Titus 3:12-15

¹²As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. ¹³Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need. ¹⁴Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives. ¹⁵Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.

Paul ends his letter to Titus with personal requests to Titus about visitations of other followers of Christ. As much of this letter is about doing what is good, Paul gets Titus to show by example by helping Zenas and Apollos.  He also makes this statement “to provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives” – this for themselves and also to help others around them.

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Titus 3:1-11

¹Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, ²to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.

Here Paul is continuing from the last passage where he gives instruction to Titus regarding various groups. In verse 1 Paul tells Titus to remind the new believers that although they have a new found freedom in Christ, they are still subject to rulers and authorities, so they should still practice obedience and do what is good so that no one can say anything bad about them. He tells Titus to tell them to be peaceable, considerate, and humble towards others, which going by the flow of this passage is mainly to those who don’t believe in the Lord, and not just those who believe.

Matthew 5:46-48 “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

³At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

Paul reminds Titus in regards to the previous verse that for those who believe, they too were once foolish and disobedient, so in other words, not to slander anyone, especially those who don’t know the Lord who are still living in this way.

⁴But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Paul affirms here that we are saved by grace and mercy not by works we have done so that no one can say that they’ve done all these good works to receive salvation, nor can anyone boast about all that they had done. Paul also affirms one of the roles of the Holy Spirit, that he cleanses us as he makes us new again “rebirth”. Also note that it is Jesus Christ who pours out the Holy Spirit, it is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, not man, unlike John’s baptism which is immersion in water. And the result of this is to become heirs with Christ, having eternal life with him.

⁸This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. ⁹But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. ¹⁰Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. ¹¹You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

Paul makes it clear not to argue about controversies about the law. As there have been many false teachers rising in the church, especially in Ephesus, as well as those who are deceiving others. Also those who regard myths and traditions were destroying the faith of some. Here Paul says that it is useless fighting and quarrelling about the law, so just to warn a divisive person at least twice and if they don’t take heed to the truth or correction, then have nothing to do with that person.

Filed under: Titus, Apostle Paul, Bible study, doing what is good, God, grace, Jesus, New Testament, titus

Titus 2:1-15

¹You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. ²Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

In this passage Paul starts to tell Titus what he must teach to men, women, young adults, and slaves. In the first verse he mentions that overall he must teach sound doctrine.

For men Titus has to teach them to be:

• temperate
• respectable
• self controlled
• sound in faith
• love
• endurance
  

³Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

For the women Titus has to teach them to be:

• reverent
• not to slander
• not to drink much wine
• to be able to teach good
• to train younger women to love their husbands and children
• self controlled
• pure
• busy at home
• kind
• subject to their husbands
  

⁶Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. ⁷In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness ⁸and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

For younger men Titus must teach them to be:

• self controlled
• do what is good

For Titus as a teacher he must show:

• integrity
• seriousness
• sound speech

⁹Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, ¹⁰and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

For slaves Titus has to teach them to be:

• subject to their masters
• not to talk back
• not to steal
• show they can be trusted – so they can make the teaching of God attractive to unbelievers, showing that even in their circumstance as a slave they can do what is good and live in peace with their masters.
  

¹¹For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. ¹²It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

The grace of God, who is Jesus Christ, has appeared and brings salvation to all men and gives us grace by dying on the cross and accepting the punishment for our sins, though we didn’t deserve it. Read also verse 14 below.

“It” being God’s grace in Jesus, teaches us to say no to anything that contradicts God and being holy. It’s unlikely that a person who has accepted grace in Christ would want to go back to living the “old way” of living prior to their conversion. Note this doesn’t mean a person still won’t make mistakes, but they will strive to do what is good.

Ephesians 2:1-10 “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

¹³while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Jesus came to redeem us from the “old way” of living – in wickedness and worldly in our outlook. For those who accept him, he makes them pure by the blood he shed for them on the cross accepting punishment for their sin, and by baptizing them with the Holy Spirit so that they can make those changes within and do what is good.

