gives us because Jesus paid our penalty, and He accepts us into His
presence because we are covered with the righteousness of Christ.
This is the covenant of grace.
We are to accept, love, and care for one another on the same term
by which God accepts us—grace. The covenant way is not a way of
isolation and independence.
When Cain killed his brother Abel, the Lord asked him,
“‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my
brother’s keeper?’” (Gen. 4:9, NIV). He was unaware that the
answer to that question is yes. Living covenantally means that we
are our brother’s and sister’s keeper. Women nurturing women is
simply one way we live covenantally. It is as much a part of covenant
life as gathering at the Lord’s Table to remember His death until He
comes again.
It is not optional. This gospel imperative is one way we express
our Lord’s command to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind
and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matt. 22:37-39).
UNPACKING THEPASSAGE
Now let’s take a closer look at Titus 2.
To whom is this mandate given?It is interesting to note that this man-
date is not written to women. It is written to the pastor of a church. It
is a responsibility of church leadership to equip older women for this
ministry. Women nurturing women is an essential element of healthy
church life.
What is the foundation for this mandate?Titus 2 relationships are not
to happen in a vacuum. They are to take place within the context of
sound doctrine. As I explained in Spiritual Mothering:
Paul’s instruction to Titus to teach the women morality based on
sound doctrine implies that the women were to be taught doc-
trine.... So these women were to be taught the principles of the
Christian faith which would form the basis for their character. The
soundness, or correctness, of the doctrine would give them a
foundation from which to train the younger women.184 BUILDINGSTRONGFAMILIES