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Verse 1

Week 4: Titus 2:1-3 THE AGED

1. But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

1. This passage should draw us all to evaluate how we view our aged and it should draw the aged to evaluate themselves. Just how do they stack up against this list? How do we allow them to minister in our churches? Are they part of the leadership? Are they in the teaching business?

Or more to the point, do you have any aged folks in your church? Many churches have changed so much that the aged don’t feel comfortable there any more. They have left and moved on to other churches or in many cases just stopped going to church.

Many are aghast that older believers would dare stop going to church, but when they can gain more fellowship talking to their spouse than they can with other believers at church, why bother getting out and around to go to church.

The church has bent over backwards to draw in the young, to draw in the lost, to draw in all sorts, but they have done nothing to maintain the elder portion of their church. In fact most churches have alienated their older generation. Sure, it is easy to blame the elders, they are being picky etc. are the reasons given to excuse the concerns of the older folks.

A friend in the mid-west told me of their church’s methods in bringing in contemporary music. They didn’t talk about it, they just did it. They moved to a completely contemporary service with no thought to how it would be received. When some of the folks gathered to question the elders, who by the way weren’t elders in age, only in office, they were told that the music would stay and that the young people liked it.

Now, we see - the church is for the young - not sure what the Biblical basis for this thought was. The people were also told that the music policy had been changed by the elders months before the service and that the contemporary service was the outgrowth of the music policy - a policy which the older folks had never heard of nor had any input into.

No compromise was offered, it was "Here is the reality and if you don’t like it, that is too bad." The church lost all their elderly and most of their wisdom it would seem.

On the other hand we see many churches doing worship any old way. Some have informal, contemporary as well as traditional services. That is just another way to split up the congregation so that the aged can’t teach the younger.

It should shame these congregations when they read in the Old Testament about the Israelites - of ALL ages coming together to worship God. I would not want to be in some pastors shoes when they give account for the way they ran their churches.

2. Pastors and teachers I would challenge you to go over your next few sermons/lessons and see if they are filled with things that will bring about sound doctrine in your people’s lives. Are you feeding them meat that will nourish and build up or are you serving up froth that will not satisfy?

Think of the wasted time in many of our churches and Sunday schools when we have been serving up milk toast to people that have need of mature teaching to build their lives. It is no wander that many are falling away from the church. They aren’t falling away from the Lord, only the lack of teaching and the lack of worship in our churches.

I know many of all ages that have opted to refrain from church on this basis. Many sanctimonious preachers would tell those folks they ought not forsake the assembly. I would charge, make sure you have a proper assembly, one that is teaching sound doctrine, one that is promoting holy living and one that is promoting proper worship.

3. I mentioned the church I grew up in. It was also the practice for the elders to give a devotional before serving the Lord’s Supper. I didn’t listen to them, because I didn’t understand what they were talking about, but I knew that it was a very important time for the congregation. They were all very quiet and attentive to their thoughts as well as the observance.

This church gave me healthy understanding of holiness, of decorum in a church, and of the older teaching the younger. My Sunday school teacher as a child was always an older woman, my mother attended the older women’s class and even the ladies aid was run by the older women for the benefit of the younger. A church as it should have been - too bad they forgot to give me the gospel.

4. I have held the church accountable for not using the older folks, but now I must chide them for not necessarily being a ball of fire when someone asks them to take on responsibilities in the church. Many older folks feel they have given their due and that they don’t have to do any more. They are retired, and they have no thought of getting involved with those young folks that don’t respect them.

Lots of truth on both sides, I must admit, however the older are told to do certain things and they ought to get to it as soon as they are allowed to.

Years ago I was asked to teach an older adult class. I had a ball giving them a hard time about their age and one Sunday it became perfectly clear that they felt they had absolutely no ministry in the church. I, again, gave them the raspberries about what could they do, they were old and couldn’t raise a pencil to paper.

They began telling me in no uncertain terms what they could do in the church and we filled a fairly large black board with the jobs they knew they could do for the church. I later wrote the list down and gave it to the pastor and his response was a belly laugh and tossing the list on the desk in disgust. He said that he had been trying to get them to do something for years and that they wouldn’t do anything for him.

I left wondering just what leadership qualities he hadn’t picked up along the way. The old folks continued to attend but were never allowed to minister to the congregation. It was so sad, that a couple dozen people wanting to minister were not allowed to.

Indeed, the very fact that I was appointed to teach them was in gross contradiction to the Word of God, but that didn’t bother the church leaders either.

