1 Remind the believers to be sub-missive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient and to be ready for every good work.
2 Tell them to insult no one; they must not be quarrelsome but gentle and understanding with everyone.
3 We ourselves were once foolish, disobedient and misled. We were slaves of our desires, seeking plea sures of every kind. We lived in malice and envy, hateful and hating each other.
4 But God our Savior re vealed his eminent goodness and love for humankind
5 and saved us, not because of good deeds we may have done but for the sake of his own mercy, to the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit
6 poured over us through Christ Jesus our Savior,
7 so that having been justified of his grace we should become heirs in hope of eternal life.
8 This is the truth. I want you to insist on these things, for those who believe in God must excel in good deeds; that is what matters and is profitable to us.
9 Avoid stupid arguments, discussions about genealogies and quarrels about the Law, for they are useless and unimportant.
10 If anyone promotes sects in the church, warn him once and then a second time. If he still continues, break with him,
11 knowing that such a person is misled and sinful and stands self-condemned.
12 When I send Artemas or Tychi cus to you, try to come to me at Nicopolis as soon as possible, for I have decided to spend the winter there.
13 Do your best to send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way soon, and see to it that they have everything they need.
14 Our people must learn to be outstanding in good works and to face urgent needs, instead of remaining idle and useless.
15 All who are with me send greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith.
Grace be with you all.
------------------------------------------------------------
Comments Letter Titus, Chapter 3
• 3.1 Speaking to the first Christian generation, Paul had underscored the transformation of the one who has been converted: be coming Christian involved breaking away from the past. In the following generation, while the Church was being established in various provinces of the Roman Empire, the hope of an imminent return of Christ began to decline. Thus, if the Church is called to last, it is important for the Christian to appear, first of all, as a model of an ordered and just life. Since obedience was then the pillar of family and social life, this letter insists that the believer must obey from the heart in every as pect that is not opposed to his faith.
In the teaching of the New Testament, it will be easy to speak of contradictions, or opportunism: here, social loyalty and family virtues; or else ignoring one’s father and mother. Actually, they are not contradictory: obedience coming from the heart as long as there is no opposition to the will of God, but a complete rejection of dependence when a human authority presumes to replace God, disregarding the conscience and rights of a person.
What remains here is an insistence on social virtues; it was the same in 2:5; 2:10 and also 1 Tim 2:2 and 2:11.
• 8. Possible translations for the word Paul uses here are “sects” or “heresies” (v. 10): they are two aspects of a Greek word that means “selection.” Instead of accepting the faith as the Church transmits it, a heretic chooses what seems most important to her and what she likes the most. She rejects part of the message and leaves the Church taking with her disciples to form her own group. In preferring her own judgment to the doctrine of the Church, she loses the in-depth faith attitude; she destroys unity and condemns herself, even though she keeps a major part of the message.