Titus 2:8 (ASV)

Passage

sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of us.

Nearby Context

Titus 2:6 the younger men likewise exhort to be sober-minded:

Titus 2:7 in all things showing thyself an ensample of good works; in thy doctrine [showing] uncorruptness, gravity,

Titus 2:8 sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of us.

Titus 2:9 [Exhort] servants to be in subjection to their own masters, [and] to be well-pleasing [to them] in all things; not gainsaying;

Titus 2:10 not purloining, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "condemn", "sound", "speech", "condemned", "contrary", "part", "ashamed", and "having". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "condemn" and "sound", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "in all things showing thyself an ensample..." into verse 9's "Exhort servants to be in subjection to...", so "condemn" and "sound" belong inside that flow. In Titus context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "condemn" and "sound" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.