5. The "old men" and "women" is of interest. Paul was not talking of the office of elder, but was using a general term that is only used here and in two other places. Luke 1:18, "For I am an old man," and Philemon 1:9, "being such an one as Paul the aged." This is clear that Paul was speaking of people with age, not an office.

Let’s consider the old folks in our churches. What are they like? What would their qualities be?

I fear that they run along the lines of crotchety, stand offish, opinionated, and uninvolved. These qualities may have risen out of a culture in which they are worthless, abandoned and a pain in the neck. For a moment, young folks, put yourself in the place of being treated as worthless, lacking intelligence, and being isolated from your peers. How would you get as time progressed? Maybe a little isolated, maybe a little cranky, maybe a little fishing or hunting to get away from those treating you incorrectly.

What do we expect our older folks to be in our churches today? How can they come out any other way? Yes, holiness is the answer but it gets tiresome to keep yourself holy when you constantly see younger folks treating you so miserably, in an unbiblical manner and never seeing anyone chasten them for it.

Not giving the old timers a free ride here, just wandering if they were treated with proper respect if they wouldn’t become what they are supposed to be in the church.

6. I don’t think that most young folks appreciate what the older generation has gone through. I once asked a class of college kids what they remembered in the major historical event time line - in their lifetime. They listed a few major events. I then started listing the events that I had lived through. This list was much longer and they were surprised that I was so old. I then listed the major events that my father lived through. This list was major long, and I think they realized that the old folks in their churches had some major miles on them.

I challenged them as I would the reader - these are the folks that have the wisdom you need to train up the congregation in holiness. Don’t throw all that wisdom and knowledge away because you think it worthless.

Can you imagine what wisdom these folks have when assisting young folks with the problems of life? Maybe this is why the divorce rate in the church is so high - we haven’t had any of the older folks modeling what marriage is all about.

I recently heard that more Christians feel divorce is okay than lost people. That, I would guess is a direct result of our emphasis on younger people rather than allowing the older folks to teach the younger as they ought.

The church is paying greatly for the lack of respect we have shown our elder ambassadors for the Lord.

7. Keathley raises the issue that all believers are to be fully engaged with the world, rather than totally concentrating on themselves or the future. We are to live as if heaven were our home, but we are also to be fully able to work with the lost world around us.

While in Wyoming years ago I met a couple that were retired. They could have gone off in their camper and done their hunting and fishing, but they did not opt to do so. They belonged to a Christian camper group that took on building projects around the country. They all were self contained in living quarters, and self sufficient in finance so they could pull up and spend a month or two building at no expense to the host church or group.

Not only were they involved with this, they found that as they did their relaxing and traveling that they could be effective in their evangelism. They were fully engaged in their world while fully ministering for their God and raising up reward for the next life.

Many older folks in the church are set aside and totally disengaged from the world. They seldom go anywhere but to church and to buy their needs. This is a sad status for our older believers, and I would trust that you readers will see the need to change it in your churches of the future.

8. It is not specified in the text, but since the false teachers were interfering in the family life in some manner, this might be Paul’s answer to that invasion into realms where sound doctrine is the requirement. There may have been false teaching that was undermining good family structure and relationships.

Now, we can’t say that we have this today - well, I’d say we could and that we should. The world’s way of life has been accepted as the standard for Christian living. You can’t get along with the wife, get a divorce, can’t get along at work, be a sloth and quit and go on welfare or unemployment until someone forces you to go to work.

The world is now dictating the Christian life rather than the Word of God. We need some godly, holy people teaching our younger couples, our youth and our children. This is the way to a strong church not the powder puff fluffy slop of the current teaching in some churches.

To see the Vacation Bible schools advertised today you’d think they were sending the kids to a Disney land park for the week, rather than teaching them some serious Bible. Sad to say there is little Bible teaching going on, mostly just entertaining and control.

Keathley mentions a woman that used to belong to the National Association of Home Economics Teachers but the organization had changed its name to the National Association of Consumer Education. The teaching of home economics is a part of American history, not a current part of most educational systems.

9. We mentioned holiness earlier. Let’s dwell on that word for a moment. 1 Peter 1:16 tells us "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."

Observation one: This isn’t an option, it is a command. It isn’t multiple choice, there is only one choice. Being holy is the only item up for consideration. Why are we to be holy? Because God is holy. He is the basis of our holiness, He is the reason for our holiness, and He is the way of our holiness. He commands that we be, and gives us the way to be, via the Holy Spirit within.

