- 1. TITUS 3 COMMETARYWritten and edited by Glenn PeaseI quote
many authors both old and new in this commentary, and if any I
quote donot want their wisdom shared in this way they can let me
know and I will remove it.My e-mail is [email protected] in
Order to Do Good1 Remind the people to be subject to rulersand
authorities, to be obedient, to be ready todo whatever is good,1.
Paul had strong views as to the duty of Christians toward their
rulers andauthorities. He was no rebel against secular powers that
ruled the nations. Thegovernments of all the peoples he was aware
of were valid authorities ordained ofGod. He did not expect
believers to ever do anything that any authority ordered thatwas in
conflict with the revealed will of God, but he did expect believers
to be goodlaw abiding citizens who lived with respect for all who
governed. He made this evenmore clear in Rom. 13:1, Let everyone be
subject to the governing authorities, forthere is no authority
except that which God has established.2. Paul urges believers to be
ready to do whatever is good, and being subject torulers and
authorities is one of the good things they have a duty to do.
Seculargovernment has leaders who care about people, and they
provide and promote asociety of order for the good of the whole
people. Christians are to support thiseffort, and be grateful for
leaders who want what is best for all. The secular worldof leaders
is all the early Christians had, for there were no Christian
leaders. Theyhad to recognize that God can and does achieve his
will through the secular leadersof the world. The Emperors of Rome
did many great things for the masses to makelife better and safer.
Paul could see that unbelievers can do good things for people.They
can pass laws that keep order and support freedoms that would be
lost if allwas left in chaos.
2. 2B. William Barclay, Remind them to be duly subject to those
who are in powerand authority, to obey each several command, to be
ready for every work so long asit is good, to slander no one, not
to be aggressive, to be kindly, to show all gentlenessto all
men.Here is laid down the public duty of the Christian; and it is
advice which wasparticularly relevant to the people of Crete. The
Cretans were notoriously turbulentand quarrelsome and impatient of
all authority. Polybius, the Greek historian, saidof them that they
were constantly involved in insurrections, murders andinternecine
wars. This passage lays down six qualifications for the good
citizen.The good citizen is law-abiding. He recognizes that, unless
the laws are kept, lifebecomes chaos. He gives a proper respect to
those who are set in authority andcarries out whatever command is
given to him. Christianity does not insist that aman should cease
to be an individual, but it does insist that he remember that he
isalso a member of a group. Man, said Aristotle, is a political
animal. Thatmeans that a man best expresses his personality not in
isolated individualism butwithin the framework of the group.The
good citizen is active in service. He is ready for every work, so
long as it is good.The characteristic modern disease is boredom;
and boredom is the direct result ofselfishness. So long as a man
lives on the principle of, Why should I do it? Letsomeone else do
it, he is bound to be bored. The interest of life lies in
service.The good citizen is careful in speech. He must slander no
one. o man should sayabout other people what he would not like them
to say about him. The good citizenwill be as careful of the words
he speaks as of the deeds he does.The good citizen is tolerant. He
is not aggressive. The Greek word is amachos(GS0269), which means
not a fighter. This does not mean that the good citizen willnot
stand for the principles which he believes to be right, but that he
will never be soopinionated as to believe that no other way than
his own is right. He will allow toothers the same right to have
their convictions as he claims for himself to have hisown.The good
citizen is kind. The word is epieikes (GS1933), which describes the
manwho does not stand upon the letter of the law. Aristotle said of
this word that itdenotes indulgent consideration of human
infirmities and the ability to considernot only the letter of the
law, but also the mind and intention of the legislator. Theman who
is epieikes (GS1933) is ever ready to avoid the injustice which
often liesin being strictly just.The good citizen is gentle. The
word is praus (GS4239), which describes the manwhose temper is
always under complete control. He knows when to be angry andwhen
not to be angry. He patiently bears wrongs done to himself but is
everchivalrously ready to spring to the help of others who are
wronged.Qualities like these are possible only for the man in whose
heart Christ reignssupreme. The welfare of any community depends on
the acceptance by theChristians within it of the duty of
demonstrating to the world the nobility ofChristian citizenship.3.
Henry, must be reminded to show themselves examples rather of all
duesubjection and obedience to the government that is over them.
atural desire of 3. liberty must be guided and bounded by reason
and scripture. Spiritual privileges donot make void or weaken, but
confirm and strengthen, their obligations to civilduties: Remind
them therefore to be subject to principalities and powers and to
obeymagistrates. And, 2. To be ready to every good work.Some refer
this to such goodworks as are required by magistrates and within
their sphere: Whatever tends togood order, and to promote and
secure public tranquility and peace, be notbackward, but ready, to
promote such things. But, though this be included, if notfirst
intended, yet is it not to be hereto restrained. The precept
regards doing goodin all kinds, and on every occasion that may
offer, whether resecting God, ourselves,or our neighbour - what may
bring credit to religion in the world. Whatsoever thingsare true,
honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report: if there be any virtue,
if there be anypraise, think on these things(Phi_4:8), to do and
follow and further them. Mereharmlessness, or good words and good
meanings only, are not enough without goodworks. Pure religion and
undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit
thefatherless, and the widow in their affliction, and keep
unspotted from the world.otonly take, but seek, occasion for doing
good, keep fitness and readiness that way;put it not off to others,
but embrace and lay hold on it thyself, delight and rejoicetherein,
put all in mind of this.4. Jamison, them in mind as they are in
danger of forgetting their duty, thoughknowing it. The opposition
of Christianity to heathenism, and the naturaldisposition to
rebellion of the Jews under the Roman empire (of whom many lived
inCrete), might lead many to forget practically what was a
recognized Christianprinciple in theory, submission to the powers
that be. Diodorus Siculus mentions thetendency of the Cretans to
riotous insubordination.5. John MacArthur, This is a crucial
section of instruction for today. The UnitedStates essentially is
now a pagan nation. After being blessed with some 150 years
ofstrong Christian, biblical influence, our country has been
rapidly declining,especially during the last half of the twentieth
century. Millions of Americans stillattend church regularly, and
many more consider themselves to be Christians.According to polls,
most Americans claim to believe in God. But practical atheismand
moral relativism have dominated our society for many decades. For
the mostpart, the few vestiges of Christianity still reflected in
our culture are weak andcompromising. A growing number of those
vestiges have become apostate orcultic....The many biblical tenets
and standards that once were part of the fabric ofour country, and
that provided the undeniable cultural benefits of morality, are
nowgone. Whatever its form or practical benefits may have been,
cultural Christianity isdead. Self-expression, moral freedom,
materialism, and hedonism are the prevailinggods.6. Preceptaustin,
The Cretans were notoriously and naturally intractable, so
Paulwarns Titus to be careful to insist that those who have been
saved obey the properlyconstituted civil authorities (1Pe 2:13 , 14
, 15 , 16 -see notes
VHYPERLIKhttp://www.preceptaustin.org/1peter_verse_by_verse_213-25.htm
l :13 13 ;HYPERLIK
http://www.preceptaustin.org/1peter_verse_by_verse_213-25.htm 4. l
:14 14 ; 15 ; 16 ; 17 ).The verb remind implies that the Cretan
saints already knew these duties but aswith all non-glorified
saints, were in continual need of a fresh reminder. Like thehymn
writer (play hymn ) plainly confessedProne to wander, Lord, I feel
it.Prone to leave the God I loveReminding the Cretan Christians of
these truths should keep them from feelinghostile toward or
superior to those who were not yet converted. The opposition
ofChristianity to heathenism, and the natural disposition to
rebellion of the Jewsunder the Roman empire (of whom many lived in
Crete), might lead many to forgetpractically what was a recognized
Christian principle in theory, submission to thepowers that be.
Christians were often looked on with suspicion in the RomanEmpire
because their conduct was so different and they met in private
meetings forworship (see 1Pe 2:11-25 ; 3:13-4:5 ).7. Preceptaustin,
Submission focuses not on personality but position. We need tosee
authority over us not acting on their own, but as instruments in
the hand of asovereign God. If we look at people as acting on their
own we will eventuallybecome bitter, but if we can see them as
acting as God allows, we will become holy.A beautiful example of
this is found in the life of Joseph. His brothers
consistentlymistreated him and it would have been very easy for him
to become bitter at them.Yet he had a divine perspective on the
whole situation and it helped him become aholy man of God.And as
for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in
order tobring about this present result, to preserve many people
alive. (Ge 50:20 ).To be subject as used here in Titus 3:1 is in
the present tense (continual actioncalled for) and the middle voice
(reflexive) which calls for the subject to initiateand then
participate in the action of putting ones self in subjection to or
under theauthority of another. In this context the middle voice
stresses the voluntary orwilling nature of their submission.In
other words, the Cretan Christians were to continually voluntarily
placethemselves in under the authority of the government. They were
to submit notnecessarily because these individuals are personally
worthy of our submissionnecessarily, but because by submitting to
them they were honoring God by obeyingHis Word.Early Christian
preaching was not limited to the way of salvation but
includedinstructions concerning the practical implications of that
salvation for daily living.Paul ever desired that the lives of
believers should produce a favorable impressionon the non-
Christian world. (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible
Commentary6-Volume ew Testament. Zondervan Publishing )This duty
pertains to our attitude and conduct in regard to secular
government. It isimportant to note that Paul specifies no
particular kind or level of government or 5. any particular kind or
level of government official and thus by his silence' heallows for
no exceptions or qualifications. The Roman government under which
theearly church lived not only was thoroughly pagan and morally
debauched but alsowas despotic, oppressive, unjust, and brutal.
