<p>1:9 <i>Holding to the faithful word which is according to the doctrine- </i>&quot;Holding&quot; is elsewhere used about holding on to the Lord Jesus (Mt. 6:24; Lk. 16:13), so the <i>logos </i>of faith could refer to the Lord Jesus, who is the substance of &quot;the teaching / doctrine&quot;. The use of <i>didache </i>prompts the thought that there was perhaps a body of teaching which was used in missionary work, and the appointed elders would be teachers who were faithful to that. The early Christian document known as the <i>Didache</i> may possibly be in view, but probably the body of teaching has intentionally not been preserved for us.</p><p>Mt. 6:24 = Tit. 1:9. Holding to God as your master rather than mammon is achieved through holding on to His word. Paul spoke of <i>holding fast </i>the faithful word (Tit. 1:9) with allusion to <i>holding to </i>our Master (Mt. 6:24). But- and this is an important caveat- don't deceive yourself that time spent in expounding Scripture is <i>necessarily</i> Bible study as <i>God</i> wants it- although it may make an impressive impact on a group of assembled Christians. True Bible study and understanding was what lead the Lord to the death of the cross. To <i>truly</i> love God with all our heart and understanding, not just for the intellectual fascination of it, is more than a burnt sacrifice.</p><p><i>That he may be able to minister comfort using the sound doctrine- </i>Sound or faithful teaching is to be used as a &quot;comfort&quot; and not as an end in itself. The Bible is not a puzzle to be solved, with those who successfully make their way through some intellectual jungle of interpretation being rewarded at the end of it, for their mental tenacity and good fortune in meeting up with good teachers. God is not passive, He more actively seeks human salvation and the useful triumph of His Son's work in human lives.</p><p><i>And also refute those who oppose it</i>- &quot;Refute&quot; means to convict, and the word is often used with the hope of eliciting repentance and reformation. We have the picture of the new churches under pressure from those teaching non-Christian ideas; but Paul doesn't say they should be driven out of the congregation. Rather his concern is with not allowing them to teach their ideas, and to convict them in the hope of their repentance. If individuals holding false ideas are to be excluded from the church, then we surely would expect to read about it here in the pastoral letters. But we never do. The concern always is with maintaining true teaching from the podium, as it were. Defenders of a closed table may respond that this is an argument from silence; but the silence is repeated, noticeable and deafening. </p>