Bible Discussion Thread

What does it mean to be "sound in the faith"?

The word sound in Titus 1:13 is the word healthy. It's the same word used in Titus 1:9 about sound doctrine, or healthy doctrine. This section in Titus, Verses 5-16 is giving us the instruction on leadership. The leader is to present sound (healthy) doctrine in order that it might do two things: both to exhort, that is encourage, and to convict the gainsayers, those who speak against the word. Gainsayers are those who speak against the word.

So a leader is to present sound (healthy) doctrine that will encourage believers so that the believer will be healthy in the faith, and also, sound or healthy doctrine will convict the non-believers.

Arlene, Paul is writing to his 'son in the faith', Titus, who was left at Crete to build up the Church there. However, many of those who attended the Church, both indigenous & of Jewish stock, were less than upright in their teaching & manner of living. So bad was their condition, that we even developed an English word for that type of behaviour: Cretin.

So Paul was instructing Titus to not only appoint good, spiritual Church leaders, but to also rebuke & correct the wayward Cretians in their behaviour. So, to "be sound in faith" means that these people needed to get back to apostolic teaching & a correct understanding of God's Word & with real faith, and not behave in a carnal, godless manner.