Observation two: This letter was written to believers so there must have been some that weren’t holy in life. Thus we can know that the believer has the choice of being holy or not being holy, though we are commanded to be holy. To not be holy then is breaking a command of Almighty God - realize that before you consciously step off into sin.

What is holiness? Is it something we can maintain all the time? Can we be too holy to be any good to God here on earth?

If we could be too holy, it would seem that God would have phrased the verse something like this, "Be holy but not too holy for I am holy but not overly holy." NOT!

The Greek term is "hagios" meaning holy or holy saint. The Bible dictionaries relate the word to God’s perfection of moral character, or that which makes God the perfection in moral character that He is. We, as humans, on the other hand can achieve a semblance of holiness in our outward lives and to an extent in our moral character, but we tend to fail because of our bent toward serving self and our own wants.

Our moral character may see heights of moral perfection, but it also sees the depths of the lack of moral perfection. It is between us, as individuals, and the Holy Spirit within as to just how morally pure we are. If we allow Him to have His way then we will be pure, but we seldom allow Him that much control over our lives.

The concept is identical for God and with us - it is just the perfection thing that is a difference. The same term is used of both God and man in this verse so this pictures that identical character.

Let’s reinforce this concept a little.

Leviticus 11:44 "For I [am] the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I [am] holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

Leviticus 11:45 "For I [am] the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I [am] holy."

Now, before anyone suggests that we can’t be holy, let me stop you before you embarrass yourself. Read Psa. 86:45 "For I [am] the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I [am] holy." This is David’s estimation of himself - he felt that he could be and was "holy" - remember this is in the Old Testament and he did not have the Spirit within to assist him in his quest for holiness. This ought to suggest to any reader that we believers in the New Testament day with the Holy Spirit within our beings should be able to find a state of holiness in this life.

Life Application Bible notes suggest a number of things that make us holy today when they comment on 1 Peter 1:16.

Being devoted to God

Being dedicated to God

Being set aside for His use

Being set apart from sin and the world

Being different from the crowd

Being focused on Him

Being a light house might be another way of putting it. We are to be a bright shining light amidst the total black of darkness. We are also to be the salt of the earth. We are to add the flavor of life to the death of no savor.

Holy has the definite idea of being set apart for God’s use. I might add that this has nothing to do with church attendance. A person can be holy of life without attending church. I will be quick to admit, however that attending church and having the support of Christian fellowship makes holiness a whole lot easier. It also tends to keep you evaluating your holiness from time to time, which might not occur as often if you weren’t attending church.

This set apart concept relates well to Romans 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

The setting apart is on our backs to do. God does not automatically do it, nor does he require it be done, it is a voluntary item of obedience that he wants of us. Voluntary in the aspect that we are told to do it in I Peter.

If you are beset with sin, then Romans 12:1-2 is for you. If you try and try and try, then 1 John 1:9 is for you. Keep confessing and seeking forgiveness, while asking for strength to stand against the temptation that draws you into sin.

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Verse 2

That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

Sound doctrine has the thought of whole or wholesome as well as sound. This is doctrine that will bring wholesomeness to the saints, wholeness of life to those that profess Christ as the difference in their life.

I am told that Philo used this term of men over sixty, however today the man of sixty isn’t equal to the man of sixty of Philo’s day. Sixty back then was quite old and fairly rare. I’d guess in 2004 we are talking men in their 75-80 range of years. Some sixty year olds today are not even all that mature.

Aged men would relate to the older men, those mature in years and lifestyle. Indeed, the old seems to be part of the word. It is of interest that this term is somewhat related to the term translated "elder" earlier in our study "presbuteros" - this term is "presbutes." Both terms carry the thought of old or aged. Thus we might apply this to the office of elder, one that is aged or old. This is not popular in our society these days. The elders need to be young whipper snappers that will set the church on edge.

To be "sober" was to be temperate or not using alcohol to excess. It also relates to being vigilant. This makes sense in that the one drinking alcohol is not vigilant in his manner of life or his ability to function properly.

"Grave" is to be honored for your integrity, honorable in all ways of life. Again, this is not necessarily a characteristic of many of our younger men today. It ought to be, but many are far from honorable in all their ways. With the aged, you will find most have found that integrity has meaning and that they have allowed it to become a part of their life. These are qualities to look for in all your old men, but especially in your elders.

This seems to picture one that has some dignity, not something that he puts on but his way of life, he is above the "roust about" ways of the younger, he is more serious in demeanor and in thought life. He is a man that gives himself over to important matters rather than wasting time on meager items of life. He should be one that arouses respect in his younger acquaintances.

