Lesson 3, Part 2 (Notes follow the video for the hearing impaired.)
Titus 3:2 KJVS
[2] To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Titus 3:2 NLT
[2] They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.
After reminding people to obey authorities, Paul tells Titus he should also remind them to not speak evil of, or slander, others. Nor were they to be what the KJVS calls brawlers, or people who quarrel. Instead, they were to be meek, or gentle and humble toward other people.
The word brawler indicated someone who habitually quarreled or noisily argued and had conflicts with others. We know that people who constantly argue with others also have a tendency to slander their opponents, saying things that are designed to put the opponent in a negative light in the minds of those who are listening to the quarrel.
Titus was to teach the people on Crete to avoid that type of behavior. Continuously quarreling and slandering others with whom we do not agree does not help resolve those disagreements. Divisive language and personal verbal attacks do not demonstrate an attitude of open, objective debate. They demonstrate a closed mind that is unwilling to admit one’s own viewpoint may need to be examined and adjusted to reflect truth and not opinion.
Remember that the people of Crete did not have good reputations. Titus was attempting to help them change their bad reputations by changing how they lived once they had accepted the good news about Jesus and become followers of His teachings. Part of the change in behavior would need to include changing how they were treating others with whom they disagreed.
Our example of how to treat people who disagree with us is Jesus. He consistently was meek, gentle and humble in disagreements with other people. He dealt with others without slandering them. His rebukes always came with love and always revealed truth to those who opposed Him.
In the rare times Jesus is described as being angry in a situation, His anger usually was directed at those who had brought insult to His Father through their doctrines or actions. Even then He did not argue with them. He pointed out their errors and tried to correct their understanding of the Father’s will. We would do well to try to pattern how we handle our disagreements after Christ’s example.
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