Paul makes clear that the Christiansobligation to respect and obey
human government does not rest on its beingdemocratic or just but
solely on its being the God-ordained means by which humansociety is
regulated.On the other hand if subjecting ourselves results in
performing some action whichcontradicts the clear teaching of
Scripture (tantamount to the will of God), we are toobey God.8.
Preceptaustin, Here in Titus 3, Paul says that Titus is to
continually remind theCretan Christians to cbe (be is in the
present tense = this is to be their habitualpractice, their very
lifestyle) in a state of readiness, fitness and
preparedness(hetoimos) as good Christian citizens to carry out good
deeds.As good citizens, believers must also be ready to do whatever
is good--preparedand willing to participate in activities that
promote the welfare of the community.They must not stand coldly
aloof from praiseworthy enterprises of government butshow good
public spirit, thus proving that Christianity is a constructive
force insociety.For the best Bible study on good works that you
will find anywhere go to the bottompart of the following
site-http://preceptaustin.org/titus_31-8.htm#3:19. ALFRED PLUMMER,
Here he is on delicate ground. The Cretans are said tohave been a
turbulent race, or rather a group of turbulent races; neither
peaceableamong themselves, nor very patient of foreign dominion:
and the Roman rule hadbeen established there for less than a
century and a half. Previous to their conquestby Metellus in b. c.
67, they had been accustomed to democratic forms ofgovernment, and
therefore would be likely to feel the change to the Roman yoke
allthe more acutely. As our own experiences in a neighboring island
have taught us,people who have been allowed to misgovern
themselves, and to fight amongthemselves, for many generations, do
not readily give a welcome to a power whichdeprives them of these
liberties, even when it offers in exchange for them the solidbut
prosaic advantages of peace and security.Besides this, there was in
Crete a strong mixture of Jews, whose rebelliouspropensities seemed
to be unquenchable. or was this all. Within the Church itselfthe
spirit of anarchy had displayed itself: partly because, as in the
Churches ofCorinth and Galatia, the characteristic faults of the
people still continued to showthemselves after the acceptance of
Christianity; partly because, as everywhere in theChurches of that
age the con- tests between Jewish and Gentile converts werealways
producing disorder. This appears in the first chapter of our
Epistle, in whichthe Apostle states thatthere are many unruly men,
. . . specially they of thecircumcision, and in which he finds it
necessary to make it a qualification for theoffice of bishop or
overseer, that the persons appointed should be such asare
notaccused of riot or are unruly. 6. Besides which, as we learn
from numerous sources in the ew Testament, there wasin various
quarters a tendency to gross misconceptions respecting Christian
liberty.Through Gnostic and other antinomian influences there was a
disposition in manyminds to translate liberty into license, and to
suppose that the Christian was abovethe distinctions of the moral
law, which for him had no meaning. Lastly, there wereprobably some
earnest Christians, who, without going to any of these
disastrousextremes, or sympathizing with the factious and seditious
spirit of their fellow-countrymen,nevertheless had serious doubts
as to whether Christians were underany obligation to obey a pagan
magistrate, and perhaps were inclined to believe thatit was their
duty to disobey him.For all these reasons St. Paul must have known
that he was charging Titus to giveinstructions which would be very
unwelcome to a large number of Cretan converts,when he told him to
put them in mind to be in subjection to rulers and authorities,and
to be obedient. But it was the very fact that the instructions
would be un-welcometo many that made it so necessary that they
should be given. Both for theinternal well-being of the Church, and
for the maintenance of right relations withthe State, it was
imperative that the principle of obedience to authority,
whetherecclesiastical or civil, should be upheld. There must be
peace, and there mustbe liberty: but there could be neither the one
nor the other without a respect for lawand for those who have to
administer it.St. Paul, therefore, is doing more than restating
what the Lord had already taughtboth by word and example.
Christians must show submission to rulers andconstituted
authorities, and must yield ready obedience to magistrates, even
whenthey are heathen. As heathen they were no doubt rebels against
God, however littlethey might be aware of the fact. But as
magistrates they were His delegates, howeverlittle they were aware
of the fact. The Christian is aware of both facts; and he mustnot
suppose that the one cancels the other. The magistrate still
remains God'sdelegate, however inconsistent his own life may be
with such a position.Therefore it is not only allowable for
Christians to obey him; but they must make ita matter of conscience
to do so' and the history of the Church throughout the eras
ofpersecution shows how greatly such teaching was needed. Whatever
may have beenthe case when St. Paul wrote the Epistle to the
Romans, we may safely main-tainthat persecution had already taken
place when he wrote these instructions toTitus. ot that he seems to
have a persecuting power in his mind, when he enjoinssimple
obedience to existing authority; but he writes with full knowledge
of theextreme cases that might occur. A moralist who could insist
upon the duty ofsubmission to rulers, when a ero had been on the
throne for twelve or fourteenyears, was certainly not one who could
be ignorant of what his principles involved.or could it be said
that the evils of ero's insolent despotism were counteracted bythe
excellence of his subordinates.The infamous Tigellinus was
Praetorian Prefect and the Emperor's chief adviser.Helius, who
acted as governor of Italy during the Emperor's absence in Greece,
wasin character a second ero. And Gessius Florus, one of Pilate's
successors as 7. Procurator of Judea, was so shameless in his
enormities that the Jews regretted thedeparture of his predecessor
Albinus, although he had mercilessly oppressed them.But all these
facts, together with many more of the same kind, and some also of
anopposite character, were be- side the question. Christians were
not to concernthemselves with discussing whether rulers governed
well or ill, or whether theirprivate lives were good or bad. The
one fact which concerned them was that therulers were there to
administer the law. and as such must be respected and obeyed.10.
Spurgeon, Gentleness was not reckoned a virtue among the Greeks; I
do notsuppose that the people in Crete had ever heard of it before
Paul wrote this Epistleto Titus. Among the Romans and the Greeks,
it seemed to be a virtue to stand up foryour own, to be like a
gamecock, who is always ready to fight, and will never miss achance
of fighting; but this Christian virtue of gentleness is a most
amiable one, andgreatly adorns the doctrine of Christ. The world
has run away with this wordgentle, and now calls many a person a
gentleman who has no right to the name. Iwish that every gentleman
were indeed a gentleman. It is very significant thatMoses, the type
of the Lord Jesus under the law, was the meekest of men; should
notChristians therefore excel in gentleness under this milder
dispensation?11. Biblical examples of exceptions.Preceptaustin, In
Acts we see an illustration of the exception to the rule --
Peterand the apostles are confronted by the Jewish leaders who
declaredWe gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this
name, and behold, youhave filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and
intend to bring this man's blood uponus.To this Peter and the
apostles repliedWe must obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:28 , 29
)Daniel 3 records a well-known example of an exception of the
command to obeygoverning authorities. King ebuchadnezzar's decree
wasat the moment you hear the sound ...you are to fall down and
worship the goldenimage that ebuchadnezzar the king has set up (Da
3:5 ) and whoever does notfall down and worship shall immediately
be cast into the midst of a furnace ofblazing fire. (Da 3:6
)Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, choose to obey their God rather
than the king,declaringO ebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you
an answer concerning this matter.If it be so, our God whom we serve
is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazingfire; and He will
deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let
itbe known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods
or worship thegolden image that you have set up. (Da 3:16 , 17 , 18
)ote that although they did not die, they clearly were willing to
die before they 8. disobeyed their Lord.2 to slander no one, to be
peaceable andconsiderate, and always to be gentle towardeveryone.1.
Paul would be ashamed of modern Christians who practice slander as
a way oflife. When you listen to politicians running for office
against one another, it makesno difference that they are believers.
