Original: January 9, 2008
McMinnville, OR
2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Titus 2: 2
Heart beating through my chest I sat on both knees trying to hold it all together. Fifty yards behind me my good friend Phil blew his elk calls until his jaws were sore. In the dusk conditions of Eastern Oregon the herd curiously moved closer to investigate the commotion as a 350-plus bull anchored one hundred yards away tore a juniper tree to shreds as a warning to all courting bulls. I ranged the closest cows at just over 30 yards and at one point had a 5x5 broadside at 58 yards.
Reflecting on the above situation I had three things in my favor on this hunt. Besides having an expert elk guide and caller I had sight, sound and smell to my advantage. We were completely motionless, camouflaged, and I was kneeling against a tree, which hid my silhouette from the herd. Furthermore, the wind was perfect to take away their sense of smell, and we did not make any abnormal or unnatural noises that could detract the herd’s focus. If a hunter can take those three things, sight, sound and smell, from his prey, success is close at hand.
Titus 2:2 has something similar to say about Christian maturity. As I read over the verse for today I read three “to be” statements and three “sound” requirements for the man of God in his quest towards spiritual (not chronological mind you) maturity in Christ. The “to be” statements are “temperate”, “worthy of respect”, and “self-controlled”. All of these are character traits. They speak to man’s nature, integrity and character. They are all hidden, or inward, characteristics that are manifested by the way a man lives (1Timothy 3:8-10).
If the three “to be” statements reflect our true character of a man, then the three-fold “sound” of maturity reflects the intangible qualities of a man “in faith, in love, and in endurance”.
To be sound is to be solid, firm, and resolute. To be sound in one’s faith is to be a man with a solid foundation in Christ that can withstand the storms of life and use them to build an even more solid foundation.
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:24-27).
Soundness is subjective and only time and circumstances can play out how solid a man’s faith really is. Unlike the “to be” character traits the “sound” qualities are much more ambiguous and woven through many other qualities of a man. For example my love can be seen in my role and servant, father, friend, husband, pastor, neighbor and community volunteer, which may take on many forms. My endurance manifests itself through my commitments to my wife, boys, job, faith, and calling among others. So it is much more difficult to say “Ah, there is endurance in his life again!” For example, I can endure most things but if I give up on my marriage I have not endured something incredibly visible and important to God.
The sound man of God lives his life in such a way that those who associate with him can witness his long term commitment to faith, the practice of his love, and the steadfastness to endure through life’s many trials. Sound faith is not for the young and immature in the faith but the wise and seasoned.
