October 1998

Titus 2:5 Is Not A Recommendation!

By Patrick T. Donahue

This article is directed toward those who believe and teach that the directive given to wives in Titus 2:5 to be "keepers at home" is not an absolute requirement, but is just what I would call, a recommendation. By "recommendation" I mean that these preachers use Titus 2:5 to teach that it is wise and best if a wife can stay at home, but if she "has to," she may work without sinning.

What needs to be pointed out is that Titus 2:5 is not just a recommendation, it is a command. The phrase "keepers at home" either has something to do with wives working outside the home, or it has nothing to do with it. If it has nothing to do with wives working, then it is misusing the verse to apply it to such. If it does have something to do with wives working (and I certainly believe that it does), then it is not just teaching that it is wise or best for her not to work, it is teaching that it is a sin for her to work outside the home.

Since "situation ethics" won't work on this issue any more than on any other Bible issue, this means that even if the family has what they consider to be "financial problems," the wife is forbidden by Titus 2:5 from taking that job outside the home in order to help resolve those problems.

Sin is sin; it causes people to be lost (Romans 6:23); and no amount of money (even during "financial troubles") is worth losing your soul over (Matthew 16:26).

So please don't use Titus 2:5 to preach that it is "wise" for a wife to stay home, unless you are also willing to preach that it is a sin (absolutely required) for her to do so. Not only is this a misuse of the passage, but leaving the "out" actually encourages the sin, because everyone always thinks that their situation is the one that qualifies. Titus 2:5 is not just a recommendation, it is a command!

[Editor's Note: Thanks to Pat Donahue for the article! He can be reached at: Pat.Donahue@MSFC.NASA.GOV, 4607 Old Railroad Bed Road, Harvest, AL 35749, (256) 721-0726]

Email the Editor at markjward@yahoo.com