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LESSON 1 ... VERSE 3
... WRITTEN THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2005:
What pressure today is on Christian
womanhood!
There's an
all-out battle in our land to change the roles of the sexes!
Overthrow the
traditional place of the woman!
In her stead put
Ms. Modern America!
But ... WHAT is a
Christian lady to do?
What are her most outstanding
characteristics?
How does she
behave?
In what way is
she different?
Paul the Apostle
goes a long way in answering such questions in Titus 2:3-5.
For example,
verse 3 says: "The aged women likewise,
that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false
accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things."
Paul is going
through all the age groups in the Church. He instructs each of
them concerning proper Christian living.
He, in his
Epistle to Titus, addresses older men, then older women ... then
younger ladies, followed by younger men! He elsewhere even
includes children.
"Aged women" is a
term ("presbutis") that suggests those who are older in years,
who have faithfully followed Jesus for some time! "Presbus" in
Greek just means elderly. No where else in Scripture is this
feminine term used!
The noun for "behaviour"
is "katastema" and literally means "a standing down." Here is
indicated a manner of life that establishes some things! That
really stands for something! Not living passively or vainly ...
but with resolve and purpose! This specific word also is only
used here in all the Bible!
I believe that
Christian ladies who live truly godly lives just may be a bit
out of the ordinary nowadays, as rare as the words used here to
describe them!
The phrase "as
becometh holiness" combines two words: "hieros" means sacred
and "prepo" means "to stand up or to stick out" ... hence, to be
obvious or noticeable! Paul certainly here is not teaching
ladies to be proud or ostentatious, but to not be ashamed of
their godliness either!
Godly living ...
that becomes visible because it's so different from the world!
There should be
nothing embarrassing about one's moral purity or modesty of
dress or lack of clamor!
"False accusers,"
in Greek "diabolos," is a word that's used for the devil 35
times in the New Testament! It actually means to throw ("ballo")
harsh accusing words through ("dia") someone! Malicious use of
the tongue is here forbidden! The devil is the "accuser" of the
brethren ... and the sisters too!
And the verb
"given" in the "wine" sentence is a classic! "Douloo,"
reflecting the common word for a house slave ("doulos") means
"to be in bondage" to something. Ladies, Paul is saying, stay
away from the wine! Remember Proverbs 20:1 ---
"Wine
is a mocker, strong
drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."
Obviously Timothy
was an abstainer from strong drink, based on Doctor Paul's
medical advice in 1st Timothy 5:23 ---
"Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's
sake and thine often infirmities." See, Timothy for
years normally drank only water!
Godly aged women
acted likewise!
Then ...
"teachers of good things" translates just one word! "Kalodidaskalos"
means to aid in the learning ("dao") of that which is lovely or
proper. "Good" in a visible sense! There's another word for
good in an "inner" intrinsic sense, "agathos."
These traits of
righteousness, tailored for the ladies, deal with one's
behavior, one's brain and one's body.
Thank the Lord
for godly ladies!
I recently
studied some research material that suggested in modern days a
total "paradigm" shift has occurred among women.
Girls now are
admiring and emulating and patterning their lives after such
people as "porn" stars and "strippers" and "hollywood" queens of
various sorts!
The sensual area
of life has begun to dominate American culture ... even with
women!
Suddenly
"exhibitionism" is all right ... even at Church apparently!
It now seems the
body, its appearance and size and dress, is far more important
than one's spirit and soul!
WELL ... all such
talk is pure worldliness!
That deluded kind
of thinking is foreign to godly Christianity!
And the pressure
... is often on the ladies.
To conform, to
"sell out," to compromise!
Sisters reading
these lines today ... you are admired by many old-fashioned
Bible Believers for your stand on godly living!
For being ...
"in behaviour as becometh holiness, not
false accusers, not given to much wine" ... and
ultimately, "teachers of good things!"
The ladies
described in Titus 2:3-5 are NOT drifting down the raunchy
stream of culture and feminism and immodesty!
