Throughout much of the second chapter, Paul focused on giving Titus instruction of what to teach, and to keep it in accordance with sound doctrine. That theme continues into chapter three, with the focus being on good actions or behavior.
You can see this week’s passage in Titus 3:1-2:
As Paul continues his instructions to Titus, he shifts his attention just a bit to be more specific about how people are to behave in certain circumstances.
In these two verses, he focuses our attention onto two different settings: How to behave towards government officials or superiors, and how to behave towards our fellow citizens.
This jumps directly off of Paul’s last portions of chapter 2. In verse 14, he explains why we should be eager to do what is good. These two scenarios are examples of what that looks like. Interestingly, both of these categories are made up of people who are probably not a part of the church in Crete. That lends a bit of context to Paul’s instruction here, helping us to see just how important our behavior is around such people. This kind of behavior provides both an example and a witness to those who do not know God.
The first phrase used here is that Titus is to remind the people in the church that their behavior is significant. This implies that this is not new material for the believers in Crete. They know this. But a continual reminder is necessary to keep their focus, and ours, on track.
Respect Toward Government
First off, Paul states that we are to be subject to the ruling authorities. This is voluntary submission, and is needed more than ever in our own political climate. The extremes between where our government seems to be headed and the foundations we as Christians stand upon seem to be widening more and more. And even though we may not like who is in office, we are called to be obedient.
We must be ready to do good. This next statement is somewhat vague, and could refer to our civic duty, or it may begin the transition to the second category in this passage. Most of the commentaries I referred to seem to be split on this issue. I think it may be a mixture of both: It directly applies to submitting to our governing authorities, but is not limited to only that circumstance.
Respect Toward Fellow Citizens
From here, Paul moves to more generalized instructions on how to respond and behave towards everyone we may come into contact with, though much of this could also apply directly to the first category as well.
First Paul gives three short directives. First is the command to not slander anyone. This seems to be in direct contrast to the false teachers who were engaged in foolish controversies and arguments (verse 9). We are not to behave in such a way. Instead we are to be peaceable and considerate. The idea here is to be uncontentious and perhaps even conciliatory to others. The word here for “considerate” is difficult to translate into English, but the ideas of meekness and gentleness, especially paired with uncontentiousness, begin to help us understand Paul’s intent.
Finally, Paul wraps up this thought with the idea of humility. This brief phrase may be the key to successfully living as a Christian in a pagan society. In order to understand this best, it is easier to suggest what it is not: it is not rough living. It is not bad tempers and attitudes. It is not sudden anger or rage. And it is not a rude and brusque demeanor.
Humility here is qualified with the word “all,” indicating that it is to be a way of life as we interact with others in every aspect of our lives, whether that is with other believers or with unbelievers, with friends or with strangers, with government officials or with the down and out, with family members or with the guy who cut you off in traffic today.
True and complete humility, in every circumstance and situation in our lives, will help us to live lives that honor God, provide an example of his love to others, and display him to the world around us. The opposite will only hinder our efforts to spread the gospel message.
Question: How are you living? Is humility a consistent part of your daily life? If not, what can you do to improve? If so, what do find helpful as you strive for this? You can leave a comment by clicking here.