New Thoughts (2/11/03)
6 Likewise call the recently reborn men to your side, and aid them, be their paraklete. Implore them to be sane. Encourage them to have control of their passions. Admonish them to think rightly of themselves, not to be proud fools. 7 In all things show yourself a prototype. Walk out the pattern to which these newly reborn should conform. Be their example, the pattern they ought to imitate. Be active in doing good deeds. Let your teaching amplify your lessons. Instruct with authority, knowing your teachings are incorruptible. Show balance in your actions, neither careless of others, nor overly concerned with pleasing men. In the way you perform your duties, show clearly that your dignity is not earthly in origin, but heavenly. Show in your actions such things as will command respect from others. 8 Let your words be well-reasoned and wholesome. Collect your thoughts, order them wisely, and only then deliver your message. You are assured that such a message cannot be condemned by those who hear you. In this fashion, you will cause any who might oppose you to be ashamed. You will turn them on their heads, leaving them with no evil thing to accuse us of. Nor will they be able to denounce our message as worthless and unimportant.
What a calling! In all things be the example! In what you believe, what you DO, how you comport yourself when nobody's around, what you say to others, in every aspect of life, be the example. How are we to be exemplary in these areas? A look at Paul's words to Timothy give us an idea. Be the model of love, faith, and purity (1Ti 4:12b). In belief, show that you hold these things to be the very character of God. Show that you hold these to be the character God seeks to manifest in His children. In your actions, be guided by love, faith, and purity. Don't join in with the cutthroat, me-first mentality if this world. Show by your actions that your belief is more than just pretty thoughts. And don't allow your lusts and passions to have their way. Always, always, live as though somebody is watching. Somebody is. Nothing is hidden from His sight. However, the thought is more that there might be those who see you in your secret times, looking for a chink in your behavior. Let them not find any. Let them find you constant.
Nor let words betray you. Your words will reflect your true inner state. They cannot be controlled well enough to hide. Words will betray you, if you are merely putting on a show of holiness. It's got to be real, or these young men are not going to be interested. This was true for Titus, and if anything, it's more true today. We hear it from our youth workers. We see it in our youth. They will not follow empty words. They will not pursue dead ideals that we have long since abandoned ourselves. The idealism of youth has changed, it demands a higher standard now. We have the opportunity to be that higher standard. Along with that opportunity, though, we have the opportunity for dismal failure.
The power of Christianity lies in the impossibility of its demands. Look at what we've just been asked to model. Impossible! It is beyond us as fallen men to uphold such an image day in and day out, never mind the reality! To guide every action and word by love and purity? That's not a tall order, that's asking the impossible! Yet, with God, all things are possible. The power of Christianity lies in those that have found in God, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, the ability to do the impossible, to live a Christian life. No, they still aren't perfect. Yes, they make their mistakes. But, the overall message of their lives is "this is real! God is real, and He can do in me what He has desired to do. If He can do it in me, He can as assuredly accomplish His desire in you!"
In that power, and only in that power, we can reach the place of undisturbed peace which He has promised. This is not a peace undisturbed because troubles never come near. No! This is peace beyond understanding, peace that remains undisturbed even when troubles surround. This is the peace that kept Paul focused on the kingdom of God even as he was confined to his prison cell. In that power, and only in that power, we can find it in ourselves to love as God has loved us, to give of ourselves in the service of others, to seek and save the lost, for that is the work of our Father. In that power, and only in that power, we can display the goal of Christianity in ourselves. It is possible, but only because of God working in us.
Because the duties we are called to are so stringent, so impossibly difficult, the fact that we can perform those duties cannot help but show our ability to be from somewhere outside of ourselves. If we can look at the godly man and not see God's hand, we are blind. If all we see is human dignity, then we have either too high an opinion of ourselves or too low: too high if we believe that all that man has accomplished is that which any man can accomplish, too low if we think it is only our own weakness that keeps us from doing likewise. No! The godly man has done what man cannot do because it is no longer he that lives, no longer he that does, but Christ in him, both to will and to work. That is the key. When such a man is seen with rational and honest eyes, it must become clear that his dignity is not of earthly origin, but of heavenly origin.
When the Greeks and Romans heard Paul and Silas, when they saw the example these men cut, they indeed recognized that the divine must be at play here. They incorrectly attributed this to the idea that Paul and Silas must be gods themselves, but still they were miles ahead of modern man in their thinking. At least they could recognize the divine in action! Now, man can only see himself, no matter how foolish he must appear to hold to the opinion that this is all he is seeing. He is no longer interested in anything beyond his own skin. The idea that there could be anything of greater import confuses him, strikes him as a nonsensical thought, devoid even of meaning. Professing themselves wise, modern men become fools.
Yet, it remains possible for us to break through that cloud of foolishness, to take away the scales from their eyes. It is possible to live out such an example as will fairly force men to acknowledge the God who empowers us to be such an example. It is possible, because in Him all things are possible. It is possible if we will truly submit ourselves to His leading, if we will truly hear His voice and obey it, if we will live the lives He has called us to live: In everything, be the example.
Now: I'd like to look at these last several verses, beginning with verse 2, together, because it seems more and more clear to me that these instructions, though targeted at different portions of the body, are all one instruction. First, then, as presented in the NASB:
2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored. 6 Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; 7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.