¹⁵These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

Paul tells Titus to be able to encourage people but also to be able to rebuke those who oppose the truth. This is why he has to be sound in doctrine, so that he can correctly teach others the truth. In this way no one can say anything against him, and the Word of God will be upheld giving no one the ability to slander it.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

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Titus 1:5-16

⁵The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

Here we are given the reason for Titus’s ministry on the island of Crete. That he was sent there by the apostle Paul to straighten what was left unfinished and to appoint elders for the churches. In this passage we read Paul’s teaching on how to choose the right leader for the church. This is similar to Paul’s letters to the Ephesians and Timothy who had stayed in Ephesus to appoint elders there.

⁶An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. ⁷Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. ⁸Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. ⁹He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

From verse 6-9 Paul gives Titus a set of criteria in which an elder must be approved of before he can serve as a leader of the church. We can see that the elder must not be blameless and should be able to handle both his own family and himself well before he can help others. If he is approved of being able to handle himself and his family well, then he can be trusted to lead with correct and sound doctrine and be able to withstand the enemy and those who oppose the message of Christ.

¹⁰For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. ¹¹They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. ¹²Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” ¹³This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith ¹⁴and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth.

A problem in the church that was occurring both in Crete and especially in the church of Ephesus was the rise of false teachers and those who teach myths and traditions, thus ruining the faith of some. The damage that this caused was great, affecting not only the listeners but the church as a whole. In verse 10 Paul is talking about rebellious people who are deceiving others, mainly from the circumcision group.  Titus is given the command to rebuke those false teachers sharply with the word so that they will know the truth. Also the leaders in whom Titus will choose for Cretans must be able to handle these things as well, for the testimony about Cretans was that they were always “liars, evil brutes, and lazy gluttons”.

¹⁵To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. ¹⁶They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

“To the pure all things are pure” Here Paul is talking to those who believe in Christ and have become “new”, as in their hearts and minds are now focused on pleasing God with the help of the Holy Spirit. However to the unbeliever their minds and hearts are still bent on the ways of the world. Even though some may profess to know God, they have not yet been made pure through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, thus their actions are evidence as to the fact that they are actually denying Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Romans 16:17-19 “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.”

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Titus 1:1-4

¹Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—

Paul addresses himself to Titus  as a servant of God for the purpose of preaching to those who are called by God to live in faith, knowledge, and truth.  Evidently in this letter of instruction Titus is dealing with churches in whom false teachings are arising destroying the faith of some and confusing the knowledge of others  similarly to the church of Ephesus.

²a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,

God who knows everything that is and is to come had promised a saviour that is Christ Jesus before everything was created. This is what all Christians can rest their faith and knowledge on – this hope of eternal life – which is given through Jesus Christ to those who believe.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.“

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

³and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,

God works in season and in his time. In this particular verse Paul is speaking about his appointment by God to preach to the gentiles, to tell them about Jesus Christ and to spread the Word. This was appointed to Paul while on the Damascus road.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven”.

Acts 9:3-6 “³As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”⁵“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.”I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”"

Acts 9:15 “But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.”

⁴To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

He addresses Titus here as if he were his son, but note that he is saying this due to their faith in Christ. Paul blesses him with the grace and peace from God, in whom showed much to Paul at his conversion from persecuting the Christians. Also note that Paul calls Christ Jesus the savior in verse 4 and in verse 3 also calls God the savior – for those who have questions on Jesus/God being one and the same.

Filed under: Titus, Apostle Paul, Bible study, God, Jesus, New Testament, Paul, titus, titus's task on crete

Intro to Titus

Titus was a fellow companion of the apostle Paul leading and instructing others in Christ. In this letter Paul had left Titus on the island of Crete to straighten out what was left unfinished by Paul and to also appoint elders in every town. Here Paul gives Titus instructions much the same as he did with his letters to Timothy, in order to wisely choose appropriate elders. Titus had to deal with differing race and social groups from Jewish, Gentiles, slaves, women, and men, as well as false doctrines just as Timothy did in Ephesus. Paul gives advice to Titus to teach them to live good lives in Christ.

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