Thank God, some
women are different!
The truly saved,
Spirit-filled, dedicated ones!
May God bless
you!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2 ... VERSE 4:
(WRITTEN FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2005)
Women
constitute a major force in any society!
And when it
comes to the Church ... the ladies are important too!
So much so
that Paul the Apostle writes to a young Preacher named Titus,
saying that the older godly women should teach the younger wives
certain things.
Here are a few
of the subjects in which a Christian wife and mother would want
to excel: loving their own husbands and loving their
children and being what Paul calls "sober" too.
Read with me
Titus 2:4. "That they (the older
ladies) may teach the young women to be sober, to love their
husbands, to love their children."
The clause
"they may teach to be sober" is a translation of just one verb,
"sophronizo." It means being "of a sound, healthy mind!"
"Sophron," its root, is derived from the verb "sozo" (to save, to
deliver) and the noun "phren" (the mind). Our word
has the idea of being "sensible." It is often said to
include the idea of "self-control."
The students
here, the "young women" (in Greek = "neos"), means new or fresh
... in the sense of age. In the early Church older women
were apparently sixty or over ... while the younger women
(obviously wives with young children) would have still been of
child bearing age.
"To love their
husbands" is also a one-word term. "Philandros" means to
like or to love ("phileo") the man ("aner") in one's life.
In context, that would be the husbands of these wives. The
words carry the idea of being a "friend" to the husband also!
Similarly, "to
love their children" is "philoteknos." It means to be fond
of one's offspring. In those cruel ancient days it was
common for an unwanted child to be discarded, thrown out into a
field to die of starvation! Today the answer is much more
simple: abortion!
Of course these ladies
to whom Paul is writing lived in a heathen culture. So do
we Americans. They needed to be instructed that
"womanhood" was NOT a dirty word! That having a husband
and a family was God's plan for their lives! And that they
were important to the Lord's program!
Notice the
"paradigm" that's being established here. Generally
speaking a young girl will grow up, marry a man of godly
character, be his friend and companion and lover, and bear and
rear children to the glory of God! That's raising up what
Malachi calls "godly seed." And that just means
godly boys and girls! (Malachi 2:15)
There is
somewhat of a "revolution" happening in this wicked world today.
Many many women are no longer satisfied being what God made
them! They don't like their "sex!" They want to be
men! They don't like their traditional roles either!
They don't want children! They don't want husbands!
They don't want godly lifestyles!
As startling
as it may seem, many young women today in the Lesbian world are
having surgical operations, medically altering their appearance ... to be
more manlike!
That's a form
of rank rebellion ... against God as Creator!
Let's stop
right now and thank God for the Christian young ladies who have
heeded Titus 2:4. Women who are "sober minded" and "love
their husbands and their children!"
This verse is
full of "hapax legomena!" Those are words that occur only
once in a body of literature! The expressions "teach to be
sober" (as a verb), and "to love their husbands" as well as "to
love their children" all are found only here in the whole Bible!
We have
studied one unique verse today!
A godly lady
is a powerful weapon in the Lord's arsenal! An ungodly one
is exactly that for the devil too!
Many Christian
girls have reached maturity, married, and molded their thinking
... then their whole lives ... around Paul's inspired
instructions here.
"The aged women likewise, that they be in
behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to
much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the
young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their
children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good,
obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not
blasphemed." Titus 2:3-5
Godly ladies,
we respect you!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3, VERSE 5:
Morality!
That has become
the issue of our day!
The world would
have us believe that purity of life just doesn't matter.
And men ... as
well as many women now ... have believed the lie.
Paul the great
Apostle, in Titus 2, highlights the importance of godly living
for all Believers in Christ Jesus.
Even the ladies,
often overlooked in those ancient days, are mentioned.
Both the older
and the younger women are given precise instructions on right
behavior. That is ... for someone who has been saved by the
Grace of God.
