TEXT: Titus 2:1-5

SUBJECT: The Godly Woman: at Home

"The more things change, the more they stay the same". Paul wrote this letter nineteen centuries ago, in a place six thousand miles away, to a man who couldn't imagine the fall of Rome. Yet his words are as alive and relevant today as when he first committed them to paper. Some years earlier, the Gospel was preached on the isle of Crete and churches planted. But these young assemblies lacked mature leadership. And into that vacuum rushed evil men--idle talkers, deceivers, liars, lovers of dishonest gain, hypocrites, and so on. They managed to subvert sound doctrine. And what effect did this have? Some would say: "Little or none, after all, it's only doctrine". But Paul thought otherwise. He saw doctrinal deviation as the sworn enemy of practical godliness.

And so he urged Titus to do three things: appoint qualified elders in every church, refute the heretics, and teach believers to recommend the truth by holy living. It is to this third goal that I now draw your attention.

The godly woman wants to "adorn the doctrine of God her Savior in all things". But how does she do this? How does she exhibit those things "which become sound doctrine?" Or, to put it the other way, How does she keep "the word of God from being blasphemed"?

Happily, she doesn't have to guess. The Lord tells her in one sentence: Women should..."love their husbands, love their children, be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good (and) obedient to their own husbands". If she does these things, then she has represented God well in the world. But if not, she has failed, no matter how many home Bible studies she has taught or how many neighbors she has invited to church.

Not very pleasant, is it? It teaches us that godliness does not consist of religious activities, but of surrender to the will of God in all areas of life. Especially in the home.

The subject, then, is "The Godly Woman at Home".

The first thing you should note is: The godly woman wants to stay home. My Bible translates it: "Homemakers". The KJV weighs in with "keepers at home". And the ASV says, "workers at home". But wherever the stress is laid, "making", "keeping", or "working"--the place remains the same: "home". This, of course, is not always possible. Lydia, it seems, was a widow, and forced to work outside the home. The same is probably true of Phoebe. But they were not "career women" as we use the term. According to I Corinthians 11:9, "the man was not made for the woman, but the woman for the man". She was made, therefore, to care for her husband--and not to compete with him! This limitation is thought to be stifling. But it is not. If the woman was designed to stay home, then God has equipped her for that work. Hence, it is by rebelling against the Divine order that she is frustrated. By submitting to it, however, she unlocks her God-given potential and becomes useful and happy.

This does not rule out any moderate home business or an occasional job-on-the-side (see the Virtuous Woman). But it certainly forbids the career-mindedness that we so often detect in the modern female. The education and work experience that most young ladies seek today (and are encouraged to get) have an unspoken goal: divorce. "If my marriage doesn't work out, I'll always have something to fall back on" is the reasoning behind their most critical decisions.

Every mother, therefore, ought to teach her daughters a good course in Home Ec. It seems that the Cretan mothers did not. And so, years later, older women had to intrude into the family life of their young sisters and show them how to be make a good home. What a rebuke it was to Cretan culture. The mothers didn't love their girls enough to prepare them for life! I can only hope that your daughters won't need the same help in ten years.

But "staying home" is not an end in itself. A woman can stay home her whole life and still be as ungodly as the devil. No; they stay home in order to do some things. One of which is to "love their husbands".

Now, marital love--in some ways--is different than other loves. But it is fundamentally the same. This means, for example, that it is:

The relationship between husband and wife is primary. That between mother and children is secondary. Man and woman are "one flesh"--not "mother and baby". This means that--except for her fellowship with God--a woman must make marital communion her top priority. The best mother, friend, or Sunday School teacher, who can't get along with her husband, has "blasphemed the doctrine of God".

Next, the kids. The godly woman learns to "love her children". This, too means commitment to their highest good. She trains them for godliness (whether they are converted or not!) This is done:

Then comes a cluster of traits: "discreet, chaste, good, and obedient".

"Discreet" signifies "a sound mind"--thoughtful, balanced, of good judgment. In the case of women--I think--this verse should be understood as something like this: not jealous of her husband; not hysterical about her children; not anxious for money; and not afraid of the future. That woman is discreet or sober-minded.

"Chaste" refers to moral purity. The godly woman, of course, is not adulterous. But neither is she interested in other men from afar. Nor does she like crude talk. She is offended by televised filth, too. There is no better word for it: she is chaste.

"Good" is a catch-all word: humble before God, eager to serve her family, hospitable to guests, kind to neighbors, even loving to enemies--all of these come under the idea of "goodness". Maybe, the Virtuous Woman illustrates this well: "She does him good and not evil all the days of his life...and, more generally: "The law of kindness is on her tongue".

"Obedient" speaks for itself. She does what her husband asks of her--and does it cheerfully. She only refuses him when it involves sin--and even then, declines humbly and without disrespect, rancor, or threat.

And so, in two short verses, Paul describes the godly woman at home. But he doesn't leave it here. He also tells them how to achieve domestic godliness. It is done in two ways:

This brings me to the final thought. What is the result of female godliness in the home? The answer is simple: God is honored in the world. Even unbelievers have a hard time criticizing a woman for "loving her husband", for "loving her children", and for being "discreet, chaste, good, and obedient"--and loving every minute of it. God is honored in the world.

Its opposite? "The doctrine of God is blasphemed". Christianity seems to be a hoax and powerless to change lives. It is reduced to mindless ritual. And the Living God appears dead. No one can bear such a thought. Thus, dear ladies, I urge you: become a godly woman at home. May the LORD so bless you, for Christ's sake. Amen.