Comments on Titus 3

  I will be wrapping up Titus with this week's post, although I obviously have not been exhaustive on all that can be gained from this letter Paul wrote to Titus. Chapter three is also only fifteen verses long and states:

“Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.

When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.

All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith.

Grace be with you all.”

I think it’s important for us to remember that the entire three chapters of Titus were all one letter and would have been read at one time. So just to remind us the first chapter deals with those that would lead the local assembly and what the qualifications were for such a position. He also warned Titus to be on the lookout for “rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision …” so that the churches would be led well. In the second chapter Paul moved on to how a Christian, whether old or young, ought to behave and how those familial relationships in the church ought to look, similar to what he told Timothy. A key verse from that chapter would be, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His possession, zealous for good deeds” (v14). The reason we ought to behave this way is because of our salvation.

In chapter three Paul broaches the subject of how Christians ought to behave with the world around them. We are to be subject to those who are ruling over us. It is important for us to remember that no matter what we think of our current leaders we are to be subject to them. The leaders Paul was talking about were the same type of worldly men that rule over us now, and they did not have the checks on their power that we have here in the States. So the Christian ought to be “ready for every good deed … showing every consideration for all men.” When someone in the world mentions us, we ought to be known for doing good and being considerate of others. Obviously we are not called to indulge in sinful behavior and in fact Paul lists the way of life we used to have in the next verse here: “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice” etc. We have no cause to be arrogant over our position for we started in the same place. However, “when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy.” I’m going to pause a moment and define mercy for us. We use it all the time and I think the normal definition we have is good. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve. 

I’ve often said that I’m glad that God is not fair. If He were, we would all be condemned to Hell. That is what we deserve for sinning against the infinite God. James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” The first sin we commit should, if God were fair, send us to Hell. Thanks be to Him for His mercy and grace. Yet, in case we are inclined to boast, Paul’s letter to Ephesus reminds us that this salvation is a free gift from God as well. Familiar verses to us, I’m sure, but 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” And here in Titus we are again reminded, “not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness.” Paul possibly thinking back to his knowledge of the Old Testament and specifically Isaiah here: “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, will take us away” (Isaiah 64:6).

So we are saved by His mercy and grace. Getting back to the text here, Paul reminds Titus that the Holy Spirit is involved in our salvation as well. We receive Him at salvation and He washes and renews us daily in sanctification. Regeneration is a compound word made up from the words for birth and again, so we are, as Jesus told Nicodemus, “born again.” (John 3). Interestingly this same word was used of a Greek general Cicero who was stripped of his rank and then restored again. We are restored to God. Then renewal carries with it the idea of being made better and stronger than the original. With the Holy Spirit in us, we now have the power to choose the right and to follow God’s commands.

And where did we receive this wonderful gift of the Spirit from? Paul reminds us that He was “poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (v6). The entirety of the Godhead is involved in our salvation and Christian life. As Romans 8 mentions “God is the one who justifies.” Christ died for our sins, the Father is satisfied and the Holy Spirit regenerates and renews us. “So that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” In the book of Galatians the importance of our position as sons in Christ is mentioned. Here Paul again mentions this thought as we are heirs. Our position is secure through inheritance in so far as we are in Christ the Son. Our hope, therefore, is in the eternal life that we will have with Him “in the heavenly places.” 

Again we are reminded, as we were in Ephesians 2, that our salvation ought to lead to a changed life and “good works.” Paul, led by the Holy Spirit in his writing, is always very careful to order it thus: first salvation then works. So, here in verse 8 “those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.” There are those humanitarians that do good for their fellow man. In fact there is a book called “Good Without God,” in which the author purports that notion of ‘paying it forward.’ That even non-believers can do good things for other people without supposing to get anything back for it. But this position is illogical, as, apart from God, there is no incentive to do good. But we as believers are called to do “things that are excellent and profitable for people.” 

Next Paul warns Titus about certain behaviors that should be avoided. “But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.” It’s not wrong to have discussions to try and come to an understanding of a subject. Titus was to avoid foolish controversies, and I believe the qualifier there is very necessary as without it we would not be able to stand up for the truth. However, if the controversy is foolish, it ought to be avoided. Additionally, Titus is warned against “genealogies,” which is actually transliterated into English from the Greek. While it is good to know where you came from, and Paul encourages Timothy about “the sincere faith within [him], which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice …” Paul is telling Titus to not worry about the ancestors of believers. What matters for our salvation is our own response to the gospel, not that of our parents or grandparents. Timothy is also warned in the first letter to him not to, “pay attention to myths and endless genealogies.” I do wonder if this wasn’t also a warning against the Judaizers since heredity is so important to that group of people. 

Titus is also warned about dissensions or strife or contention. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:16 “But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.” Christians ought not be characterized by such behavior. There is a unity to be found in Christ and we should be seeking it daily. Paul also calls “quarrels about the law … unprofitable and worthless.” Again, it is good to have healthy discussion about what God’s Word says but it never should be contentious. Rather we should be seeking the mind of God and to edify one another. 

Paul then goes on to instruct Titus what to do about someone in the assembly who chooses to continue in contentious behavior. He is to be warned “once and then twice,” and then we are to “have nothing more to do with him.” There is grace here for the man and warnings are to be given, but if he persists he is to be shunned. I appreciated how Ironside puts it: “There is no hint here of excommunicating the man. False doctrine opposed to fundamental truth is not in question, but the factious man is to be refused; in other words, people are not to listen to him. The result will be, if he persist in his course, that he will eventually go out himself.” The man, showing himself to be “warped and sinful,” will find no fellowship in the assembly. 

Paul closes out his letter to Titus with some personal remarks and encouragement. He tells him that he will soon be relieved of his duties on Crete by either Artemas or Tychicus, but that he was to come to Paul where he had chosen to winter. We can take from this that Paul wanted his company and his fellowship so Paul probably enjoyed both. Paul also tells him of a few traveling workers that will be headed his direction and gives instruction to care for them. I was reading in the History of the Brethren Movement by Baylis about a brother in the Lord’s work in the 1930s in northeastern Iowa who spent a rough (from a human perspective) April with no money in his pocketbook and no gas in his tank, but even though the Great Depression was in full swing, the Lord did provide for his needs and he was able to do the work to which the Lord had called him through the generosity of his fellow believers. Paul here is telling Titus to see to the needs of such men, and we can easily apply that to ourselves today as well. 

Again Paul writes to Titus, “let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.” Paul is very concerned that the people that Titus is ministering to are those that are known for their good works. Besides this, those that are working in “regular” jobs are then able to help support those in full time ministry. Paul then sends greetings to Titus from all those who are with him and then ends his letter with his typical benediction “Grace be with you all.” Grace is so important to our lives that is a great way to end a letter, reminding those you are writing to of God’s grace toward all of us.