Recently I came across a web site called, βLies That Moms Tell Their Kids To Get Them To Behave.β One mom told her kids she had a new phone app that could tell her when they were misbehaving behind her back!
Well, while children should heed Paulβs advice to βobey your parents in the Lordβ simply because, as Paul went on to say, βthis is rightβ (Eph. 6:1), the apostle Paul says that βaged menβ should behave themselves for aΒ differentΒ reason. He told Titus,
ββ¦speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men beβ¦ graveβ¦ sound in faithβ (Titus 2:1,2).
Aged Christian men should behave themselves because it isΒ becomingΒ to the sound doctrine they profess to believe. That word means to make something look good. Officers in the military can be charged with βconduct unbecoming an officer and a gentlemanβ if they misbehave and make the military look bad, but aged Christian men should want to make the sound doctrine they believe and teach look good!
And that includes being βgrave,β a word that meansΒ seriousβdeadly serious! As men grow old, they tend to mellow, andΒ notΒ take things as seriously as they did when they were young. While that might be okay in some areas of life, Paul is talking about being serious inΒ spiritual matters, and the gravity of spiritual things doesnβt diminish with age. So if you are an older Christian man, you might want to take stock of your life to determine if you are as serious about serving the Lord as you were when you wore a younger manβs clothes.
Paul says that aged men should also be βsound in faith.β The word βsoundβ meansΒ healthy,Β wholesomeΒ andΒ strong. When Isaiah wanted to describe how sinful the people of Israel were in his day, he compared them to a diseased manβs body (Isaiah 1:5), saying of his nation, βthere is noΒ soundness in itβ (Isaiah 1:6). So being βsound in faithβ means having strong and healthy faith.
Maybe you noticed that Paul didnβt say that aged men should be sound inΒ theΒ faith. That is, he didnβt say they should be sound in the body of truth given to Paul for the dispensation of grace. Thatβs true, but thatβs something Paul expressed earlier in this epistle (Titus 1:13). Here the word βfaithβ means faithfulness,Β as it does when Paul wrote of Godβs faithfulness to the people of Israel despite their unbelief (Rom. 3:3). So in saying that aged men should be βsound in faith,β Paul is saying they should beΒ strong in their faithfulness to the Lord.
And now that Iβm getting to be an aged man myself, I think I can understand why the apostle says this to aged men. It is the same reason he tells us all, βbe not weary in well doingβ (Gal. 6:9). Thatβs challenging for believers at any age, but it is aΒ particularΒ challenge when a man starts getting on in years. I still love studying the Word and teaching it, but I have to tell you, Iβm getting tired! So I can see why Paul would tell aged men that they should be βsound in faith,β and not let wearinessΒ or anything elseΒ affect the soundness of their faithfulness to the Lord.
So if youβre a Christian man who is willing to admit that the word βagedβ might describe you, I hope that the words βgraveβ and βsound in faithβ canΒ alsoΒ be used to describe you. If youβre as serious about serving the Lord as you were when you were young, it will surely show in your faithfulness to Him. And Paul says that these are βthings that become sound doctrine.β
Of course, one of the ways to helpΒ ensureΒ that youβll be sound in faith when you get old is to start while you are young!
βRemember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in themβ (Ecclesiastes 12:1).
Youβll be eternally glad you did! source
