BEAUTY and the Christian Life

Titus 2:10 gives us an interesting view on BEAUTY and the Christian life. In this passage, Paul has been giving instructions on how believers are to live out their faith (2:2-10) and here (2:9-10) he is specifically addressing slaves, urging them to live godly lives in their present position in life. He then has this surprising reason why they ought to do this: “So that in everything, they might ADORN the doctrine of God our Savior” (2:10b). Paul is saying that the godly lives of believers BRING OUT THE BEAUTY or HELP OTHERS SEE THE BEAUTY (that is what ADORN means here) of the GOSPEL (Doctrine of God our Savior).

While this motivation was specifically addressed to the servants in the congregation of Crete, it is a motivation for all believers and a reorienting of how we think about sanctification. A Christian living out a life of Christ-likeness allows the world to get glimpse of the BEAUTY of the gospel. The more we are live-like Christ, the more other sees His BEAUTY. As older men and women turn from worldliness (2:2-3) and younger women and men live out lives that reflect Christ (2:4-8), the gospel is ADORNED and the BEAUTY of the gospel is seen more brilliantly.