They slander each other as much as they can inhopes of getting
votes because the opponent is made to look like a wicked
scoundrel.If you ever run for president in this country you have to
put your Bible teaching onhold, and live as if God never spoke on
the matter, for you will be obligated toslander your rivals and
treat them like a heathen rather than a child of God. Incontrast to
Paul's advice, the opposite is the way of politics. Be
combative,inconsiderate, and be as rough as possible in slandering
your opponents. AnyChristian who can run for office and obey Paul's
words in this verse has a right tobe elected, for you know they are
trying to be the person God would choose for thejob.1B. Spurgeon,
Oh, how necessary is this exhortation even to this day! Meeknessand
gentleness are two of the ornaments of our faith. I would that some
professedChristians would understand that unholy contentiousness is
not after the mind ofChrist, it is not according to that gracious
command, Take my yoke upon you, andlearn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls. o, the
Christian must be willing to suffer wrongfully, and to bear it in
patience;he is never to be one who renders evil for evil, or
railing for railing.1C. J. Vernon McGee explainsmalign no one by
adding that we are to malign no one, and we are not to
repeatgossip. It has been said that you cant believe everything you
hear today, but youcan repeat it! That is what he is talking about
herewe are not to repeat what wehear. Many evil reports are passed
from person to person without even a shred ofevidence that the
report is true. Another old saying is that some people will
believeanything if it is whispered to them!1D. Preceptaustin, It is
tragic that many Christians speak contemptuously of 9. politicians
and other public figures, not realizing that in doing so they
hinder thework of redemption. David's prayer is apropos when we are
tempted to speakinappropriately and in a malicious, demeaning way
of others.2. Barnes goes into great detail concerning this
obligation of Christians. He wrote,speak evil of no man - Greek, to
blaspheme ( mein, compare thenotes at Mat_9:3) no one. Doddridge
renders it, calumniate no one. The idea is,that we are not to
slander, revile, or defame anyone. We are not to say anything
toanyone, or of anyone, which will do him injury. We are never to
utter anythingwhich we know to be false about him or to give such a
coloring to his words orconduct as to do him wrong in any way. We
should always so speak to him and ofhim in such a way that he will
have no reason to complain that he is an injured man.It may be
necessary, when we are called to state what we know of his
character, tosay things which are not at all in his favor, or
things which he has said or done thatwere wrong; but,(1) Wshould
never do this for the purpose of doing him injury, or so as to find
apleasure in it; and,(2) Wit is necessary to make the statement, it
should be so as to do him noinjustice.We should give no improper
coloring. We should exaggerate no circumstances. Weshould never
attempt to express ourselves about his motives, or charge on him
badmotives - for we know not what his motives were. We should state
every palliatingcircumstance of which we have knowledge, and do
entire justice to it. We should notmake the bad traits of his
character prominent, and pass over all that is good. In aword, we
should show that we would rather find him to be a good man than a
badman - even if the result should be that we had been mistaken in
our opinions. It isbetter that we should have been mistaken, than
that he should be a bad man.3. Henry, to speak evil of
none,unjustly and falsely, or unnecessarily, without call,and when
it may do hurt but no good to the person himself or any other. If
no goodcan be spoken, rather than speak evil unnecessarily, say
nothing. We must nevertake pleasure in speaking ill of others, nor
make the worst of any thing, but the bestwe can. We must not go up
and down as tale-bearers, carrying ill-natured stories, tothe
prejudice of our neighbour's good name and the destruction of
brotherly love.Misrepresentations, or insinuations of bad
intentions, or of hypocrisy in what isdone, things out of our reach
or cognizance, these come within the reach of thisprohibition. As
this evil is too common, so it is of great malignity.4. Gill, be no
brawlers; or fighters, either by blows or words; not litigious
andquarrelsome, wrangling and striving about things to no profit,
and to the detrimentand disturbance of civil government, churches,
neighbourhood, and families; whichis very unbecoming the followers
of Jesus, who strove not, nor cried, nor was hisvoice heard in the
streets. But gentle, showing all meekness to all men; yielding
andgiving way, rather choosing to suffer wrong than to brawl,
contend, and litigate a 10. point; taking the advice of Christ in
Mat_5:39, carrying it in a meek and humblemanner to men of all
ranks and degrees, whether superior or inferior, rich or poor,bond
or free, Jews or Gentiles, members of the church, or men of the
world.5. Preceptaustin, Paul's point is that they manner in which
believers act while under theauthority of another affects how
people view the message of salvation Christiansproclaim. If the
pagans could say that Christian slaves were not as dependable as
non-Christian slaves, the gospel would be in essence be blasphemed.
It is interesting to notethat in the early church, Christian slaves
generally commanded a higher price on the slavemarket than
unbelievers. If a master knew that a certain slave on the auction
block was aChristian, he would generally be willing to pay more for
that slave, since he knew that theslave would serve him faithfully
and well. This is high tribute to the Christian faith andtestimony
to the fact that they had heed the warning not to conduct
themselves in such away as to blaspheme the Name or doctrine of
God!The fact that our citizenship is in heaven (see note
Philippians 3:20 ) does not absolveus from our responsibilities in
this present evil age and we must still conduct ourselves ina
manner worthy of the Lord for all believers are ambassadors of
Christ (2Co 5:20 witha ministry of reconciliation 2Co 5:17 , 18 ,
19 ) who are living epistles the unsavedworld is
reading.Transformed lives are one of the most eloquent testimonies
of the power of the Gospel.When we malign others we give a poor
testimony of the saving power of the Gospel. Paulwriting to the
saints at Ephesus exhorted them toLet all bitterness and wrath and
anger and clamor and slander (blasphemia) be put awayfrom you,
along with all malice. (Eph 4:31 -note ).You are writing a Gospel,A
chapter each day,By the deeds that you doAnd the words that you
say.Men read what you write,Whether faithful or true:Just what is
the GospelAccording to you?--- Author unknownIn an ungodly, immoral
society it is easy to become angry with those who corrupt
it,condemning them and writing them off as hopeless and beyond the
pale of Godsgrace. But we have no right to become hostile when
unbelievers act like unbelievers!Paul says we must avoid quarrels,
in church as well as in the world. Such behaviorvalidates our
witness in a skeptical, sarcastic society.7. On being gentle we
read these notes in Preceptaustin, Trench has a note onepieikes
writing that 11. The mere existence of such a word as epieikes, is
itself a signal evidence of the highestdevelopment of ethics among
the Greeks. It expresses exactly that moderation whichrecognizes
the impossibility cleaving to all formal law, of anticipating and
providing forall cases that will emerge and present themselves to
it for decision; which with this,recognizes the danger that ever
waits upon the assertion of legal rights, lest they should bepushed
to moral wrongs which, therefore urges not its own rights to the
uttermost, but,going back in part or in the whole from these,
rectifies and redresses the injustices ofjustice. It is thus more
truly just than strict justice would have been. (Trench, R.
C.Synonyms of the New Testament. Hendrickson Publishers. 2000
)Thayer defines epieikes asmildness, gentleness, fairness, sweet
reasonableness.Marvin Vincent says epieikes means not unduly
rigorous, not making a determinedstand for ones just due.When
applied to authorities (epieikes) denotes indulgence, equity,
lenience. It alsodenotes a humble, patient steadfastness which is
able to submit to injustice, disgrace, andmaltreatment without
hatred or malice, trusting God in spite of it all...it is
reasonablenessin judging. (Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the
Greek NT)Barclay says that epieikesdescribes the man who does not
stand upon the letter of the law. Aristotle said of thisword that
it denotes indulgent consideration of human infirmities and the
ability to consider not only the letter of the law, but also the
mind and intention of thelegislator. The man who is epieikes is
ever ready to avoid the injustice which often liesin being strictly
just. (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed.
Philadelphia:The Westminster Press )Irregardless of which nuance of
meaning you choose for this characteristic, it isabundantly clear
that a quality like this is possible only in the man or woman in
whoseheart Christ reigns as Lord.In the Septuagint (LXX) epieiks is
used to describe of God's disposition as King, thepsalmist
recording thatThou, O Lord, art kind, and gentle (epieiks); and
plenteous in mercy to all that call uponthee. (this is the English
translation of the LXX). The NASB readsFor Thou, Lord, art good,
and ready to forgive (translated in LXX as gentle), andabundant in
lovingkindness to all who call upon Thee. (Ps 86:5 ). (See
Spurgeon'scomment )God is gentle and kind, although in reality He
has every right to be stern and punitivetoward men in their sin.
God's people should also to be marked by this godlike
quality.Spurgeon writes...Gentleness was not reckoned a virtue
among the Greeks; I do not suppose that the peoplein Crete had ever
heard of it before Paul wrote this Epistle to Titus. Among the
Romansand the Greeks, it seemed to be a virtue to stand up for your
own, to be like a gamecock,who is always ready to fight, and will
never miss a chance of fighting; but this Christianvirtue of
gentleness is a most amiable one, and greatly adorns the doctrine
of Christ. Theworld has run away with this word gentle, and now
calls many a person a gentleman who 12. has no right to the name. I
wish that every gentleman were indeed a gentleman. It is
verysignificant that Moses, the type of the Lord Jesus under the
law, was the meekest of men;should not Christians therefore excel
in gentleness under this milder dispensation?John MacArthur,
Genuine, heartfelt consideration for all men is one of the
mostfoundational spiritual virtues. As followers and imitators of
Jesus Christ, our calling isnot to fight for our rights or
privileges against the ungodly. Rather, as we live in thiscorrupt
world in subjection and obedience to human authority, doing good
deeds,maligning no one, and being uncontentious, gentle, and meek,
we will therebydemonstrate the gracious power of God to transform
sinners and make them like Himself.Plummer, Having thus trenchantly
determined the dutyof believers towards rulers and magistrates,
St.Paul passes on to sketch their proper attitudetowards other
members of society. And just asin speaking of conduct towards
authorities heevidently has in his mind the fact that most
au-thoritiesare unbelievers, so in speaking of con-ductin society
he evidently is thinking of a stateof society in which many of its
members are un-believers.What kind of conduct will Titus haveto
insist upon as befitting a Christian? Tospeak evil of no man, not
to be contentious,to be gentle, showing all meekness towards
allmen. It would be difficult to point to a precept whichis more
habitually violated by Christians at thepresent day, and therefore
more worthy of con-stantlybeing brought to the front and urgedupon
their consideration. There are plenty ofprecepts both of the Old
and of the ew Testa-ments,which are habitually violated by the
god-lessand the irreligious, by those who, while bear-ingthe name
of Christian, scarcely make evena pretence of endeavouring to live
Christian lives.But here we have a group of precepts, which alarge
number, not only of those who profess tolive soberly and
righteously, but of those who doindeed in other respects live as
Christians should,consent to forget or ignore.To speak evil of 13.
