Titus 2:8, commentary and pictures

Sound speech is healthy, pure, serious and sincere talk that gives no just ground for blame. It shuts out frivolity and vanity, foolish jesting and joking, coarse and vulgar expressions, harsh and dishonest words, and all cheap and common talk. Joined to a consistent, well-ordered life, it leaves those opposed ashamed, with nothing evil they can truthfully say. Such words flow from a heart filled with truth and grace, a disposition freed from irritability, and a character made gentle, kind and lowly. Therefore the young are to turn from empty talk and love of amusement to diligent, consecrated usefulness, parents are to train children from earliest years to speak truthfully and purely, and teachers and all workers are to speak carefully and courteously, knowing the tongue is a sacred trust for which account must be given.

Context and Addressees

Paul's charge to Titus joins the call for young men to be sober-minded with the call for Titus himself to show in all things a pattern of good works, with uncorruptness, gravity and sincerity in doctrine. Sound speech that cannot be condemned is the speech of that charge, grounded in pure, serious, sincere and healthy teaching that gives opponents no ground for blame and leaves them ashamed with no evil thing to say. The gospel minister must therefore be an example of the truths he teaches, showing the same sober-mindedness commanded to young men, with doctrine that is pure, serious and genuine and speech that is healthy and beyond reproach.

That charge belongs with the wider household instruction in which aged men are to be sober, grave, temperate and sound in faith, charity and patience, aged women are to behave as becometh holiness, not as false accusers nor given to much wine but as teachers of good things, and young women are to be sober, discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, loving to husbands and children and obedient, that the word of God be not blasphemed. It forbids love-sick sentimentalism, flirting of married men with young girls or married women or widows, levity and licentiousness, and lightness, trifling, jesting and joking under the garb of Christianity, making sober thinking the duty of one whose heart is enthroned by Jesus instead of letting thoughts run riot. The remainder of the charge in verses 11-15 belongs with it.

The verse directs ministering brethren to work circumspectly, with integrity in teaching and conduct and with speech beyond reproach so opponents have no legitimate accusation. Such speech is part of the minister's duty to live as an example of the truths he teaches, including sound judgment and sober-mindedness even in care for the body. The same instruction applies to all who preach the word and to those who hear it, whose conduct and words are to be so consistent with truth and so upright that opponents are put to shame and have no just charge to make.

The command was written for the benefit of every youth, including students and young workers among unbelievers, who should choose words carefully, avoid light or careless speech, and let conduct and speech honor God in sacred service. It gives the education youth and students need for the day of trial coming as a thief in the night, calling for time, young zeal and youthful ardor to be employed to glorify God, with all powers trained and consecrated to service in blessing others, as in the school of the prophets. Those bought with a price must thus glorify God in body and spirit which are His, labor together with Christ, yield obedience to God as a new and respected authority in whom faith triumphs, and learn to speak soundly and well as part of a pattern of good works that communicates personal experience.

Meaning of Sound Speech

Sound speech is healthy, wholesome, pure, honest, upright, serious, grave and sincere speech that stands beyond just condemnation and gives no ground for blame. It is speech shaped by God's truth and grace rather than frivolous, trifling or narrow talk, joined to a well-ordered life and a pattern of good works with uncorruptness, gravity and sincerity in doctrine. Young people are to speak with such integrity and soundness while living as examples, in contrast to the frivolous, vain talk common among the young.

Such speech excludes frivolity, vanity, lightness, carelessness, trifling and narrow talk, foolish jesting and joking, and empty, vain talking and laughing that dishonor God. It excludes coarse, rough, vulgar and immodest expressions, hard speeches, dishonesty, exaggeration, and harsh, unbelieving, cheap, common and nonsensical words. It forbids love-sick sentimentalism, flirting, levity and licentiousness, including flirting of married men with young girls or married women or widows, and lightness, trifling, jesting and joking under the garb of Christianity. Words are to be chosen carefully, trifling words put away, and conduct and speech made to honor God in sacred service, with sober thinking as the duty of one whose heart is enthroned by Jesus instead of letting thoughts run riot.

