| TITUS |
| Explanatory Footnotes |
| 1:14 Foolish Questions In addition to the problems hinted at in chapter 2, the Cretan church struggled with issues its Jewish members introduced. These trends toward myths and "foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law" (3:9) resemble the heresies Paul had warned against in the book of Colossians. Titus had to be prepared to deal with problems both of doctrine and of righteous living. 3:5 Nuggets of Theology Despite its practical, instructive tone, Titus contains three outstanding passages of Paul's theology. They appear in 1:1-4; 2:11-14, and 3:4-7. This last passage balances off Paul's stress on clean living in Titus. Verse 5 makes clear that "righteous things" do not earn us acceptance by God. Rather, they are a natural response from people who have experienced God's forgiveness and love. |