At the same time these are qualities that you should be teaching your young men - the future leaders of your church. In fact begin in the Sunday school because they are your future younger men.

"Temperate" would give the thought that one is in control of his life, he is controlling all things so that his life appears to be calm and temperate. It is controlling all of one’s senses to give a good, rounded controlled life.

The word "sound" is a verb. It is "being sound" or to "be in good health" - being sound in the faith. The aged men are to be continuing on in the faith in a manner to assure good spiritual health. This most likely won’t allow for a man that is drinking or allowing sin to creep in every day or two, this is a man that practices allowing the Spirit to control his life all the time so that he is in good spiritual health.

He is also practicing charity or love as well as patience all the time so that he is in good spiritual health. He is one that walks with God and shows forth the love of God to those he encounters.

"speak things which become sound doctrine:"

SOME POSSIBLE MEANINGS:

a. Teach things that will become sound doctrine in their minds.

b. Speak and live the way you should in light of sound doctrine.

c. Speak and live to bring about sound doctrine in the lives of others.

In the context, it is clear that Paul wants what is spoken to bring about proper living in the lives of the people mentioned. Thus, a and c relate well. Actually both principles are valid teachers. The teacher that lives what he is teaching will find that his students learn much quicker. The specific of the text probably is in the teaching things that will bring about sound doctrine in the students lives.

Now, just why does Paul single out aged men to pick on? First of all the aged or elder men in the Jewish faith and life were the ones that everyone looked up to for wisdom and guidance. They were the roll models of their day, if you will.

Paul was not picking on the old men, but was telling Titus where to start in his setting right of things. The people would look up to the elders of their community and if they saw change, then all would feel that the change was right and proper. Paul was setting forth good strategy for the young preacher Titus.

Indeed, Paul was setting a good plan for church planting in our own day to a point. President Clinton is a prime modern day example of what a roll model should not be. He was doing his own thing - wearing what he wanted - acting like he wanted - not attempting to be the right and proper person he should have been as the leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world.

People look to his office for guidance in living, and just what has he been teaching those people. That it’s okay to look like a slob most of the time - that it is okay to lie - that it is okay to go back on your word - that being immoral is okay.

Paul knew that these people needed some drastic living changes, so began to work on them through Titus almost immediately. Again, we have a principle for church planting. Lead the people to the Lord - don’t condemn them for their life style - but begin helping them to change their life style. Notice should be made that the attempt to change their life style is via the teaching of the Bible unto sound doctrine. As they see sound doctrine, they will begin to conform to it.

Years ago in the hippie era two hippies were led to the Lord through the ministry of an independent Baptist church in Denver. The men came to church two Sundays before the church folk ran them off by telling them they were scrounge and that they needed to clean up their act. Yes, they looked like the bums of skid row, but they did not know their changed lives, indicated a need for changed outward appearance. They needed to be taught unto sound doctrine.

Now, Paul moves on to the aged women. You know this really hurts, he is telling people in my age group what they are supposed to be like and I’m not sure we are - that means we need to change to come into compliance.

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Verse 3

The aged women likewise, that [they be] in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

The aged women or "presbutis" seem to relate to the old women. Paul is really stomping all over our cultural norms. He is putting the old up as being important and he is also telling them that they should be living holy lives! When we get old it is the time when we get to kick up our heels in this society, but Paul says no. They have a proper lifestyle.

They are to behave as with holiness - they are to live their outward life in a holy manner - well their inward life as well, though Paul comments on their outward behavior.

"False accuser" is the word "diablos" which is the Devil. It relates to his slanderous ways. The old women are to have none of his slander on their lips; they are to be holy and wise in the use of their speech.

The tense of not being given to wine is a perfect passive which gives the thought that she isn’t overtaken by drink on a constant basis. It doesn’t say that she can’t drink. This is not a passage many would appreciate in that many today feel that the Bible does not allow believers to drink in any manner. The thought of Scripture seems more that we are to do it in moderation if we are going to do it, but in our society I personally feel abstaining from all drink would be best for one’s testimony.

Teachers of good things, is one Greek word and simply relates to the teaching of what is good. Or it might go as far as saying teaching goodness.

The old women have a specific job to do in the church and I trust that you will allow them freedom to do it soon if they aren’t free to already.

I don’t think that many churches are giving thought to this idea of older women teaching. On a forum on the internet I recently asked how churches were seeing to the idea of the older women teaching the younger women to love their husbands. I asked how their church did this. Not one person responded. I took it that there were none of the churches represented on that forum that did anything to assure the younger women were being taught properly in this area. This is sad at best, reprehensible at worst.

