Titus

1Chapter

Greeting

1Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, 2in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. 3In his own time he has revealed his word in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior:
4To Titus, my true son in our common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Titus’s Ministry in Crete

5The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town. 6An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion. 7As an overseer of God’s household, he must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money, 8but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, 9holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.
10For there are many rebellious people, full of empty talk and deception, especially those from the circumcision party. 11It is necessary to silence them; they are ruining entire households by teaching what they shouldn’t in order to get money dishonestly. 12One of their very own prophets said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13This testimony is true. For this reason, rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith 14and may not pay attention to Jewish myths and the commands of people who reject the truth.
15To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled. 16They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.
2Chapter

Sound Teaching and Christian Living

1But you are to proclaim things consistent with sound teaching. 2Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. 3In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good, 4so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, 5to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, and in submission to their husbands, so that God’s word will not be slandered.
6In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled 7in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching. 8Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn’t have anything bad to say about us.
9Slaves are to submit to their masters in everything, and to be well-pleasing, not talking back 10or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.
11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.
15Proclaim these things; encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
3Chapter

Christian Living among Outsiders

1Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people. 3For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.
4But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5he saved us —not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy —through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life. 8This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone. 9But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, because they are unprofitable and worthless. 10Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning. 11For you know that such a person has gone astray and is sinning; he is self-condemned.

Final Instructions and Closing

12When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me in Nicopolis, because I have decided to spend the winter there. 13Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey, so that they will lack nothing.
14Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works for pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. 15All those who are with me send you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all of you.
Study
Chapter 2
CSB

Can God Make a Rock So Big He Can’t Lift It?

When speaking at a university or when answering questions in an open forum on Christianity, it is common for someone to smugly ask me, “Can God make a rock so big that he can’t lift it?” The challenge inherent in this question is that there is something an omnipotent (all-powerful) God cannot do. Nonbelievers enjoy asking this question because it seems that either way we answer the question, we submit that there is, in fact, something God cannot accomplish. Either we answer that God can make a big rock he cannot lift or that God cannot make a rock big enough that he can’t lift it. Thus the question seemingly poses an insolvable conundrum. However, close examination reveals that it does not put God in some kind of cosmic checkmate. In fact, the question in no way proves that there’s something he cannot do. Rather, it is simply a meaningless question that implodes on itself.

Essentially, the questioner is asking, “Is there any way that the God who can make all things can make a rock so big that the God who can lift all things cannot lift it?” Worded this way, the inconsistency and meaninglessness of the question is revealed. It’s actually a pseudo-question. It proposes impossible conditions and thus makes no sense. This means the question itself has no truth value, and thus cannot be evaluated as either true or false. Trying to answer this question is much like trying to answer, “What does the color blue smell like?”

The question also reveals false ideas about the biblical concept of omnipotence. When speaking of God’s omnipotence, Christians are not claiming, “God can do anything at all.” Instead, omnipotence refers to God’s power to do anything which is both consistent with his holy character and logically possible. The “big rock” question asks if God can do something logically impossible. His inability to do such a thing does not count against his power. For example, God cannot make a square circle. So what? It’s a nonsense task. Likewise, it is a logical impossibility (and a nonsense thing to ask) for God to make a rock so big that he can’t lift it. And since God always acts in ways that are consistent with his holy nature, his inability to lie or sin does not count against his omnipotence either (Ti 1:2; Jms 1:13). The things that are true about his character will always be true, and he cannot do anything to contradict them.

This non-question of smug skeptics actually reminds us that we serve a logical, coherent, and all-powerful God. Reason and coherence are hardwired into the fabric of reality—reflecting the orderly God who created it. Contradictory questions and meaningless word puzzles such as the “big rock”question implode on themselves and remind us that we will never be able to outsmart the Lord. Nothing we can do and no question we can ask could ever disprove God’s omnipotence and perfect power.

ESV

Christian Living in Contrast to the False Teachers. Paul describes proper Christian living rooted in the gospel, which is in direct contrast to the behavior of the false teachers (1:10–16) but in conformity to what is required of true church leaders (1:5–9). This is the primary concern of the letter: right doctrine leads to right behavior. This section is composed of two parallel units (2:1–15 and 3:1–8) that describe right behavior, root this behavior in the gospel, and close with a charge to Titus to teach these things with authority.

ESV

Proper Living by Age and Gender Groups. Paul describes “what accords with sound doctrine” (v. 1), i.e., the type of living that corresponds with the gospel. Some argue that the behavior commanded here is not universally required but is culturally bound to the first century. They argue that the ground for this behavior is to avoid offense (see note on 2:5, 8, 10). However, v. 1 roots this behavior not in cultural ideas but in “sound doctrine” itself. Paul addresses the behavior of the church according to typical groups within the family structure (older men, older women, younger women, younger men, bondservants), with special attention to age and gender. While there are similarities in what is expected of each group, there are also distinctives.

ESV

But as for you indicates the sharp contrast that must exist between people, on one hand, whose deeds disprove their claim to know God (1:16), and Titus, on the other hand, who must teach the people to live in a way that accords with sound doctrine, i.e., that will affirm rather than deny their claim to know God.

