That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
Holy older women are charged to train younger women to live with self-control and to love their husbands and children. To be sober is to be self-controlled, discreet, clear-minded and responsible in conduct, with thoughts kept from running riot, leaving no place for sentimentalism, levity, jesting and flirting. For a young wife to love her husband and children is to be discreet, chaste, a keeper at home, good, and obedient to her own husband in submission to God's authority. Her God-given work in her own home is a first, sacred and holy calling that no one else can do for her, and she is never called to neglect husband and children for any other class of work, since any teaching leading to even the slightest neglect of home duty is contrary to this instruction. This sound doctrine is to be taught by holy example and sanctified speech, and when it is lived out it makes a wife a blessing and comfort to her husband and keeps God's word from being blasphemed and dishonored.
Meaning in Context
Holy older women, living in holy behavior as teachers of good things, are charged to train younger women to live with self-control and to love their husbands and children. That training guides younger women toward sober-minded, discreet lives marked by chastity, goodness, and faithful care of the home. It calls for sound teaching and an example of holiness, with every tongue sanctified to teach biblical truth, countering pleasure-loving and worldly influences among the young.
This charge is sound doctrine given through Paul to Titus, in which the Spirit and the Word agree, and it is part of sound Bible teaching about conduct for both older and younger church members. Lived out, it keeps God's word from being blasphemed or dishonored. Failure to live carefully dishonors God and brings reproach on the truth.
To be sober means to be self-controlled, discreet, sober-minded, and clear-minded and responsible in conduct. It means to think soberly, with thoughts kept from running riot because Jesus is enthroned in the heart. It leaves no excuse for love-sick sentimentalism, levity, lightness, trifling, jesting, joking, and flirting. The flirting of married men with young girls or married women or widows is licentiousness and moral wrong even when excused as thoughtlessness, misrepresents Christ and reproaches Jesus, and causes the word of God to be blasphemed.
For a young wife to love her husband and children means to be discreet, chaste, a keeper at home, good, and obedient to her own husband. That obedient, home-centered love makes a wife a blessing and comfort to her husband instead of embittering his life, and keeping it prevents the Word of God from being blasphemed.
Faithful Home Life
A wife and mother's God-given work is not a public work but a very important work in her own home that no one else can do for her, where she is to be true to her position as wife and mother. That home work is her first, sacred, holy calling, in which she is to exemplify Christian graces as faithful, lovable, patient, kind, yet firm, and to learn right methods and tact to train her own children to keep the way of the Lord by precept and example. She is to care for her family with Christian kindness and patience, teaching and training her children by word and example rather than neglecting them.
God never calls a wife and mother to neglect husband and children for another class of work and never contradicts His own Word, so any teaching leading to even the slightest neglect of home duties is not prompted by the Spirit. Neglecting husband and children for supposed religious duties such as attending meetings, working for others, giving Bible readings, or carrying messages is directly contrary to this instruction, for the religion of Christ never leads a wife and mother away from home duty. She is to fulfill her sacred home duty rather than neglect her family for other religious work.
This home-centered love makes a wife a blessing and comfort to her husband instead of embittering his life, and keeping it prevents God's word from being blasphemed. It is shown by finding the sweetest, happiest, best enjoyment at home amid her own family rather than in extravagant love for visiting and common conversation about commonplace worldly things, which brings needless expense, wastes her husband's time and money, becomes a snare, and harms spiritual enjoyment. It requires self-denial and economy, planning to save and studying the united interest of husband and wife rather than seeking her own pleasure, while still keeping the privilege of assembling with God's people without carrying visiting or going to distant meetings to excess.
Girls are to be prepared for the responsibilities of wives and mothers by learning household duties, managing a home, and guiding and instructing children. That practical preparation includes daily skills such as cooking, making good bread essential to family health, and cutting and making garments. Mere accomplishments such as reading and playing music do not meet this need, and without this training married women remain as dependent as little children and ignorance of these most needful duties makes many families unhappy.
Living this instruction calls for sound teaching and an example of holiness to guide younger women toward sober, discreet lives marked by love for husbands and children, chastity, goodness, and faithful care of the home, countering pleasure-loving and worldly influences among the young, so that God's word is not dishonored. Every tongue is to be sanctified to teach this biblical truth as part of sound Bible teaching. It belongs to teaching sound doctrine to both older and younger members of the church, where careless living dishonors God and brings reproach on the truth. Its practical lesson benefits both those who preach and those who hear, as truth shapes family life and is seen in consistent, good conduct. Being taught to love her husband includes a wife's duties of love and obedience toward her husband in submission to God's authority.
