Titus 3

The necessity of obedience to the civil powers, and of meek and gentle deportment towards all men, is to be diligently enforced, 1,2. The wretched state of man, previously to the advent of Christ, 3. The wonderful change which the grace of God makes, and the means which it uses to bring men to glory, 4-7. The necessity of a holy life, and of avoiding things which produce strifes and contentions, and are unprofitable and vain, 8,9. How to deal with those who are heretics, 10,11. Paul directs Titus to meet him at Nicopolis, and to bring Zenas and Apollos with him, 12; 13. Concluding directions and salutations, 14,15.

Titus 3:1

Put them in mind — This chapter begins with that which Titus is to teach the Christians concerning their behavior toward the governing powers.

to be subject to — To put themselves into subjection to. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: (1 Peter 2:13-15)

principalities and powers —those in authority. The Roman emperor Nero, a persecutor of the church, was in power at the time of this writing. Paul, having recently been released from prison, had every reason to be bitter toward the governing powers. But Paul demonstrates the Christians responsibility to submit meekly to the laws and ordinances of civil government so as to live a peaceable life.

to obey magistrates — To be willing to obey or to be obedient by nature.

to be ready to every good work— every good work is that which is righteous in the eyes of God.

Titus 3:2

To speak evil of no man, —The Christian is never to utter anything which is know to be false about a man or to speak badly of him with the intent to do harm. This is especially the case concerning those in positions of authority, as per the context of this verse.

to be no brawlers,— Christians are not to be violent in nature ready to physically battle at all times. They are not to be instigators of trouble against civil rulers nor cause noisy strife when they are compelled to refuse obedience.

[but] gentle, — Consider the kind nature of Jesus who was at all times in control of his emotions.

shewing all meekness — Meekness is best defined as strength under control. Think in terms of a tamed stallion. Christians have the power of God’s word behind them when they are faithful, but they are to wield this power in a loving way showing personal control.

unto all men. —This is not only the way Christians are to treat their brethren but also how they are to treat all people.

Titus 3:3

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, —Without understanding-ignorant of God, his nature, his providence, and his grace. This is a reminder to examine self so that one does not become haughty or high minded when others stumble.

disobedient, —This is disobedience to those in position of authority for the sake of being disobedient.

deceived, —deceived as to what was pleasing to God due to their tendency to follow after the teachings of men.

serving divers lusts and pleasures, — they were living in a self-serving hedonistic way.

living in malice and envy, — The Jews had cultivated an attitude of malice and envy toward the governing powers.

hateful, [and] hating one another. —Their malice and envy had spread over to their relationship with one another making themselves hated and making them have a spirit of hatred toward their fellow man.

Titus 3:4

But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, —Christ came to this earth in order to demonstrate the love of God and to lead man toward heaven. God is our Savior in that He provided the means for us to escape the punishment for our sins. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (1 John 5:3).

Titus 3:5

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, — Man is not saved through his own good works. He cannot earn his way to heaven. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10):

but according to his mercy he saved us, — Salvation is God’s free gift to man. For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). Salvation is offered to all men through preaching. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God(Romans 10:10-17). This gift is not accepted unless one believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God; He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:16). It is not accepted except he repents of his sins; I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish (Luke 13:3). He must confess his belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God; And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 8:37). He must be baptized into Christ to receive remission of his sins; Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38).

by the washing of regeneration, — This is reference to the baptism that Jesus commanded in the great commission. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:19,20).

and renewing of the Holy Ghost; —God’s spirit effects the renewal of the spirit of man by leading him to the faith and repentance through the preaching of the gospel.

Titus 3:6

Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; —Literally poured out in abundance. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4).

Titus 3:7

That being justified — When God forgives sins, He treats them as if they never existed. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines justified – pardoned and cleared from guilt; absolved or acquitted from guilt and merited punishment, and accepted as righteous on account of the merits of the Savior, or by the application of Christ’s atonement to the offender.

by his grace, —Grace is God’s unmerited love and favor, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him. It includes all that God has done for man.

we should be made heirs—When man is baptized into Christ he becomes a joint heir through his relationship with Christ. But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, [t]o redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ .

according to the hope of eternal life. —The eternal life is the inheritance for the faithful Christian. It is a hope that can be fully trusted. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God(1 John 5:13) .

