Be Sensible

Titus 2:6. Likewise urge the young men to be sensible;

I was doing a “read through” of Titus and was struck by two things.

1) Paul uses a word (or words) translated as “sensible” 4 times in14 verses (5 times in 20 verses, if one includes “sensibly” in Titus 2:12). Off hand, I could not think of any other times the English word is used in the New Testament. I did a quick concordance check and found out that there were few uses of the English word “sensible,” or its equivalent Greek word, in the New Testament.

[I posted the word study as the first comment.]

2) In Titus, Paul as a lot to say to old men, old women, slaves, young women, and to people seeking to be overseers or elders. Most of that includes the word “sensible.” However, he has only one short verse specifically dedicated to young men. And the only thing it commands them to do (or be) is to be sensible.

I wondered why Paul would emphasize this characteristic in this book and why he used it specifically for young men.

When I think of behaving “sensibly,” I think of behaving thoughtfully, of using reason, of not behaving impulsively. Since Paul is writing to Titus who is ministering to the Cretans, I assume that this is a special problem for them. (See Titus 1:10-14).

What is behaving “sensibly”? For me, it is when I stand back from what I am doing, and believing, in order to ask myself:

1) what am I doing?

2) why am I doing what I do?

3) what do I believe? (Paul contrasts the behavior of the Cretans with being “sound in the faith”) And how does that relate to what I am doing.

Impulsiveness is a defining characteristic of young men. It can be tremendously valuable in many circumstances. It can also be self-destructive and dangerous, too.

Of all the things that the Holy Spirit could have inspired Paul to say to the young men of Crete, Paul wrote “be sensible” and only that.

It is both a daunting challenge to many young men. It is also a liberating one. There is a lot Paul is not saying. He is not laying the burden on the young men of having an old man’s wisdom, or an old man’s restraint, NOW.

He is saying, “You, young men, think about what you do. Don’t be impulsive. Ask yourself, ‘What am I doing?’ Ask yourself, ‘Why?’ Build a habit of being thoughtful. Be sound in the faith in this way.”