Titus 3:3 - For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
For we ourselves also were sometimes, number one, foolish. This word means unperceptive. We had no spiritual perception whatsoever. Disobedient, which is a refusal to obey the persuasion of God's Spirit. We were deceived. This is where we get our English word planet from. PLANAE means to wander. We were deceived. We wandered all over the place, trying different things, and going in different directions.
Serving divers lusts and pleasures, and the word serving is literally the word enslaved, being enslaved to various lusts and pleasures. And the word pleasure in the Greek, HEDONEI, is where we get our word hedonism from. This is hedonistic desires. We live in a hedonistic society, where we work and do whatever is necessary, so that in our off time, we can serve and satisfy our pleasures. That's hedonism.
Fifthly, living in malice and envy, and the word malice is the word that means to cause adversity for people, and to be envious of people. The sixth thing is hateful. And the seventh thing is hating one another. There's a lot of hate going around amongst non-believers because it's so empty and frustrating in the world.
So, without perception, disobedient to the things of the Lord, wandering around, having no direction, being enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, living in adversity and envy, hateful disposition, and hating one another. He gives the seven primary characteristics of the new life, and the seven primary characteristics of the old life.
And then in Verses 4 to 7, he presents the process of receiving the new life. This is great material!
Titus 3:15 - All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Paul is making reference to people who are the sincere and genuine Christians who function according to faith, not religion, because that's how Paul lived his life, according to faith. Those who love us in the faith, greet them as well.
And then the principle of grace, and I've mentioned this before. The word be is in italics which means it's not in the original writings. It has been placed there by the translators in order to make it a complete English sentence. The problem is that according to the Greek, this is not a wish or a prayer. It's a statement of fact. Grace is with you all. Amen. It's a reminder and a statement to everybody, to all believers, that the grace of God is always with you for everything that God has for your life!
Well, this is all I have for Titus. As you all know, Philemon is very short, so I'm hoping to have something to post very soon.
Titus 3:11 - Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and this word basically means to bring in a disease. And sins, being condemned of himself. He condemns himself by his own beliefs, and his own twisting and misrepresentation of scripture.
Titus 3:13 - Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them.
Bring Zenas the lawyer. It is unsure whether he's a Gentile, or he's a Hebrew. It would make more sense by his name and function that he would be a Gentile. If he's a Hebrew, then he's a lawyer of the law, the Old Testament, the Tanak. If he is a Greek, or Gentile, then he is a lawyer of Roman law. And that's what Paul needs. He needs somebody to help him with Roman law.
Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them. The word wanting means lacking. So, when you send them on their way, make sure that they have everything that they need, food, a means of transportation, and that they are completely taken care of.
Titus 3:10 - A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition, or warning, reject him. This term heretic is the adjective form of the word heresy. And it's interesting that the Greek word for heresy means to choose.
Now here's how it works as far as heresy in the church goes:
If I have a block of scripture, and I tell you what I believe it means, I'm choosing to believe something versus a choice that you might make differently. That's heresy. If someone walks into a church and they read the plaque on the wall that lists their doctrinal statement, and they open their bible and say you've got this scripture listed that's backing up one of your doctrines, but as I read it here, that's not really what it says, if they come back and say yes, but that's what we believe it says, that's heresy!
That's heresy. It's not based on our beliefs. It's based on the establishment and the confirmation of God's word by God's Spirit, not by man. So, a person who's a heretic, someone that teaches false doctrine, basically his opinion is I disagree with that, and this is what I think it means. Okay, where does it say that? "Well, it doesn't. But that's what it means!"
That's heresy. It's very easy to do. Most of our church denominations are built on heresy. It's because somebody said I don't agree with your belief about that. I have my own belief. So, they start their own denomination. And most of the denominational and church differences are over personal belief, choosing what they want to believe about a text, rather than taking the text itself.
So, a man that is a heretic after the first and second warning, you've got to warn him. This is the protection of the new life. In the church, the false teachers, they're called heretics. After you warn him the first and second time, then reject him. That's a command.
Titus 3:4 - But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
He says but after, and it's literally the word when. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. Look at who he calls God. He says God our Savior. Six times, mingled in his pastoral letters, he calls God Savior, and he calls Jesus Christ Savior. They're both the same person.
So, when Jesus came, when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man, when he appeared, that's when our salvation came.
Titus 3:8 - This 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.
He says this is a faithful saying, and as I mentioned before, whenever you find this phrase "faithful saying," this is Paul's way of saying we don't have a New Testament yet, but this saying is passed around in the church as equal to scripture.
