Titus 3:4 Komentář

The apostle here directs Titus about the faithful discharge of his own office generally (Tit 2:1), and particularly as to several sorts of persons (Tit 2:2-10) and gives the grounds of these and of other following directions (Tit 2:11-14), with a summary direction in the close (Tit 2:15).

INTRODUCTION TO TITUS 3 In this chapter the apostle exhorts Titus to press various duties incumbent on Christians, with arguments engaging to them; gives him some directions about dealing with heretics, and some instructions about private matters, and particular persons, and closes it with salutations. And first, he charges him to put his hearers in mind of their duty, to be subject to civil magistrates, and readily perform whatever is right and proper for them to do; and to abstain from blaspheming and brawling, and to exercise gentleness and meekness to all men, Tit 3:1. The arguments inducing thereunto are taken partly from their former state and condition, while unregenerate: when they were as ignorant and as wicked as other men, they are exhorted to behave well to; and partly from the consideration of the salvation they were now partakers of, Tit 3:3 which leads on the apostle to give an account of its causes and means: the moving cause of it is the love and mercy of God; the way and means in which it is brought about, are not works of righteousness done by men, but the regenerating and renewing grace of the Spirit, which is plentifully bestowed through Jesus Christ the Saviour, and justification by the free grace of God, by virtue of which men become heirs unto, and have an hope of eternal life, Tit 3:4 which several blessings of grace should be constantly insisted on in the ministry of the word, in order to engage believers carefully to perform good works; and because such doctrines are good in themselves, and profitable to men; whereas questions, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law, are foolish, vain, and unprofitable, and to be avoided, Tit 3:8, wherefore an heretical man should be rejected from all Christian conversation and communion, after he has been admonished at least twice, seeing he is off of the foundation, has sinned, and is self-condemned, Tit 3:10. Next the apostle desires Titus to meet him at Nicopolis, where his design was to pass the winter, upon sending two ministering brethren to Crete, who are mentioned by name, Tit 3:12 and that he would accommodate two others, who are also named, with everything convenient for their journey, Tit 3:13 and charges him to exhort the brethren under his care to learn to be diligent and industrious in the performance of good works, which have their necessary uses, and prevent unfruitfulness, Tit 3:13. And the epistle is concluded with salutations, and the apostle's usual benediction, Tit 3:15.

But after that,.... After all this series and course of wickedness; notwithstanding all this foolishness, disobedience, deception, bondage to sin, envy, malice, and malignity; or "when" all this was, as the word may be rendered, amidst all this iniquity; when these persons were in the full career of sin, and so had done no preparatory works, or had any previous qualifications and dispositions for the grace of God: the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared; unto them; and the Ethiopic version adds, "unto us". The apostle takes the advantage of the above character of himself, and others in their former state, to set off and magnify the grace of God in their conversion; so contraries, as black and white, illustrate each other. By "God our Saviour" is not meant the Lord Jesus Christ, though he is commonly designed by our Saviour, and is several times called God our Saviour in this epistle; see Tit 1:3 and who is truly God, and the only Saviour of lost sinners; and whose kindness and love towards them has appeared in many instances; as in his suretiship undertakings for them, in his assumption of their nature, and in his suffering and dying in their room and stead: and yet it appears from Tit 3:6 that God our Saviour here, is distinguished from Jesus Christ our Saviour there; and therefore here must be understood of God the Father; who contrived the scheme of salvation, appointed Christ to be his salvation, and made a covenant with him, in which it secured, and sent him in time to obtain it, and through his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, saves all his people: it is his kindness and love to men that is here spoken of; and which designs not his general and providential goodness and kindness, which extends to the whole human nature, and to all the individuals of it; but his special love and grace shown in his kindness in Christ Jesus; that good will to men the angels sung of at Christ's incarnation; or that free favour and love of God towards elect men, which is sovereign and special, from everlasting to everlasting, unchangeable and unspeakable, which is better than life; the excellency of which cannot be expressed, and which has shown itself in various instances: it is said to have "appeared"; because it was hid from all eternity in the heart of God, in the thoughts of his heart, in his purposes, counsel, and covenant, and has been made manifest in time; particularly, it has broke forth and showed itself in the mission of Christ into this world, and in redemption and salvation by him; wherein God has manifested and commended his love, and shown forth the exceeding riches of his grace; and also in the effectual calling, which being a time of life, is a time of love, and is owing to the great love of God, and is a fruit and evidence of his everlasting and unchangeable love; and it is this instance and appearance of it, which is here meant, since it follows the account of the state and condition of the saints by nature; and is what was made to them when in this state, by which means they were brought out of it.

