TUESDAY, December 22

The author of this short letter urges his friend Titus to teach "what is consistent with sound doctrine," but he does not define sound doctrine. If such words were written to me today, I'd be asking lots of questions: What is "sound doctrine?" Is it the whole Bible, or the words of Jesus, or the articles of some creed, or the revelation that comes to me in the middle of the night? And who determines what "sound doctrine" is, especially now, when church authorities disagree?

Having urged Titus to teach sound doctrine, our author then dwells not on the content of what is taught, but on the character of the teacher--he urges temperance, love, chastity, self-control, integrity, submission to authority. He is presumably not saying that good works justify us before God (that is an issue in some other epistles, but not here). The point here seems to be that "sound doctrine" is more a matter of who you are than of what you think. If would-be teachers say different things, pay more attention to what you see in them than what you hear from them. Follow the teacher who best reflects the character of Christ and you will not go wrong.

PRAY for the Diocese of Yewa (formerly Egbado) (Province of Lagos, Nigeria)

Ps 66, 67 * 116, 117; 1 Samuel 2:1b-10; Luke 1:26-38