The Life Of Faith
THE LIFE OF FAITH
TITUS 3:1-15
What do you need reminding about more: what God has done for you or what he expects of you?
The duty of Christians to the State is mentioned briefly. They are to be submissive and obedient, for the State performs a necessary function and one which would be impossible without the cooperation of citizens. In the same breath Paul mentions the necessity of being kind and courteous to all people (3:2). The believer has obligations to those who are outside the faith.
We should treat everyone well, for we recall from what we ourselves were saved (3:3). In 2:11 Paul almost personified grace, and here God’s goodness and loving kindness are treated similarly: they “appeared,” that is, were revealed or became visible in Jesus Christ. Paul proceeds to speak of our salvation through the mercy of God, a salvation which comes “by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit” (3:5). Most today see a reference to baptism. This is possible, though it is also possible that Paul is using “washing” symbolically and defining it as regeneration and renewal. If a reference to baptism is considered to be present, it is not in the sense that the ceremony itself conveys spiritual blessings, for in this context Paul is stressing the opposite of ritualism. It is the activity of the Holy Spirit which is important. This is not to be separated from the work of Christ (3:6) but is its necessary completion. He goes on to speak of this salvation in terms of justification, grace, hope and eternal life (3:7), a rich collection of significant terms.
Before he finishes, Paul has still another warning against false teachers (3:8-11). A significant feature of this section is the reference to repeated warning (3:10). For someone to be rejected as a heretic, there must be persistence in error in the face of repeated warnings.
Notes 3:1: “Remind them” shows that this is not a new instruction. They already knew it. 3:4: “God our Savior”; see also 2:13. 3:14: to the end Paul insists on “good deeds.”