Titus 2:8

2:8 and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss, ¹  because he has nothing evil to say about us.

Titus 3:14

3:14 Here is another way that our people ²  can learn ³  to engage in good works to meet pressing needs and so not be unfruitful.

Titus 1:11

1:11 who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught.

Titus 2:10

2:10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, ⁴  in order to bring credit to ⁵  the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

Titus 3:11

3:11 You know ⁶  that such a person is twisted by sin ⁷  and is conscious of it himself. ⁸ 

Titus 2:5

2:5 to be self-controlled, ⁹  pure, fulfilling their duties at home, ¹⁰  kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the message ¹¹  of God may not be discredited. ¹² 

Titus 3:7-8

3:7 And so, ¹³  since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.” ¹⁴ 

Summary of the Letter

3:8 This saying ¹⁵  is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on such truths, ¹⁶  so that those who have placed their faith in God may be intent on engaging in good works. These things are good and beneficial for all people.

[2:8]  ¹ tn Or “put to shame.”

[3:14]  ² tn Grk “that those who are ours” (referring to the Christians).

[3:14]  ³ tn Grk “and also let our people learn.”

[2:10]  ⁴ tn Or “showing that genuine faith is productive.” At issue between these two translations is the force of ἀγαθήν (agaqhn): Is it attributive (as the text has it) or predicate (as in this note)? A number of considerations point in the direction of a predicate ἀγαθήν (e.g., separation from the noun πίστιν (pistin) by the verb, the possibility that the construction is an object-complement, etc.), though is not usually seen as an option in either translations or commentaries. Cf. ExSyn 188-89, 312-13, for a discussion. Contextually, it makes an intriguing statement, for it suggests a synthetic or synonymous parallel: “‘Slaves should be wholly subject to their masters…demonstrating that all [genuine] faith is productive, with the result [ecbatic ἵνα] that they will completely adorn the doctrine of God.’ The point of the text, then, if this understanding is correct, is an exhortation to slaves to demonstrate that their faith is sincere and results in holy behavior. If taken this way, the text seems to support the idea that saving faith does not fail, but even results in good works” (ExSyn 312-13). The translation of ἀγαθήν as an attributive adjective, however, also makes good sense.

[2:10]  ⁵ tn Or “adorn,” “show the beauty of.”

[3:11]  ⁶ tn Grk “knowing” (as a continuation of the previous clause).

[3:11]  ⁷ tn Grk “is perverted and is sinning.”

[3:11]  ⁸ tn Grk “is sinning, being self-condemned.”

[2:5]  ⁹ tn Or “sensible.”

[2:5]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “domestic,” “keeping house.”

[2:5]  ¹¹ tn Or “word.”

[2:5]  ¹² tn Or “slandered.”

[3:7]  ¹³ tn This is the conclusion of a single, skillfully composed sentence in Greek encompassing Titus 3:4-7. Showing the goal of God’s merciful salvation, v. 7 begins literally, “in order that, being justified…we might become heirs…”

[3:7]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

[3:8]  ¹⁵ sn This saying (Grk “the saying”) refers to the preceding citation (Titus 3:4-7). See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11 for other occurrences of this phrase.

[3:8]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “concerning these things.”