rather, he concentrated on what should *accompany* sound doctrine... Some believe and teach that emphasizing 'sound doctrine' will automatically result in a 'godly lifestyle.' If this were true, Paul would not have spent the bulk of his letter spelling out what should accompany sound doctrine — what that lifestyle should be." Or to put it another way: sound doctrine is healthy holistic doctrine. What we believe affects our lives from the top of our heads to the bottom of our feet. The question Titus 2 is answering is important: what does healthy doctrine actually look like within a community?

Notice that sound doctrine equals something… II. The Design: Intergenerational FormationAcross the Household (Titus 2:2–10)

There’s an intergenerational formation here. First, older men and older women: Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good…

Why does Paul say that these instructions are clearly seen in the sound teaching? Remember, he will not say the same things the same way every time he addresses older men and older women in churches, as illustrated in the two family-household-texts and in the two community-household-texts of qualifications for elders. Older men and women are to set an example for younger men and women and, more indirectly, for masters and slaves. They are part of the process of helping the family of families fully mature.

Next, we turn to younger women and younger men: and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

Again, why does he say what he says here? He’s making the case that these things are clearly seen (shine out from) the sound teaching (the faith, the deposit, the sound doctrine). Younger women are to center on their families by loving their husbands and children, being good managers of their households, and being submissive to their husbands, which is key to a church being a mature family of families, intergenerationally. Younger men are primarily to be a model of good occupations, and when they do any teaching, they need to be careful to show integrity and gravity and sound speech.

There are some special notes on the younger men. Look at these keywords: the language used here make this vision of being a model of good works pop. The word good (typos) is “beautiful, fit, useful, free from defects” (BGD), and “work” is about “workmanship” (DBL). “These words, common from Homer, denote action or active zeal. They occur in relation to all kinds of work, working with various materials, building, technical, and cultural activity. They also denote work as a social or ethical task.” (TNDTA) Young men are to establish themselves with a good reputation in the community by their occupations, workmanship, and businesses. Dignity is also an important word here (at the end of v.7). It means “gravity: seriousness, respectful behavior” (DBL), warning younger men to teach with the right attitude, not riling people up out of disrespect.

And, let’s not miss the instructions for slaves: Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

While slavery does not directly affect individual households in our lives, Paul gives the same guidelines to servants in all family-household-codes in Ephesians and Colossians, as well as in the 1 Timothy community-household-text. What Paul adds here is that this kind of response, within the family-of-families context, is especially powerful in adorning the gospel among the watching Cretans. Putting this together, then, we see an entire community organized around generational investment rather than individual spiritual maintenance. The way we step into order and life together is by investing in future generations with intensity. Intergenerational formation is vital to sound doctrine.

Why does this matter? Let me point out, with significance, III. The Stakes: Three MissionalCompletions (Titus 2:5, 8, 10) 5 that the word of God may not be reviled. 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us 10 so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

While I’m saying this passage is about sound doctrine coming through the health of the church and our building in future generations, we don’t stop there. Every directive is linked to a missional purpose clause (or how the Gospel extends to others). Did you catch that as we walked through the passage? In v.5, we live so that the word is not dishonored. In v.8, speaking is done to put the opponent to shame. In v.10, it’s so that in everything the Gospel is adorned.

That word “adorn” in v.10 means to arrange beautifully. The ordered intergenerational community makes the gospel compelling to unbelievers. The flip side is the hard edge: when God’s household, the church, is disordered, we’re not just missing a blessing — we’re handing the opponent ammunition. When in v.15, Paul compels Titus with the charge, “Let no one disregard you.” He’s suggesting that if we just explain away the call of this chapter, and say this is an optional add-on, we are “deficient,” not measuring up to the order God has established for us. It should sting. And, these words are meant to draw us out to a kind of living that accords with sound doctrine.

You can likely see that I’ve neglected one more section in vv.11-14 – IV. The Power: GraceTrains (Titus 2:11–14) 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

The grace of God has appeared (in the person and work of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior)— and it *trains* us. The household ordering isn’t a discipline we should attempt to manufacture; it’s what grace-formed people look like in community, oriented toward the blessed hope. We live this way because it’s God’s very design for us.

Really, in this last section, Paul is simply reviewing the essence of the household codes for community members, which he has made plain. The instructions for older men, older women, younger women, younger men, and slaves. He summarizes what our focus should be: “a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.” Our good deeds, together with the witness of our community life according to the household codes of the community, are the essence of how we take the Gospel into the lives of others. 

Today, we’ve seen that Sound Doctrine = Healthy Intergenerational Formation + Sensible Missional Living. We dug into…I. The Problem: We’ve Shrunk “Sound Doctrine” (Titus 2:1; Reed on *hugiainō*; Getz) II. The Design: Intergenerational Formation Across the Household (Titus 2:2–10) III. The Stakes: Three Missional Completions (Titus 2:5, 8, 10) IV. The Power: Grace Trains (Titus 2:11–14)

Let me summarize this again as we close:

1) Members of the household must keep their focus on older men setting an example for younger men; older women must be diligent to assist younger women in the very difficult task of building strong families within the family of families; younger men must build solid reputations for doing good works, and if they focus on teaching, they must take care not to use careless speech and bring about censuring.

2) If we get our churches properly set in order according to the community household codes, we will be a powerful witness, especially within our families. This will protect our churches from those upsetting our families or our churches with unsound teaching (like we see in Crete); and we will make the gospel attractive, even beautiful, to the watching communities and cultures around us.

3) If we do not follow these community household codes, we give Satan an open door into our churches to upset whole households and for younger men to upset the household community. Both will weaken our witness to the watching world. But it is clear that following these household codes adorns the gospel among the communities and cultures in which our churches reside.

I hope you can see, once again, how central Jesus is to everything we’re doing. He has appeared and changed our lives. This life change involves us being changed to walk in His household order. And it also leads us to sound doctrine, which comes through healthy intergenerational formation and sensible missional living.

We have Discussion Questions for you to use again:

• Where do you see your role in this family, and how might you fulfill that role?
• Why is it important that you are formed by others in the church?
• How do you think this formation with others can happen in your life?

We want our live together in community to be all about knowing Jesus and making Him known, so let’s heed the call to embrace sound doctrine and be a people who glorify and enjoy Him forever.