This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that you affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Titus 3:3 - For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
For we ourselves also were sometimes, number one, foolish. This word means unperceptive. We had no spiritual perception whatsoever. Disobedient, which is a refusal to obey the persuasion of God's Spirit. We were deceived. This is where we get our English word planet from. PLANAE means to wander. We were deceived. We wandered all over the place, trying different things, and going in different directions.
Serving divers lusts and pleasures, and the word serving is literally the word enslaved, being enslaved to various lusts and pleasures. And the word pleasure in the Greek, HEDONEI, is where we get our word hedonism from. This is hedonistic desires. We live in a hedonistic society, where we work and do whatever is necessary, so that in our off time, we can serve and satisfy our pleasures. That's hedonism.
Fifthly, living in malice and envy, and the word malice is the word that means to cause adversity for people, and to be envious of people. The sixth thing is hateful. And the seventh thing is hating one another. There's a lot of hate going around amongst non-believers because it's so empty and frustrating in the world.
So, without perception, disobedient to the things of the Lord, wandering around, having no direction, being enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, living in adversity and envy, hateful disposition, and hating one another. He gives the seven primary characteristics of the new life, and the seven primary characteristics of the old life.
And then in Verses 4 to 7, he presents the process of receiving the new life. This is great material!
Titus 3:15 - All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Paul is making reference to people who are the sincere and genuine Christians who function according to faith, not religion, because that's how Paul lived his life, according to faith. Those who love us in the faith, greet them as well.
And then the principle of grace, and I've mentioned this before. The word be is in italics which means it's not in the original writings. It has been placed there by the translators in order to make it a complete English sentence. The problem is that according to the Greek, this is not a wish or a prayer. It's a statement of fact. Grace is with you all. Amen. It's a reminder and a statement to everybody, to all believers, that the grace of God is always with you for everything that God has for your life!
Well, this is all I have for Titus. As you all know, Philemon is very short, so I'm hoping to have something to post very soon.
Blessings to you all in Christ Jesus!
God bless you in all that you do!
Titus 3:11 - Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and this word basically means to bring in a disease. And sins, being condemned of himself. He condemns himself by his own beliefs, and his own twisting and misrepresentation of scripture.
Titus 3:13 - Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them.
Bring Zenas the lawyer. It is unsure whether he's a Gentile, or he's a Hebrew. It would make more sense by his name and function that he would be a Gentile. If he's a Hebrew, then he's a lawyer of the law, the Old Testament, the Tanak. If he is a Greek, or Gentile, then he is a lawyer of Roman law. And that's what Paul needs. He needs somebody to help him with Roman law.
Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them. The word wanting means lacking. So, when you send them on their way, make sure that they have everything that they need, food, a means of transportation, and that they are completely taken care of.
Titus 3:10 - A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition, or warning, reject him. This term heretic is the adjective form of the word heresy. And it's interesting that the Greek word for heresy means to choose.
Now here's how it works as far as heresy in the church goes:
If I have a block of scripture, and I tell you what I believe it means, I'm choosing to believe something versus a choice that you might make differently. That's heresy. If someone walks into a church and they read the plaque on the wall that lists their doctrinal statement, and they open their bible and say you've got this scripture listed that's backing up one of your doctrines, but as I read it here, that's not really what it says, if they come back and say yes, but that's what we believe it says, that's heresy!
That's heresy. It's not based on our beliefs. It's based on the establishment and the confirmation of God's word by God's Spirit, not by man. So, a person who's a heretic, someone that teaches false doctrine, basically his opinion is I disagree with that, and this is what I think it means. Okay, where does it say that? "Well, it doesn't. But that's what it means!"
That's heresy. It's very easy to do. Most of our church denominations are built on heresy. It's because somebody said I don't agree with your belief about that. I have my own belief. So, they start their own denomination. And most of the denominational and church differences are over personal belief, choosing what they want to believe about a text, rather than taking the text itself.
So, a man that is a heretic after the first and second warning, you've got to warn him. This is the protection of the new life. In the church, the false teachers, they're called heretics. After you warn him the first and second time, then reject him. That's a command.
Titus 3:4 - But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
He says but after, and it's literally the word when. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. Look at who he calls God. He says God our Savior. Six times, mingled in his pastoral letters, he calls God Savior, and he calls Jesus Christ Savior. They're both the same person.
So, when Jesus came, when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man, when he appeared, that's when our salvation came.
Titus 3:8 - This 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.
He says this is a faithful saying, and as I mentioned before, whenever you find this phrase "faithful saying," this is Paul's way of saying we don't have a New Testament yet, but this saying is passed around in the church as equal to scripture.
This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that you affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
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