Titus 3:1-2

Titus 3:1-2

¹Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,  ²to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.

Between the rubber and the road

Paul is continuing to give instructions for Godly living.  It bears repeating that he is exhorting believers that they should be living out the position that Christ has already won for them, and given them.  He is not acting to do these things out of their sinful flesh, but rather to exhort them to walk in the Spirit and live according to that great blessing.  He is spelling out the “whys” and “hows” to what Godly living looks like in day to day life. 

            Questions immediately come up in the mind when issues of government are concerned.  Since the time of Constantine the image of what it is to be a Christian in society has radically changed.  Before Constantine declared Christianity legal, and then later declared it the official religion of the Roman Empire the idea of a Christian government was more or less unheard of.  Ever since Constantine believers have been convinced that it is the role of the church to regulate, and affect, or even command the government.  The idea of a “Christian Nation” came to the forefront of Christianity.  This was the idea adopted by the Catholic Church, and even the reformers Calvin and Lutheran felt that the work of the Christ was meant to establish godly governments and kingdoms here on earth. 

            This is very much at odds with the writings of scripture.  Rather than being commanded to overtake, or change, the government we find Paul (both in Romans and Titus) as well as Peter (in 1 Peter) telling Christians to be submissive to the governments of the land in which they lived.  This is made even more extremely remarkable by the fact that at this time Christians were being persecuted and killed by the authorities!

Verse 1

Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,

Remind them

So to get the subjects objects and the nouns straight we see that Paul is telling Titus to remind everyone.  This is a message for everyone, not just some, not just a few, but the whole masses of believers.  This is not a selective exhortation, but a direct one.  The Greek word here is hupomimnesko.  It combines the words hupo meaning “under,” or “cause”.  As well as the word mimnesko which is the word for “remind,” or to “put into the mind of.”  It's not just remember but it is to cause them to remember.  We have seen where Paul had given this commandment before in Romans and 1 Timothy, so here Titus is to “cause them to remember.” 

subject

Our old friend hupotasso is back to visit.  As we have seen in previous chapters of this book the word means, literally, to “under-attach” one's self to something else.  It carries this idea of support and voluntary subjection to its object.  In this case we find that the believer is to be subject, or “under-attached” to the government.  This is fascinating that at a time when Christians were not well treated, and coming up on a time where Christians could be killed for not worshiping the Emperor as a living god they are told to be subject.  Does this mean that Paul is advocating doing things that obviously defy the will of God if the Government demands it?  Certainly not!  We are only to be faithful and loyal to the demands of the governments so long as the government isn't asking us to defy what we know to be true from the Word and our conscience.  However, the rest of the time we are to submit to the laws, even the ones that we may have philosophical disagreement with (like a speed limit of 25 on a street that should clearly be limited at 40).  This is especially important in light of the fact that people are watching, and Paul would not have Christians be viewed as anarchists.

Rulers

This word in Greek is arche and is where we get our English prefix “arch” as we see it in the words “arch-rival” or “arch-enemy” or in the Catholic church (and other ecclesiastical churches) the “arch-bishop”  In Greek it can simply mean the first person in a series, or the leader.  So this is telling us that we are to be subject to our leaders.  The Holy Spirit does not seem to specifically confine this to political leaders, so it seems a fair parallel to say that we should be subject to leaders at work, leaders in our company and leaders in government.  Once again, we are not to be dissidents for no cause, and our respect for leaders should not necessarily be tied into our respect for them as individuals.  So we are not to disobey a leader on merit of the fact that he or she is a scumbag, as most if not all of the leaders of this time would be completely morally reprobate, and yet believers are called to “submit.”

authorities

This is not talking as much about individual leaders as the structures of authority that are set up above us.  We, as Christians, are to play by the rules.  We are not to be swindlers who work the system, but we are to be faithful to the authorities and the systems that are set up.  The King James Version well translates this as “powers,” and rightly so.  There are other texts which suggest that Paul is saying “be subject to rulers, who are also authorities.”  It matters little, seemingly, in the application as Paul is telling them that they must not malign the faith, nor the Word by their own agenda's or desire to disobey the authorities.  This would have been especially important in a place like Crete that was not known to be faithful to the powers that ruled it, being hugely populated with pirates, criminals and political dissidents. 

