This isn’t all there is to being a woman changed by God! (But it may be part of it:-).
If you are a woman, and you are a Christian, you have possibly heard the phrase “Titus 2 Woman.” When used as a title rather than a reference to several verses in the book of Titus, it often refers to a program or a concept. Sadly the “Titus 2 Woman” can become yet another unachievable ideal that ends up making ordinary human “godly women” feel shamed and small.
Please don’t hear what I’m not saying.
There is something for all women to hear and live into in Titus 2:3-5. The danger is when a crucial part of the text is ignored, or when one text of Scripture is used to sum up everything about the nature of a woman in Christ. Over several articles, I’d like to bring up some-things more, some things that have occasionally been left out of the discussion.
The first something I’ll mention today. I’ll try to write again soon about some other things we as women need to consider as we look at the gospel call to women.
We need, as always, to read the whole text, in context. No, really, read it:-). Here is a guide to help you:
Read Titus 2 and focus on verses 11-14. Read them over several times, perhaps aloud, and then ask yourself — what is the connection between these verses and verses 3-5? (Hint, hint: gospel, freedom, and hope should be part of your answer:-).
If you have a study Bible, find out the context of the story — what was the setting (time and place), who were the people (writer, recipient, characters in the story)?
Finally, re-read Titus 2:3. What do these instructions suggest about the women to whom Titus is written?
I hope you discovered that Titus 2 was not merely written for the super-godly women, but for women like you and me, women who can only become reverent and self-controlled, humble and kind, through the powerfully transforming work of the gospel. In my blog on some-things more, I’ll say more about the mentoring aspect of those verses. The “something more” in this case is that the gospel is what transforms us into godly women, not our own human effort.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. What experiences do you have with Titus 2, either as a phrase or a gospel imperative? What challenges do you find in this chapter? What hope?
