Titus 2:7-8
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
Tag: Set the Curve
The kid who set the curve in high school was not popular. They set the standard in the classroom for everyone else. In essence, that is what Paul is telling Titus in the above passage. He wants him to set the curve as the teacher of God's Word. Paul wants Titus to teach with three criteria: Integrity, dignity and sound speech. These speak as to the three areas every speaker has to address. Integrity speaks to the content of what we speak into. The material (Titus' material was God's Word) has to have a sustainability to it. The Greek word is "undecaying" in nature. When we speak, the material we present needs to be truth, because truth will last. The second area Paul stresses is that Titus should speak with "dignity." This is the same Greek word that Paul used earlier in the chapter when speaking about "old men." Old men, and speakers for God's Word are to be "venerable" (in means with a sense of gravity). When we speak truth for God we are not to be frivolous with it. The Antonym for venerable is "common, unimpressive, unrespected." This speaks to the attitude we take in regard to our speaking truth to others. We are to take the work of speaking truth with a sense of seriousness and gravity. The third area Paul speaks to young Titus about is to be sound speech. The Greek word for "sound" is: hugies - (cf. Eng., “hygiene”). When the man of God speaks the words he/she uses should bring health and healing to the hearers. This it the results the speaker is looking for. When we use undecaying content (integrity) in our speech and mix it with a dignified delivery, it should produce "sound speech," speech that produces healthy results in the lives of the hearers. They will not be able to condemn us if we do so. The above passage may be the best definition of what a healthy public speaking approach looks like. Paul wanted Titus to be a great speaker of God's truth. This was his three-fold truth.
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