Titus Menu

Titus Chapter 3

Introduction:  Last week in our study of Chapter 2, we covered some of the duties of the young and old members of the church.   We discussed the importance of mentoring and letting the older members guide the younger members in how to live and raise their families.  Paul closed encouraging Titus to turn from lusts and things of the world, and to stand for the things of God. We finish our study on Titus this week as we cover Chapter 3.

I.  Our Attitude Toward our Government

Titus 3:1  Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

God teaches us to be subject to our government and to obey the laws of the land.  We are to be subject to the local principalities and powers as well as our national government.  We realize that these powers are ordained by God.

Romans 13:1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God:  the powers that be are ordained of God. 

The only time we are not to obey our government is when it is contrary to the will of God.  An excellent example is the law that allows a woman to have an abortion legally in the United States.   God’s law expressly forbids murder, so Christians should not only take advantage of abortion, but should speak out vocally against it.   I was proud that President Bush called for the stoppage of harvesting brain stem cells from aborted babies.  God help a nation that would kill one person in order that another might live.   If they will kill babies, soon it will be the older and disabled people who are deemed unnecessary.    Remember when Peter and some of the other apostles were brought before the high priest and told that they had been told not to speak in the name of Jesus.  Peter told them the truth when he said:

Acts 5:29   Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

The end of verse 1 says we are to be ready for every good work.   For us to be ready to do a good work, we must first live a separated Christian life.

2 Timothy 2:21   If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

Titus 3:2  To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men.

Titus was instructed to speak evil of no man.   Can you remember following this command all week.   Was there not a single day when you had a negative thing spoken against someone.  This is hard, but we are to be positive people and live sober and righteous lives that glorify the Lord.   It says we should be no brawler, but rather gentle and meek unto all men.   Some think a meek man is a weak man, but this is not true.   A true Christian that lives the way God desires is one of the strongest people on the face of the earth.  It doesn’t take anything to live like the world, but it takes a real woman or man to live for the Lord.

II.  Our Condition When We Were Lost

Titus 3:3  For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

All men are guilty of sin.   And Paul reminds Titus how that we were at one time in our lives foolish and disobedient and being deceived by Satan.    Not serving the Lord, but serving Satan and following after the lusts and pleasures of sin.   Many want you to believe that there is no pleasure in sin, but there is great pleasure.  The problem is that it is short lived, and then the sin has a price that has to be paid.  Thank God for Jesus who died and paid the penalty for sin.   Paul says we were living in malice and envy and hating one another.    And some were like this, but now have been freed from the penalty of sin because of Jesus Christ’s great sacrifice there on Calvary.  In Ephesians, we read where we were dead in trespasses and sin, walking according to the course of this world.

Ephesians 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 

Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Rom 3:25  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Rom 6:7  For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Rom 6:8  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

Rom 6:9  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Rom 6:10  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

III.  Salvation through Jesus Christ

Titus 3:4  But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

Titus 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

What great love God showed to man when He sent Jesus Christ to earth to pay the penalty for our sins.   God loved us so much and gave the ultimate gift in His only Begotten Son.

John 3:16   For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus said that there is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends.  That is exactly what Christ did for us.   He loved us when were unloveable and the enemies of God. 

John 15:13   Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Salvation is not by works as we have studied several times over the past few weeks.   Salvation is a gift from God.   Verse 5 says it was according to God’s mercy that he saved us.  By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.   Our new birth when we were born again was not according to the will of man but of God. 

John 1:13   Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  

J. Vernon McGee had this to say about verses 4 and 5. 

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done.” Verse 3 gave us a picture of how we were before we came to know Christ. It is important to understand that becoming a Christian doesn’t mean just turning over a new leaf—you will find yourself writing on the new leaf the same things that you wrote on the old leaf. Making New Year’s resolutions and promising to do better doesn’t make you a Christian. Nor are you saved on the basis of works of righteousness, good deeds, which you have done.

