As Paul writes a letter of encouragement and instruction to Titus, he describes the Christian life in chapter 2.  Whenever redemptive-historical preachers arrive at passages like this, they often automatically begin thinking of the indicative/imperative relationship.  The indicative aspect of a text is the foundation or necessary state of affairs that provides the context and ability for the imperative, which is comprised of the commands and requirements that flow from the text.

The relationship is a one-way relationship.  We always begin with the indicative and only then do we move to the imperative.  Reversing the order results in neo-nomianism and semi-Pelagian thinking.  As a knee-jerk reaction against moralistic preaching, the tendency can be to overstress the indicative.  But is this even possible?  Can the person and work of Christ take too prominent a role in preaching?  Perhaps it can if it leads to an exclusion of the imperative.  But let me suggest a way of thing about the relation of the indicative and imperative elements of Scripture in preaching.

Paul spends the first ten verses of Titus 2 describing how various groups of people are to live.  Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.  Older women, likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine…  Younger men are to be self-controlled.  Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative.

But after he delineates the marks of Christian living in various situations, Paul explains why one should live this way in verse 11.  “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…”  This section introduces the indicative.  He continues on again by further describing how one is to live by grace.  This grace that has appeared trains us “to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.”  Living by grace also involves “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

This is an interesting move regarding the indicative/imperative.  In 2:11a he begins with indicative – laying it as the necessary foundation for the imperative elements we read in 11b-13.  But just as quickly as Paul describes the imperative, he shifts right back to the indicative.  We are to live “waiting for our blessed hope.”  This is an imperative-tinged statement.  But the blessed hope is the “appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

The movement in Titus 2:11-14 is indicative > imperative > indicative.  Let me suggest that in our preaching we should consider how the imperative once again reminds Paul of the glorious person and work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who provides the foundation for living a life in His service.  As we lay the indicative foundation and move to the imperative, let us close with the proclamation of the person and work of Christ once again.