Titus 3:1

Conduct Toward Those Outside the Church

3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and ¹  authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.

Titus 3:8

Summary of the Letter

3:8 This saying ²  is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on such truths, ³  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.

Titus 1:3

1:3 But now in his own time ⁴  he has made his message evident through the preaching I was entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior.

Titus 1:5

Titus’ Task on Crete

1:5 The reason I left you in Crete was to set in order the remaining matters and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

Titus 1:7

1:7 For the overseer ⁵  must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, ⁶  not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain.

Titus 1:16

1:16 They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

Titus 3:14

3:14 Here is another way that our people ⁷  can learn ⁸  to engage in good works to meet pressing needs and so not be unfruitful.

Titus 3:5

3:5 he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit,

Titus 1:4

1:4 To Titus, my genuine son in a common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior!

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 2:10

2:10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, ¹³  in order to bring credit to ¹⁴  the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

[3:1]  ¹ tc Most later witnesses (D² 0278 Ï lat sy) have καί (kai, “and”) after ἀρχαῖς (arcai", “rulers”), though the earliest and best witnesses (א A C D* F G Ψ 33 104 1739 1881) lack the conjunction. Although the καί is most likely not authentic, it has been added in translation due to the requirements of English style. For more discussion, see TCGNT 586.

[3:8]  ² 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]  ³ tn Grk “concerning these things.”

[1:3]  ⁴ tn The Greek text emphasizes the contrast between vv. 2b and 3a: God promised this long ago but now has revealed it in his own time.

[1:7]  ⁵ sn The overseer is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in this passage and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between these verses and 1 Tim 3:1-7.

[1:7]  ⁶ tn Grk “as God’s steward.”

[3:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “that those who are ours” (referring to the Christians).

[3:14]  ⁸ tn Grk “and also let our people learn.”

[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.”

[2:10]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Or “adorn,” “show the beauty of.”