The Epistles · Chapter 3 of 3
Titus 3
Paul urges believers to be good citizens and gentle toward all, remembering that they too were once foolish and disobedient. The heart of the chapter is a rich statement of salvation: not by our works of righteousness but according to His mercy, God saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, poured out through Jesus Christ.
What happens in Titus 3
Paul tells Titus to remind believers to submit to rulers and authorities, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, and to show gentleness and meekness to all. He grounds this humility in memory: we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved to various lusts. But then the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared. Paul states plainly that God saved us not by works of righteousness we had done, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, poured out abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs of eternal life.
He calls this a faithful saying and wants Titus to affirm it constantly, so that believers maintain good works. He warns against foolish controversies and disputes about the law, instructs how to handle a divisive person, and closes with greetings.
Titus 3 in context
Concluding his letter to Titus on Crete, Paul turns from church order to the believer's life in wider society. Amid a contentious culture and quarrelsome false teachers, he calls for a gentleness that is rooted in humbly remembering what grace has done for us.
The chapter's central creed about salvation by mercy anchors these very practical exhortations firmly in the gospel itself.
Main themes of Titus 3
Titus 3 (KJV)
1Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, 2To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. 3For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. 9But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. 10A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; 11Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. 12When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter. 13Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them. 14And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. 15All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Verses to carry from Titus 3
“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,”Titus 3:4
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”Titus 3:5
“That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”Titus 3:7
Thematic connection
How Titus 3 points to Jesus
Christ is the channel of the salvation Paul celebrates here. It is the kindness and love of God our Saviour that appeared, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost is poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Every part of salvation flows through Him: we are justified by His grace and made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The passage keeps the whole work of redemption trinitarian and Christ-centered, with the Father showing mercy, the Spirit renewing, and Jesus Christ the one through whom that renewing life is given.
Paul names Jesus directly as Saviour rather than quoting His words or citing a prophecy, presenting the epistle's own confession that our hope of eternal life rests entirely on God's mercy in Christ, not on our works.
Questions about Titus 3
What is the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost?
Paul uses two images for one saving reality: cleansing and new birth. The washing speaks of being made clean, and regeneration and renewing speak of being made new by the Spirit. Together they describe salvation as more than forgiveness; it is an inward transformation God works in us. This renewal is poured out abundantly through Jesus Christ, so that a genuinely changed life follows genuine grace.
Why does Paul stress that salvation is not by our works?
To locate all hope in God's mercy rather than human achievement. He says plainly that God saved us not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy. This guards against both pride and despair. Good works still matter, but they follow as fruit, not cause; Paul wants believers, justified by grace and made heirs, to maintain good works out of gratitude, not to earn what mercy already gave.
Reflection
Remember what you were before mercy found you. Paul says we were once foolish and enslaved, saved not by our own righteousness but by God's kindness. That memory produces two things at once: deep gratitude toward God and genuine gentleness toward others still on the way.
A prayer from Titus 3
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