Titus 3:8

[This is] a faithful saying, —All these things that Paul has written are true. It is a message that can be trusted

and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, —It was Paul’s desire that Titus teach these things and continue to teach them to others and that they in turn spread these truths.

that they which have believed in God — These are Christians who have obeyed the Gospel.

might be careful to maintain good works. —They are to be busy in the kingdom. The gospel was given so that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:17).

These things are good and profitable unto men. —They will be profitable in that they bring much spiritual gain to man.

Titus 3:9

But avoid foolish questions, —Foolish questions are unprofitable. It would be wasteful for a man to spend his time arguing just for the sake of disputation.

and genealogies, —The Jews put great emphasis on the genealogies of men in order to establish the importance of individuals. They were clinging to their Jewish heritage by relying on decent from their father Abraham.

and contentions, — The Judaizing teachers were some of those causing contentions in the church. They had much more interest in demonstrating their debating skills than in promoting the cause of Christ.

and strivings about the law; —They insisted that the Law of Moses still had to be obeyed even though one was a follower of Christ

for they are unprofitable and vain. —There was no gain to be had with these strifes. Today there are many who spend there time in self exaltation instead of selflessly serving God. This is a deadly course of action.

Titus 3:10

A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; —This is the dogmatic person who has made his own belief the standard for truth. The factious man will divide the church if left unchecked. Notice that Paul instructs Titus to admonish this man two times in hope that he will repent of his ways and turn to the truth of God’s word. If it is the case that the heretick will not change then he is to be rejected or put out of the congregation.

Titus 3:11

Knowing that he that is such is subverted, —This person is poison and as such will only serve to poison others.

and sinneth, —He is a rank sinner. He has repeatedly had the truth brought before him but he stubbornly refuses to accept it.

being condemned of himself. —His condemnation is of his own making. This does not necessarily imply that he is aware of his wrong but that his wrong is his undoing.

Titus 3:12

Paul has planned to send Titus a replacement. When the replacement arrives Titus was to meet Paul in Nicopolis.

When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, —Artemas is not mentioned anywhere else in the bible but the impression is that he is a companion of Paul, of whom Titus would be familiar. Tychicus is mentioned several times in the Bible and was a trusted messenger for Paul. He had delivered the epistles to the Colossian and Ephesian churches. All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, [who is] a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord (Colossians 4:7): But that ye also may know my affairs, [and] how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things (Ephesians 6:21): And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus .

be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: —Paul’s love for Titus prompted him to desire to spend time with him. There were three cities named Nicopolis in the Roman Empire. The most prominent of these was on the western shore of Greece and would have served well as a winter resort.

for I have determined there to winter. —It was more difficult to travel in winter months therefore Paul decided to spend the winter with his faithful friend. Nicopolis was in a warm climate making it more comfortable to an old and feeble Paul.

Titus 3:13

Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, —Zenas was a lawyer in the sense that he was an expert in the Law of Moses. However this did not prevent him from being a follower of Christ. Apollos was a skilled orator from Alexandria who was taught the gospel more perfectly by Aquilla and Priscilla (Acts 18:24-26). These two men were to escort Titus to Nicopolis.

that nothing be wanting unto them. — They were to be provided all things necessary for the journey. I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread (Psalms 37:25) .

Titus 3:14

And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, —This is a reference to the Cretian disciples. They were to profess honest trades. It was important for the disciples to be self supporting and not be parasites to others. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

that they be not unfruitful. —The Christians at Crete were to help not only Zenas and Apollos but others also who were in need. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit (John 15:2).

Titus 3:15

All that are with me salute thee. — It is likely that Titus knew those that were with Paul; therefore it was not necessary to name them here at the close of this letter. This was a common greeting during the time of this epistle.

Greet them that love us in the faith. — Titus is encouraged to extend the greeting to the brethren in Crete. The custom was to embrace them or to kiss them on each cheek. Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you (Romans 16:16) .

Grace [be] with you all. —Paul prays that Gods power and favors might go out to the brethren at Crete.

Amen. —Let it be so.