be obedient

This is interesting because it seems like this concept would be implied in the idea of submission.  However this word has the essence of being obedient to a superior.  A governor or a magistrate being particularly in view here.  So we are not just to support the government and submit to it, but also we are to be obedient to the laws that are laid down by that, in so far as they do not conflict with the Word of God.  It is interesting that the Word here highlights not the mere act of submission, but also obedience.  It would seem like a sort of double whammy, but Paul would seem to be emphasizing the way we are to behave in view of the governing powers.

be ready

This word here is to be ready, or to be prepared.  Perhaps it could be likened to the idea of someone who is poised over a certain stock, or financial transaction until the time is perfect.  Or of a fisherman who waits for just the right moment to set the hook in order to catch the fish.  It is a preparedness that is not lazy but watchful and diligent.  It is important to notice that the Scripture here says “ready to do every good deed” rather than simply “doing every good deed.”  The question that we must ask is, are we to be going out and doing good deeds indiscriminately or are we to be waiting poised for the good deeds that God has already set up for us to do.  Ephesians 2:8-10 says: “⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  ⁹not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  ¹⁰For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

every good deed

The Lord has prepared the good deeds for us to do and it is up to us to walk in them.  This also plays itself out in our lives as citizens in a country, a state, a city, a county and a community.  We find that we may be called upon to do something to help or assist in our community or for our nation and, so long as it doesn't bring us to odds with the Word, we should do the thing cheerfully as Christians are to be the type of people that you would want in your community.

Verse 2

to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.

malign no one

This word for malign, in Greek, is where we get our English word blaspheme from.  It means to speak badly against someone, or to slander their character.  It brings forth another element of the Christian's character.  He is not the type of person to go talking badly behind someone's back, nor the type to perpetuate rumors that are designed to hurt someone else's image or character.  In other words, this is the person who does not heed silly rumors, or believable ones, and refuses to pass them on.  This is especially important in terms of politics and government where someone's reputation can be everything to them.  We are not to be the people who are blown back and forth by the latest opinion poll, or by the latest gossip, and even more directly, we are certainly not to let that sort of speech pass our lips!

Peaceable

This word for peaceable here is actually not a positive word as it comes across in English.  It is a negative word attaching the negative particle a- to the word for fight, or to be warlike.  So really it is not just to be at peace, but it is saying that we should “not be fighters” or ones who are not running around continually looking for a fight.  This is obviously still in the context of politics and civil obedience so it means that we are not to be constantly running around with our chin's out looking for someone to “go at it” with.  We are not to be constantly trying to pick a fight with police officers or defy the authorities as if we were in a constant battle with them,  We are not to be fighters, but rather be peaceful and...

Gentle

This word could also be translated “equitable, fair, mild.”  It is an interesting part of our character in civil interaction.  We are not to be hot headed and mowing over other people’s views and “laying down the law” but rather we are to be fair, mild and calm.  We do not need to be bulldozers and powerhouses to be heard, because ultimately this government, no matter how great or bad it is, is not going to last.  The only government that is going to last will be the one Jesus is coming to set up which will last for 1,000 years on this earth and then on into eternity.  THAT government HIS government is the one we need to be concerned with, and there will be no wrong doing, or need of correction there.

every consideration for all men

So here we see that the walk needs to meet the talk.  We are not just to be obedient but we are to be showing (the Greek could also be rendered “demonstrating”) every consideration for ALL men.  We are not to only respect our Republican leaders, but all of our leaders.  We are to also show consideration for everyone who comes to our door.  Showing them love and respect, even if they are those that we know to be notorious perverts of truth, such as the Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses.  However, it is also important to say that, though we should be showing consideration for all men, it does not mean that we should be having Mormons into our homes.  The fact of the matter is that opening your door to a Mormon or JW can give them a foothold in the neighborhood.  They can then say to the next neighbor “I just got done talking to Mr. Jones next door and you know what a great Christian HE is...”  then use your well intentioned desire to show them the truth to pervert the gospel in the minds of others.  This is not, in any way, a call for us to tolerate heresy.  But rather a call for us to be considerate of others.  It is important to remain “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”