Annotations for Titus

1:2 We Can Trust God—Often Christians will doubt our position with God simply because we do not feel saved. We don’t understand that the basis for our standing is the promise of God and not emotional feelings. One helpful way to see these promises is in relation to the Trinity:

1. The promise and work of the Father. He has promised to graciously accept in Christ all repenting sinners (Eph. 1:6 and Col. 3:3). This means a Christian has the right to be in heaven someday, for he is in Christ. God guarantees us that He will work out all things for our ultimate good (Rom. 8:28).

2. The promise and work of the Son. He has promised us eternal life (John 5:24) and abundant life (John 10:10). This promise covers not only our final destiny in heaven, but also our present Christian service here on earth. He is, in fact, right now praying for us and ministering to us at His Father’s right hand (Heb. 8:1; 9:24).

3. The promise and work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is said to indwell the believer (John 14:16). In addition, He places all believing sinners into the body of Christ, thus assuring us of union with God’s family (1 Cor. 12:13).

1:3 preaching. Paul places the emphasis on the message, not on the messenger. Christ is the center of our faith, not any one preacher (1 Cor. 9:16; 2 Cor. 4:5).

1:5 ordain elders. The Greek words for “elder” and “bishop” (literally, overseer) seem to have been used interchangeably by Paul (v. 7). “Elder” perhaps speaks more of the office and its authority, while “bishop” may speak more of the person’s function and the ministry of oversight (Acts 20:17).

1:6 husband of one wife. The exact application of this phrase is debated; some believe that it merely forbids polygamy, while others believe that it also prohibits a man who is divorced and remarried. It is clearly emphasizing the importance of marital faithfulness (Matt. 19:5). faithful children. The man must have a good relationship with his wife, and he should also have children who demonstrate faithfulness to God. If a man has children who reject the ways of God, or who are out of control, this reflects on the father’s ability to lead others outside his home.

1:9 convince. The word convince here means to rebuke in such a way as to produce repentance and confession of sin (John 16:8). A rebuke can have the positive results of producing change in a person’s life.

1:10 they of the circumcision. Apparently there were Jewish Christians in the churches of Crete who were limiting the Christian freedom of Gentile Christians by requiring an adherence to Jewish laws (Gal. 3).

1:12 Cretians are always liars. Paul is quoting the Cretan poet Epimenides, who wrote these words around 600 B.C. The Cretans were so much regarded as liars in the Mediterranean world that the expression “to Cretanize” meant “to lie.”

1:14 Jewish fables. These were probably legends about Old Testament figures, like some that survive to this day in non-biblical writings.

1:15 Unto the pure . . . unto them that are defiled. Paul highlights the mistaken asceticism of the Cretan false teachers. They had identified certain foods and practices as defiled when in reality it was their minds that were defiled and unbelieving. On the other hand, to the pure, all things are pure. The Cretan believers had placed their trust in Christ, focusing their minds on Him, and therefore they would be empowered by God’s Spirit to lead pure lives. Jesus taught the same principle in Matthew 15:11. Physical objects or external practices do not defile a person, but a mind focused on evil thoroughly corrupts.

2:1 sound doctrine. “Sound” means “healthy.” Right thinking is the raw material for right actions (Ps. 119:11; Prov. 23:7; Rom. 12:2; James 1:13–15). Our actions will naturally reveal the direction of our thoughts.

2:2 aged men. Maturity is not determined simply by age or even by how much a person knows; it is determined by how skilled a person is in applying the truth to life and in distinguishing good from evil (Heb. 5:13–14).

2:4 love their husbands . . . their children. This is not just romantic or emotional love, but the commitment of a woman to the welfare of her husband and children.

2:5 obedient to their own husbands. Women are not under the authority of men in general, but rather the authority of their own husbands (Eph. 5:21). be not blasphemed. The older women are to teach the younger women so that their actions will glorify God, build His kingdom, and strengthen the family. Failure to follow Paul’s instructions will result in the word of God being maligned in the pagan community.

2:6 Young men. Young men are to pursue the character qualities that older men should possess already.

2:7 pattern of good works. More people will learn from our daily actions than from what we say.

2:11 appeared. Christ came the first time in grace to save men from their sins; the second time He will come in glory to reign (v. 13).

2:13 Looking for that blessed hope. Paul reminded Timothy that there is a special crown awaiting all “that love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. This is one of the strongest statements of the deity of Christ in the New Testament.

2:14 redeem. “Redeem” means “to purchase.” With His death on the cross, Christ paid the price to release us from the bondage of sin (Rom. 6:6–7, 17, 20; Eph. 1:7). God’s purpose in redeeming us is not only to save us from hell; He also wants to free us from sin so that we can produce good works that glorify Him (Eph. 2:8–10).

3:1 Put them in mind. The Cretans notoriously lacked the virtue of good citizenship (1:12). Disobedience permeated the Cretan’s lifestyle, both in the church (v. 10) and in government. Believers who got along with civil authorities and who lived peacefully with their neighbors would reflect positively on their faith and would glorify God.

3:5 Not by works of righteousness. Paul has been exhorting Titus to emphasize good works in his ministry with the Cretans, and he wants to make it clear that such good works have no value in saving a person. It is solely on the basis of God’s mercy that we are delivered from the penalty of our sin. washing of regeneration. This phrase refers to the work of the Holy Spirit, in whom we are “born again” (John 3:3, 6), given a new nature and cleansed from old sin. renewing of the Holy Ghost. There are three works performed by the Holy Spirit in preparing nonbelievers to become Christians. (1) The Holy Spirit restrains. Satan would enjoy nothing more than to destroy people before they make their decision to accept Christ as Savior. But the Holy Spirit prevents this from occurring (Is. 59:19). (2) The Holy Spirit convicts. Mankind’s sin and righteousness are exposed by the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). Two examples of such conviction are Felix, a Roman governor who “trembled” under conviction (Acts 24:25), and King Agrippa, who was almost persuaded in Acts 26:28. (3) The Holy Spirit regenerates. When a repenting sinner accepts Christ as Savior, he is given a new nature by the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 5:17). Jesus carefully explained this ministry of the Holy Spirit to Nicodemus (John 3:3–7).

3:7 we should be made heirs. God justifies believers so that they might become co-heirs with Jesus Christ in His coming reign (Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2:12).

3:10 an heretick . . . reject. A sinner must always be given ample opportunity to repent, but if he insists on continuing in sin, the church is required to let him go (Matt. 18:15–17; 2 Thess. 3:14–15).

3:12 Tychicus. Tychicus, one of Paul’s assistants, is also mentioned in Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7; 2 Timothy 4:12.

3:13 Apollos. Apollos was a fellow worker of Paul’s (1 Cor. 16:12), an Alexandrian who had been taught by Priscilla and Aquila and who had eloquently preached the gospel at Ephesus and Corinth (Acts 18:24—19:1).

3:14 not unfruitful. Justification is a free gift from God, but we will be rewarded according to what we do on this earth (Rev. 22:12). It would be tragedy to stand ashamed at Christ’s return (1 John 2:28).