The "likewise" refers back to verse one, "But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine...." Again, we see the older singled out first to be taught. The next verse tells the specifics of why - that they might teach the younger.

Now, this is also the culture of the day in which the old women were the teachers of the younger. Today, however, we have another story. Just how many younger women will listen to the older women? Not many in our society.

Part of the problem is that we wait until the younger women are adults to try to teach them what they need to know. If Christian mothers and fathers would begin in childhood, to teach their daughters, they would be open to listening in later life. Even then we have a real problem trying to accomplish Paul’s admonition in our own day.

This is due, in part to the society that we live in; however it is due in more part to the society we have allowed into the church. Our families are not driven by God’s Word, but by what society is telling us.

When teaching at a Bible Institute, I was head of the committee that was to provide activities for the married student wives. I gave my wife and the other faculty member’s wife this text to teach to the student wives. The response was not all that good to the study. The young ladies found many reasons why they could not attend the studies. They were not interested in what God had to say to them. Holiness was not on their radar screen, they had other things to do - better things to do.

We need to think about this text and its implications on our modern day churches. Why don’t we have our older women teaching our younger women in Sunday school classes? Because the younger women, for the most part, won’t be told what to do, or how they should be.

American women have bought into the women’s movement and its false philosophy to the point that some of them will not even allow God to have any say in their lives. Many Christian marriages have failed in recent years because the woman would not allow anyone to have any say in their lives - including God.

Before I get into any more trouble, I must state that it is not only the young women, but the young men that have bought into societies norms. Indeed, Christians in general are living more by the world’s standard than by the Lord’s standard.

When I was growing up I attended a Christian church were an old woman in her 60’s - in the 1950’s a 60-year old was considered old! - taught the women’s class and an old man taught the men’s class. I wish churches today would follow that lead.

Some older Southern Baptist churches still follow this format and I applaud them for it.

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Verses 4-5

Week 5: Titus 2:4-8 THE YOUNG

That is the young chronologically. I might mention for the sake of the younger generation, that most adults in the older age groups actually feel in their minds as though they are young. When an older person thinks of themselves, they normally think of themselves as in their teen to early twenty era. This is not vanity, that is just kind of the way it is.

One old woman commented once that she was a young lady trapped in an old woman’s body. When we look in the mirror in the morning we often wonder who that person is - that can’t be me - I’m not that old!

It is a bit of an intellectual battle that goes on. We know we are young but the old body doesn’t function the way it should. This is why old folks balk at going to the retirement centers - they aren’t old enough for that yet. I recently heard those very words from a woman that was in her 80’s.

Just an illustration of this. I am writing most of this study at a Jack in the Box over coffee. There is an elderly woman that frequents the place from time to time, well, daily - kind of like me. She stops at McDonald’s across the street to pick up some of her food then comes here to get the rest of her food and then eats it here.

The McDonald’s gave her a kid’s magazine this morning and she proceeded to read the jokes to me, which we both enjoyed. All adults, no matter the age, are kids at heart - don’t forget that as you plan your dealings with the senior segment of your congregation. They enjoy things that you might not think they would. Indeed, they enjoy most things middle-agers enjoy. In fact some seniors enjoy what the young enjoy; they just can’t do it all quite as quickly.

4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

5 [To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

"Teach" is a different word than the usual one used in the New Testament. This has the thought of return one to their senses, or sober them up if drunk, or to control or curb someone. It can also relate to disciple someone. Thus we see the young women were out of control in some manner and the older women were to put them to a proper place. Since the family and home seem to be the context, you’d assume that the young women were out of control in relation to their family and home.

The term "sober" is the same Greek word translated teach. Sober the young women so that they can be sober. One must wonder what a mess these families must have been in if the older women were to teach such subjects as these.

The understanding of this word translated "teach" gives new light upon the last part of the verse. The women are to be corrected in their love of their husbands and children. They didn’t love them properly or at all. This was to be corrected and the young women were to properly love their family.

Oh, what a message for the church today. Have you talked with and/or seen the attitudes of young women in the church lately? They have little concept of proper Christian womanhood. Many are rebellious toward their husbands and lacking in care of their children. They are more interested in their own desires than in fulfilling their wifely/motherly duties. Many are more interested in amassing toys than rewards in heaven. The latest fashion is the most important, the latest in houses, cars are the most important.

They need to be brought back to reality and their families. There is a tremendous need for families in general to get back on track in the church.