no man; not to be contentious; to be gentle,showing all meekness
towards all men. Letus consider calmly what such words as
thesereally mean; and then let us consider what weconstantly meet
with in the controversial writ-ing,and still more in the
controversial speak-ing,of the present day. Consider the tone ofour
party newspapers, and especially our reli-giousnewspapers, on the
burning questions of thehour and on the men who take a leading part
inthem. Read what a High Church paper says ofa Low Church Bishop,
or what a Low Churchpaper says of a High Church Bishop, and
meas-ureit by the injunctionto speak evil of noman. Or, again, read
what some of the or-gansof Dissent allow themselves to say
re-spectingthe clergy of the Established Church,or what some Church
Defence orators haveallowed themselves to say respecting
Liberation-ists,and measure it by the injunctions not tobe
contentious, to be gentle, showing all meek-nesstowards all men. It
is sometimes necessaryto speak out and call attention to real or
sus-pectedevils; although not nearly so frequentlyas we like to
think. But it is never necessaryto throw mud and deal in personal
abuse.Moreover, it is very unbecoming to do so. Itis doubly
unbecoming, as St. Paul reminds us.First, such conduct is utterly
unchristian. Sec-ondly,it is very much out of place in those
whobefore now have been guilty of quite as gravefaults as those for
which we now abuse others.We are just the persons who ought to
remember,because we know from personal experience howmuch the grace
of God can effect. If we haveby His mercy been brought out of the
sins whichwe now condemn in other people, what may we 14. not hope
for in their case, provided we do notdisgust them with virtue by
our acrimonious anduncharitable fault-finding? Abuse is the
wrongweapon to use against unrighteous conduct, justas rebellion is
the wrong weapon to use againstunrighteous laws.3 At one time we
too were foolish,disobedient, deceived and enslaved by allkinds of
passions and pleasures. We lived inmalice and envy, being hated and
hating oneanother.1. Paul does not look back with the feeling that
the good old days were the best.They were horrible, and he is
thankful that they are past and long gone, for theywere days
completely out of the will of God. Paul is dealing with truly bad
peoplethat adds to the wonder that God allowed them to live long
enough to experience hisgrace. If you find people down on
themselves, and thinking they are unworthy of thegrace of God, just
remind them of how low down you were before you receivedGod's
grace. Remembering how you have been brought out of the pit of evil
andfolly will help you in treating bad people with love and
compassion.2. Barnes, preaching to others, also, they were not to
be proud or arrogant. Theywere to remember that they were formerly
in the same condition with those whomthey addressed, and whom they
exhorted to reformation. They were not to forgetthat what they had
that was superior to others they owed to the grace of God, andnot
to any native goodness. He will exhort the wicked to repentance
most effectuallywho remembers that his own former life was wicked;
he will evince most of theproper spirit in doing it who has the
deepest sense of the errors and folly of his ownpast ways.Deceived
- By the great enemy, by false teachers, by our own hearts, and by
theflattery of others. It is a characteristic of man by nature that
he sees nothing in its 15. true light, but walks along amidst
constant, though changing and very beautifulillusions; compare
Mat_24:4-5, Mat_24:11; 2Ti_3:13; 1Pe_2:25; Rev_12:9; Rev_18:23,
where the same word occurs; see also Rev_20:3, Rev_20:8,Rev_20:10,
wherethe same word is applied to that great deceiver who has led
the world astray. Everyone who is converted feels, and is ready to
confess, that before conversion he wasdeceived as to the
comparative value of things, as to the enjoyment which heexpected
to find in scenes of pleasure and riot, and often in what seemed to
himwell-formed plans.Serving divers lusts and pleasures - Indulging
in the various corrupt passions andpropensities of the soul. We
were so under their influence that it might be said wewere their
servants, or were slaves to them ( ); that is, we implicitlyobeyed
them.Hateful - toi. This word does not elsewhere occur in the ew
Testament.It means that our conduct was such as to be worthy of the
hatred of others. Ofwhom, before his conversion, is not this
true?And hating one another - There was no brotherly love; no true
affection forothers. There was ill-will felt in the heart, and it
was evinced in the life. This is anapt description of the state of
the heathen world before the gospel shines on it, and itmay be
regarded as the characteristic of all men before conversion. They
have notrue love for one another, such as they ought to cherish,
and they are liableconstantly to give indulgence to feelings which
evince hatred. In contentions, andstrifes, and litigations, and
wars, this feeling is constantly breaking out. All this issuggested
here as a reason why Christians should now be gentle and mild
towardthose who are evil. Let us remember what we were, and we
shall not be disposed totreat others harshly. When a Christian is
tempted to unkind thoughts or wordstowards others, nothing is more
appropriate for him than to reflect on his own pastlife.3. Clarke,
we ourselves - All of us, whether Jews or Gentiles, were, before
ourconversion to Christ, foolish, disobedient, and deceived. There
is no doubt that theapostle felt he could include himself in the
above list, previously to his conversion.The manner in which he
persecuted the Christians, to whose charge he could not layone
moral evil, is a sufficient proof that, though he walked according
to the letter ofthe law, as to its ordinances and ceremonies,
blameless, yet his heart was in a stateof great estrangement from
God, from justice, holiness, mercy, and compassion.Foolish -
Without understanding - ignorant of God, his nature, hisprovidence,
and his grace.Disobedient - Unpersuaded, unbelieving, obstinate,
and disobedient.Deceived - Erring - wandering from the right way in
consequence ofour ignorance, not knowing the right way; and, in
consequence of our unbelief andobstinacy, not choosing to know it.
It is a true saying, There are none so blind asthose who will not
see. Such persons are proof against conviction, they will not
beconvinced either by God or man. 16. Serving divers lusts and
pleasures - oBeing in a state of continualthraldom; not served or
gratified by our lusts and pleasures, but living, as theirslaves, a
life of misery and wretchedness.Divers lusts - Strong and irregular
appetites of every kind.Pleasures - Sensual pleasures. Persons
intent only on the gratification ofsense, living like the brutes,
having no rational or spiritual object worthy the pursuitof an
immortal being.Living in malice and envy - Spending our life
inwickedness and envy - not bearing to see the prosperity of
others, because we feelourselves continually wretched.Hateful -
Abominable; hateful as hell. The word comes from , Styx,the
infernal river by which the gods were wont to swear; and he who
(according tothe mythology of the heathens) violated this oath, was
expelled from the assembly ofthe gods, and was deprived of his
nectar and ambrosia for a year; hence the riverwas hateful to them
beyond all things, and the verb , formed from this,signifies to
shiver with horror.It maybe taken actively, says Leigh, as it is
read, hateful; or else passively, and somay be read hated, that is,
justly execrable and odious unto others, both God andman.Hating one
another - This word is less expressive than thepreceding: there was
no brotherly love, consequently no kind offices; they hatedeach
other, and self-interest alone could induce them to keep up civil
society. This isthe true state of all unregenerate men. The words
which the apostle uses in thisplace give a finished picture of the
carnal state of man; and they are not true merelyof the Cretans and
Jews that then were, but of all mankind in every age andcountry;
they express the wretched state of fallen man.Some of the Greek
moralists expressed a dissolute and sensual life by nearly thesame
expressions as those employed by the apostle. Plutarch, in Precept.
Conjug.,says: , , We must take care of the body, that we may not be
enslaved by its lustsand pleasures. And Josephus, speaking of
Cleopatra, Antiq., lib. xv. cap. 4, says: , She was an expensive
woman,enslaved to lusts.4. Gill, we ourselves also were sometimes
foolish,.... othing has a greater tendencyto promote humility, and
check pride in the saints, than to reflect upon their paststate and
condition, what they themselves once were; and this is a reason
whymagistrates, though evil men, should be obeyed in things good
and lawful, and whyno man should be spoken evil of, and why every
man should be treated in a gentlemanner, and used with mildness and
meekness; since the apostle himself, and Titus, 17. and other
saints, whom he designed this as an instruction for, were formerly,
intheir unregenerate state, just such persons themselves; and
therefore should notglory over them, and treat them in a
contemptuous manner: and besides, the samegrace that had made a
difference in them, could make one in these also, and whichmight be
made in God's own time: and particularly, whereas they observed
greatignorance in these men, they should consider that they also
had been foolish, andwithout understanding of things, divine and
spiritual, and neither knew their ownstate and condition, nor the
way of salvation by Christ; yea, the apostle himself,though he had
a zeal for God, yet not according to knowledge; he did not know
lust,nor the exceeding sinfulness of sin, until he was enlightened
by the Spirit of God; hewas ignorant of the righteousness of God,
and went about to establish his own,which he imagined to be
blameless; and thought he ought to do many thingscontrary to the
name of Jesus:disobedient; both to the law of God, and Gospel of
Christ; disbelieving the truths ofthe Gospel, and not subjected to
the ordinances of it, notwithstanding the evidencewith which they
came, and the miracles by which they were confirmed.Deceived; by
the old serpent Satan, who deceives the whole world; and by an
evilheart of unbelief, as well as by false teachers and leaders;
and so, as the wordsignifies, were wandering about in darkness and
ignorance, and were as sheep goingastray, until they were returned
unto the Shepherd and Bishop of souls.Serving divers lusts and
pleasures; the lusts of the flesh are many and various,which
promise pleasure to them that obey them, though that is but
imaginary, andvery short lived, and which subjects persons to
bondage and slavery; for such whoindulge to these things, are
overcome by them, led captive, and brought intobondage, and are the
servants of sin, vassals and slaves to their own corruptions;and
such these saints had been, here spoken of:living in malice and
envy; they had not only malice and envy in their hearts
againsttheir fellow creatures, but practised it in their lives;
yea, their lives were a continuedseries of malice and envy;
particularly this was true of the apostle, who haled menand women
out of their houses, and committed them to prison; breathed
outslaughter and threatenings against the saints; was exceedingly
mad against them,persecuted them to strange cities, and compelled
them to blaspheme, and gave hisvote for punishing them with
death.Hateful, and hating one another; abominable in the sight of
God, as considered inthemselves, and on account of their nature and
practices; and to be abhorred by allgood men; and who, by their
continual feuds, quarrels, and animosities amongthemselves, showed
an hatred, an abhorrence of one another.5. Henry, their own past
condition. Consideration of men's natural condition is agreat means
and ground of equity and gentleness, and all meekness, towards
thosewho are yet in such a state. This has a tendency to abate
pride and work pity and 18. hope in reference to those who are yet
unconverted: We ourselves also were so andso, corrupt and sinful,
therefore we should not be impatient and bitter, hard andsevere,
towards those who are but as ourselves once were. Should we then
have beenwilling to be contemned, and proudly and rigorously dealt
with? o, but treatedwith gentleness and humanity; and therefore we
should now so treat those who areunconverted, according to that
rule of equity: Quod tibi non vis fieri, alteri ne feceris- What
you would not have done to you that do not you to another. Their
past naturalcondition is set forth in divers particulars. We
ourselves also were sometimes,(1.)Foolish;without true spiritual
understanding and knowledge, ignorant of heavenlythings. Observe,
Those should be most disposed to bear with others' follies who
mayremember many of their own; those should be meek and gentle, and
patient towardsothers, who once needed and doubtless then expected
the same. We ourselves alsowere sometimes foolish.And, (2.)