Listen:
"The aged women likewise, that they be
in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not
given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach
the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love
their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home,
good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be
not blasphemed." Titus 2:3-5
Holiness of life
is particularly highlighted by the word "chaste" in that
last verse.
There Scripture
lists five great characteristics of a born-again young lady.
"... to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to
their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."
Titus 3:5
The adjective
"discreet" is the Greek word "sophron." It means to have a
right "mind," right "thinking" about the things of God!
Sensible! It also carries the idea of being self-controlled.
Living with one's mind ruling his or her body ... rather than
the body and its passions ruling the mind! Two Greek words ...
"sozo" = to save and "phren" = the mind are here combined.
Literally, a saved mind! And even "phren," the mind, is derived
from an earlier verb "phrao," meaning "to curb or reign in"
something! See the discipline in the expression!
But now to the
word "chaste." Christian ladies are "chaste."
In reality such
chastity is expected of all Believers, men as well as women!
Paul wrote to Timothy, "Keep thyself
pure." See 1st Timothy 5:22.
The adjective
here is "hagnos." In Titus the word is written in the feminine
gender. It means clear or clean or pure! It especially focuses
upon moral issues! In 2nd Corinthians 11:2 Paul wanted to
present the whole Church as a "chaste" virgin (a bride) to the
Bridegroom, Jesus Christ our Lord! That gives us an idea of how
he viewed the word.
"Keepers at home"
is a rather controversial term now. "Oikouros" combines "oikos,"
a dwelling or a house, and "ouros," a guard! Guarding one's
home! Often this word is used to depict someone who never leaves
the house ... but that's just not implied in the word's
history. Nor is any "clutter" in your home under review here,
ladies. It means that you oversee the well-being of your
family, watching carefully for any danger. Spirit-filled
Christian ladies are great at spotting approaching trouble!
"Good," the next
requirement for mature feminine spirituality, translates "agathos,"
a key word that means "excellent, honorable, beneficial or
distinguished." It is a goodness that exists internally. It
is in-born of the Spirit of God! Once a lady is saved, such
goodness is intrinsic. While the lost world talks about being
"bad to the bone," the word "agathos" pictures being "good to
the bone!" To the core of one's being!
The now
"politically incorrect" one is listed next! "Obedient to one's
own husband" says Paul! Not a rebel! The participle here, a
verbal adjective, is "hupotasso." It's a military term! To
"obey" in this sense: to arrange oneself in the order God has
commanded in His Word! "Tasso" means to get in line where you
have been placed by the officer in charge! "Hupo," the prefix
just means "under" authority. Bu the way, everyone in the
Christian life is "under" some authority! And we all are
"under" the Lord!
It seems that in
Paul's day there was a miniature "women's liberation" movement
in progress! Greek ladies were trying to break the patterns of
years of tradition. BUT Paul asked the Christian ladies not to
do so! To remain quite and submissive and holy and family
oriented and godly!
Why?
Among other
reasons ... "that the word of God be not blasphemed."
"Blasphemed" ) is
the Greek verb "blasphemeo" (from "pheme" = a saying ... and "blapto"
= to hurt or injure). Obviously we have adopted this very word
into English! Such terms are called "loan words."
Paul wants us
Believers to live right, to live godly ... so that the Word of
God and the Cause of Christ are not harmed!
Here we have an
example of folks who are expected to curtail certain activities
... because those things may hurt the Christian Faith!
And the Lord's
people, those truly born-again, including the ladies, gladly
comply!
Ladies, I say it
again!
You are admired
and appreciated for your manner of life ... your holy and pure
and sweet manner of life!
So unlike the
world!
May God bless
you, our Sisters in Christ!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
THREE SHORT LESSONS ... BUT WE HAVE EXAMINED
EACH KEY WORD IN THE WHOLE PASSAGE! OH, HOW WE SHOULD
HONOR THOSE WOMEN WHO ARE TRULY LIVING GODLY CHRISTIAN LIVES!
WE SHOULD RISE US AND CALL THEM ALL "BLESSED!" PROVERBS
31:28
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