Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Titus 2:5

"[to be] sober-minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjection to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed:" — Titus 2:5 (ASV)

“To be self-controlled [GK 5409] and pure [GK 54]” forms another pair. The former is a standing duty for all Christians (cf. 1:8; 2:2, 6); the latter denotes not only chastity in their sex life but also purity of heart and mind in all their conduct.

“To be busy at home, to be kind” designates a third pair. The first describes the many domestic activities of the housewife that she must willingly accept as part of her position as queen of the home. The devoted wife and mother finds her absorbing interest in the innumerable duties of the home (cf. Paul’s condemnation of idleness in 1 Timothy 5:13–14). These demand unsparing self-giving and may subject her to the temptation to be irritable and harsh in her demands on members of her household. She must therefore cultivate the virtue of being “kind” (GK 19), i.e., benevolent, heartily doing what is good and beneficial to others.

The seventh item for a younger married woman stresses her acceptance of the established relationship between husband and wife as her Christian duty. “To be subject to” (GK 5718) suggests the voluntary acceptance of the headship of the husband (cf. Ephesians 5:22–24). In declaring the spiritual equality of the woman before God (Galatians 3:28), Christianity immeasurably elevated her status but did not thereby abolish her functional position as the complement and support of her husband as the head of the home.

The concluding purpose clause apparently relates to all seven items. It is the first expression of Paul’s strong sense of a religious purpose behind these ethical demands. If Christian wives ignore these demands and flout the role their culture demanded of good wives, the Gospel will be maligned, criticized, and discredited by non-Christians. Christianity will be judged especially by the impact that it has on the women. It therefore is the duty of the women to protect God’s revelation from profanation by living discreet and wholesome lives. No lifestyle is justified that hinders the message of God’s salvation in Christ.