Sound doctrine. All of us who follow Christ, I am quite sure, want to know that what we’re believing, the faith that we’ve been taught, is correct. No one wants to be wrong. This is not just a modern concern; almost two thousand years ago, Paul wrote to Titus on Crete, “you, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). He then spent most of the rest of his letter explaining what he meant by that.
The surprising thing is that Paul doesn’t go on to tell Titus (and us) what followers of Christ should believe, but rather how they should act. Look at some of his examples:
Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance (verse 2).
and
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God (verses 3-5).
and
Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us (verses 6-8).
and
Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive (verses 9-10).
One thing that should be clear from these examples is that the things Paul lists for each group are really things that are appropriate for all believers. Older men should not be slanderers, for example, any more than older women, and the older women should be worthy of respect and self-controlled. Equally, the young men should be temperate and live reverent lives. But Paul lists the things that need to be emphasized for each group. That is, the areas where they are likely to struggle and fall short. Their weaknesses, not their strengths.
Many times I’ve seen Christians, especially evangelicals, try to separate belief from action (always with priority given to what people must believe). But this passage implies that the two can’t actually be separated. In our zeal to avoid the heresy of salvation by works, we seem to have fallen into the opposite heresy of salvation by a so-called “faith” that doesn’t produce works (James 2:26). Instead of a dead orthodoxy, all too often we’re okay with dead faith. This is not sound doctrine.
The Life of Faith
If what I’ve written so far sounds a bit foreign, it’s because so much of what is called “doctrine” in the church today, especially online, is focused solely on trying to convince people to affirm one or another interpretation of the Scriptures. That is, not to live in any particular way, but simply to agree that certain statements about God are true. It’s as if we’ve become so focused on avoiding any appearance of salvation by works, that we spend time instead arguing about doctrines that don’t have anything unique to say about how we ought to live. That’s the more positive way to spin it, anyway. Perhaps what’s really going on is that we focus on theological points that don’t have anything to say about how we ought to live, because that way we don’t have to change anything about the way we live.
But according to Paul, “sound doctrine” is doctrine that teaches people to live obedient, peaceful and humble lives. In fact, if I’m getting into online arguments over theology, I’m not following sound doctrine, regardless of whether or not what I’m saying is technically correct. “Sound doctrine” is not something to argue about, but something to demonstrate in my life. It doesn’t just tell me what I should affirm, it also teaches me how I should live.
Throughout the Bible, in fact, “faith” does not mean simply affirming certain ideas; it means acting in confidence that those ideas are true (James 1:22, 2:18). In other words, God’s grace doesn’t just save me from hell, it also teaches me how to live right now, on earth (Titus 2:11-14).
What, then, will be the result if I actually live the way these verses teach? If I am obedient to rulers? If I am always looking for ways to do good? If I refuse to slander anyone? If I am peaceful and considerate toward everyone? If I show genuine humility? If everybody lived like that, the world would be a wonderful place, but what if it’s just me? Won’t I be eaten alive by everyone who doesn’t live this way? That question demonstrates the exact opposite of faith.
The true response of faith, however, is not that God will protect me, although he certainly has the ability to do so. The true response of faith is that it doesn’t matter whether I’m protected here on earth or not. If I actually believe that Jesus is Lord, then it’s not my responsibility to see that everything works out the way it should. That’s his responsibility. Mine is to obey him in everything. Maybe I’m supposed to be eaten alive, so that Christ can bring about some good that he’s planning. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that had happened. And since Christ will return, and the dead will be raised, there’s nothing the world can do to me that’s permanent.
So faith – not just statements of belief, but a trust in God that results in a changed life – is the result of sound doctrine.
Saints, by Grace
Now, since this is Paul writing, we can be certain that he is not in any way teaching that salvation can be earned through good works. None of what he says in this passage, in fact, is aimed at non-Christians at all, but rather at those who are already believers. And immediately following the instructions to each group, Paul writes:
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good (Titus 2:11-14).
Notice the sequence here: God’s grace first brings salvation, then teaches us to reject ungodly, worldly things and live godly, self-controlled and upright lives. Living a holy life is not the grounds for my salvation, it’s the result of it. Everything listed above, everything that Paul tells Titus to teach, is a gift of God’s grace. It has to be. If we didn’t receive it from God, we wouldn’t be able to attain it at all. Nevertheless, these qualities are not optional. As Peter writes:
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).
There is a long, unfortunate, tradition in Christianity of proclaiming certain people to be “saints” who, it is said, live up to a higher standard than is expected of “ordinary” believers. I don’t call this tradition unfortunate because there is anything wrong with honoring faithful Christians, but because these people are portrayed as extraordinary and rare, rather than as examples that every believer should follow. It’s not the saints that are the problem here, but rather the idea that it’s okay to not be one.
Protestants, of whom I am one, like to claim that we have rejected the false idea that there are two tiers of believers. But although we point to the New Testament to argue that every follower of Christ is called a “saint” (In most translations, anyway. The NIV has “holy people.”) how many of us, deep down, still think of ourselves in the “ordinary” category? We’ve eliminated the wrong group from our thinking. We got it exactly backwards!