"Discreet" is a related word to the one translated teach and sober in the previous verse. It relates to being discreet, sober, and sane, in one’s own senses. Again, the thought of proper control of yourself.

"Chaste" is the thought of pure, without sin, or without wrong. In the area of sexuality, she should be taught to be without wrong. In the area of her marital relationship she should be taught to be without wrong.

In this area of sexuality, I don’t think most church goers have any idea what is going on in our teen girl’s minds. This is the next generation of mothers that is going to be teaching our Sunday schools. Most teen girls today feel that oral sex is not really sex. They also feel it is about as casual a thing as kissing.

If churches don’t wake up to the way the world has warped our kids we are in for even bigger trouble than we have now. We have got to start teaching about proper marriage, about improper divorce, about the sin of remarriage, about the proper sexuality.

They are to be brought to proper knowledge of keeping the home. Again, today where are our Christian mothers? Are they at home keeping it in proper order, or are they out at the mall, out wherever it is that they go to do their thing?

Keeping a home in our society is almost a four-letter word. It is one of the most honored of places for a woman to be, yet our society has placed it down with the lowest of low positions. We need to let our young women know where God would have them be. It is not that they can’t work, nor work outside the home, but the best place is normally in the home loving and caring for their family. We will delve into this more in a moment.

And we see even further reference to the marital relationship. She is to be in submission or obedient to her husband. It is curious in my mind why Paul would have added the word "own" before the husband, but maybe the Cretan society was like ours is today. She is to submit to her own husband and not someone else’s husband. I don’t know how much more clear I need to make this, but maybe I can. Your husband is your only husband, there is no other. There is no one else’s husband that you should be submitting to.

We have seen women stray into adultery, and many of them see nothing wrong in what they have done. One husband I spoke to said it was six months after the fact before his wife could realize that what she had done was wrong and that she had sinned. THESE ARE CHRISTIAN WOMEN and they don’t know that it is wrong to sleep with another man. PASTORS WAKE UP TO WHAT HAS NOT BEEN TAUGHT IN WAY TOO MANY YEARS IN OUR CHURCHES.

I would take a side trail for a moment. I am way down on the church in generalities, I know there are many churches that are teaching the word as they ought, but too many are not and it is these churches that are producing the sin of the church today. Yes, individual responsibility is in view, but so is the lack of teaching.

If your church is preaching the word, is talking about the sin of our society, then praise God, but realize that many aren’t and you don’t want your teenagers going off to youth groups that you don’t have confidence in.

Subject to their "own" husband. What a telling command. How sad that any Christian gathering should need part of their group to be taught such things at the command of an apostle. You would think that it would be common practice to teach every class of youth these things.

Many today decry curriculum in our Sunday school, but it is needed so that when the day is over we can know that every kid that has gone through our system has been taught the basics of Christian living.

Paul desires these things be set aright so that the Word is not blasphemed. The term blasphemed relates to "speaking ill of" or speaking against. It is the same word that is used of speaking against God.

Our family life is a witness to the Word, it is a witness to our belief in that Word and it is a witness to the world around us.

All of this because Paul did not want God’s name blasphemed. Ezekiel has a chapter where God is acting to keep His name in a proper light. He is desirous to keep His name clean from blot, yet believers today could care less about how they reflect upon His name.

I think it important to read this chapter so that you can know how God feels about his GOOD name. Ezekiel 36:1-38 is somewhat similar if you want to give a read.

Ezekiel 20:1-49

20:1 And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth [month], the tenth [day] of the month, [that] certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.

2 Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,

3 Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.

4 Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge [them]? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:

5 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I [am] the LORD your God;

6 In the day [that] I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which [is] the glory of all lands:

7 Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I [am] the LORD your God.

8 But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

9 But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they [were], in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

10 Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

11 And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which [if] a man do, he shall even live in them.

12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I [am] the LORD that sanctify them.

13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which [if] a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

14 But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

15 Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given [them], flowing with milk and honey, which [is] the glory of all lands;

16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.

17 Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

18 But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:

19 I [am] the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;

20 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I [am] the LORD your God.

21 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which [if] a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.

22 Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.

23 I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;

24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.

25 Wherefore I gave them also statutes [that were] not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;

26 And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through [the fire] all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I [am] the LORD.

27 Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.

28 [For] when I had brought them into the land, [for] the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.

29 Then I said unto them, What [is] the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.

30 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?

31 For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.

32 And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.

33 [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:

34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.

35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.

36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.

37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:

38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.