Every kind of help comes to our souls through Christ. Various appropriate titles have been devised for each particular kind of care. When he presents a blameless soul to himself, a soul which like a pure virgin has neither spot nor wrinkle, he is called Bridegroom. But when he receives someone paralyzed by the devil’s evil strokes and heals the heavy burden of his sins, he is called Physician. Because he cares for us, will this make us think less of him? Or will we not be struck with amazement at our Savior’s mighty power and love for mankind, who patiently endured to suffer our infirmities with us and condescended to our weakness? No heaven, or earth, or the great oceans, or all creatures living in the waters and on dry land, or plants, stars, air, or seasons or the vast expanse of the universe can illustrate the surpassing greatness of God’s might so well as he has himself. The infinite God, remaining changeless, assumed flesh and fought with death, freeing us from suffering by his own suffering!

Ver. 4. "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared." How? "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." Strange! How were we drowned in wickedness, so that we could not be purified, but needed a new birth? For this is implied by "Regeneration." For as when a house is in a ruinous state no one places props under it, nor makes any addition to the old building, but pulls it down to its foundations, and rebuilds it anew; so in our case, God has not repaired us, but has made us anew. For this is "the renewing of the Holy Ghost." He has made us new men. How? "By His Spirit"; and to show this further, he adds, For nothing was worse than the brutality of mankind before the coming of Christ. They were all affected towards each other as if enemies and at war. Fathers slew their own sons, and mothers were mad against their children. There was no order settled, no natural, no written law; everything was subverted. There were adulteries continually, and murders, and things if possible worse than murders, and thefts; indeed we are told by one of the heathen, that this practice was esteemed a point of virtue. And naturally, since they worshiped a god of such character.

For we also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:3-7) Someone might ask how Paul was foolish, unbelieving, wandering, and serving various desires and pleasures in wickedness and envy, hateful and hating, before the goodness and mercy of our Savior made him safe through the washing of regeneration: not by works of righteousness which he had done, but by his mercy, poured out abundantly and richly upon the apostles and believers through Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit: that, having obtained the inheritance of grace, they might possess the hope of eternal life. And indeed, we read that he was circumcised on the eighth day without objection according to the righteousness under the Law (Philippians 3:5): he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, according to the Pharisaic Law, of the tribe of Benjamin, educated at the feet of Gamaliel, and instructed from childhood in the sacred writings (Acts 22). To which it is replied that the Jews who were versed in the Law before the coming, passion, and resurrection of the Savior, although not full, nevertheless had some righteousness: just as Simeon and the prophetess Anna were also found serving in the temple of God. But once the people cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him; we have no king but Caesar!" (John 19:15) and "His blood be on us and on our children!" (Matthew 27:25), the kingdom of God was taken away from them and given to a nation producing its fruit. From that time on, anyone who did not believe in Christ was foolish, wandering, unbelieving, and serving various desires. Does it not seem to us [you] that Paul was foolish when he had zeal for God, but not according to knowledge; and was persecuting the Church: and was keeping the clothes of those stoning Stephen? When he had been so inflamed with hatred against the Savior that he received a letter from the priests, he went to Damascus to have those who believed in Christ bound? He could not have any virtues apart from the virtue of God, Christ Jesus, or put out the burning flame of desire, since he was not a temple of God? But what could be a greater evil and envy, than to take letters against those who are absent, and to destroy Christ's disciples everywhere; not wanting Him to be saved and envying those who were able to be saved; hating Christians and consequently earning hatred from everyone? What greater error both in obedience and in folly than to want to keep the Law that was abolished, and to say: Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle, and to desire to be given milk like an infant when solid food is appearing and manly? Let us pay closer attention, and we will find in this present chapter the most obvious Trinity. For the kindness and mercy of our God and Savior, not of anyone else but of God the Father himself, justified us to eternal life through the regeneration of baptism and the renewal of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. The salvation of believers is the mystery of the Trinity. Some understand this passage in such a way that they think it is not about Paul and the apostles, but rather, spoken by another under the apostles' authority, about others; this is so that just as under his own name, Apollo, and Cephas spoke about the dissension and schism he was pointing out in the Corinthians, so also in the present passage, he who names himself and the apostles shows what kind of people who had believed in Christ, no matter what they were like before the regeneration of spiritual baptism. At the same time, his humility is admirable, that he, who disregarded all humility and righteousness of the Law as if it were mere refuse and garbage, rightly remembered how he served without Christ and all his flaws.

By the delay of his saving work, he has made us better disposed to accept his calling. In this is shown the “goodness and kindness of God.” By this means, what had been foretold through so many ages by numerous signs, numerous words and numerous mysteries would no longer be open to doubt in these days of the gospel. That way, the birth of the Savior—which was to exceed all wonders and the whole measure of human intelligence—would engender in us a faith all the more steadfast, the more often and the earlier it had been proclaimed beforehand.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. kindness and love of God our Savior appeared. Through His incarnation. not because of works done by us in righteousness. Not because, Paul says, we live so religiously as to urge him to become incarnate, but because God himself wished to have mercy on us, being unworthy. works done by us. For we did not do it.

That is, when the Only-begotten became incarnate and became like us.