Disobedient;heady and unpersuadable, resisting theword, and
rebellious even against the natural laws of God, and those which
humansociety requires. Well are these set together, foolishand
obedient.For what folly likethis, to disobey God and his laws,
natural or revealed? This is contrary to rightreason, and men's
true and greatest interests; and what so foolish as to violate
andgo counter to these? (3.) Deceived,or wandering; namely, out of
the ways of truthand holiness. Man in this his degenerate state is
of a straying nature, thencecompared to a lost sheep; this must be
sought and brought back, and guided in theright way, Psa_119:176.
He is weak, and ready to be imposed upon by the wiles andsubtleties
of Satan, and of men lying in wait to seduce and mislead. (4.)
Servingdivers lusts and pleasures;namely, as vassals and slaves
under them. Observe, Mendeceived are easily entangled and ensnared;
they would not serve divers lusts andpleasures as they do, were
they not blinded and beguiled into them. See here toowhat a
different notion the word gives of a sensual and fleshly life from
what theworld generally has of it. Carnal people think they enjoy
their pleasures; the wordcalls it servitude and vassalage: they are
very drudges and bond slaves under them;so far are they from
freedom and felicity in them that they are captivated by them,and
serve them as taskmasters and tyrants. Observe further, It is the
misery of theservants of sin that they have many masters, one lust
hurrying them one way, andanother; pride commands one thing,
covetousness another, and often a contrary.What vile slaves are
sinners, while they conceit themselves free! the lusts that
temptthem promise them liberty, but in yielding they become the
servants of corruption;for of whom a man is overcome of the same is
he brought into bondage.(5.) Living inmalice,one of those lusts
that bear rule in them. Malice desires hurt to another andrejoices
in it. (6.) And envy,which grudges and repines at another's good,
frets at hisprosperity and success in any thing: both are roots of
bitterness, whence many evilsspring: evil thoughts and speeches,
tongues set on fire of hell,detracting from andimpairing the just
and due praises of others. Their words are swords,wherewith
theyslay the good name and honour of their neighbour. This was the
sin of Satan, and ofCain who was of that evil one, and slew his
brother; for wherefore slew he him, butof this envy and malice,
because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous?These
were some of the sins in which we lived in our natural state. And,
(7.),Hateful,or odious - deserving to be hated. (8.) And hating one
another.Observe,Those that are sinful, living and allowing
themselves in sin, are hateful to God andall good men. Their temper
and ways are so, though not simply their persons. It is 19. the
misery of sinners that thy hate one another, as it is the duty and
happiness ofsaints to love one another. What contentions and
quarrels flow from men'scorruptions, such as were in the nature of
those who by conversion are now good,but in their unconverted state
made them ready to run like furious wild beasts oneupon another!
The consideration of its having been thus with us should
moderateour spirits, and dispose us to be more equal and gentle,
meek and tenderhearted,towards those who are such. This is the
argument from their own past conditionhere described.6. Paul's
words here reminded me of a poem I once wrote about the good old
days. Itis about the physical rather than the spiritual, but as we
look back on where wehave come from in both realms we can truly
say, Thank God, the good old days aregone for good. Paul wants them
to examine their past and praise God that it is overand gone, and
they are now new creatures in Christ, and that this is to be
evident inthe kind of Christlikeness they display in their every
day life.THE GOOD OLD DAYSIn good old days so long ago, Cars were
started with a crank.And if you had plenty of dough, Cans were
safer than the bank.Cooking was done on a wood stove. Grandma
slaved over it long.People wore what they sewed or wove. Survival
was for the strong.chorusThough good old days were once a craze,
I'd not go back if I could.I'm happy history's through that phase.
Good old days are gone for good.Canned things were kept in the
cellar Dug six feet under the ground.Pretty girls for a feller Were
often hard to be found.Dating called for a chaperone, And you
couldn't stay out late.It was so hard to get alone, To sneak a kiss
from your date.You had to walk to the biffy Every season of the
year.Making it was sometimes iffy, And sometimes you froze your
rear.Corn cobs would then be your best bet o charmin would you find
there.This was as good as it would get As you shivered cold and
bare. 20. Church services lasted hours. The pews were of solid
wood.It took great enduring powers, Even if preaching was good.The
sermon was often so long, Staying awake was a chore.They sang
joyfully that last song, As they eyed that open door.Then, no
doubt, some things were better, But life often was too hard.It took
weeks to get a letter. Clothing you bought by the yard.There was no
computer or fax, o one dreamed of a T.V.They watched their wood
burn to relax. Children, for fun, climbed a tree.A quill pen was
state of the art, If a letter you would write.Colored paper then
played no part, You were limited to white.Life was plain and life
was simple, You had to create your fun.There was no cure for the
pimple, Anywhere under the sun.chorusThough good old days were once
a craze, I'd not go back if I could.I'm happy history's through
that phase. Good old days are gone for good.7. Barclay, 3:3-7, For
we too were once senseless, disobedient, misguided, slaves to
allkinds of desires and pleasures, living in maliciousness and
envy, detestable ourselves, andhating each other. But when the
goodness and the love to men of God our Saviourappeared, it was not
by works wrought in righteousness, which we ourselves had done,but
by his own mercy that he saved us. That saving act was made
effective to us throughthat washing, through which there comes to
us the rebirth and the renewal which are thework of the Holy
Spirit, whom he richly poured out upon us, through Jesus Christ
ourSaviour. And the aim of all this was that we might be put into a
right relationship withGod through his grace, and so enter into
possession of eternal life, for which we havebeen taught to
hope.The dynamic of the Christian life is twofold.It comes first
from the realization that converts to Christianity were once no
better thantheir heathen neighbours. Christian goodness does not
make a man proud; it makes himsupremely grateful. When he looks at
others, living the pagan life, he does not regardthem with
contempt; he says, as Whitefield said when he saw the criminal on
the way tothe gallows: There but for the grace of God go I. 21. It
comes from the realization of what God has done for men in Jesus
Christ. Perhaps nopassage in the New Testament more summarily, and
yet more fully, sets out the work ofChrist for men than this. There
are seven outstanding facts about that work here.(i) Jesus put us
into a new relationship with God. Till he came, God was the King
beforewhom men stood in awe, the Judge before whom men cringed in
terror, the Potentatewhom they could regard only with fear. Jesus
came to tell men of the Father whose heartwas open and whose hands
were stretched out in love. He came to tell them not of thejustice
which would pursue them for ever but of the love which would never
let them go.(ii) The love and grace of God are gifts which no man
could ever earn; they can only beaccepted in perfect trust and in
awakened love. God offers his love to men simply out ofthe great
goodness of his heart and the Christian thinks never of what he has
earned butonly of what God has given. The keynote of the Christian
life must always be wonderingand humble gratitude, never proud
self-satisfaction. The whole process is due to two greatqualities
of God.It is due to his goodness. The word is chrestotes (GSN5544)
and means benignity. Itmeans that spirit which is so kind that it
is always eager to give whatever gift may benecessary. Chrestotes
is an all-embracing kindliness, which issues not only in
warmfeeling but also in generous action at all times.It is due to
God's love to men. The word is philanthropia (GSN5363), and it is
defined aslove of man as man. The Greeks thought much of this
beautiful word. They used it for thegood man's kindliness to his
equals, for a good king's graciousness to his subjects, for
agenerous man's active pity for those in any kind of distress, and
specially for thecompassion which made a man ransom a fellow-man
when he had fallen into captivity.At the back of all this is no
merit of man but only the benign kindliness and the universallove
which are in the heart of God.(iii) This love and grace of God are
mediated to men through the Church. They comethrough the sacrament
of baptism. That is not to say that they can come in no other
way,for God is not confined within his sacraments; but the door to
them is ever open throughthe Church. When we think of baptism in
the earliest days of the Church, we mustremember that it was the
baptism of grown men and women coming directly out ofpaganism. It
was the deliberate leaving of one way of life to enter upon
another. WhenPaul writes to the people of Corinth, he says: You
were washed, you were sanctified, youwere justified (1Cor.6:11). In
the letter to the Ephesians he says that Jesus Christ tookthe
Church that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the
washing of water withthe word (Eph.5:26). In baptism there came to
men the cleansing, re-creating power ofGod.In this connection Paul
uses two words.He speaks of rebirth (paliggenesia, GSN3824). Here
is a word which had manyassociations. When a proselyte was received
into the Jewish faith, after he had beenbaptized he was treated as
if he were a little child. It was as if he had been reborn and
lifehad begun all over again. The Pythagoreans used the word
