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Titus 3

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Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

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To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

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For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

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But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

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Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

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Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

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That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

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This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

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But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

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A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

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Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

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When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter.

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Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them.

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And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.

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All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen. It was written to Titus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Cretians, from Nicopolis of Macedonia.

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Titus 3

Paul opens with commands to submit to authorities, reminding Titus that believers were once foolish and disobedient, enslaved to various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hated and hating one another—a brutal portrait of pre-Christian humanity. The theological pivot comes with the epiphany of divine goodness and loving kindness (chrestotēs kai philanthrōpia)—God's appearance is characterized by benevolence toward the undeserving—which saves not by works but through the washing of regeneration (palingenesia—new birth) and renewal of the Holy Spirit. The inclusion of even the most degraded in God's saving purposes establishes radical grace, making Christian superiority impossible and humility obligatory. Paul warns Titus to avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and quarrels about the law as unprofitable and worthless, establishing boundaries around acceptable discussion and redirecting energy toward mercy and justice. The divisive person warned twice is to be rejected after a second and third admonition, establishing church discipline procedures while making the goal restoration rather than permanent expulsion. The closing prayer—may our people learn to devote themselves to good works, meeting pressing needs, and not living unproductive lives—establishes that Christian faith must issue in concrete acts of justice and mercy, making orthopraxy inseparable from orthodoxy. The final blessing—grace to all of you—sends Titus forth assured that apostolic ministry is sustained by divine favor, his labors in Crete guaranteed the Lord's enabling presence.

Titus 3:11

Understanding that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned — the divisive person reveals through persistent rejection of correction that they are existentially twisted (exestrammenoi — perverted/distorted) and hamartanei (sinful). The self-condemnation (autokatakritos) emphasizes that rejection of apostolic authority is self-judgment; the community does not condemn but recognizes the already-present judgment of refusal.

Titus 3:12

When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there — the personal note authenticates the epistle, shifting to practical logistics. Nicopolis (city of victory) in Epirus was the imperial city of Augustus; Paul plans winter quarters there. The delegation of Artemas or Tychicus relieves Titus, allowing his journey to Paul. The note anchors the letter in historical circumstance.

Titus 3:13

Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing — the dual request for hospitality (propempō — to escort/provision) addresses two traveling teachers: Zenas (a Jewish legal expert, nomikos) and Apollos (the eloquent Christian from Acts 18:24). The charge to ensure they lack nothing extends Christian hospitality to servants of the word, reflecting the gospel's itinerant economy where churches provisioned apostolic workers.

Titus 3:14

And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of genuine need, and not be unfruitful — the final charge generalizes: hoi hēmetroi (our people) should practice good works (erga kala) not as individual virtue but as community provision for genuine necessity. The negation — mē einai akarpi — emphasizes productivity: a Christian community that doesn't generate good works is sterile, failing its fruitful calling. This echoes John 15 and Matthew 12:33.

Titus 3:15

All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all — the epistolary close uses aspazomai (greet/embrace) language, extending fellowship across distance. Those who love in the faith (tous philountas hēmas en pistei) are believers bonded through shared conviction. The final grace-benediction (charis meta pantōn hymōn) reiterates that grace, not works, remains the foundation and seal of the letter.

Titus 3:1

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work — the civic obligation (hypotassesthai exousias) flows from theological conviction rather than coercion, reflecting Romans 13. Obedience and readiness for good works form the positive content of submission, preventing passive complicity with injustice. The reminder function (hypepoiē) suggests these were previously taught truths requiring renewal in memory.

Titus 3:2

To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people — the behavioral requirements translate theological virtue into daily conduct: blasphemein (speaking evil) is prohibited universally, quarreling (machē) avoided, gentleness (epieikeia — reasonableness) cultivated, courtesy (prautes — meekness) displayed to all. The universal scope (pros pantas) extends Christian virtue beyond the congregation, witness to the watching world.

Titus 3:3

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another — the autobiographical plural (we ourselves — autoi gar ēmen) establishes solidarity with those addressed; the pagan past was characterized by folly (anoetoi), rebellion (apeitheis), deception (planōmenoi), and moral chaos. The slavery to passions (douleumenoi hedonais) and mutual hatred (misoumenoi) describe the paganism of the Greco-Roman world, implicitly indicting the social vices just prohibited.

Titus 3:4

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared (epephanē), he saved us — the second epiphany statement marks the historical eruption of divine benevolence (agathotes — goodness, and philanthropia — loving kindness) into human darkness. The verb epephanē (appeared) echoes 2:11, creating a threefold epiphany motif in Titus (1:2, 2:11, 3:4), grounding all ethics in the manifestation of salvation. The appearance itself constitutes the salvation (esōsen hēmas); grace is not abstract doctrine but historical event.

Titus 3:5

He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, through the washing of regeneration (palingenesia) and renewing of the Holy Spirit — the denial of works-righteousness (ouk di' ergōn dikaiosynēs) excludes human merit from salvation, grounding it solely in God's mercy (eleos) and initiative. The double-bath metaphor — loutron palingenesias (washing of new-birth) and anakainōsis tou pneumatos — employs baptismal language for spiritual transformation. Palingenesia (restoration of all things) connects individual regeneration to cosmic renewal.

Titus 3:6

Whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior — the Spirit's outpouring (ekcheō — to pour out abundantly) echoes Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17, establishing continuity with Jewish apocalyptic expectation now fulfilled in Christ. The richly (plusiōs) emphasizes abundance; the Spirit comes not scarcely but lavishly. This marks the most explicitly Trinitarian soteriological statement in the Pastorals: Father's goodness, Spirit's renewal, Christ's mediation form the divine rescue.

Titus 3:7

So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life — justification (dikaiōthentes) by grace is the legal verdict that restores status; the result is heirs (kleronomoi) with right to promised inheritance. The hope of eternal life (elpida aiōniou) specifies the inheritance as eschatological — not earthly possession but participation in God's unending life. Grace justifies; hope expectantly inherits.

Titus 3:8

The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works — these things (tauta) refer to verses 4-7, the soteriological summary. The saying is worthy of faith (pistos ho logos) affirms its authority and reliability. Titus must press (diabebaioō — strongly affirm) the doctrine's practical consequences: believers must be zealous for good works (ergōn kalōn proestamenos), making faith necessarily productive of virtue.

Titus 3:9

But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless — the prohibitions target the false teachers' methods: genealogies (genealogiai) likely refer to haggadic elaborations of biblical ancestry, controversies (zetēseis) to speculative disputes, law-quarrels to Judaizing demands. These are anoeta (foolish — without understanding) and achrona (useless), wasting church time on unprofitable wrangling rather than edification. Wisdom recognizes the boundary between profitable doctrine and empty disputation.

Titus 3:10

As for a person who stirs up division, after a first and second warning, have nothing to do with him — the divisive person (hairetikos) promotes sectarian factions (hairesis — heresy/sect), creating schism through personality or doctrine. The pastoral process includes two warnings (nouthetesia — admonishment), respecting human freedom while protecting community. The final step — apotage (rejection/disassociation) — acknowledges that some will not repent; church purity requires boundaries.