Then, he describes the present state of our salvation, when he says, but when the benignity. First, he describes its order and process; second, he confirms what he has said, at it is a faithful saying. In regard to the first he does four things: first, he shows the cause of our salvation; second, the reason he saves, at not by the works of justice; third, the way he saves us, at by the washing; fourth, the end, at that, being justified. The cause of our salvation is God's love: "but God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ" (Eph 2:4). This charity is described, first, in its intensity; second, in its effect. The inward intensity of charity is designated by benignity, which is from bonus, which means 'good,' and ignis, which means 'fire.' Now fire signifies love: "love is strong as death, its flashes are flashes of fire" (Song 8:6). Therefore, benignity is an internal love, which expresses itself outwardly in good works. Now this love was present in God from all eternity, because his love is the cause of all things: "he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love" (Joel 2:13). But this love is not always visible: "where are your zeal and your might? The yearning of your heart and your compassion are withheld from me" (Isa 63:15). But its effect appears; and this is designated when he says, humanity, which can be understood in two ways: in one way, as signifying the human nature. As if to say: the benignity and humanity of God our Savior appeared when God was made man out of benignity: "being born in the likeness of men" (Phil 2:7); "you crown the year with your bounty" (Ps 65:11). Or, as signifying the strength which consists in publicly coming to the aid of others in their weakness. Hence it is a human thing to condescend: "the natives showed us unusual kindness" (Acts 28:2). But God condescended to our weakness: "he knows our frame" (Ps 103:14). And this of God our Savior, because "the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord" (Ps 37:39).

The necessity of obedience to the civil powers, and of meek and gentle deportment towards all men, is to be diligently enforced, Tit 3:1, Tit 3:2. The wretched state of man, previously to the advent of Christ, Tit 3:3. The wonderful change which the grace of God makes, and the means which it uses to bring men to glory, Tit 3:4-7. The necessity of a holy life, and of avoiding things which produce strifes and contentions, and are unprofitable and vain, Tit 3:8, Tit 3:9. How to deal with those who are heretics, Tit 3:10, Tit 3:11. St. Paul directs Titus to meet him at Nicopolis, and to bring Zenas and Apollos with him, Tit 3:12; 13. Concluding directions and salutations, Tit 3:14, Tit 3:15.

But after that the kindness and love of God - By χρηστοτης we may understand the essential goodness of the Divine nature; that which is the spring whence all kindness, mercy, and beneficence proceed. Love toward man - Φιλανθρωπια· Philanthropy. It is to be regretted that this attribute of the Divine nature, as it stands in relation to man, should have been entirely lost by a paraphrastical translation. Philanthropy is a character which God gives here to himself; while human nature exists, this must be a character of the Divine nature. God loves man; he delighted in the idea when formed in his own infinite mind, he formed man according to that idea, and rejoiced in the work of his hands; when man fell, the same love induced him to devise his redemption, and God the Savior flows from God the Philanthropist. Where love is it will be active, and will show itself. So the philanthropy of God appeared, επεφανη, it shone out, in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and in his giving his life for the life of the world.

WHAT TITUS IS TO TEACH CONCERNING CHRISTIANS' BEHAVIOR TOWARDS THE WORLD: HOW HE IS TO TREAT HERETICS: WHEN AND WHERE HE IS TO MEET PAUL. SALUTATION. CONCLUSION. (Tit 3:1-15) Put them in mind--as they are in danger of forgetting their duty, though knowing it. The opposition of Christianity to heathenism, and the natural disposition to rebellion of the Jews under the Roman empire (of whom many lived in Crete), might lead many to forget practically what was a recognized Christian principle in theory, submission to the powers that be. DIODORUS SICULUS mentions the tendency of the Cretans to riotous insubordination. to be subject--"willingly" (so the Greek). principalities . . . powers--Greek, "magistracies . . . authorities." to obey--the commands of "magistrates"; not necessarily implying spontaneous obedience. Willing obedience is implied in "ready to every good work." Compare Rom 13:3, as showing that obedience to the magistracy would tend to good works, since the magistrate's aim generally is to favor the good and punish the bad. Contrast "disobedient" (Tit 3:3).

To show how little reason the Cretan Christians had to be proud of themselves, and despise others not Christians (see on Tit 3:2-3). It is to the "kindness and love of God," not to their own merits, that they owe salvation. kindness--Greek, "goodness," "benignity," which manifests His grace. love . . . toward man--teaching us to have such "love (benevolence) toward man" (Greek, "philanthropy"), "showing all meekness unto all men" (Tit 3:2), even as God had "toward man" (Tit 2:11); opposed to the "hateful and hating" characteristics of unrenewed men, whose wretchedness moved God's benevolent kindness. of God our Saviour--Greek, "of our Saviour God," namely, the Father (Tit 1:3), who "saved us" (Tit 3:5) "through Jesus Christ our Saviour" (Tit 3:6). appeared--Greek, "was made to appear"; was manifested.