ESV

The overall picture of older men is of Christian dignity and vibrant faith.

CSB

See note on 1Tm 2:11-15. Pr 31 (vv. 16,18,24) clarifies that it is not a sin for a wife to work outside the home. But Paul shows that her responsibility to her family is of greater importance.

ESV

The instruction to older women and young women is intertwined because part of the role of a Christian older woman is to train (Gk. sōphronizō, “to give instruction in wise behavior and good judgment”) the younger women. The topics comprising the teaching of the older women in vv. 4–5 are very practical and focused on the domestic sphere. Working at home does not prohibit working outside the home (cf. Prov. 31:16, 18, 24) but it does indicate that Paul expects wives to carry the primary responsibility for the day-to-day care of their homes and children. Yet this is to be done while being submissive to their own husbands, supporting their husbands’ leadership role in the family. See notes on Eph. 5:22; 5:23–24. While other instructions could be included, the focus here is on older women helping younger women learn about being godly wives and mothers.

ESV

, 8, 10 In each of these verses, important statements are made concerning the desired result of “gospel living.” Such living keeps Christians from providing any legitimate grounds for the gospel (the word of God) to be reviled (v. 5; cf. v. 8). More positively, such living highlights the attractiveness of the gospel (“adorn,” v. 10). In keeping with the overall thrust of the letter, this kind of living “proves” the gospel. Doctrine of God our Savior (v. 10) sets up the description of this doctrine in vv. 11–14. On God as “Savior,” see note on 2 Tim. 1:8–10; and chart.

CSB

Some critics argue that this verse contradicts Mt 23:10. However, Jesus’s words refer specifically to calling a spiritual teacher “master,” not to a slave referring to his owner by that title (see note on 1Tm 6:1).

CSB

Paul was not a universalist, believing that all people go to heaven. Rather, God’s grace is for all the kinds of people discussed in vv. 1-10 (young and old, men and women, slaves and masters). See note on 1Tm 4:10.

ESV

Gospel Basis. Paul gives the theological basis for the lifestyles he has described in vv. 1–10. Christians should live this way because (“for”) the grace of God that saves also instructs its recipients to live in a new way. One cannot truly claim to be a recipient of saving grace without also being a pupil of “training grace.” This change in lifestyle is rooted in the atonement (v. 14) and the expectation of Christ’s return (v. 13).

ESV

Bringing salvation for all people is sometimes misunderstood as meaning that all people will be saved. However, such a reading is not necessary here and flatly contradicts other Scripture (see note on 1 Tim. 2:4). It means, rather, that salvation has been offered to all people (including all ethnic groups), not just to some.

ESV

Saving grace teaches its recipients to say no to sin and yes to godliness. In the present age stresses that this godliness is to be lived out in the here and now. It also sets up the reference to the future return of Christ (v. 13). Certainty about the future enables constancy in the present.

CSB

Grammatically and contextually, this verse is a powerful reference to Christ’s deity. Paul’s belief in Jesus’s deity was based on his life-changing experience of seeing Jesus clothed in divine glory (Ac 9:3-9), his exegesis of important OT messianic texts (Ac 9:20-22), and Jesus’s personal claims and miraculous activities as reported to him by eyewitnesses. Paul also witnessed Jesus’s divine power at work in his disciples through the miracles that Paul and other disciples performed. See note on 1Tm 2:5.

ESV

The Greek for waiting (prosdechomai) often carries a connotation of eagerness. Eagerly expecting the return of Christ is the way grace trains Christians to renounce sin and live in a godly way (see vv. 11–12). Setting one’s mind on the truth of Christ’s return impels a person to holiness (see 1 John 3:2–3). Our blessed hope means Christ’s second coming, which Paul calls the appearing of … our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. It may seem unclear whether Paul refers here to two persons of the Godhead (God the Father and Jesus Christ) or whether he describes Jesus as God and Savior. The Greek grammar, however, is well reflected in this translation and indicates that Jesus is being identified as “our great God and Savior” (cf. John 1:1; 20:28; etc.).

ESV

Paul anchors his call for godliness in the fact that one purpose of Jesus’ death was to make his people holy. To forsake godliness is to despise the sacrifice of Christ. Paul roots this in the OT with the phrase to redeem us from all lawlessness, which in Greek closely resembles the Septuagint of Ps. 130:8. A people for his own possession translates an unusual phrase (Gk. laon periousion) with intentional echoes from the OT (see esp. Ex. 19:5; Mal. 3:17). It has the sense of “prized, treasured possession.” These people are to be zealous for good works, so again redemption is tied specifically to living in a godly manner. There is no room for claiming to be redeemed while providing no evidence of practical transformation (see James 2:14–26).

ESV

Summary Command. After describing the gospel, Paul returns to commanding Titus (as in vv. 1–10). The reference to all authority, and not allowing anyone to disregard Titus, shows that Paul expects this instruction to be given clearly and with certainty.