| “Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters … that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things” (Titus 2:9-10). |
| Paul gave Titus some very clear advice as to very practical things. In fact, we find the phrase “good works” used many times in the book of Titus. Why was this? The Christians on the island of Crete knew the gospel and had believed it. However, they were not very good at acting like Christians, and frequently did things that were not right for Christians to do. Paul told Titus to make sure that they not only believed the gospel, but acted like Christians. |
| When I was in medical school, we had to study the human skeleton. We had a number of human skeletons available to us, standing up in little closets, so that we could learn the names of the bones, and how they fit together. Those skeletons were not very attractive, and if you were to see one, you might think it was actually ugly. Yet those bones are in all of our bodies, and are very important. They provide a structure on which muscles, fatty tissue, organs such as our heart, liver, kidneys, etc., and finally our skin can be held together. |
| Good doctrine is like our skeleton. It may not always be pretty by itself, but it is the structure and support on which our Christian life can be built. What then does it mean to adorn the doctrine? It means that even if people do not like the doctrines of Christianity, they ought to be able to see the good works in our lives — things that they can appreciate. These good works are like the soft tissues that cover our skeletons — they are much more pleasing to look at! |
| It is important to remember this in our everyday lives. We may tell others about the Lord, and we may tell them how to get saved, but it will not mean much unless our lives are “adorning the doctrine.” We need to show the proof of our Christianity to this world. |
