Titus Chapter 3

Vs. 1-2…“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, [2] To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.  Paul advises Titus that our “adopted sonship program” (Rom. 8: 14-17) requires us to think like our Father, learn our Father’s ways and to work together with Him in the operation of grace. Man is a natural born rebel. We are all born with a spiritual disease located in our bowels. Paul discussed this terrible disease with which the Corinthian Christians in II Cor. 6: 11-13… “O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. [12] Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. [13] Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.” They were “straitened in their own bowels”. Now everyone knows that when you have a task to do that you do not like or are not comfortable with you can get a “nervous stomach” or a feeling of queasiness in your stomach. God has made us in such a way that our “bowels” literally respond to circumstances and experiences of life. As a result we develop a list of things we personally “like” or “dislike”. As much as is possible, we live our lives guided by this list. That is what Paul calls being “straitened in your own bowels”. So what is the remedy for this “silent killer”? Being straitened in the message God called Paul to proclaim. Paul was given a distinctive message that reveals what God “likes” and “dislikes” in this dispensation of grace. If you are “straitened in Paul” you are replacing what you like and dislike with what God likes and dislikes. Therein lies the cure for “bowel trouble”.  Are you taking your medicine regularly?

In addition, our response to God’s program of grace in this present evil world will determine the amount of glory in our new bodies and the extent of our dominion with Christ in the “heavenly places” at the conclusion of this present dispensation. “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. [17] For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; [18] While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  (II Cor. 4:16-18) This is not our time to “reign”; it is our time to learn how to operate in grace. In the heavenly places our “grace skills” will be put on full display (II Tim. 2:11-13…It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: [12] If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: [13] If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.).

Vs. 3…“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.”  The Holy Spirit through Paul reminds us that as we learn how to rightly divide the word of truth we will be tempted to become proud of our new found knowledge and understanding of the Bible. This attitude will make us impatient with people and can lead us to be frustrated and angry. Remembering that we were once blinded to the truth and happy with our “religion” will keep us fervent and useful to the Lord.

Vs. 4-5…But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, [5] Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost… Washing by water baptism is a physical, religious ceremony, but the washing of regeneration is a spiritual, supernatural reality. Paul declares that salvation is not gained by "works of righteousness," but "according to God's mercy" and "by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." The first two words of verse 4 “BUT AFTER” is a dispensational distinctive. Here is some Dispensational Gold mentioned in I Cor. 3: 12. Up until God called Paul and revealed the gospel of the grace of God to him, baptism was a required part of the gospel of the kingdom…. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. [16] He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15-16) Paul is calling attention to the fact that water baptism is not a part of the new dispensation of the grace of God. This if further confirmed in I Cor. 6:11…"And such were some of you, BUT YE ARE WASHED, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and BY THE SPIRIT OF OUR GOD”. Paul had already told the Corinthians in I Cor. 1: 14-17 that he water baptized a few of the Corinthians when he first visited there (about 10 to 11 years earlier) but the Lord Jesus Christ had since forbidden him to water baptize converts. He was to focus his efforts on preaching the gospel exclusively---not the “works of righteousness”. The Corinthians had been “washed” but it was the “washing of regeneration” not the washing of water baptism. Can we be sure that we are rightly dividing the truth here? Yes, because “ye are washed”… “by the Spirit of our God”---not by your pastor. There is further evidence that the “washing” is not referring to water baptism in I Cor. 12:13… “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”

Vs. 6-7… “Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”  On the basis of a sinner trusting/believing the finished work of Christ on the Cross the Holy Spirit is free to extend to the sinner the “washing of regeneration” where all sins (present, past and future) are forgiven and the righteousness of Christ is imputed  to the sinners account… “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.”  And thus, "being justified by His grace" we are "made heirs according to the hope of eternal life". We are not saved by the accomplishment of any religious work or ceremony, but by the grace of God which was promised to the Church, the Body of Christ before the world began" (II Tim. 1:9)

Vs. 8… “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.”  A “saying” is any statement that is important enough to justify frequent repetition; however, a “faithful saying” is one that can be thoroughly relied and acted upon. Verse eight is one of five faithful sayings recorded in Paul’s epistles. Here are the other four:

1. I Tim. 1:15… This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Paul urges Timothy to keep telling his hearers again and again "that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” Now many Christian leaders proclaim that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," but fail to include the words---of whom I am chief. Paul was the measure of what was worst and best in the dispensation of the grace of God. He deserved to be excluded from God’s grace more so than any other man, given his hatred of Jesus Christ. Paul is not just being humble by writing these words. He wants sinners everywhere and at all times to know that God has already saved the worst sinner ever and He will receive you too.

2. I Timothy 3:1… This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. Timothy is directed to carefully evaluate men for leadership positions in the local assembly based on their character. It is not the desire to be an overseer or bishop that is good; it is the office that is "good," in the sense of being a highly responsible position.

3. I Timothy 4:8-9… For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. [9] This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. Paul admonishes Timothy to emphasize godliness (operating in the grace program) rather than keeping the physical body in shape..

4. II Timothy 2:11-12… It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
[12] If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:  Paul urges Timothy to stress the great honor of reigning with Christ if we suffer for Him. There is also a penalty for “denying Him”.

“be careful to maintain good works”… Once we are truly saved it is no time to sit around smelling the roses. We must make some hard decisions about what God’s idea of “good works” means. Once again we must remember the fact that God has an “adopted sonship program” to educate and edify us in. This program has three components: 1. Learn to think like God thinks. 2. Learn the ways of God. 3. Learn to work together with God based on what He thinks and how He operates in this dispensation of grace. This is what it means to “maintain good works”. Satan, through his ministers in the church, introduces new converts (if he can not blind you to the gospel of grace) to a program of law or “human works of righteousness”. Satan’s program is described in the next two verses.

Vs. 9-11… “But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. [10] A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; [11] Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.”  Those who are committed to Satan’s program of mixing law and grace will never be approved of God nor will they be profitable to fellow Christians. Their work is vain. However, they do succeed at one thing---creating a new generation of heretics to perpetuate their ungodly religious teachings.