Titus 3:4

3:4 ¹  But “when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared,

Titus 2:1

Conduct Consistent with Sound Teaching

2:1 But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with ²  sound teaching.

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 3:9

3:9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, ³  quarrels, and fights about the law, ⁴  because they are useless and empty.

Titus 1:15

1:15 All is pure to those who are pure. But to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their minds and consciences are corrupted.

Titus 1:8

1:8 Instead he must be hospitable, devoted to what is good, sensible, upright, devout, and self-controlled.

Titus 2:10

2:10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, ⁵  in order to bring credit to ⁶  the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

Titus 2:3

2:3 Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good.

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 1:2

1:2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began. ⁷ 

Titus 1:10

1:10 For there are many ⁸  rebellious people, idle talkers, and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections, ⁹ 

Titus 3:8

Summary of the Letter

3:8 This saying ¹⁰  is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on such truths, ¹¹  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.

[3:4]  ¹ tn Verses 4-7 are set as poetry in NA²⁶/NA²⁷. These verses probably constitute the referent of the expression “this saying” in v. 8.

[2:1]  ² tn Grk “say what is fitting for sound teaching” (introducing the behavior called for in this chapter.).

[3:9]  ³ tn Cf. 1 Tim 1:4.

[3:9]  ⁴ sn Fights about the law were characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus as well as in Crete (cf. 1 Tim 1:3-7; Titus 1:10, 14).

[2:10]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Or “adorn,” “show the beauty of.”

[1:2]  ⁷ tn Grk “before eternal ages.”

[1:10]  ⁸ tc ‡ The earliest and best mss lack καί (kai) after πολλοί (polloi; so א A C P 088 81 104 365 614 629 630 al sy co), though the conjunction is found in several significant witnesses, chiefly of the Western and Byzantine texts (D F G I Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï lat). Although it is possible that some scribes omitted the word, thinking it was superfluous, it is also possible that others added the conjunction for clarification. Judging by the pedigree of the witnesses and the inconclusiveness of the internal evidence, the shorter reading is considered to be most likely original. NA²⁷ puts the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[1:10]  ⁹ tn Grk “those of the circumcision.” Some translations take this to refer to Jewish converts to Christianity (cf. NAB “Jewish Christians”; TEV “converts from Judaism”; CEV “Jewish followers”) while others are less clear (cf. NLT “those who insist on circumcision for salvation”).

[3:8]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Grk “concerning these things.”