Titus 3:1-8 (NKJV) Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
V1 “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work…” The Greek word for “subject” is (G5293) ὑποτάσσω hypotassō, which a grouping from greater to lesser and applied in many ways. Here, the grouping is 1) rulers and authorities and 2) the rest of us. We must obey the leaders as much as in possible unless the law or command is directly in opposition to Scripture (Acts 4:19 and Daniel 3:16-18. We obey God because He is the highest authority. If we can do good deeds, we should. Sometimes we are unable due to sickness, previous engagements, age, other responsibilities but usually we can. This is especially true in families helping each other.
V2 “…to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Speak evil of no one speaks to slanders, exaggerations, misrepresentations, etc. It does not apply to true. It is often necessary to speak of the evil if it is a crime or a plan for a crime, etc. We must try to live peaceably with all people, but if a crime has or is been committed, we must report it. The Greek word for “gentle” is (G1933) ἐπιεικής epieikēs, which means gentle kindness and patience. We can live as gentle people however in our tone of voice, actions, the way we drive, interactions with people and animals. Peaceable does not mean tolerance of any and everything. The Greek word for “humility” is (G4236) πραότης praótēs, which means meekness (not weakness but not overboard in seeking and pushing for our wants) and forbearance. We can stand up for what is right without being mean spirited. There is no place for partiality regarding someone’s age, gender, skin tone, ethnicity, financial status, etc. See James 2:1-4, 1 Timothy 5:21, and Leviticus 19:15.
V3 “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.” Here is descriptors of our natural state regarding the sin nature. As Christians we must be the opposite; thus, we are to be wise, obedient, not deceived knowing the truth, and serving God not sinful pleasures, practicing hate and envy, and not seeking revenge. The Greek word for “foolish” is (G453) ἀνόητος anóētos, which means doing something without thinking and as Wuest writes (Wuest Word Studies) “”Foolish” is anoētos, “not understanding, unwise; without understanding” of spiritual things, as in Proverbs 17:28.” See 2 Samuel 24:10, Proverbs 8:5, and Romans 1:21.
V4 “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared…” We must be kind because God is kind. The Greek word for “kindness” is (G5544) χρηστότης chrēstotēs, which means kindness and opposite of rigor and micromanaged control over people. Compare Ephesians 4:32 (kind to other Christians), Matthew 11:30 (God’s style of leadership over His servants), and Luke 6:35-36 (being kind to enemies). The Greek word for “love” is (G5363) φιλανθρωπία philanthrōpia, which means the friendly, kind love for humans. It is used 2 times here and Acts 28:2. This appearance is the ministry of the Lord Jesus on earth. He is God our Savior who has kindness and love shown to ALL humans. God is not partial or biased.
V5 “…not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit…” Salvation includes no works. We are saved by faith. It is simply believing God and His message. See John 6:34-35, 47 (the Jews listening to Jesus, but for some it was superficial–John 6:66), Romans 1:16, and John 9:35-38. He is not required to save anyone, but God wants to save. It is His mercy, the desire to forgive those who do not deserve it. The washing of regeneration and renewing are done by the Holy Spirit, not any physical substance. The Greek word for “washing” is (G3067) λουτρόν loutrón, which means a laver the place where the priests wash the physical dirt off to be allowed to enter the Temple (Exodus 30:20, . The Holy Spirit washes our soul and spirit washing away the dirt of our sin and guilt (John 1:12-13 and 2 Thessalonians 2:13). The washing can not be baptism because baptism represents death, not renew and rebirth (Romans 6:4). Cornelius and people with him were saved before baptism (Acts 10:44-48) The Greek word for “renewing” is (G342) ἀνακαίνωσις anakaínōsis, which means “renewal, renovation, complete change for the better” (Strong). Compare Romans 12:2 and Psalm 51:10.
V6 “…whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior…” All believers have the Holy Spirit indwelling them (Romans 5:5, 1 Corinthians 3:16, and Romans 8:14-16). The Lord Jesus receives the Holy Spirit (as a human man) fully and without any lack (John 3:34). Jesus prayed to the Father for believers to have the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). The Holy Spirit is 1) a helper and encourager (John 14:26), 2) teacher (1 John 2:27), 3) bears witness to us that we are saved (Romans 8:16), 4) source of boldness (Acts 4:31), 5) guides into truth (John 16:13-14), 6) the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16), 7) the one who seals (certifies) us as believers (Ephesians 4:30), 8) causes us to bear spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), 9) intercedes with the Father for us (Romans 8:27), and 10) convicts people of their sin (John 16:8-10).
V7 “…that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” The Greek word for “justified” is (G1344) δικαιόω dikaióō, which means a verdict and work of God paying the debt of sin and penalty of sin (eternal hell). See Romans 3:24-28, Romans 5:1, and Galatians 2:16-17. Heirs refers to our adoption by God to Himself and sharing in the inheritance with the Lord Jesus. See Romans 8:15 (the effector is the Holy Spirit) and Matthew 19:29 (eternal life), 1 Peter 1:3-5 (incorruptible), and Matthew 5:5 (the earth). The inheritance is heaven with all its glories (Galatians 4:4-7 and Revelation 21:7). Hope is expectation. We have it; we are just waiting for the right time.
V8 “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.” Affirm constantly = remind them often. These things are motivations for living a Christian life. Good works are those things which we do to glorify God (Matthew 5:16).