Titus 3:3-7

THE MOTIVE FOR PROPER CONDUCT Titus 3:3-7

Text 3:3-7

3 For we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.
4 But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man, appeared,
5 not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
6 which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Thought Questions 3:3-7

122.

Just who is included in the we of Titus 3:3?

123.

If all such actions as those described in Titus 3:3 are in the past tense, why the need for the injunctions of Titus 3:1-2?

124.

In what context is the word foolish used in Titus 3:3 a?

125.

Is there some order of progress in the sins described in Titus 3:3? Please examine them carefully.

126.

In what sense is the word deceived used?

127.

Why would anyone actually serve something that offers so little, if any, benefit as divers lusts and pleasures?

128.

Is there any genuine pleasure in serving Satan? Discuss.

129.

Show the distinction between: malice and envyhateful and hating one another,

130.

Point out the difference in the use of the words kindness and love as in Titus 3:4.

131.

Is Paul discussing the conversion of the Cretans, in Titus 3:4, or is this a reference to the first advent of Christ?

132.

We are not saved by worksor are we? Please explain.

133.

Paul plainly states that the Cretans were saved from the power and penalty of the sins mentioned in Titus 3:3, If we as church members continue to practice some of these sins, can we say we are saved? Discuss.

134.

We are saved by the means of the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Please explain just what experience this describes.

135.

What did God pour out upon us richly?

136.

Explain the phrase, justified by his grace.

137.

Is eternal life the inheritance of the heirs of Titus 3:7 b? Please note the marginal reading.

Paraphrase 3:3-7

3 This behavior, towards those who profess false religions, becometh us Jews: For even we ourselves were formerly foolish in our notions of religion, and in observing the traditions of the fathers; disobedient to God, erring from the truth, slavishly serving divers inordinate desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hated by the Gentiles, and hating one another.

4 But when the goodness and philanthropy of God our Saviour (Chap. Titus 2:11), shone forth to all mankind, through the preaching of the gospel,

5 He saved us Jews from the miserable and wicked state in which we were living, not on account of any works of righteousness which we had done under the law to merit such a deliverance, but in prosecution of his own merciful purpose, which he accomplished through the bath of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost,
6 Which he poured out on us richly, in his various gifts at our conversion, through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who procured these gifts for men;
7 That being delivered, by the mere favor of God, from the wickedness and misery of our former state, we might be made children and heirs, agreeably to the hope of eternal life given us by the promise of God.

Comment 3:3-7

Titus 3:3. Paul is to say, that since the Cretans were Christians, it should not be difficult to follow out the seven points of instruction in Titus 3:1-2. But what a grand way to approach the subject! Surely the incentive to act as Paul asks will be developed by his approach.

Notice the inclusion of himself and Titus in what he says: For we also were once foolish. It will be observed that whereas there were seven areas of obedience (Titus 3:1-2) there are here seven areas of disobedience (Titus 3:3): (1) Foolish; (2) Disobedient; (3) Deceived; (4) Serving divers lusts and pleasures; (5) Living in malice and envy; (6) Hateful; (7) Hating one another.

This is also a description of the former life of the Christians on Crete. We were once this way, but from these things we were deliveredthe strong inference being we cannot fall back into the pit from whence we were digged! It will be greatly profitable to meditate a moment on each of these descriptive terms.

Foolish: Sin is foolishness. It is not that the unregenerate is not intelligent, but rather that he walks in the vanity of his own understanding which has been perverted by Satan. The philosophy of the unregenerated is not cohesive; he has left out the one who holds all things together.

Disobedient: This is an outgrowth of foolishness. The sinner is not only disobedient to God, but to his own better self; to will to do right is present, but the power to carry it out is not.

Deceived: We could say with Paul elsewhere deceived and being deceived. Those who offer no resistance to Satan are helpless victims of his wiles, Those who walk not according to the truth, inevitably walk in error, Sin is an illusion of worththose who pursue it for reality are deceived.

