The Word Made Fresh
1Remind them that they are subject to rulers and authorities and should be obedient, ready to do whatever good work should be done. 2Tell them to say nothing bad about anyone, to refrain from arguing, and to be gentle and courteous to everyone. 3For we were once foolish ourselves. We were disobedient and easily led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, and spending our days in spitefulness and envy, mean and hateful to one another.
4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of anything good we had done, but he was merciful and gave us a baptism of rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit. 6The Spirit was poured over us through our Savior Jesus Christ 7so that, being accepted by his grace, we might receive the hope of eternal life.
8You can count on these things, and I want you to insist on them so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to strive to accomplish good works, because that is good and rewards everyone. 9But do stay away from silly arguments about genealogies, and from legal quarrels – these things are worthless and completely unprofitable. 10Admonish those who cause divisions once or twice, but then have nothing more to do with them. 11You know that such people are crooked and sinful and condemned by their own words.
12I will send Artemas or Tychicus to you. Do your best to meet me at Nicopolis; I have decided to spend the winter there. 13See that Zenas the attorney and Apollos have everything they will need, and send them on their way. 14Teach people to devote themselves to good deeds so that urgent needs will be met, and so that they might not be unproductive.
15Everyone with me sends greetings to you. Greet those in the faith who love us, and grace be with you all.
Commentary
1-7: Another checklist is given Titus to use as a teaching outline. Seven do’s (be subject to authorities, be obedient, be ready for good works, speak evil of none, avoid quarreling, be gentle, be courteous) are followed by seven don’ts (foolishness, disobedience, being led astray, being slaves to pleasure, full of ill will and envy, despicable, hateful). We used to live by the don’ts, he says, but Jesus saved us through his mercy, not through our deserving. Salvation was transmitted through “the baptism of rebirth,” a reference to the change of heart that leads us to baptism, and through “renewal through the Holy Spirit,” or sanctification. Being justified by the grace of Jesus Christ is not the goal, but is the necessary step toward receiving “the hope of eternal life.”
8-11: Coming to faith is therefore not the ultimate goal, but devotion to good works leads us through the process of sanctification — the process of being made holy. Avoid stupid controversies, he says, probably a reference to the circumcision debate. Avoid genealogies; God can raise up stones as children to Abraham, said John the baptizer (Matthew 3:9). Avoid arguing about the law, since the law does not have the power to save (Romans 3:28). Avoid contentious people – they may lead you into stupid controversies.
12-13: Paul often sent his letters by courier. Tychicus is mentioned in other letters (Ephesians 6:21, Colossians 4:7); Artemas is otherwise unknown. Nicopolis is on the western coast of Greece, and Paul says he is going there for the winter and wants certain people to come to him there. Zenas the lawyer is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, but is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Tradition has it that Zenas was one of the seventy disciples sent out by Jesus into the villages of Galilee (see Luke 10:1-24). He is called an “attorney,” which may mean he was a Jewish scribe or rabbi who converted to Christianity. Apollos, of course, was a travelling apostle mentioned often by Luke and Paul (Acts 18:24 and 19:1; 1 Corinthians 1:12, 3:4-6, 3:22, 4:6, and 16:12).
14-15: One last entreaty to do good, and Paul signs off with a typical closing.
Takeaway
It doesn’t matter where you came from – rich or poor, noble or common, famous or unknown, appreciated or ignored. What matters is where you’re headed.