Titus Chapter 3
Showing all 15 verses for Titus Chapter 3.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, "
"Remind believers to respect governing authorities and officials, to obey them, and to be ready to do good whenever they can."
I don't want you looking for excuses to be at odds with the world around you - respect for reasonable authority and readiness to do good are how you become someone people can trust, rather than someone people brace against. Your goodness should make life better for the ordinary people around you, not just for those who already agree with you.
"To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. "
"Don't speak badly of anyone, don't be quarrelsome, but be gentle, showing genuine humility towards everyone."
I ask for gentleness towards everyone, not just the people who are easy to be gentle with - that's the whole test of whether it's real. If you find yourself speaking badly of someone or itching for a fight, pause; that's exactly the moment this verse is written for.
"For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. "
"Paul admits that he and others were once foolish, rebellious, easily misled, controlled by various desires and pleasures, and living with spite, envy, and mutual hatred."
I never ask you to look down on anyone for the mess they're currently in - remember your own past confusion and mistakes, and let that memory keep you humble and patient with others. Nobody arrives at goodness without having once been lost themselves.
"But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, "
"But then God's kindness and love for humanity became visible and real."
I know exactly how bad verse 3 can look from the inside, and I still show up with kindness, not disgust. No matter how far gone you feel your past or present is, "but" is always available to you - the story isn't finished at your worst moment.
"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; "
"We were not saved because of good deeds we did, but because of God's mercy - through a cleansing new beginning and a renewal brought by the Holy Spirit."
I never loved you because you deserved it, and I never will - that's what makes it real love instead of a transaction. Stop trying to earn what's already freely offered; let the relief of that sink in, and let it be the starting point of a new life, not the finish line you're chasing.
"Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; "
"God poured this renewal out on us generously, through Jesus Christ our Saviour."
I don't give in small, careful doses - I pour out generously, more than you'd expect and more than you could earn. Let yourself receive generously too; a scarcity mindset about grace keeps people small and anxious when abundance is actually on offer.
"That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. "
"The result is that, having been made right with God through his grace, we become heirs, with the confident hope of eternal life."
I don't just forgive you and leave you standing there - I make you an heir, someone with a genuine share in something good and lasting. Let that shape how you see yourself: not as someone barely let off the hook, but as someone genuinely included and valued.
"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. "
"This is a statement worth trusting, and Paul wants Titus to keep insisting on it, so that people who trust God will make a real effort to live good, practical lives - because these things genuinely benefit people."
I don't want you to hear "grace not works" and conclude that how you live doesn't matter - it matters immensely, just not as a way of earning love you already have. Let your life be good because good living genuinely helps people, including yourself, not because you're afraid of losing something you can't actually lose.
"But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. "
"But steer clear of pointless arguments, family trees, quarrels, and disputes over religious law - they achieve nothing and are a waste of time."
I don't want you exhausted from arguments that go nowhere and help no one - learn to recognise when a debate is genuinely unproductive and simply step back from it. Your energy is valuable; spend it on things that actually build people up.
"A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; "
"If someone keeps causing division after being warned twice, have nothing more to do with them."
I don't ask you to tolerate endless harm from someone who keeps choosing division over restoration - patience has a place, but so does a boundary, especially to protect others. Giving someone repeated chances is love; letting them keep damaging a community indefinitely is not required of you.
"Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. "
"You can be confident that such a person has gone badly off track and is sinning, and their own actions condemn them - they've brought this on themselves."
I don't want you carrying guilt for consequences someone else's own repeated choices created - you're not responsible for rescuing someone who keeps refusing correction. Setting a boundary in that situation isn't unkind; it's simply recognising where responsibility actually lies.
"When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter. "
"When Paul sends either Artemas or Tychicus to relieve Titus, Titus should make every effort to join Paul at Nicopolis, where Paul plans to spend the winter."
I care about the practical, unglamorous logistics of your life just as much as the big spiritual truths - travel plans, schedules, and covering for each other so no one is left stranded. Faith isn't only lived in grand moments; it's lived in these small, considerate arrangements too.
"Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them. "
"Make sure Zenas the lawyer and Apollos are given everything they need and are well looked after on their travels."
I measure your generosity not by grand gestures but by whether the people in front of you actually have what they need. Look at who's travelling through your life right now - literally or figuratively - and ask what practical thing you could provide so nothing is lacking for them.
"And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. "
"Paul adds that believers should also learn to devote themselves to good, practical works that meet real needs, so their lives aren't unproductive."
I want your good intentions to turn into something that actually meets someone's real need, not just something that feels virtuous. Ask regularly: is my goodness producing real fruit for someone, or is it just for show?
"All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen. "
"Everyone with Paul sends their greetings to Titus. Paul asks Titus to greet those on Crete who love Paul and his companions in this shared faith. He closes with a final wish: may grace be with all of them. Amen."
I want grace to be both the first and last word over your life - not a topic you study once, but the atmosphere you live inside every day, at the start of things and the end of them. Let your own relationships carry that same warmth: genuine greetings, genuine love, genuinely wishing grace on the people around you.