frequently. They believed in 22. reincarnation and that men
returned to life in many forms until they were fit to be
releasedfrom it. Each return was a rebirth. The Stoics used the
word. They believed that everythree thousand years the world went
up in a great conflagration, and that then there was arebirth of a
new world. When people entered the Mystery Religions they were said
to bereborn for eternity. The point is that when a man accepts
Christ as Saviour and Lord,life begins all over again. There is a
newness about life which can be likened only to anew birth.He
speaks of a renewing. It is as if life were worn out and when a man
discovers Christthere is an act of renewal, which is not over and
done with in one moment of time butrepeats itself every day.CAUSE
AND EFFECTTit. 3:3-7 (continued)(iv) The grace and love of God are
mediated to men within the Church, but behind it all isthe power of
the Holy Spirit. All the work of the Church, all the words of the
Church, allthe sacraments of the Church are inoperative unless the
power of the Holy Spirit is there.However highly a Church be
organized, however splendid its ceremonies may be,however beautiful
its buildings, all is ineffective without that power. The lesson is
clear.Revival in the Church comes not from increased efficiency in
organization but fromwaiting upon God. Not that efficiency is not
necessary, but no amount of efficiency canbreathe life into a body
from which the Spirit has departed.(v) The effect of all this is
threefold. It brings forgiveness for past sins. In his mercy
Goddoes not hold our sins against us. Once a man was mourning
gloomily to Augustine abouthis sins. Man, said Augustine, look away
from your sins and look to God. It is notthat a man must not be all
his life repentant for his sins; but the very memory of his
sinsshould move him to wonder at the forgiving mercy of God.(vi)
The effect is also present life. Christianity does not confine its
offer to blessingswhich shall be. It offers a man here and now life
of a quality which he has never knownbefore. When Christ enters
into a man's life, for the first time he really begins to
live.(vii) Lastly, there is the hope of even greater things. The
Christian is a man for whom thebest is always still to be; he knows
that, however wonderful is life on earth with Christ,the life to
come will be greater yet. The Christian is the man who knows the
wonder ofpast sin forgiven, the thrill of present life with Christ,
and the hope of the greater lifewhich is yet to be.4 But when the
kindness and love of God ourSavior appeared, 23. 1. Barnes, after
that - Greek, when - The meaning is, that when the love ofGod was
manifested in the plan of salvation, he saved us from this state
Godappeared after we had sinned in this way, but that when his
mercy was thusdisplayed we were converted from our sins, and made
pure in his sight.The kindness - stots- the goodness, or the
benignity. The word isrendered goodness and good in Rom_2:4;
Rom_3:12; Rom_11:22, thrice;kindness, 2Co_6:6; Eph_2:7; Col_3:12;
Tit_3:4; and gentleness, Gal_5:22. Theact of redeeming us was one
of great kindness, or goodness.And love of God - Margin, pity. The
Greek word is pia-philanthropy - the love of man. The plan of
salvation was founded on love to man,and was the highest expression
of that love; the notes at Joh_3:16. The Greek of thisverse is,
When the kindness and love of God our Saviour to man was
manifested,he saved us Tit_3:5, to wit, from those sins of which we
had before been guilty.2. Clarke, after that the kindness and love
of God - By we mayunderstand the essential goodness of the Divine
nature; that which is the springwhence all kindness, mercy, and
beneficence proceed.Love toward man - Philanthropy. It is to be
regretted that thisattribute of the Divine nature, as it stands in
relation to man, should have beenentirely lost by a paraphrastical
translation. Philanthropy is a character which Godgives here to
himself; while human nature exists, this must be a character of
theDivine nature. God loves man; he delighted in the idea when
formed in his owninfinite mind, he formed man according to that
idea, and rejoiced in the work of hishands; when man fell, the same
love induced him to devise his redemption, and Godthe Savior flows
from God the Philanthropist. Where love is it will be active,
andwill show itself. So the philanthropy of God appeared, , it
shone out, in theincarnation of Jesus Christ, and in his giving his
life for the life of the world.3. Gill, after that,.... After all
this series and course of wickedness; notwithstandingall this
foolishness, disobedience, deception, bondage to sin, envy, malice,
andmalignity; or when all this was, as the word may be rendered,
amidst all thisiniquity; when these persons were in the full career
of sin, and so had done nopreparatory works, or had any previous
qualifications and dispositions for the graceof God:the kindness
and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared; unto them; andthe
Ethiopic version adds, unto us. The apostle takes the advantage of
the abovecharacter of himself, and others in their former state, to
set off and magnify thegrace of God in their conversion; so
contraries, as black and white, illustrate eachother. By God our
Saviour is not meant the Lord Jesus Christ, though he iscommonly
designed by our Saviour, and is several times called God our
Saviour inthis epistle; see Tit_1:3and who is truly God, and the
only Saviour of lost sinners;and whose kindness and love towards
them has appeared in many instances; as in 24. his suretiship
undertakings for them, in his assumption of their nature, and in
hissuffering and dying in their room and stead: and yet it appears
from Tit_3:6thatGod our Saviour here, is distinguished from Jesus
Christ our Saviour there; andtherefore here must be understood of
God the Father; who contrived the scheme ofsalvation, appointed
Christ to be his salvation, and made a covenant with him, inwhich
it secured, and sent him in time to obtain it, and through his
blood,righteousness, and sacrifice, saves all his people: it is his
kindness and love to menthat is here spoken of; and which designs
not his general and providential goodnessand kindness, which
extends to the whole human nature, and to all the individualsof it;
but his special love and grace shown in his kindness in Christ
Jesus; that goodwill to men the angels sung of at Christ's
incarnation; or that free favour and love ofGod towards elect men,
which is sovereign and special, from everlasting toeverlasting,
unchangeable and unspeakable, which is better than life; the
excellencyof which cannot be expressed, and which has shown itself
in various instances: it issaid to have appeared; because it was
hid from all eternity in the heart of God, inthe thoughts of his
heart, in his purposes, counsel, and covenant, and has been
mademanifest in time; particularly, it has broke forth and showed
itself in the mission ofChrist into this world, and in redemption
and salvation by him; wherein God hasmanifested and commended his
love, and shown forth the exceeding riches of hisgrace; and also in
the effectual calling, which being a time of life, is a time of
love,and is owing to the great love of God, and is a fruit and
evidence of his everlastingand unchangeable love; and it is this
instance and appearance of it, which is heremeant, since it follows
the account of the state and condition of the saints by nature;and
is what was made to them when in this state, by which means they
were broughtout of it.4. Henry, We are delivered out of that our
miserable condition by no merit norstrength of our own; but only by
the mercy and free grace of God, and merit ofChrist, and operation
of his Spirit. Therefore we have no ground, in respect ofourselves,
to condemn those who are yet unconverted, but rather to pity them,
andcherish hope concerning them, that they, though in themselves as
unworthy andunmeet as we were, yet may obtain mercy, as we have:
and so upon this occasionthe apostle again opens the causes of our
salvation, Tit_3:4-7.(1.) We have here the prime author of our
salvation - God the Father, thereforetermed here God our Saviour.
All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himselfby Jesus
Christ,2Co_5:18. All things belonging to the new creation, and
recovery offallen man to life and happiness, of which the apostle
is there speaking, all thesethings are of God the Father, as
contriver and beginner of this work. There is anorder in acting, as
in subsisting. The Father begins, the Son manages, and the
HolySpirit works and perfects all. God (namely, the Father) is a
Saviour by Christ,through the Spirit. Joh_3:16, God so loved the
world as to give his only begotten Son,that whoever believes in him
might not perish, but have everlasting life.He is theFather of
Christ, and through him the Father of mercies; all spiritual
blessings areby Christ from him, Eph_1:3. We joy in God through
Jesus Christ,Rom_5:11. Andwith one mind, and one mouth, glorify
God, even the Father of our Lord JesusChrist,Rom_15:5. 25. (2.) The
spring and rise of it - the divine philanthropy,or kindness and
love of God toman.By grace we are saved from First to last. This is
the ground and motive. God'spity and mercy to man in misery were
the first wheel, or rather the Spirit in thewheels, that sets and
keeps them all in motion. God is not, cannot be, moved by anything
out of himself. The occasion is in man, namely, his misery and
wretchedness.Sin bringing that misery, wrath might have issued out
rather than compassion; butGod, knowing how to adjust all with his
own honour and perfections, would pityand save rather than destroy.
He delights in mercy. Where sin abounded, grace didmuch more
abound.We read of riches of goodness and mercy,Rom_2:4; Eph_2:7.
Letus acknowledge this, and give him the glory of it, not turning
it to wantonness, butto thankfulness and obedience.(3.) Here is the
means, or instrumental cause - the shining out of this love and
graceof God in the gospel, after it appeared,that is, in the word.