Serving divers lusts and pleasures: The strong drives of human nature have become their masters. They are no better than animals who live only for the sensations of the body. When control is not exercised in the area of appetites, we become the unhappy and almost unwilling slaves. How fleeting the pleasure offeredhow empty is all the satisfaction our heart desires.

Living in malice and envy:Perhaps envy is an outgrowth of malice. Malice is a desire for evil directed toward another person. In contrast to the one who would want good for his neighbor, the one living in malice would wish him every misfortune. It could be that envy was one of the reasons for such an attitude developing.

Hateful:Detestable or abominable would be a better word. From God's viewpoint, such a person has become loathsome. The strange part of the whole life of indulgent living is, that we can never quite understand why people do not like usexcept to their own advantage. Ingrown selfishness produces an impossible associate,

Hating one another: The selfish man is never wrong, that is, in his own eyes. Such an attitude develops hatred for those who disagree with us. When two or two dozen such people associate together, the expression hating one another is an accurate description of their attitude.

Titus 3:4 God made an appearance on the stage of our life. When He came, He was full of kindness and love. We did not deserve kindnessindeed, our repulsive conduct would call for punishment! There was nothing loveable about us. But God came to stretch out arms of love to us, even if He must stretch them on the cross of Golgotha. There is a whole vista of understanding in the little expression, the kindness and love toward man. As Hendriksen states, The expressionis one concept; hence, the verb in the original is singular. It is one thing to loveand God can do no other, for He is lovebut to be kind, one must have a personal interest and concern. God not only loved us, but sought to personalize His love in speaking to our individual needs. How did the preacher know what you needed when first you heard the good news? It was the kindness of God adapting His love to your deepest need through the man of God.

Titus 3:5 We can have patience with persons yet in sin, when we remember our deliverance or salvation. We cannot look down on them, inasmuch as we also remember it was out of God's mercy and grace we were saved, and not by or because of any merit of our own.

Our salvation was obtained by or through the means of the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. The alternate reading in the American Standard version reads: laver of regeneration and through renewing of the Holy Spirit. The means by which our salvation or regeneration was affected is here described. What is the import and meaning of the expression, the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit? We shall discuss these two phrases separately.

Washing or laver of regeneration: To be regenerated is to be born again. We were given birth once by our earthly parents; we are given a new or second birth by our heavenly Parent. We are almost constrained to ask with NicodemusHow can a man be born when he is old? The answer is hereit is through the laver or washing and through the renewing of the Holy Spirit. Let us not overemphasize one to the exclusion of the other. We shall call in a few witnesses as to the meaning and application of the term washing or laver.

Hendriksen:It is clear from such passages as John 3:3; John 3:5 and especially Ephesians 5:26 (Cf. Hebrews 10:22) that this -washing of regeneration and renewing-' stands in some relation to the rite of baptism. (Ibid., p. 392)

Lenski:God saved us by means of baptism. Baptism is a bath of regeneration and renewing, in both of which the Holy Spirit is the actor. That is why God could use baptism as such a means; by baptism, is by no means a mere symbol or picture, but a true means of divine grace. It is not an opus operatom as when a crowbar turns over a stone, but as when spiritual grace operates spiritually by the Holy Spirit's entering the heart with his grace and kindling the new life (Ibid.).

Hoven:It is motivated by -the kindness of God-'; accomplished, not by man's moral goodness, but by two agencies-washing of regeneration-' (laver, bath of rebirth, or immersion into Christ) and -renewing of the Holy Spirit,-' that is, renewing of the human spirit by the Spirit of God. (Cf. Psalms 51:10) In conversion, the Spirit presents to the human mind what to do to be saved from past sins, 1 Peter 1:23; James 1:18; the result is a new person, After conversion, the Spirit continually renews the mind of the Christian by His word, 2 Corinthians 4:16; Ephesians 4:22; Ephesians 4:24. The result is a new life. The final objective is eternal life, (Ibid., p. 99)

W. J. Conybeare:Laverthe word does not mean washing, (A.V.), but laver, that is, a vessel in which washing takes place, (The Epistles of Paul, p, 188.)

