Gamma 17 – The Pastoral Epistles (Study 16)

Study 16

GAMMA FACILITATORS

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS – STUDY 16

Instructions

Please look at the questions and discuss the answers. The case histories are designed to let you apply what theoretical knowledge you have gleaned from the study. There are intentionally many more questions and case histories than you can manage in one session but this is designed to cover the many and varied needs of the individuals in the church hence please pick and choose which ones to discuss as long as it gets people sharing and applying the Word to real life situations. Never feel obligated to finish all the questions The answers will be posted on the web the next day.

Verses 1-5

Titus 1: 1-5

1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior, 4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. 5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

1) Objective question, choose one answer. In verse 5, Paul directed Titus to ‘appoint’ elder in every town, this means:

A. Titus should let the people in the town vote for their favourite leader to be an elder.
B. Titus himself should choose the right person based on the criteria.

Verses 6-9
Titus 1: 6-9
6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe[b] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

2) Objective question, choose one answer. In verse 9, one of the criteria for an elder is to ‘encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it’, so elders that are selected need to be bold and willing to stand their ground to protect the gospel and the church. True or False?

A. True. Each elder selected must have the ability to confront people to protect the gospel.
B. False. Maybe one or two of them can already, no need for all the elders to have the ability to confront people.

Verses 10-14
Titus 1: 10-16
10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth.

3) a) Objective question, choose one answer. In verse 13, Paul asked Titus to rebuke false teachers ‘sharply’, which is opposite to the ‘gentle’ instruction against opponents in 2 Timothy 2:24-25. It is because how one reacts will depends on:

A. whether the opponents have financial means to support the church. If they are rich, then a gentler tone should be used.
B. whether the opponents have power to give us bad press or trouble on social media. If they have such power, then a gentler tone should be used.
C. whether the opponents are more mature Christians. If they are more mature, then a sharper tone should be used.
D. the opponents’ character. If a gentle tone will fall on deaf ears in this group of audience, a sharper tone should be used.

b) Objective question, choose one answer. The rebuke is sharp, so that the opponents:

A. Will be ashamed and never come back to disturb the church again.
B. Can correct their theology, repent and turn to the truth.

Verses 15-16
Titus 1: 15-16
15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

4) Discussion question: Clean Inside and Out.
In verse 15, Paul said ‘To the pure, all things are pure’. What does this mean? (Refer to Luke 11:38-41 to help you)


The false Jewish teacher in Crete may be promoting some kind of halal/kosher ‘clean’ food laws, perhaps similar to what happened in 1 Tim 4:3, since in Titus 1:14, Paul was addressing some ‘Jewish myths’ just before this verse. So Paul’s concern is not following myth practice or ritual that makes one ‘clean or pure’, but if you’re already ‘clean or pure’ on the inside, you will show it through good and kind actions for example ‘being generous to the poor’ like Jesus said in Luke 11:38-41. The direction is inwards–>outwards, not outwards–>inwards.

Verses 1-10
Titus 2:1-10
You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 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. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 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. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 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. 9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10 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 Saviour attractive.

5) Christian behaviour
a) Objective question, choose one answer. In verses 2-10, Paul asked Titus to teach in the people group in the following order: older men, older women, younger women, young men and the slaves, this shows:


A. The hierarchy in the church where older men place the highest and slaves are the lowest.
B. There are ways to honour God from within every station in life-regardless of age, gender, or situation.

b) Fill in the table. Paul gave 5 reasons why Christians should behave themselves, expand on what the reasons mean or give real life examples of what they look like:

Type Verse NIV ESV NASB Meaning/Examples
I V4 Then they can urge… and so train… so that they may encourage… So can advise other Christians to do the same
I V7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. how yourself in all respects to be a model of good works in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds Show how it is done through actions.
E V5 so that no one will malign the word of God. that the word of God may not be reviled so that the word of God will not be dishonoured. So that bible and its teaching is not disrespected and disregarded by others (live up to reputation)
E V8 so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive. so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour. so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in every respect. So that the gospel message of Jesus saving us appeals to others. (adorn the gospel)
E V10 so that no one will malign the word of God. that the word of God may not be reviled so that the word of God will not be dishonoured. So that bible and its teaching is not disrespected and disregarded by others (live up to reputation)


c) Fill in the table. Paul listed traits for Christians to have, in your own words, expand on what they mean or give examples.

Traits Meanings in Original Greek Expansion or Examples
Sober-minded – Moderate in drinking
– Restrained
– Level headed
– Balanced
Very ‘steady’ kind of fella, provides stability to the church.
Dignified – Worthy of respect
– Worthy of reverence
– Not based on wealth or position but character and integrity
Not that they are very ‘atas’ or got ‘class’, but means that they behave in a way that gets others’ respect.
Self-control – in right mind, not controlled by demons/spirits/impulses Good control in these departments: sexual, anger, envy, pride, greed.
Sound (in faith, in love and in endurance.) – solid in these Christian virtues The triad faith, love, and hope appears to be a very early piece of Christian ethical instruction. That “hope” has been replaced by endurance probably reflects an emphasis on perseverance that the word hope itself does not always connote. They should be exemplary of the cardinal Christian virtues: faith toward God, love toward all, endurance to the End.


d) Discussion question. Younger women are to be ‘busy at home’ (NIV) or ‘working at home’ (ESV), does that mean women today should only work at home? (see Proverbs 31:16,18,24 to help you)

Of course not, the economic and cultural situation there made it so that most married women would be at home managing the house [ “good managers of the household” (NRSV)], but they can also provide and support the family in many other ways like taking outside work. In Proverbs 31, they can invest in properties or plantations and get involved in trading and merchants.

“House manager” is also used in 1 Tim 5:14 where the term oikodespoteō is used and means: to be the head of (i.e. rule) a family: — guide the house. Guide the house= to be master (or head) of a house to rule a household, manage family affairs

e) Fill in the table. In verse 9, Paul gives instructions to Christian slaves. There are no common slaves today, but in a sense, if we are employees, we are ‘slaves’ to the company. Look at the traits Paul wants hired workers to have and expand in your own words what they mean:

NIV ESV NASB
subject to their masters in everything be submissive to their own masters in everything be subject to their own masters in everything
to try to please them they are to be well-pleasing, to be pleasing
not to talk back to them, not argumentative, not argumentative,
not to steal from them not pilfering not stealing,