The appearing of love andgrace has, through the Spirit, great
virtue to soften and change and turn to God,and so is the power of
God to salvation to every one that believeth.Thus havingasserted
God to be the author, his free grace the spring, and the
manifestation ofthis in the gospel the means of salvation, that the
honour of all still may be the bettersecured to him,5. Jamison,
show how little reason the Cretan Christians had to be proud
ofthemselves, and despise others not Christians (see on Tit_3:2,
Tit_3:3). It is to thekindness and love of God, not to their own
merits, that they owe salvation.kindness Greek,goodness, benignity,
which manifests His grace.love ... toward man teaching us to have
such love (benevolence) toward man(Greek,philanthropy), showing all
meekness unto all men (Tit_3:2), even as Godhad toward man
(Tit_2:11); opposed to the hateful and hating characteristics
ofunrenewed men, whose wretchedness moved Gods benevolent
kindness.of God our Saviour Greek,of our Savior God, namely, the
Father (Tit_1:3),who saved us (Tit_3:5) through Jesus Christ our
Savior (Tit_3:6).appeared Greek,was made to appear; was
manifested.5. F. B. Meyer, THE emphasis must surely rest on
appeared. Kindness andlove toward man were always in the heart of
God, but they were not clearlyrevealed. They might have been
perceived in the order of nature and human life;but there are
stormy winds as well as zephyrs in the one--and in the other
deathsas well as births; knells of hope as well as marriage peals.
But in Jesus the trueheart of God toward man was manifested. It is
thus in human life.At first God blessed us anonymously.--In
Cowper's memoirs we read howTheodora, his cousin, pursued him
throughout his sad life with her gifts; but theyalways came without
indication of their source. As the poet unwrapped his
new-cometreasure, he would say, Dear Anonymous has come again; God
blesshim. So, through years of thoughtless childhood, and afterward
in openingyouth, we were the recipients of myriads of gifts
contrived with the most exquisiteskill to give us pleasure; but we
did not trace them to their source. They werefrom God. 26. Since
then His grace and loving kindness have appeared.--We have hadeyes
to see, and hearts to understand. The Anonymous Benefactor is
nowrecognized as our Father and Friend. We no longer praise our
earthly loves forour cornfields and vineyards, but our Heavenly
Spouse (Hosea 2.). In thebreaking of the bread we have recognized
the Son of God, and we know nowwho it was that walked with us along
the path of life, and why our hearts burned.Oh to grace how great a
debtorDaily I'm constrained to be;Let that grace, Lord, like a
fetter,Bind my wandering heart to Thee.5 he saved us, not because
of righteous thingswe had done, but because of his mercy. Hesaved
us through the washing of rebirth andrenewal by the Holy Spirit,1.
Barnes, by works of righteousness which we have done - The plan was
not basedon our own good works, nor are our own good works now the
cause of oursalvation. If people could have been saved by their own
good works, there wouldhave been no need of salvation by the
Redeemer; if our own deeds were now thebasis of our title to
eternal life, the work of Christ would be equally unnecessary. Itis
a great and fundamental principle of the gospel that the good works
of men comein for no share in the justification of the soul. They
are in no sense a considerationon account of which God pardons a
man, and receives him to favor. The only basisof justification is
the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the matter
ofjustification before God, all the race is on a level; see the
notes at Eph_2:8-9.But according to his mercy -(1) It had its
origin in mercy;(2) It is by mere mercy or compassion, and not by
justice;(3) It is an expression of great mercy, and,(4) It is now
in fact conferred only by mercy.Whatever we have done or can do,
when we come to receive salvation from thehand of God, there is no
other element which enters into it but mercy. It is notbecause our
deeds deserve it; it is not because we have by repentance and
faithwrought ourselves into such a state of mind that we can claim
it; but, after all ourtears, and sighs, and prayers, and good
deeds, it is a mere favor. Even then Godmight justly withhold it if
he chose, and no blame would be attached to him if he 27. should
suffer us to sink down to ruin.He saved us - That is, he began that
salvation in us which is to be completed inheaven. A man who is
already renewed and pardoned may be spoken of as saved -for:(1)
Twork of salvation is begun, and,(2) Wbegun it will certainly be
completed; see the notes at Phi_1:6.By the washing of regeneration
- In order to a correct understanding of thisimportant passage, it
is necessary to ascertain whether the phrase here used refersto
baptism, and whether anything different is intended by it from what
is meant bythe succeeding phrase - renewing of the Holy Ghost. -
The word renderedwashing ( ) occurs in the ew Testament only in
this place and in Eph_5:26, where also it is rendered washing -
That he might sanctify and cleanse it(the church) with the washing
of water by the word. The word properly means abath; then water for
bathing; then the act of bathing, washing, ablution. Passowand
Robinson. It is used by Homer to denote a warm or cold bath; then a
washingaway, and is thus applied to the drink-offerings in
sacrifice, which were supposed topurify or wash away sin. Passow.
The word here does not mean laver, or thevessel for washing in,
which would be expressed by rand this word cannotbe properly
applied to the baptismal font.The word in itself would naturally be
understood as referring to baptism (comparenotes at Act_22:16),
which was regarded as the emblem of washing away sins, or
ofcleansing from them. I say it was the emblem, not the means of
purify ing the soulfrom sin. If this be the allusion, and it seems
probable, then the phrase washing ofregeneration would mean that
outward washing or baptism which is the emblemof regeneration, and
which is appointed as one of the ordinances connected
withsalvation; see the notes at Mar_16:16, He that believeth and is
baptized shall besaved. It is not affirmed in this phrase that
baptism is the means of regeneration;or that grace is necessarily
conveyed by it; and still less that baptism is regeneration,for no
one of these is a necessary interpretation of the passage, and
should not beassumed to be the true one. The full force of the
language will be met by thesupposition that it means that baptism
is the emblem or symbol of regeneration,and, if this is the case,
no one has a right to assume that the other is certainly
themeaning.And that this is the meaning is further clear, because
it is nowhere taught in theew Testament that baptism is
regeneration, or that it is the means of regeneration.The word
rendered regeneration ( ) - occurs in the ew Testamentonly here and
in Mat_19:28, - in the regeneration when the Son of man, etc.
Itmeans, properly, a new birth, reproduction, or renewal. It would
properly beapplied to one who should be begotten again in this
sense, that a new life wascommenced in him in some way
corresponding to his being made to live at first. Tothe proper idea
of the word, it is essential that there should be connected the
notionof the commencement of life in the man, so that he may be
said to live anew; and asreligion is in the Scriptures represented
as life, it is properly applied to thebeginning of that kind of
life by which man may be said to live anew. This word,occurring
only here and in Mat_19:28, and there indubitably not referring
tobaptism, should not be here understood as referring to that, or
be applied to that, 28. because:(1) Tis not the proper meaning of
the word;(2) Tis no Scripture usage to sanction it;(3) Tconnection
here does not demand it;(4) Tcorrelatives of the word (see Joh_3:3,
Joh_3:5-6, Joh_3:8; 1Pe_1:3,) areapplied only to that great moral
change which is produced by the Holy Spirit, and,(5) Iis a
dangerous use of the word.Its use in this sense leaves the
impression that the only change needful for man isthat which is
produced by being regularly baptized. On almost no point has so
muchinjury been done in the church as by the application of the
word regeneration tobaptism. It affects the beginning of religion
in the soul, and if a mistake is madethere, it is one which must
pervade all the views of piety.And renewing of the Holy Ghost -
This is an important clause, added by Paulapparently to save from
the possibility of falling into error. If the former expression,the
washing of regeneration, had been left to stand by itself, it might
have beensupposed possibly that all the regeneration which would be
needed would be thatwhich would accompany baptism. But he avoids
the possibility of this error, bysaying that the renewing of the
Holy Ghost is an indispensable part of that bywhich we are saved.
It is necessary that this should exist in addition to that which
isthe mere emblem of it - the washing of regeneration - for without
this the formerwould be unmeaning and unavailing. It is important
to observe that the apostle byno means says that this always
follows from the former, nor does he affirm that itever follows
from it - whatever may be the truth on that point - but he asserts
thatthis is that on which our salvation depends. - The word
rendered renewing( sis) occurs only here and in Rom_12:2, where it
is also renderedrenewing; compare ote on that place. The verb ( )
occurs in 2Co_4:15, and Col_3:19, in both which places it is
rendered renewed, and thecorresponding word, iz, in Heb_6:6.The
noun properly means making new again: a renewing; a renovation;
compare H.Planck in Bib. Repos. i. 677. It is a word which is found
only in the writings of Paul,and in ecclesiastical Greek writers.
