Teacher of Good Things: A Titus 2 Woman

Teacher of Good Things Titus 2 Woman

Stage One: Daughter of the King / Help Meet

There are three basic stages in our spiritual walks through biblical womanhood. The first one begins when we come into our relationship with God initially. This is when the sanctification

process begins. Our first priority as daughters of the King is to glorify God in all we do in all our relationships. Of course, there is an order to this, dependent upon your marital status. The more we mature through the sanctification process, the more we begin to imitate God and His goodness, or hesed.

Goodness in this sense is truly a unique word. It occurs approximately 250 times in the Old Testament. This word specifically relates to God’s love for His people. God’s glory is in the goodness of His character. So, for us to glorify God means to reflect His goodness, or His hesed. This is the name in which God showed His goodness and covenantal love to His people. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is rooted in the hesed of God. "The love of God extends far beyond duty or expectation. His forgiveness of sin fulfills a need that is basic to all other needs in the relationship between human beings and God—the restoration and continuation of fellowship with God in Jesus Christ. God’s hesed manifested in forgiveness makes a relationship with Him possible. That forgiveness comes to us freely as a gift from God based on the sacrificial act of Christ.” You can read more on that here.

Stage 2: Virtuous Woman

As we mature in Christ, we begin to enter the second stage: the virtuous woman. God

created and ordained marriage for His glory. It is the most intimate relationship for

humans. In marriage, women take on the role of wife, someone to whom her husband

cleaves. Marriage is the illustration that God uses to reveal His faithfulness, love for His people, and our union with Christ Jesus. It is a sacred bond where two become one flesh. Remember, Eve was taken literally out of Adam, so she completed him. Marriage reflects the eternal nature of God’s relationship with His people. During this stage, as women, we begin to understand what motherhood truly is so that we can in turn train younger women in the things of God.

As women, God created us to extend our life-giving capacity into every single relationship and ministerial effort we make. The man called his wife’s name Eve because she was the mother of all living. (Genesis 3:20)

“A woman will not mother well without honoring her own mother.”

-Susan Hunt

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

Exodus 20:12

“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise) …

Ephesians 6:2

As adults, we are no longer under the authority of our parents, but we are still under the command to honor them. Failure to do this affects how we walk out this role ourselves. We are to live submitted and obedient lives to the Lord so that we continue to show the light of Jesus Christ to those around us regardless of what we are doing.

In this stage, we are to be discipled and mentored by older and more experienced women.

Stage 3: Titus 2 Woman

With all of this in mind, we will move on to the third stage, the Titus 2 Woman.

Let’s look at Titus 2:3-5:

“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the Word of God may not be reviled.”

This is one of my favorite sections of Scripture. “Older” refers to the scriptural

responsibility that older women have in order that they may disciple younger women. So, let’s take a minute to look at the qualities that Paul tells Titus that older women must have in

order to disciple younger women.

The first one is that she must be reverent in behavior. What does this mean? It means that this woman, as a spiritual mentor, should behave like someone engaged in sacred duties. The King James Version says, “…in behavior that becometh holiness…”

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple; God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

As Christians, we are holy by profession. We have been consecrated and set apart

from the world. We should be pure in our actions and thoughts.

AW Tozer said this:

“Go to God and have an understanding. Tell Him that it is your desire to be holy at any cost and then ask Him never to give you more happiness than holiness. When your holiness becomes tarnished, let your joy become dim. And ask Him to make you holy whether you are happy or not. Be assured that in the end you will be as happy as you are holy; but for the time being let your whole ambition be to serve God and be Christlike.”

“Holiness means loving God and doing what He says — trust and obey,” she said.

“God has only given you one thing to do — His will.” Elisabeth Elliot

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:13-16

So, ladies, we are to be reverent, in what? Our behavior...What exactly is our behavior? This refers to a believer exemplifying enduring qualities that specifically (exactly) glorify the Lord. You often hear that Christians are not to be “fruit inspectors.” While we do not live in a works-based gospel, Paul is saying we have specific requirements even as women to be spiritual mentors, or disciple-makers, to other women. So, first, we are to be holy in our behaviors.

Secondly, Paul says, older women are NOT to be malicious gossips. This is where a lot of us fall off right here. I have to say, I was not always great with this. It can be extremely easy to fall into our flesh, especially if we feel like we have been wronged by someone. However, that’s not what we are called to do. The Greek word for this is “diabolos.” We are never more like the devil than when we gossip…LITERALLY! This word comes from the root word for the accuser, the devil. It means to slander, accuse, a backbiter, making charges that bring down. The Holman Bible Dictionary defines it as “to speak critically of another person with the intent to hurt.” I want to tell you that there WILL be times in your walk that people will accuse you of doing things you did not do. You will be slandered and falsely accused. You will have people around you trying to bring you down. This never happened to me more than when I truly came to know Jesus Christ as my personal savior. How are we to deal with this ladies?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Matthew 5:38-40

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Romans 12:19

For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

Hebrews 10:30

We let the Lord handle it. How do we deal with it when someone comes to us and wants to gossip about someone else? Let’s go to God’s Word for that too.

Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore, do not associate with a simple babbler.

Proverbs 20:19

Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains

silent. Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in

spirit keeps a thing covered.

Proverbs 11:12-13

Whoever guards their tongues keeps themselves from calamity.

Proverbs 21:23

So, how can we tell the difference between sharing or trying to get advice about a personal situation and gossip? I would say the intent for sharing first. If, by

sharing, are you trying to make yourself feel better and/or make someone else look bad? Then it is gossip. Secondly, the type of information being shared. Gossipers speak of the faults and failings of others or reveal embarrassing information about

them without their knowledge or approval. If that person is not there to defend

themselves, don’t share.

Ladies, we must guard our tongues and refrain from gossip. A Godly woman will not repeat damaging stories intentionally about others.

Third, we are not to be enslaved to wine. Enslaved here means “wholly given up to,” so it is metaphorical in nature. Wine in this period of time was a beverage made from fermented grapes. It was produced by pressing the juice from grapes in large stone vats with a small drain at the end. The juice was collected in troughs, poured into little jars, and allowed to ferment while stored in cool, rock cisterns. In New Testament times, wine was kept in skin flasks and often diluted in three parts water. It was also used as medicine and a disinfectant. Though drunkenness was condemned in Scripture, it was often pictured with meals. Due to the idolatrous use of wine among the pagans, it was strongly cautioned against in Scripture.

Teaching What is Good

Finally, in this verse, Paul states that the older women were to be teaching what is

good. This is an interesting phrase, as it is used one time in Scripture, and this is it.

It is one single compound Greek work: kalodidaskalos. It means teaching in such a

way that will shape the will of the one being taught by the content of what is taught. It refers to a master or teacher. The older woman, is by example and instruction to be a teacher of good and beneficial things that are very much lacking in our time

now. This is definitely a unique calling, opportunity, and legacy that can be passed down from generation to generation in the body of Christ.

We have a severe epidemic in biblical discipleship of older women to younger women. In my opinion, because of this, we see more women than ever falling prey to false ideology and teachings. We have many women who have HUGE followings yet the things they teach are NOT good. They are unbelievably bad! They have nothing to do with the goodness of God, but instead are based on the prosperity gospel or deliverance ministry. Most don't teach the things spoken of in this section! There are a LOT of younger women out there craving the guidance of biblical womanhood. If you are a woman wanting to learn how to mentor younger women according to this mandate, please sign up for my email list. I will be talking a lot more about this!

Join me next time, as I discuss what it is that older women are to disciple younger women on, and how you can help!