Titus 3:1

Context

The Epistle to Titus is traditionally regarded as a letter from Paul to his coworker Titus, whom he had left on the island of Crete. Together with 1 and 2 Timothy, it is grouped among the "Pastoral Epistles," and scholars disagree over whether Paul was its author.

Chapter 1 deals with appointing elders in the church (Titus 1:5–9). Chapter 2 contains instructions for believers according to their age and station. Chapter 3 turns to the attitude believers are to have toward the society outside the church, and 3:1 opens that section. The main verb of the sentence in the original Greek means "remind" (KJV: "Put them in mind"). The verse is therefore read less as a new directive than as a call to bring to mind what had already been taught.

The following verse, 3:2, urges believers to speak evil of no one and to be gentle. Verses 3–7 state that "we ourselves also were sometimes foolish" but were saved through God's mercy (Titus 3:5). The passage thus grounds the believer's attitude toward outsiders in the salvation the believer has received.

Interpretation

• Civic-obedience reading: A long commentary tradition reads the verse as teaching respect for the state and the social order, placing it in the same context as Romans 13:1–7 and 1 Peter 2:13–17.
• Witness reading: This approach connects the verse with the exhortation in chapter 2 that believers "may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things" (Titus 2:10). Against the background of 1:12, which reflects the poor reputation of the Cretans, it sees the verse as an exhortation to proper conduct so that outsiders are given no occasion to slander the gospel.
• Reading that emphasizes "good works": Titus repeatedly stresses "good works" (2:14; 3:8; 3:14). Interpreters who focus on this theme hold that the weight of the verse lies less in passive submission than in an active call to work for the common good as citizens.

Questions of Application

There is little dispute over the meaning of the text itself. The questions center mainly on how far obedience extends.

• Limits of obedience: Most Protestant traditions, including the Presbyterian and Methodist traditions, hold that when the state demands something contrary to God's commands, believers may refuse to comply, in accordance with Acts 5:29. In the Reformed tradition, John Calvin is known to have spoken to the same effect, respecting the authority of the state while also affirming its limits.
• Anabaptist perspective: The Anabaptist tradition has acknowledged the authority of the state while keeping its distance from Christian participation in offices that wield the sword (coercive public power).
• The Korean church context: The scope of obedience to the state became a matter of controversy over compulsory Shinto shrine worship under Japanese colonial rule, the democratization movement during the period of military rule, and restrictions on gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. On these occasions, Romans 13 and similar passages were cited by people holding differing positions.
• Translation: Where the Korean Revised Version reads "principalities and those who hold power," the New Korean Revised Version renders the phrase "rulers and those who hold power." The same pair of Greek words refers to spiritual forces in Ephesians 6:12. In this verse, however, the context generally leads readers to understand them as earthly rulers. Some manuscripts include "and" between the two words, but this makes no difference in meaning.

Related Passages

• Romans 13:1–7
• 1 Peter 2:13–17
• Acts 5:29
• 1 Timothy 2:1–2
• Titus 3:5