“But according to his mercy he saved us.” Because Christ died for us and paid the penalty for our sins, God is prepared to extend mercy to us; it is according to His mercy that He saved us. And He is rich in mercy, which means He has plenty of it. Whoever you are, He can save you today because Christ died for you. He paid the penalty and makes over to you His righteousness!

“By the washing of regeneration.” “Washing” means laver—it is the laver of regeneration. In the Old Testament the laver, which stood in the court of the tabernacle and later the temple, represented this.

This washing of regeneration is what the Lord was speaking about in the third chapter of John: “… Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).   [1]

Titus 3:6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

Titus 3:7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Salvation was shed abundantly upon us through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Jesus said he came that we might have true life, and a more abundant life.

John 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Verse 7 we are justified not by anything we have done, but rather by His grace.   And because we are saved, we have become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  Jesus Christ is the true Heir, and we become joint-heirs with Him when we obtain salvation.

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

IV.  Believers Should Maintain Good Works

Titus 3:8  This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

So many times we talk about how works have nothing to do with salvation, I think we forget that we ordained unto good works when we are saved.   God expects us to work for Him, and we do it out of love and gratitude for what He has done for us.  Not in order to obtain salvation or to keep our salvation.  We are kept by the sealing power of the Holy Spirit. 

Ephesians 2:10   For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 

By letting others see our good works, we glorify the Father.  Our example either helps or hinders others who may not know the Lord.  

Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Proverbs 18:19  A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

We need to realize how we act before others has a lot to do about how people view God and whether they desire to be like us.   We should live righteously and exemplify Christ in everything we do.

Here are a list of good works we all should strive to do:

1.  Attend Church and S/S each week.  

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

2. Attend the mid-week service of your church.

3.  Tithe out of your income

4.  Go on visitation and try to reach the lost.

5.  Read your bible every day and pray for the lost and those in the church.

V.  Things That Are Unprofitable

Titus 3:9  But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

Titus 3:10  A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject;

Titus 3:11  Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

We are commanded to avoid foolish questions.   There are many that live to find some unusual thing to question.   If someone is trying to destroy your faith and you can tell they are a heretic, it says to reject that person after we try to admonish them the second time.  That is not to say we should not still pray for them, but we are not to let those who reject God’s word sway us one little bit.  It says those that are subverted and sin are condemned of themselves.  

The King James Study Bible said this about verses 10 and 11.

3:10, 11. A heretic was originally one who caused divisions or factions, but later the word emphasized such a person’s peculiar or unorthodox beliefs. Therefore, heretics and schismatics are to be rejected. As in all his epistles, Paul urges fidelity to the apostles’ doctrine.  

 3:10. The word  heresy literally means “choosing one’s own ideas,” but now refers to that which is untrue. Even the New Testament church had false or heretical teachers who taught erroneous doctrine. Some epistles were specifically written to combat them (e.g., Galatians, 2 Thessalonians). Paul warned the Romans against identifying with those who promoted divisive, heretical teachings (Rom. 16:17). He advised Titus to reject heretics if they did not respond after two warnings (v. 10). John warned that a heretic should not be admitted into a Christian’s home (2 John 1:10).  [2]

VI.  Paul’s Plans for Winter

Titus 3:12  When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter.

Titus 3:13  Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them.

Paul had plans to send either Artemas or Tychicus to Crete to relieve Titus.  Titus was to meet Paul in Nicopolis and they were to winter there.  He also gives Titus instructions to bring the lawyer Zenas with him as well as Apollos.

VII.  Desire to Maintain Good Works

Titus 3:14  And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.

Titus 3:15  All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.

Paul wanted Titus to teach the Christians to always maintain good works.  God wants us to be fruitful Christians, bearing fruit each month.   If we never lead a soul to the Lord or make efforts to reach the lost, we are not being fruitful.

Luke 13:6  He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

Luke 13:7  Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

Luke 13:8  And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

Luke 13:9  And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

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Prov 4:18  But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

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