Titus 3: Edit history

Titus 3 is the final chapter of the Epistle to Titus. Following the exhortations to various groups within the church and the teaching on grace in Titus 2, this chapter addresses how believers should conduct themselves in the wider society outside the church and sets out the basis of salvation.

Outline

• Verses 1–2: Believers are urged to be subject to principalities and powers, to be ready to every good work, and to show meekness toward all people.
• Verses 3–7: The passage recalls what believers once were. God saved them not by their works of righteousness but according to His mercy. He saved them "by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost," so that, being justified by His grace, they should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
• Verse 8: This teaching is called "a faithful saying" (that is, trustworthy), and Titus is to affirm it constantly so that those who have believed may be careful to maintain good works.
• Verses 9–11: Titus is to avoid foolish questions, genealogies, and contentions about the law. A man who is a heretic is to be rejected after a first and second admonition.
• Verses 12–15: Paul says he will send Artemas or Tychicus and asks Titus to come quickly to Nicopolis, where Paul has decided to spend the winter. After asking Titus to help Zenas the lawyer (a teacher of the law) and Apollos on their journey, he closes the letter with greetings and a blessing.

Key Verses

• Titus 3:1 "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers": cited alongside Romans 13 in discussions of the relationship between believers and civil authority.
• Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us": a concise summary of salvation received by grace.
• Titus 3:10 "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject": frequently cited as a principle for dealing with division within the church.

People and Places

• Paul: the author of the letter.
• Titus: Paul's coworker, who was overseeing the church in Crete, and the recipient of the letter.
• Artemas: mentioned only by name, as a candidate to be sent to relieve Titus.
• Tychicus: a coworker of Paul.
• Nicopolis: the place where Paul intended to spend the winter.
• Zenas: described as a lawyer.
• Apollos: an evangelist mighty in the Scriptures.

Points for Reflection

• The washing of regeneration: Interpretations of this phrase in 3:5 differ.
• Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican traditions tend to connect it directly with baptism, reading it as the new birth that takes place in baptism.
• Reformed traditions, including Presbyterians, regard baptism as a sign and seal of the regeneration accomplished by the Holy Spirit.
• Baptists tend to read it as symbolizing an inward regeneration that has already taken place.
• "Justified" (3:7): Protestants cite this verse as evidence that justification is given by grace. At the same time, verses 8 and 14 emphasize good works, so the passage is also read as a text for considering the relationship between salvation and good works.
• "Heretic" (3:10): Many interpreters hold that the original term refers less to a member of a group that has departed from sound doctrine than to a person who stirs up factions. Some Korean Bible translations render the word in a way that reflects this sense.
• The stay at Nicopolis: The Book of Acts does not record a stay by Paul at Nicopolis. For this reason, the reference is often explained by the conjecture that Paul was released after his first Roman imprisonment and resumed his travels. In addition, regarding the authorship of the Pastoral Epistles, including Titus, the traditional view that Paul wrote them stands alongside the scholarly view that they are later works.

In Korean Churches

In Korean churches, Titus 3:4–7 is frequently used as a sermon text to explain salvation received through God's mercy rather than through works. Titus 3:10 is often cited in discussions of guarding against heresy and of handling church disputes.