Sound speech is gentle, truthful, pure, kind and pleasant, honest conversation that ministers grace and knowledge to the hearer. It blesses rather than discourages, comforts the discouraged and desponding, refreshes those thirsting for sympathy and love, and speaks of the love of Jesus and the better heavenly home rather than of one's own disappointments and trials. It praises Christ not only in times of joy but at all times as Redeemer, and it is learned by filling the heart with God's promises and training the lips to speak the language of heaven so that words strengthen and comfort others. Children are to be trained from their earliest years to speak respectfully, lovingly, gently, truthfully and purely to parents and one another, by both example and instruction as a major responsibility. Students likewise are to speak words that bless hearers rather than indulge in frivolous, cheap talk, with a prayerful spirit that brings peace to the soul.

Such speech flows from God's truth and grace abiding in the heart and from a sanctified life, with truth showing itself in conversation and not in preaching only. It comes from a sweetened disposition freed from irritability, with gentleness and kindness constantly cherished and sympathy cultivated for others rather than for self, and from sanctified and converted minds with a clear sense of duty. It comes from a character transformed by Christ and a sincere religious experience marked by meekness and lowliness, free from bitterness, malice and harshness, while jesting and joking that reveal an unholy spirit do not fit this standard. Even tone, courtesy, kindness and manner reveal religious standing, showing whether the truth has sanctified the life.

Effect on Opponents

Sound speech joined to a consistent life leaves him that is of the contrary part ashamed, having no evil thing to say and no valid accusation to make against the speaker. Such speech must be beyond reproach and beyond just condemnation, so that opponents have no legitimate charge and are put to shame. It belongs with sincere, serious teaching marked by uncorruptness, gravity and sincerity, with pure teaching, with a sober-minded life and good works, and with living as an example of the truths taught. This is part of the charge to young men to be sober-minded and to show a pattern of good works, and it calls ministers to work circumspectly and carefully, showing integrity in both teaching and conduct.

Pure, serious and true words and doctrine silence opposition. They guard against being carried about with divers and strange doctrines. They promote righteousness, peace and edification as part of speaking the things which become sound doctrine, exhorting young men to be sober-minded, and showing a pattern of good works with uncorruptness, gravity and sincerity in doctrine, with speech that is blameless.

Because believers' conduct and influence are watched and judged by unbelievers, a holy, careful, well-chosen life and speech give no truthful grounds for an evil report. Modest, courteous, reserved, holy and pure behavior, with Christian graces cultivated and the truth seen in the life with grace and purity, guards against giving occasion to criticize the faith, even guarding against giving wicked people such occasion. Well-chosen words reflecting sound principles make a good impression even on those who do not share the faith, while frivolous, nonsensical conversation is to be avoided. Such godly lives as examples of the truth taught make the professed faith attractive to unbelievers and honor God before believers and unbelievers through supreme love for God and unselfish love for neighbors. One who is watched must therefore be extremely careful of influence, prudent in speaking with and to others, and avoid too much familiarity.

Life Supporting Speech

Sound speech that is healthy and beyond blame belongs with being in all things a pattern of good works, with godly conversation joined to a well-ordered life that magnifies the Lord God of Hosts and reveals His grace in character. It flows from a sweetened disposition freed from irritability, with gentleness and kindness constantly cherished and sympathy cultivated for others rather than for self, and with uncorruptness, gravity and sincerity in doctrine. Young Christians are to learn to speak soundly and well so their words cannot rightly be condemned, using their education to communicate what has become personal experience. Because conduct and influence are watched and judged by unbelievers, a holy, careful life with grace and purity should give no truthful grounds for an evil report and leave opponents with no genuine evil to say. Such a life shows supreme love for God and unselfish love for neighbors so that God is honored before believers and unbelievers, makes the professed faith attractive, and teaches by example what is taught by word.

