Summary of Titus, Chapter 3

Titus should remind the Christians to be submissive to the government and officers, ready to obey for every good work, so as to speak ill of no one, not to be inclined to quarrel, but to be gentle, and meek to all. We when we were not Christians were once foolish, disobedient, going astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, spending our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating each other. But when the kindness and love-of-men of God appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of works of righteousness that we did, but according to His mercy, through the bath of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out richly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, being justified by His love, we might be heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The truth of these things is dependable. Paul wants to confirm Titus in these things, so that those who have come to the faith may be concerned to be outstanding in good works. This is good and useful to people.

He warns Titus to stay away from foolish investigations and genealogies, and strifes, and battles about the Mosaic law. After one or two warnings he should avoid a heretical man, for such a man is perverted and sins, and is self-condemned.

When Artemas comes or Tychicus, Paul wants Titus to come to him at Nicopolis, for he has decided to spend the winter there. Titus should send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way in such a way that they lack nothing.

People should learn also to be outstanding in good works to meet important needs, so they may not lack fruit. All those who are with Paul greet Titus. May Titus greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all.

Comments on Chapter 3

It is striking that Paul calls for obedience to the government at the very time when Nero was near the peak of his insanity. But they are to obey only in what is not wrong, being ready for every good work.

Once they lived in an evil way, but when God's love appeared He saved us not by works -- but in justification by faith -- by His mercy, through Baptism and the Holy Spirit. We hyphenated "love-of-men" to indicate that in Greek it is just one word: philanthropia (philein -- love and anthropos -- man). By God's gift, which made us His adopted sons, we are heirs along with Christ (cf. Romans 8:17) and so can inherit eternal life. We do not basically earn it, even though as heirs we have a claim to it (which could be called, in a secondary sense, a merit: cf. DS 1532, 1582).

Again, Paul warns of foolish genealogies and debates about the law -- it looks again as though the opponents are Jews.

In verse 10 Paul speaks of a man as hairetikos, which we rendered "heretical". But we must note that that word did not then have its modern technical sense. It could mean anyone who deviated from the teaching of the Church in any way. Such a man is autokatakritos, a very rare word. By its roots is must mean "self-condemned".

We do not have any other mention of Artemas, but Tychicus may have been the bearer of the Epistles to Ephesus and Colossai, mentioned in Acts 20:4 as from the province of Asia. He is also mentioned in Ephesians 6:21. There were several cities called Nicopolis -- the one here is likely the one in Epirus, on the west coast of Greece. Zenas and Apollos may have brought this letter to Titus. Apollos is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:12. Please recall the comments given there.