Fairbairn:And the only question is, how the expression, when coupled here with regeneration, is to be explained. Some have taken it in an altogether figurative sense, as emblematically representing the spiritual change; some, again, of the Holy Spirit, or of the wordthe one as the efficient, the other as the instrumental cause of regeneration. But these cannot be termed quite natural explanations; and neither here nor in Ephesians 5:26 do they seem to have occurred to the ancient interpreters. They all apply the expression to the baptismal ordinance. (Ibid., p. 294)

Thus we have a good company of witnesses when we relate the washing or laver of regeneration to the waters of baptism. It is not to say there is something magical in the water of baptism. But we do intend to say that it is here we are buried into the death of Christ. (Cf. Romans 6:1-3), It is here we appropriate the cleansing power of His blood. It is here we receive in our watery grave the gift of God which is the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). It might be significant to point out that Christ received the renewing of His spirit in Joseph's tomb. We do not know why God ordained that in baptism man finds the bath of regeneration but that He did, we cannot ignore. We are also aware that to many, baptism is no more than going down a dry sinner and coming up a wet one, but this does not negate God's teaching on the bath of regeneration. When one comes to baptism in wholehearted faith and repentance, it becomes just what God intendeda new birth.

Renewing of the Holy Spirit:Is this a renewing of the Holy Spirit Himself, or a renewing accomplished by the Holy Spirit? From what we have already written, one could conclude we believe this has reference to the renewing of the spirit of man by the Holy Spirit, Just how is this accomplished? The Holy Spirit presents His transforming life-giving truth to the mind of man. When man is ready to accept such truth, our minds or spirits are renewed, and we are transformed into His likeness. (Cf. Romans 12:1-2).

Titus 3:6 What is it that is poured out upon us? Is this in reference to the Holy Spirit? We believe that it is. The figure of pouring out in reference to the Holy Spirit, is a very familiar one. The reception of the Holy Spirit on the part of all Christians, is not expressed with any frequency. God has been no respecter of persons in this expression of His love; He has given the Holy Spirit to all who obey Him. (Cf. Acts 5:32). This is the sense in which the word abundantly or richly is used. Of course, Paul had received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the baptism of the Holy Spirit: many of the leaders of the churches had received special gifts of the Spirit from the hands of Paul undoubtedly including Titus. But this is a reference to the general reception of the Holy Spirit by all Christians, as an expression of God's love and mercy.

Titus 3:7 The final objective of the new life in Christeternal life. The process of reasoning which we find in these verses (3-7) is familiar to the student of Paul's epistles. Note the three stages: We were by nature children of wrathwe have been made alivewe now look forward by faith to the ages to come when we shall receive even greater glory (Ephesians 2:1-10); We were idol-worshipperswe now serve the true and living Godwe await the coming of the Son of God from heaven (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10) and our everlasting fellowship with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We were ungodly and ruled by worldly passionswe have renounced all this and are now living lives of self-mastery, fairness and devotionwe are waiting for the realization of the blessed hope (Titus 2:11-13. (Hendriksen, Ibid., pp. 392, 393.) The concluding thought in the motive for holy loving, is the hope of reward. We are now heirs of the eternal life to come.

Fact Questions 3:3-7

84.

Explain the purpose of Paul's approach to the instructions for Christian living.

85.

Define in your own words three of the seven words describing the former state in sin.

86.

What distinction was made between kindness and love? Do you agree? Explain.

87.

What is the laver or bath of regeneration? Please do not accept our conclusion unless you have good reason to do so. Discuss,

88.

What is the renewing of the Holy Spirit?

89.

What has God poured out upon us richly?

90.

Show how this whole section, i.e., Titus 3:3-7, relates to the heading, The motive for proper conduct.