It would be properly applied to such a change asthe Holy Spirit
produces in the soul, making one a new man; that is, a man new,
sofar as religion is concerned - new in his views, feelings,
desires, hopes, plans, andpurposes. He is so far different from
what he was before, that it may be said heenters on a new life; see
the notes at Eph_4:23-24. The renewing of the HolyGhost of course
means that which the Holy Spirit produces, recognizing the
fact,everywhere taught in the Scriptures, that the Holy Spirit is
the Author of the newcreation. It cannot mean, as Koppe supposes,
the renewing of the mind itself, orproducing a holy spirit in the
soul.2. Clarke, by works of righteousness - Those who were foolish,
disobedient, anddeceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, could
not possibly have works ofrighteousness to plead; therefore, if
saved at all, they must be saved by mercy. Seethe note on Eph_2:8;
and see a discourse entitled, Salvation by Faith proved, 8vo.,1816,
in which I have examined every system invented by man for his
restoration to 29. the Divine favor and image: and have
demonstrated, by mere reason, their utterinsufficiency to answer
the end for which they have been invented; and have provedthat the
doctrine of salvation by faith is the only rational way of
salvation.By the washing of regeneration - o Undoubtedly theapostle
here means baptism, the rite by which persons were admitted into
theChurch, and the visible sign of the cleansing, purifying
influences of the Holy Spirit,which the apostle immediately
subjoins. Baptism is only a sign, and therefore shouldnever be
separated from the thing signified; but it is a rite commanded by
Godhimself, and therefore the thing signified should never be
expected without it.By the renewing of the Holy Ghost we are to
understand, not only the profession ofbeing bound to live a new
life, but the grace that renews the heart, and enables usthus to
live; so the renewing influences are here intended. Baptism changes
nothing;the grace signified by it cleanses and purifies. They who
think baptism to beregeneration, neither know the Scriptures nor
the power of God; therefore they dogreatly err.3. Gill, by works of
righteousness which we have done,.... The great instance of
thekindness and love of God our Saviour is salvation; which the
apostle denies that it isbrought about by any works, even the best
works of men; for works ofrighteousness are works done according to
a righteous law, and in obedience to it;and in a righteous manner,
from right principles of grace, in faith, and with a viewto the
glory of God; or otherwise they are not righteous actions, or works
ofrighteousness; wherefore not works before, but after conversion,
are here meant;for works before conversion are not properly works
of righteousness: besides, theseare such which we have done, who
formerly were as before described, but now areregenerated and
renewed by the Holy Ghost, and created in Christ Jesus unto
goodworks. ow salvation, neither in whole, nor in part, is by
these, either as causes;conditions, or means; See Gill on 2Ti_1:9;
, works of righteousness, isa Jewish phrase used for righteous or
good works (z).but according to his mercy he saved us; the mercy of
God is natural and essential tohim, but the actings and exercise of
it, towards this or the other objects, aresovereign and free, and
according to his will; the effects of it are many, he is richand
abundant in it; and they are channelled in, and flow forth through
the bloodand righteousness of Christ; and this is the moving cause
of salvation: this movedGod to make a covenant with his Son, the
blessings of which are the sure mercies ofDavid, and in which God
is merciful to the sins and unrighteousnesses of his people;it is
owing to the tender mercy of God, that Christ, the dayspring from
on high, hasvisited the earth; and the glory of it is very
conspicuous in the affair of redemptionby him; the pardon of sin is
according to the multitude of God's tender mercies; andregeneration
springs from the abundance of it; and even eternal life is the
effect ofit. ow according to this, God has saved his people;
salvation is not only a thingdetermined, and resolved on in the
mind of God, but is actually and completelyaccomplished by Jesus
Christ, and an application of it is made to the saints in 30.
effectual calling; and because of the certain enjoyment of the
whole of it, eveneternal glory, the saints are said to be saved
already; as they are also in faith andhope, as well as in Christ,
their head and representative; See Gill on Eph_2:8. Itfollows, as
the means of salvation,by the washing of regeneration, and renewing
of the Holy Ghost; by the former ismeant, not the ordinance of
water baptism; for that is never expressed by washing,nor is it the
cause or means of regeneration; the cause being the Spirit of God,
andthe means the word of God: and besides, persons ought to be
regenerated beforethey are baptized; and they may be baptized, and
yet not regenerated, as SimonMagus; nor is it a saving ordinance,
or a point of salvation; nor can it be opposed toworks of
righteousness, as this washing is; for that itself is a work of
righteousness;see Mat_3:15 and if persons were saved by that, they
would be saved by a work ofrighteousness, contrary to the text
itself: but regenerating grace is meant, or a beingborn of water,
and of the Spirit; that is, of the grace of the Spirit, comparable
towater for its purity and cleansing virtue: hence such who are
regenerated andsanctified, are said to be washed and cleansed,
having their hearts purified by faith,and their consciences purged
from sin by the blood of Christ: by the latter,the renewing of the
Holy Ghost, is meant either the fruit and effect of the former,even
newness of life and conversation, under the influence of the Holy
Spirit; or elsethe gradual increase and progress of the work of
grace upon the soul, renewed dayby day in the spirit of the mind,
by the Holy Ghost; or rather it means the samething with
regeneration, and is added partly as explanative of the washing
ofregeneration, showing that that is no other than the new
creature, the new man, thenew heart, and new spirit, formed in the
soul, in the effectual calling; and partly toobserve that the Holy
Ghost is the author of it. ow it is in this way God saves
hispeople, namely, by regenerating and renewing them; in this is
the first appearanceand discovery of the love of God to them; this
is their open passage into a state ofgrace, and without this there
is no entrance into glory; this is the foundation of allgrace and
good works, and by which saints appear to be heirs of the
heavenlyinheritance.4. Henry, grounds and motives are here removed:
.ot by works of righteousnesswhich we have done, but according to
his mercy, he saved us;not for foreseen works ofours, but his own
free grace and mercy alone. Works must be in the saved (wherethere
is room for it), but not among the causes of his salvation; they
are the way tothe kingdom, not the meriting price of it; all is
upon the principle of undeservedfavour and mercy from first to
last. Election is of grace: we are chosen to beholy, notbecause it
was antecedently seen that we should be so, Eph_1:4. It is the
fruit, notthe cause, of election: God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation throughsanctification of the Spirit and
belief of the truth,2Th_2:13. So effectual calling, inwhich
election breaks out, and is first seen: He hath saved us, and
called us with aholy calling; not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace,which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began,2Ti_1:9. We are justifiedfreely by
grace(Rom_3:24), and sanctified and saved by grace: By grace you
are 31. saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the
gift of God,Eph_2:8. Faithand all saving graces are God's free gift
and his work; the beginning, increase, andperfection of them in
glory, all are from him. In building men up to be a holy templeunto
God, from the foundation to the top-stone, we must cry nothing but
Grace,graceunto it. It is not of works, lest any man should boast;
but of grace, that he whoglorieth should glory only in the
Lord.Thus the true cause is shown, and the falseremoved.(5.) Here
is the formal cause of salvation, or that wherein it lies, the
beginnings ofit at least - in regeneration or spiritual renewing,
as it is here called. Old things passaway, and all things become
new,in a moral and spiritual, not in a physical andnatural, sense.
It is the same man, but with other dispositions and habits; evil
onesare done away, as to the prevalency of them at present; and all
remains of them indue time will be so, when the work shall be
perfected in heaven. A new prevailingprinciple of grace and
holiness is wrought, which inclines, and sways, and governs,and
makes the man a new man, a new creature, having new thoughts,
desires, andaffections, a new and holy turn of life and actions;
the life of God in man, not onlyfrom God in a special manner, but
conformed and tending to him. Here is salvationbegun, and which
will be growing and increasing to perfection; therefore it is
said,He saved us.What is so begun, as sure to be perfected in time,
is expressed as if italready were so. Let us look to this therefore
without delay; we must be initiallysaved now, by regeneration, if
on good ground we would expect complete salvationin heaven. The
change then will be but in degree, not in kind. Grace is glory
begun,as glory is but grace in its perfection. How few mind this!
Most act as if they wereafraid to be happy before the time; they
would have heaven, they pretend, at last,yet care not for holiness
now; that is, they would have the end without thebeginning; so
absurd are sinners. But without regeneration, that is, the
firstresurrection, there is no attaining the second glorious one,
the resurrection of thejust. Here then is formal salvation, in the
new divine life wrought by the gospel.(6.) Here is the outward sign
and seal thereof in baptism, called therefore thewashing of
regeneration.The work itself is inward and spiritual; but it is
outwardlysignified and sealed in this ordinance. Water is of a
cleansing and purifying nature,does away the filth of the flesh,
and so was apt to signify the doing away of the guiltand defilement
of sin by the blood and Spirit of Christ, though that aptness
alone,without Christ's institution, would not have been sufficient.
This it is that makes itof this signification on God's part, a seal
of righteousness by faith, as circumcisionwas, in the place of
which it succeeds; and on ours an engagement to be the Lord's.Thus
baptism saves figuratively and sacramentally, where it is rightly
used. Arise,and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling upon
the name of the Lord,Act_22:16. So Eph_5:26, That he might sanctify
and cleanse us by the washing of water bythe word.Slight not this
outward sign and seal, where it may be had according toChrist's
appointment; yet rest not in the outward washing, but look to the
answer ofa good conscience,without which the external washing will
avail nothing. Thecovenant sealed in baptism binds to duties, as
well as exhibits and conveys benefitsand privileges; if the former
be not minded, in vain are the latter expected. Severnot what God
has joined; in both the outer and inner part is baptism complete;
ashe that was circumcised became debtor to the whole law (Gal_5:3),
so is he that is 32. baptized to the gospel, to observe all the
commands and ordinances thereof, asChrist appointed. Disciple all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, andof the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever Ihave commanded you,Mat_28:19, Mat_28:20. This is the
outward sign and seal ofsalvation, baptism, called here the washing
of regeneration.(7.) Here is the principal efficient, namely, the
Spirit of God; it is the renewing of theHoly Ghost;not excluding
the Father and the Son, who in all works withoutthemselves are
concurring; nor the use of means, the word and sacraments, bywhich
the Spirit works; through his operation it is that they have their
saving effect.In the economy of our salvation, the applying and
effecting part is especiallyattributed to the Holy Spirit. We are
said to be born of the Spirit, to be quickenedand sanctified by the
Spirit, to be led and guided, strengthened and helped, by
theSpirit. Through him we mortify sin, perform duty, walk in God's
ways; all the actsand operations of the divine life in us, the
works and fruits of righteousness withoutus, all are through this
blessed and Holy Spirit, who is therefore called the Spirit oflife,
and of grace and holiness; all grace is from him. Earnestly
therefore is he to besought, and greatly to be heeded by us, that
we quench not his holy motions, norresist and oppose him in his
workings. Res delicatula est Spiritus - The Spirit is atender
thing.As we act towards him, so may we expect he will to us; if we
slight, andresist, and oppose his workings, he will slacken them;
if we continue to vex him, hewill retire. Grieve not therefore the
Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed to theday of
redemption,Eph_4:30. The Spirit seals by his renewing and
sanctify