Holy older women are charged to train younger women to live with self-control and to love their husbands and children. To be sober is to be self-controlled, discreet, clear-minded and responsible in conduct, with thoughts kept from running riot, leaving no place for sentimentalism, levity, jesting and flirting. For a young wife to love her husband and children is to be discreet, chaste, a keeper at home, good, and obedient to her own husband in submission to God's authority. Her God-given work in her own home is a first, sacred and holy calling that no one else can do for her, and she is never called to neglect husband and children for any other class of work, since any teaching leading to even the slightest neglect of home duty is contrary to this instruction. This sound doctrine is to be taught by holy example and sanctified speech, and when it is lived out it makes a wife a blessing and comfort to her husband and keeps God's word from being blasphemed and dishonored.
Meaning in Context
Holy older women, living in holy behavior as teachers of good things, are charged to train younger women to live with self-control and to love their husbands and children. That training guides younger women toward sober-minded, discreet lives marked by chastity, goodness, and faithful care of the home. It calls for sound teaching and an example of holiness, with every tongue sanctified to teach biblical truth, countering pleasure-loving and worldly influences among the young.
This charge is sound doctrine given through Paul to Titus, in which the Spirit and the Word agree, and it is part of sound Bible teaching about conduct for both older and younger church members. Lived out, it keeps God's word from being blasphemed or dishonored. Failure to live carefully dishonors God and brings reproach on the truth.
To be sober means to be self-controlled, discreet, sober-minded, and clear-minded and responsible in conduct. It means to think soberly, with thoughts kept from running riot because Jesus is enthroned in the heart. It leaves no excuse for love-sick sentimentalism, levity, lightness, trifling, jesting, joking, and flirting. The flirting of married men with young girls or married women or widows is licentiousness and moral wrong even when excused as thoughtlessness, misrepresents Christ and reproaches Jesus, and causes the word of God to be blasphemed.
For a young wife to love her husband and children means to be discreet, chaste, a keeper at home, good, and obedient to her own husband. That obedient, home-centered love makes a wife a blessing and comfort to her husband instead of embittering his life, and keeping it prevents the Word of God from being blasphemed.
Faithful Home Life
A wife and mother's God-given work is not a public work but a very important work in her own home that no one else can do for her, where she is to be true to her position as wife and mother. That home work is her first, sacred, holy calling, in which she is to exemplify Christian graces as faithful, lovable, patient, kind, yet firm, and to learn right methods and tact to train her own children to keep the way of the Lord by precept and example. She is to care for her family with Christian kindness and patience, teaching and training her children by word and example rather than neglecting them.
God never calls a wife and mother to neglect husband and children for another class of work and never contradicts His own Word, so any teaching leading to even the slightest neglect of home duties is not prompted by the Spirit. Neglecting husband and children for supposed religious duties such as attending meetings, working for others, giving Bible readings, or carrying messages is directly contrary to this instruction, for the religion of Christ never leads a wife and mother away from home duty. She is to fulfill her sacred home duty rather than neglect her family for other religious work.
This home-centered love makes a wife a blessing and comfort to her husband instead of embittering his life, and keeping it prevents God's word from being blasphemed. It is shown by finding the sweetest, happiest, best enjoyment at home amid her own family rather than in extravagant love for visiting and common conversation about commonplace worldly things, which brings needless expense, wastes her husband's time and money, becomes a snare, and harms spiritual enjoyment. It requires self-denial and economy, planning to save and studying the united interest of husband and wife rather than seeking her own pleasure, while still keeping the privilege of assembling with God's people without carrying visiting or going to distant meetings to excess.
Girls are to be prepared for the responsibilities of wives and mothers by learning household duties, managing a home, and guiding and instructing children. That practical preparation includes daily skills such as cooking, making good bread essential to family health, and cutting and making garments. Mere accomplishments such as reading and playing music do not meet this need, and without this training married women remain as dependent as little children and ignorance of these most needful duties makes many families unhappy.
Living this instruction calls for sound teaching and an example of holiness to guide younger women toward sober, discreet lives marked by love for husbands and children, chastity, goodness, and faithful care of the home, countering pleasure-loving and worldly influences among the young, so that God's word is not dishonored. Every tongue is to be sanctified to teach this biblical truth as part of sound Bible teaching. It belongs to teaching sound doctrine to both older and younger members of the church, where careless living dishonors God and brings reproach on the truth. Its practical lesson benefits both those who preach and those who hear, as truth shapes family life and is seen in consistent, good conduct. Being taught to love her husband includes a wife's duties of love and obedience toward her husband in submission to God's authority.