The Greek word that gets translated as “saint” is hagios, a word that in some contexts is also translated as “holy.” Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, one of the standard references used by Bible teachers, says that hagios,“fundamentally signifies ‘separated’ (among the Greeks, dedicated to the gods), and hence, in Scripture in its moral and spiritual significance, separated from sin and therefore consecrated to God, sacred.”
And this is, in fact, what Scripture says we are. Through Christ Jesus, God has redeemed us from sin, purifies us as his own, and teaches us to live a holy life as his children. These things are not separate; they are all part of what salvation by grace means. This is why Jesus could ask, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). And this is why Paul told Titus to teach the believers on Crete to live up to the identity they had been given. Sound doctrine teaches us to live as children of God, not as children of the world.
Doing Good
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone (Titus 3:3-8).
As his letter continues, Paul now reminds Titus of what we have been saved from: not just the penalty for sin, but sin. We used to live as slaves to our passions and in hostility toward one another, but Christ has set us free from that. Our salvation is not just about our future; it’s about our present life on earth as well.
It is by God’s mercy alone that I have been saved but, as this section makes clear, I’m not just saved from something, I’m saved for something. God saved me so that I could devote myself to doing good, and so that I could be made worthy (his grace again) to inherit the kingdom of God as a co-heir with Christ, “for by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14).
So teaching “sound doctrine” means also teaching believers that, through the sacrifice of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we have been released from slavery to our sinful passions and given the freedom to live in holiness and in obedience to God. Having freedom is of no benefit to me, however, unless I use that freedom. If I have been set free from sin, and know that I am free, what excuse could I possibly offer for continuing to walk in sin? But if, instead, I walk in obedience, I am developing and practicing the qualities I will need to reign as Christ’s co-heir.
The end result, then, is that believers, “may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.” The implication here is that theology that doesn’t lead to obedience is not sound. The result of teaching the truth, according to this passage, is that those who believe “may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.” This is a point that far too many in the church overlook. We fail to understand what it means to have been set free in Christ, and so we fail to live in freedom. Sound doctrine teaches us how to be free.
The Blessed Hope
Looking back at this passage again:
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good (Titus 2:11-14).
We are to live godly lives, Paul says, while we wait for the “blessed hope.” In this context, he’s not talking about going to heaven when we die, but the return of Jesus. Our true hope, according to this passage, is not to escape the world, but that the world is going to come fully and visibly under the dominion of Christ. And in the next verse, Paul’s argument is not that we’ll be free from suffering (although he does not deny that) but that we’ll be free from sin, purified and “eager to do what is good.” It is this hope that enables us to reject worldliness and live righteously. If all I say is that I was saved so that I can escape hell, I’m missing the point. God saved me, by his grace, through the sacrifice of Christ, so that I could become worthy to inherit and reign over the world alongside Christ (Romans 8:17).
It’s in the context of Christ’s coming that we become, not just careful to do what is good, but eager to do it. Jesus’ coming in glory is not simply an idea to be affirmed, but the reality I should be living in. Because Christ is coming, I can be certain that nothing I do in him will be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). Because he is coming, I know that the good I do will, at the proper time, produce a harvest (Galatians 6:9-10). Doctrine that is sound, then, does not spend a lot of time speculating about dates and signs, but instead teaches me how to live my day to day life in the knowledge of Christ’s certain coming.
Which means that sound doctrine points back again to all the things Paul lists in Titus 2:2-10. And if I really understand what that means, I will be eager to live in a way that pleases Jesus. Not grudgingly, or out of fear, but blown away that I have been granted the incredible privilege of being able to help build God’s kingdom.
Teach These Things
These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you (Titus 2:15).
Paul tells Titus to teach the things he has just listed. This implies that these qualities don’t come naturally or automatically, even for believers. Although it’s the grace of God that teaches us to obey God, the means through which his grace is manifested to us is other believers. That’s pretty mind-blowing when you stop to think about it. Rather than directly teaching every Christian what they need to know, the Holy Spirit delegates that task to Christians themselves. To us. We depend on Christ for everything, and by our very nature we can’t exist any other way. But God, paradoxically, also makes us the very means through which his will is accomplished on earth.
There’s a tension here: salvation is entirely by grace, at God’s initiative, but I must, nevertheless, live a holy life, in obedience to God’s commands. And holiness, like salvation, is also entirely a work of God’s grace, but I must nevertheless be taught to live in a way that pleases God. And what I have learned, I need to teach others as well.
You say you’re not a teacher? Fair enough. Scripture does tell us that “not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). You might not be a teacher, but you are an example, even if you don’t want to be, as I argued at length in another article. “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ,” Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 11:1). He set an example for others, and if I obediently follow his example, I’ll do the same.
So be an example of sound doctrine; not just with statements of belief, but as a lived reality. Let your faith be seen in your actions (James 2:19). Christ is coming!
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).