Notice a few of the repeating themes here: sensible, dignified, pure. Notice the call upon elder to teach younger, to pass on the heritage of godly living. Notice the body working together, each part working to encourage the other. Now, I want to see our expansions together in one place:
2:2 The mature man carefully considers all circumstances and consequences of his actions. He is one who inspires both respect and reverence. He has learned to limit his own freedom with proper thinking, to control both his opinions and his passions. He is free of error in his beliefs, and keeps the graces given him by God healthy. He is fervent in his belief that God's truth is Truth, that He created all, rules all, and provided for the salvation of all in His Son, Christ Jesus the Messiah. His confidence in God and Christ is unshakable. Without fail, he does for his fellow man what is needful for that man, even when it is not desired. His love towards God is real and true. His goodwill towards his fellow man is constantly in action. Situations don't get him down. He is able to abide under pressures without losing hope. He is cheerful as he withstands circumstance. He will neither surrender, nor give up, however hard the trials that may come. 3 Older women likewise are to behave in ways which befit one who is sacred to God, not devils, not causing unwarranted division, not bringing false accusations. They must not be reduced to bondage by wine. Wine easily becomes an enticement to idolatry. [We are to be enslaved to God alone. We dare not give allegiance to mere earthly pleasures, especially such as may tempt us to sin.] They must not become dependent on the dulling of their senses. Their time should be spent in giving instruction as to what is good and virtuous, what is right. 4 In all these ways, they will serve to restore sanity to the younger women. The younger must be held to their duties, admonished and trained to propriety. Encourage those new to faith, recently born anew, to love their husbands, and their children, 5 to limit their actions with proper thinking, to restrain their desires, to be delivered from their feelings, having self-control and moderation in all things. Teach them to be free of all impurity, all carnality, all defilement, innocent and virgin, such as will inspire reverence. Let them be busy with keeping house, guarding their families, looking after domestic affairs with all prudence, being useful and profitable, excelling and distinguished in their actions. Let the purity of their speech display the purity of their soul, as they become honorable and acceptable to God. Train them to place themselves in orderly fashion under their husbands, not to the point of blind obedience, but orderly. In doing these things, they will live in such a way that the word of God will not be reviled, the reputation of Truth will not be hurt, the fame of our God will not be injured. Let no man speak evil of our God due to your example! 6 Likewise call the recently reborn men to your side, and aid them, be their paraklete. Implore them to be sane. Encourage them to have control of their passions. Admonish them to think rightly of themselves, not to be proud fools. 7 In all things show yourself a prototype. Walk out the pattern to which these newly reborn should conform. Be their example, the pattern they ought to imitate. Be active in doing good deeds. Let your teaching amplify your lessons. Instruct with authority, knowing your teachings are incorruptible. Show balance in your actions, neither careless of others, nor overly concerned with pleasing men. In the way you perform your duties, show clearly that your dignity is not earthly in origin, but heavenly. Show in your actions such things as will command respect from others. 8 Let your words be well-reasoned and wholesome. Collect your thoughts, order them wisely, and only then deliver your message. You are assured that such a message cannot be condemned by those who hear you. In this fashion, you will cause any who might oppose you to be ashamed. You will turn them on their heads, leaving them with no evil thing to accuse us of. Nor will they be able to denounce our message as worthless and unimportant.
Notice that the concern, in every case, is to silence every opportunity to cast God in a negative light. By our actions, we are to show His ways honorable. By our lifestyle, we are to show Him powerful, and free of every degrading passion. The gods of the Greeks and Romans were fully subject to every passion and lust of man. They were no more than man on a grand scale. This is by and large what people still think of if they consider God at all. This is the charge laid against Christianity still today, that we have done no more than make a god in our own image. Our call is to show that this is not the case, indeed cannot be the case. We are to show it in the very fact that our obedience to His ways leaves us notably different in behavior from the ways that come naturally to man.
We are not to leave ourselves open to the charges of holding to outdated mythologies, either. We are not called to display ourselves as fools, though even after the best of discourse, there will doubtless be those who hear in the Truth nothing but foolishness. It is a hard message to accept. Yet, we are not to present it as foolishness. Look at the instructions given! Let your defense of the faith be well reasoned, logically presented, given with such solid proofs, with such clarity of thought, that those who disagree will find no reasonable way to express that disagreement. They will be ashamed to offer counter proposals, for every counter proposal must appear shabby next to the Truth of God. If they are reasonable, thinking men themselves, they will see this and retire. If they are not such reasonable men, they will show their own foolishness in attempting to attack what is pure and lovely and good. Either way, the Truth will prevail.
However, if we do not concern ourselves with living out the doctrine we claim to hold, if doctrine is no more to us than pretty phrases, then we leave ourselves open to every accusation, and we leave God open to the same. We give the unbeliever cause to speak derisively about the God we claim to represent. We knowingly lead the lost farther from God and deeper into darkness. I say knowingly, because even in these passages we are being warned of the consequences of our poor example. We cannot plead ignorance. He has told us what will come of such things, and He has pronounced His woe upon those who cause such offense.
Lord! The call remains impossible! You ask of us what You know we cannot do. You ask for a purity I am incapable of giving. Yet, I know that You are right and just and true in requiring this purity of me. And, I know that You are good. You do not ask this of me to my own harm or detriment. No, You ask this of me to draw me closer to You, to remind me of my dependence on You, to keep me ever cognizant of the fact that my very life and breath are mine only by Your grace. Holy Spirit, make of me such as You are seeking, make of me a paraklete, an advocate and assistant to those You place me among. Make of this poor life an example that others might follow and find You in Your power. Make my life a living sacrifice my God, holy and acceptable to You. Empower me, sweet Jesus, to be all that You desire me to be.
