Pastor Dave Bruskas has been teaching through the book of Titus over at the Mars Hill Blog, and now that series is coming to Resurgence. In Pastor Dave’s last blog post on Titus 2 he discussed Paul’s description of a godly older woman. In this post, we examine what Paul has to say about training younger women in the church.

“Train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” (Titus 2:4–5)

Younger women are critically important in the church. Not only do they have much to contribute as they serve and lead as deacons and ministry volunteers, but those who are mothers help shape the next generation of children who we pray will love Jesus. Paul gives Titus six characteristics of a godly younger woman.

1. Love your family

If you’re a woman with a young family, you know how hard it is to be kind when your children and husband frustrate you. When a young woman isn’t acting out of her identity in Christ, she may become bitter, short, and depressed rather than being kind and having a great affection for her family. 

2. Be self-controlled

Just as it is for men, self-control is important for older and younger women. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, women should have self-control over their emotions, words, and actions, regardless of the circumstances.

Younger women are critically important in the church.

3. Be pure

Purity is important because it’s clear in the early church that just like today, younger women faced a lot of temptation.

4. Work from home

Working at home can be a controversial subject in our day, but in the original language, this could mean being a “house worker” or “house guardian.” In the ancient world, the home was often also a business. Homes were bigger than the immediate family, often including servants. The husband might be the primary breadwinner, but in many ways the woman was running a business in her home. It probably incorporated finances, assignment of tasks to servants, and education. This verse still applies today; a woman should be focused on the home running effectively and efficiently. 

5. Be kind

One of the things I really want for my daughters is that they be kind. It’s a rough world and there’s something about kind women that reflects the love of God. Our culture desperately needs kind women living out the gospel. Kindness in this passage might also have to do with benevolence, since there was no government structure for helping the poor. To be kind meant you weren’t only kindly disposed to your household, but you cared for those in your community as well.

Just as it is for men, self-control is important for older and younger women.

6. Be submissive

Submissive is a military word that means living under the chain of command. Women should live under the umbrella of the authority of their husband. Why does Paul say this? “That the word of God may not be reviled” (Titus 2:5). Young women have a huge responsibility toward the integrity of the gospel. It’s critical that we see how important young women are to the mission of Jesus.

Mentorship in community

Everyone fits into one of the four categories Paul describes: older men, older women, younger women, and younger men (coming next week). The one thing everyone shares is we should all be pursuing a life of holiness.

If you’re a young man or young woman, is someone older mentoring you? If you’re an older man or older woman, who is modeling Christlikeness to you? The progression in Titus 2 is that Paul is a mentor to Titus and he in turn mentors people in Crete.

The expectation is that you have someone who is helping you take the next step where you need to go, but you’re also reaching down at the same time and helping pull someone up. This is how Christian community works, and part of what it means to be in the body of Christ.

Join us next week as Pastor Dave continues teaching through Titus by examining the actions Paul encourages for younger men.