But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. — Titus 2:1
Here we find Paul’s exhortation to Titus in what are known as the Pastoral Epistles. Paul had left Titus in Crete to set things in order — appointing elders for the churches on the island and ensuring that the congregations were properly established.
In Contrast to False Teachers
Toward the end of the first chapter, Paul had warned Titus about the false teachers he would encounter — people who professed to know God but denied Him by their deeds, described as detestable and disobedient. It is against that backdrop that chapter 2 opens with this pointed contrast. Paul begins with the words but as for you — drawing a clear line between Titus and those false teachers who said one thing while living another way entirely.
The call to Titus is to be different. And the specific way that difference is to show up is in his speech — that what he speaks should always be in keeping with sound doctrine.
More Than the Pulpit
It is important to notice that Paul is not speaking here exclusively about what Titus preaches on a Sunday. He is speaking about Titus’s daily life — his ordinary conversations, his casual interactions, his speech in everyday situations both inside and outside the church. The exhortation is that his regular speech, in all its ordinary moments, should be characterised by and consistent with sound doctrine.
We live in a world where it has become entirely normal to fill conversations with nonsense, crude language, dishonesty, and empty talk — to the point where the person who speaks with integrity and substance is the odd one out. Paul had already urged the Ephesians that filthy speech should not even be named among believers. This is a foundational expectation for the people of God.
As believers, we need to be a people whose speech is characterised by sound doctrine. But to speak soundly, we must first know sound doctrine. We must understand what the Scriptures actually teach, so that the values and standards of God’s Word can flow naturally into how we communicate in daily life.
Consistent in Every Context
We should not be people who speak correctly and carefully in keeping with Scripture when we are in church, then switch to filthy, careless, or worldless speech the moment we step into the workplace, the home, or any other context. Our entire lives — every word we speak, every conversation we enter — should be held to the standard of biblical truth.
Everything we say ought to pass the test of sound and faithful speech.
May we be a people who thinks before we speak — who offers words of encouragement, truth, and grace even in a world that finds such language unusual. May we resist the pull to adopt the world’s way of speaking and instead return continually to Scripture to shape how we carry ourselves and how we communicate.
Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. — Colossians 4:6
Amen.
Leave a Reply