Those who would teach sinners the truth and win souls to Christ must first bring their own life up to the exalted standard and properly represent the sanctification of the truth in daily life. Religion must be more than head religion; it must affect the heart and then have a correcting influence upon the life, adorning profession by a well-ordered life and godly conversation. Wrong habits are not overcome by a single effort but only through long and severe struggles by which self is mastered, with self-training taken up by individual members and the rubbish accumulated around the door of the heart removed, so as to serve God with singleness of purpose. Failure to keep up with the advancement of the work in this way causes failure and leads souls away from Christ by an unsanctified life, and only after this preparation can anyone teach sinners and win them.

Every minister of Christ must use such sound speech as part of a solemn work to be accomplished for himself that demands personal effort, a work in his own case that no one else can do for him, to gain the qualifications necessary to become an able minister. The aim is that in the day of God he may stand acquitted, free from the blood of souls, having done all his duty in the fear of God. The reward for meeting this standard is to hear from the Chief Shepherd, Well done, good and faithful servant, to receive the crown of glory, and to enter into the joy of the Lord in beholding redeemed saints saved through self-denying labor, reproach, suffering, and anguish of spirit.

Practical Applications

Youth are called to turn from love of the world and its things, from frivolity and fashion and empty vain talking and laughing that dishonor God and crowd His love from the heart, to grave and sincere living and speech that honors Him. The call is to sober-mindedness shown in elevated Christian living rather than the worldling's idea of elevation, rejecting all that is cheap, low and foolish in talk, loving heavenly things and pure virtuous character, and meeting the mind of God by this high standard. Strong young men are to be filled with the Spirit of Christ rather than foolishness and love of amusement, loving truth and learning, treating time as golden, applying the mind diligently and perseveringly, cultivating faith that works by love and purifies the soul, putting away indolence and cheap talk, keeping the eye single to the glory of God, turning from the superficial and false, hungering and thirsting after God, seeking understanding of His laws in creation as a transcript of His character, and growing in efficiency to do good, spread the knowledge of Christ, and cooperate with heavenly intelligences in saving souls.

Parents carry a major responsibility to train children from earliest years to speak respectfully and lovingly to parents and to one another, with words gentle, truthful and pure and therefore beyond rightful condemnation, teaching both by example and by instruction. Sabbath-school teachers need sincere piety and daily communion with God, for without these teaching becomes dry and powerless to reach hearts. They are to care deeply for souls Christ died to save, plan engaging instruction that draws people to Christ, and labor with God to win souls, with words and doctrine sound, sincere and beyond valid reproach. Young people, including canvassers and those working among unbelievers, are to choose words carefully, avoid light or careless speech, learn to speak soundly and well as part of a pattern of good works, use education to communicate personal experience, and let conduct and speech honor God in sacred service. Students are to speak words that bless hearers rather than frivolous cheap talk, training the tongue to bless rather than discourage, avoiding harsh, unbelieving, cheap and common words, keeping a prayerful spirit that brings peace to the soul, while physicians and nurses are to show modest, courteous and reserved behavior that guards against giving occasion to criticize the faith.

The power of speech is one of God's good gifts and a sacred trust to be improved to win souls to Christ, to exalt the plan of redemption and magnify its Author, to minister grace and knowledge to the hearer through honest conversation that cannot be condemned. It is to speak words of comfort to the discouraged and desponding, kind and pleasant words that refresh those thirsting for sympathy and love, speaking of the love of Jesus and the better heavenly home rather than of personal disappointments and trials, and never using the tongue in hard speeches, dishonesty and exaggeration. Right words are learned by filling the heart with God's promises and training the lips to speak the language of heaven, so words strengthen and comfort others and praise Christ at all times as Redeemer deserving praise and thanksgiving. The tongue is a power for good or a power for evil, and in the day of final accounts every idle word must be answered for at the bar of God.

Sound speech means refraining from all foolish jesting and joking, spoken in the presence of angels appointed to lead to right action, involving choice of whom to pattern after, following what is right and by example leading others to right action. Such speech is required of those who desire to see Jesus and dwell with Him in the heavenly courts by revealing truth in sound words, and those who speak and act this way receive the commendation of God. Growing knowledge of God is eternal life, while the charge will in the judgment condemn all who misapply entrusted power, squander and bury talents, and waste the Lord's goods.