Titus 1:9

Titus 1:9

 

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

 

a. NLT: He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

 

b. NIV: He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

 

c. Young’s Literal Translation: holding -- according to the teaching -- to the stedfast word, that he may be able also to exhort in the sound teaching, and the gainsayers to convict; [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

 

d. Amplified Bible: He must hold fast to the sure and trustworthy Word of God as he was taught it, so that he may be able both to give stimulating instruction and encouragement in sound (wholesome) doctrine and to refute and convict those who contradict and oppose it [showing the wayward their error]. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

 

1. “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught…”

 

a. holding fast [472 * antecho] [Thayer: to hold before or against, hold back, withstand, endure, to keep one's self directly opposite to any one, hold to him firmly, cleave to, paying heed to him.] [Strong: to hold oneself opposite to, i.e. (by implication) adhere to; by extension to care for:--hold fast, hold to, support.]

 

1). This “holding fast” is a choice that we as believers consciously decide to do with God’s word. Do we believe it.

 

b. faithful [4103 * pistos] [Strong: objectively, trustworthy; subjectively, trustful:--believe(-ing, -r), faithful(-ly), sure, true.] [Zodhiates: worthy of belief, trust or confidence.]

 

c. word [3056 * logos] [Strong: something said (including the thought); by implication, a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (i.e. Christ):--account, cause, communication, X concerning, doctrine, fame, X have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say(-ing), shew, X speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.] [Thayer:  of speech, a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea, what someone has said, a word, the sayings of God, decree, mandate or order, of the moral precepts given by God, Old Testament prophecy given by the prophets, what is declared, a thought, declaration, aphorism, a weighty saying, a dictum, a maxim, discourse, the act of speaking, speech, the faculty of speech, skill and practice in speaking, a kind or style of speaking, a continuous speaking discourse – instruction, doctrine, teaching, anything reported in speech; a narration, narrative, matter under discussion, thing spoken of, affair, a matter in dispute, case, suit at law, the thing spoken of or talked about; event, deed, its use as respect to the MIND alone, reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating, account, i.e. regard, consideration, account, i.e. reckoning, score, account, i.e. answer or explanation in reference to judgment, relation, i.e. with whom as judge we stand in relation, reason would, reason, cause, ground. In John, denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world's life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, and shone forth conspicuously from His words and deeds.

 

1). In this verse Paul is clearly referring to the Scriptures. Paul’s view of the Scripture was the same as Jesus’ view, that they were the inspired word of God and worthy of trust and confidence.

 

a). 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

 

d. [Strong: 3588. [tou] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tou] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn,ta, tēs,tois, tō, tōn, hé  hē ]

e. as [2596 * kata] [Strong: a primary particle; (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined):--about, according as (to), after, against, (when they were) X alone, among, and, X apart, (even, like) as (concerning, pertaining to touching), X aside, at, before, beyond, by, to the charge of, (charita-)bly, concerning, + covered, (dai-)ly, down, every, (+ far more) exceeding, X more excellent, for, from ... to, godly, in(-asmuch, divers, every, -to, respect of), ... by, after the manner of, + by any means, beyond (out of) measure, X mightily, more, X natural, of (up-)on (X part), out (of every), over against, (+ your) X own, + particularly, so, through(-oughout, -oughout every), thus, (un-)to(-gether, -ward), X uttermost, where(-by), with. In composition it retains many of these applications, and frequently denotes opposition, distribution, or intensity.]

 

e. [Strong: 3588. [tēn] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tēn] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn,ta, tēs,tois, tō, tōn, hé  hē ]

f. [he hath been] taught [1322 * didache] [Strong: instruction (the act or the matter):--doctrine, hath been taught.] [Thayer: teaching, that which is taught, doctrine, teaching, concerning something, the act of teaching, instruction, in religious assemblies of the Christians, to speak in the way of teaching, in distinction from other modes of speaking in public.]

 

1). It is clear from the New Testament Scriptures that Paul taught the whole counsel of God, the whole New Covenant, which included a clear teaching of the trustworthiness of God’s word. It was inspired by God (2 Timothy), to be believed and accepted over the word of any man (Romans 3:2-4).

 

2). The desired result of “holding fast” to God’s faithful word is revealed in the next portion of the verse.

 

2.  “…that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”

 

a. able [1415 * dunatos] [Strong:  powerful or capable (literally or figuratively); neuter possible:--able, could, (that is) mighty (man), possible, power, strong.]

 

1). One result of holding fast to God’s word is to be empowered, to be capable of doing a particular task.

 

b. [Strong: 3588. [tē] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tē] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn,ta, tēs,tois, tō, tōn, hé  hē ]

c. sound [5198 * hygiaino] [Strong: to have sound health, i.e. be well (in body); figuratively, to be uncorrupt (true in doctrine):--be in health, (be safe and) sound, (be) whole(-some).]

d. [Strong: 3588. [tē] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tē] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn,ta, tēs,tois, tō, tōn, hé  hē ]

e. doctrine [1319 * didaskalia] [Strong: instruction (the function or the information):--doctrine, learning, teaching.]

 

1). The word is seed and it will produce after itself. Healthy, sound doctrine will produce healthy , sound fruit.

 

f. exhort [3870 * parakaleo; para-to the side of; kaleo-to call] [Zodhiates: to aid, help, comfort, encourage.] [Strong: to call near, i.e. invite, invoke (by imploration, hortation or consolation):--beseech, call for, (be of good) comfort, desire, (give) exhort(-ation), intreat, pray.]

 

g. convince [1651 * elegcho] [Strong: of uncertain affinity; to confute, admonish:--convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove.] [Zodhiates: In the NT, to convict, to prove one in the wrong and thus shame him.]

 

h. the [Strong: 3588. [tous] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tous] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn,ta, tēs,tois, tō, tōn, hé  hē ]

i. gainsayers [483 * antilego; anti-against; lego-to speak] [Zodhiates: to oppose, disobey, revile, to contradict.] [Strong: to dispute, refuse:--answer again, contradict, deny, gainsay(-er), speak against.]

 

1). A gainsayer here is one who is speaking against the faithful word.