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Titus 3
by Samuel E. Ward
Introduction
P. T. Forsyth said "You must live with people to know their problems, and live with God in order to solve them." Paul had asked Titus to do just that: live with the Christians on the isle of Crete so that he would be able to develop strategies to remedy the problems Paul had observed among them.
Paul evidently had such confidence in Titus that all he felt he needed to do was offer his assessment of the needs within the Cretan churches, outlinr a general approach of what must be done to resolve those needs, and leave the rest to the spiritual wisdom that Titus possessed as a gift from God.
It was Titus's mission to deal with . . .
I. The Lack of Qualified Leadership, Titus 1:5-9.
II. The Presence and Influence of False Teachers, Titus 1:10-16.
III. The Lack of Good Instruction to Believers Concerning Proper Christian Conduct, Titus 2:1-10; 3:1-3.
Paul directed Titus to target his teaching toward . . .
A. The Needs of the Older Men, Titus 2:1-2.
1. They needed to be taught to be temperate, worthy of respect, and self-controlled.
2. They needed to possess a healthy faith, a healthy love, a healthy determination to grow spiritually, remain true to Christ, do good, persevere through persecutions, complete their life's race, become spiritually mature and complete.
B. The Needs of the Older Women, Titus 2:3-5
1. They needed to be taught to be reverent, not to be slanderers, and not addicted to wine.
2. They needed to teach the younger women to love their husbands and children, be self-controlled, be pure, be busy at home, be kind, and be subject to their husband's leadership.
C. The Needs of the Young Men, Titus 3:6-8
1. They needed to be encouraged to be self-controlled
2. They needed a godly example of how to do what is and how to do good.
3. They needed to be taught how to live with integrity, seriousness of purpose and action, and sound speech so that those who oppose the faith will not have anything bad to say about them.
D. The Needs of Slaves, Titus 2:9-10,
1. They need to be taught to be subject to their masters (trying to please them, not talking back to them, not stealing from them, and being trustworthy in their duties.
2. They need to understand that the purpose of their service ultimately is to make the teachings of about God and Christ attractive .
E. The Needs of All Men, Titus 2:11-14
1. The knowledge that God's grace and salvation has appeared has appeared for the benefit of all men.
2. The knowledge of God's expectation of all believers is to live godly lives in this present godless age.
3. The knowledge of God's expectation of all believers to live Christ-like lives until Jesus returns.
We resume our study in Titus concerning the general needs of all men by adding these fourth and fifth necessities, beginning with . . .
4. The knowledge of God's expectation of all believers toward their government, Titus 3:1-2
(Titus 3 NIV) Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, {2} to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
Take note that . . .
a. It is not to any particular person that Christians submit themselves, it is whoever is wielding the authority of government and enforcing the rightful laws and responsibilities of government.
b. It is not absolutely that Christians submit themselves to government for whenever the will of God as revealed in His Word conflicts with the will of the government, Christians must obey God. The biblical basis for this principle is Acts 5:28-29.
(Acts 5:28-29 NIV) "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood." {29} Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!
5. The knowledge that God is still seeking the lost, such as we all were, and therefore we should be partners with Him in the work, Titus 3:3-7
a. At one time we were all lost but were saved we were all saved by Christ, Titus 3:3-7.
(Titus 3:3-7 NIV) At 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. {4} But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, {5} he 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, {6} whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, {7} so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
The rationale being presented is that our behavior is to draw unbelievers to the same grace received rather than condemn them for being what we all once were. If we were granted grace in our disobedient and sinful state, why would God not want to continue to grant such grace to others. We should be partners with God in the effort to redeem all men. This brings us to the next point.
b. Now we are all obligated to devote ourselves to doing what is good, Titus 3:8..
(Titus 3:8 NIV) This 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.
c. We must be on guard against that which could divide the church and those who promote divisions. Such division is not profitable for anyone. Therefore the following guidelines must be followed to prevent divisions in the body of Christ:
(Titus 3:9-11 NIV) But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. {10} Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. {11} You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
The way to prevent divisions is clear.
1) Avoid the unimportant and foolish things that cause divisions.
2) Warn a divisive person no more than twice, then avoid them. They lack proper knowledge and have no righteous purpose in mind.
The last four verses in Paul's letter to Titus concern . . .
IV. Personal Instructions to Titus, Titus 3:12-13.
(Titus 3:12-13 NIV) As 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. {13} Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need.
A. Atemas or Tychicus will come to relieve you
B. Zenas and Apollos need your assistance in their travels
V. A Final Admonition to the Cretans, Titus 3:14.
(Titus 3:14 NIV) Our 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.
Note these five biblical facts concerning doing good to others:
1. We were created to do good works not to gain salvation but to bring glory to God, Eph 2:10.
2. We will reap a harvest of good effects, Gal 6:9-10.
3. We will lay up a treasure in the life to come, 1 Tim 6:18-19.
4. We will be offering a pleasing sacrifice to God, Heb 13:16.
5. We will be less likely to suffer harm from others, 1 Pet 3:13.
VI. Greetings and Benediction, Titus 3:15
A. Greetings, Titus 3:15a.
(Titus 3:15a NIV) Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith.
B. Benediction, Titus 15b
(Titus 3:15b NIV) Grace be with you all.
Conclusion
I close this study in Titus with the observations of Dr. Lawrence O. Richards.
Perhaps the most striking element in this short letter is its emphasis on teaching, not as mere communication of information about God, but as instruction intended to produce a lifestyle that is in harmony with revealed truth. This theme, developed on Titus 2, is one of the most significant passages in the NT for developing a biblical philosophy of ministry, whether pulpit ministry, classroom ministry, or a nonformal ministry within the Christian community and the home. In addition commentators often point to three brief gems nestled in Titus, rich summaries of truths central to our faith. These are found in 1:1-3 (foundations of faith), 2:11-14 (the fruit of grace), and 3:3-7 (the transforming power of grace).
--Lawrence O. Richards, The Victor Bible Background Commentar: New Testament, Scripture Press Publications: Wheaton, IL
