1 Timothy & Titus Introduction • Dress with Truth That Strengthens Devotion to God

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Paul’s letters—1 Timothy and Titus—are full of “fashion” facts for us so that we can adorn ourselves as God would want us to do. The first post in this series introduced you to what godliness is and what it means to adorn yourself with it. This is post #2 in the 1 Timothy & Titus blog series. In this post, we will learn how to dress ourselves with truth that strengthens our devotion to God.

This blog coordinates with the Adorn Yourself with Godliness Bible Study covering 1 Timothy and Titus in the New Testament. (11 lessons)

Fashion Facts

Here we are at the start of our series of articles covering two of Paul’s letters—1 Timothy and Titus. These letters are full of “fashion” facts for us so that we can adorn ourselves as God would want us to do.

In the last article, I mentioned the process by which a fashion piece like a dress or shirt is made. Seamstresses use pattern pieces to cut out material. Looking at just one pattern piece, like the sleeve, won’t teach you how to make the dress. But looking at the picture of the dress—the finished product—gives you an idea of how the pieces fit together. A seamstress has the finished product in mind as she follows the instructions to use all the pattern pieces to construct the dress as it was designed. That is similar to studying the Bible.

As you read 1 Timothy and Titus, you will notice a few major themes. They were hot button issues. Those are like pattern pieces that fit together and contribute to the whole picture. Both letters emphasized these:

The need for godly leadership in the local church.
The importance of maintaining a good reputation for the church.
That Christians should do good deeds that demonstrate what we believe, which enhances a good reputation for the church.
Adorning yourself with godliness rather than ungodliness. This is the biggest theme. And that one really works hand-in-hand with another theme…
Teach and maintain truth and sound doctrine while guarding against error.

Truth strengthens your devotion to God. Error takes you away from Him. Both influence how you adorn yourself. Understanding what your God, the Creator of the universe and your personal Savior, is saying to you is far more important than making a dress to adorn your body. So let’s examine this more closely.

Teach and Maintain Truth

Error is spiritual infection

When you read any of Paul’s letters, you will notice how careful he was to teach and maintain truth in everything he said or wrote. It was ever present on his mind. When he encountered error infiltrating one of the beloved churches he had founded, he immediately went after it. No burying his head in the sand. No ignoring it and hoping it would go away. That is very evident in both 1 Timothy and Titus.

Any error that persists is like a spiritual infection in the body. You know how to recognize a physical infection by its symptoms. The same is true regarding a spiritual infection. Any opinion or belief that contradicts established biblical truth can cause an infection in the Body of Christ. And like an infection in the human body, it always affects life so it must be addressed.

Read our Healthy Living blogs which discuss a number of spiritual infections affecting Christians.

Truth heals and prevents spiritual infection

Thankfully, the answer to all spiritual infections is the truth that has been given to us in the Bible, especially in the New Testament. The writings of the New Testament are the work of the Holy Spirit revealing Himself to the apostles and other disciples of Jesus. The historical reliability of the Scriptures is an important issue, and the New Testament writings can be investigated to show that the biblical records are trustworthy. We can know that God’s Word is true and reliable. Knowing truth gives us a spiritual immune system that fights and prevents infection in our hearts and minds. Grasping God’s truth is essential to godliness.

The three aspects of grasping truth

Grasping truth has three aspects:

Dwell in the truth of God you can know.
Humbly accept what you don’t know or understand.
Discern any teaching that you read or hear through the complete revelation of God’s Word.

These three parts help you to adorn yourself with godliness.

Read these articles for a more details understanding of these three aspects of grasping truth: TRUTH Is the Prescription for Healthy Living and Tame the “Look-Imagine-See” Dragon.

What you believe about God and about yourself in relationship to God directs how you think and, therefore, how you act. Paul begins his letter to Titus with this,

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— (Titus 1:1)

Knowledge of the truth leads to godliness.

We get truth and sound doctrine from God’s Word and, especially, the truths about the Christian faith (1 Timothy 3:9). You have to know what truth is in order to teach and maintain it. This theme really breaks down into positive versus negative aspects.

The Positive Aspects of Maintaining Truth

Certain truths about the Christian faith must be maintained.

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. (1 Timothy 2:5-6a)

Truth to maintain: There is one God and one Savior Jesus Christ who is the only mediator between God and humans.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)

Truth to maintain: God saved us not because of righteous things we have done or could do but because of His mercy. He gave us rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit poured out on us generously/ We are justified by His grace and are heirs of eternal life.

Paul wrote to Timothy to keep hold of these truths (1 Timothy 3:9), point them out to other Christians (1 Timothy 4:6), command and teach them (1 Timothy 4:11), and to watch his life and doctrine closely (1 Timothy 4:16).

Paul wrote to Titus the importance of holding firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that you can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it (Titus 1:9; 2:1).

These are intentional positive actions and choices on the part of every believer, especially those who are in any position of influence over others.

The Negative Aspects of Maintaining Truth

Counter false teaching

Pay attention to what is being taught.

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. (1 Timothy 1:3-4).

Error creeps in and promotes controversies rather than God’s work. We can get drawn into endless rabbit trails and controversies about mysteries that God has not revealed to us. Moses had a warning to us about that:

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

Avoid speculations

Humbly accept what God has not explained. Leave it in His hands. Speculation is a dangerous practice. Avoid this in your Bible study groups. When someone starts speculating, put a stop to it if you are leading the group. I found myself speculating about something in Joseph’s life a few weeks ago and called myself out on it.

Stop speculations regarding controversial subjects. Know what the biblical text says and be willing to obey it without trying to make it say what you want it to say.

Silence the false teachers?

This is the warning Paul gave to Titus…

For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain … rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith. (Titus 1:10-11,13)

Rebellious people love to engage in meaningless talk that makes them feel important. Sometimes they do it to get access to your money. They can ruin whole households through their destructive teaching. They must be silenced. Don’t give them an audience or a platform for those in your sphere of influence. Be honest with people you know about their destructive teaching.

Some of our most well-known modern teachers have slipped from truth into politically-correct verbiage. Throw away their books if you have them (don’t pass them along to other). Stop watching their videos. Stop listening to their podcasts. Let others know where their teaching is wrong.

Watch your own teaching

Be careful here. Most truth-infused Bible teachers including me are probably right 85-90% of the time. I have friends who will catch something I say that is not truth and let me know in love that I am likely wrong, backing it up with Scripture. I so appreciate that.

Always check what is being taught with what is written in the Bible. Use the inductive Bible study method which has you look at the text first to see what is there, ask what it meant to the writer and audience receiving it, and apply what you learn to your life in dependent obedience.

Conclusion

Dressing yourself with God’s truth is essential for godliness. It strengthens your devotion to God, protects you from rebellious people, and preserves your freedom. Believers in Jesus Christ should never stop learning His word and learning from His word. Everything we experience adds to it as we make the right decisions and learn to avoid the bad ones.

As long time Bible professor, Charles Ryrie, said,

The Bible is the greatest of all books; to study it is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals. (Charles Ryrie)

Receive the word of God. Accept it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God. Then, let it permeate your whole being so that you will not only be devoted to God but also be able to adorn yourself with godliness.

A Greek philosopher who lived in the late first century said this about adorning yourself,

Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly. (Epictetus)

He was right. Dress according to who you are—God’s own precious child. That is dressed in truth!

In the next post, we will see that godliness flows through knowing Christ and His grace.

Let Jesus satisfy your heart with such love for God that you will want to live a life that pleases Him.

All of the above information is covered in the Adorn Yourself with Godliness Bible Study covering 1 Timothy and Titus in the New Testament.

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