Titus UBN
Chapter 1
1 # Titus 1 ### 1 ;[servant of God] ;Why did Paul say that he was a servant or slave of God? #q Paul said that he was a servant or a slave of God because he did only what he knew that God, his master, wanted him to do. Other servants of God were Moses, David, and the other prophets. #v1 #xr-2sa7:8 #xr-1ch6:49 #xr-amo3:7 #da-slavery ;[servant of God] ;Why did Paul say that he was a servant or slave of God? #q People who speak some modern languages think that slave is different from servant, because slaves suffer in ways that servants do not. However, the Greek word "[servant](#g1401)" means both slave and servant. It means anyone who must obey his master. This is why Paul said he was a slave or servant of God, because he wanted to obey God in every way. #v1 #adv #da-slavery ;[apostle] ;(no note) #v1 #adv #dg-apostle ;[God's chosen ones] ;Whom did God choose to be his own people? #q These people were the Christians. God chose them to know him. They did this by believing in Christ. This is why they were different from all other people. Paul became a servant and apostle of God so that they would trust in Christ and know God increasingly well. #v1 ;[God's chosen ones] ;Whom did God choose to be his own people? #q Scholars debate whether or not the actions of people affected whether God chose them. They also debate whether God chose people as individuals or as groups. Here, Paul wrote that God is the one who chose them. #v1 #adv #xr-2ti2:10 #xr-1pe2:9 #da-elect ### 2 ;[hope of eternal life] ;What did Paul write that believers should be certain about? #q God has promised that everyone who trusts in Christ will live forever. The Holy Spirit makes believers to be confident that God will do this for them. #v2 #xr-rom8:16 #xr-2co1:21-22 #xr-2co5:5 #xr-tit2:13 #xr-tit3:7 #xr1jn5:13 #dg-hope #dg-eternal_life #da-eternal_life ;[promised before the ages began] ;How could God promise long ago to people not yet born that they would live eternally? #q Even before God created the earth, he planned to save his people so they would live with him forever. #v2 #xr-2ti1:9 ### 3 ;[by the command of God] ;What did God command Paul to do? #q God commanded Paul to preach to everyone. This was what he should tell them: God has promised to make everyone live eternally if they believe in Jesus Christ. #v3 ### 4 ;[Titus] ;Who was Titus? #q Titus was a Gentile believer who traveled with Paul to Crete. Paul left him there so that he would choose elders for the churches and teach the believers. #v4 #xr-gal 2:3 #xr-2co 8:23 #xr-2ti4:10 #dm-mediterranean ;[my true son in our common faith] ;Why did Paul call Titus his son in the faith? #q Paul had enabled Titus to understand how to become a Christian. This is why Paul called him his son. #v4 ;[Grace and peace from God] ;Why did Paul write, "grace and peace from God the Father Christ Jesus our Savior"? #q This was a normal way that Christians greeted each other in letters during New Testament times. #v4 #xr-rom1:7 #xr-1co1:3 #xr-1pe1:2 ;[Crete] ;What and where is Crete? #q Crete is a large island in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. #v4 #dm-mediterranean_sea ### 6-9 ;[elders] ;What were elders and what did they do? #q The word "elders" usually refers to old men. In groups of Christians, elders were men who served as the groups' leaders. #v6-9 #xr-1ti 5:17 #xr-jas5:14 ;[elders] ;What were elders and what did they do? #q The leaders of Christians probably worked in much the same way as the leaders in Jewish synagogues. For example, Christian "deacons" were in charge of helping people in need. They were like certain synagogue leaders who worked in the same way. Synagogues also had their rabbis, whom the Jews often thought were prophets. Also, synagogues had leaders in charge of how the people worshiped on the Sabbath day. Christian groups had similar leaders. #v6-9 #adv #xr-1ti 3:1-7 #dg-elder ### 6 ;Why did Paul make rules about elders and their wives? #q Paul wanted elders to have only one wife; he also wanted elders to be faithful to their wives. This was very different to many ethnic groups in the Roman Empire. Many of these peoples allowed men to have more than one wife. #v6 #xr-1ti 3:1-7 ;[husband of one wife] ;What does the "husband of one wife" mean? #q Scholars do not agree about what Paul wanted to say when he wrote, "husband of one wife." Some scholars think that Paul wanted every elder to have a wife. Others think that Paul wanted no elder to have more than one wives. Still other scholars think that Paul wanted all elders to be faithful to their wives. #v6 #adv #dg-elder #dg-deacon ### 7 ;Why is it important for elders to obey these rules? #q Leaders guide the people who belong to God, and they act in God's place. Because of this, they must be the good kind of people that Paul described in verses 6-9. #v7 ;Why is it important for elders to obey these rules? #q Paul continued here to write about elders. He wanted them to serve as "[overseers](#g1985)" of the church. They must be overseers who care for God's people. #v7 #adv #xr-act20:17-28 #xr1pe5:1-4 ### 9 ;[sound teaching] ;What is sound teaching? #q Christian leaders teach believers correctly when they teach what the scriptures say. #v9 #xr-1ti1:10 #xr-1ti6:3-4 #xr-2ti1:13 #xr-2ti4:3 #xr-tit2:1 ### 10 ;[the circumcision group] ;What was the group of believers who wanted all Christian believers to be circumcised? #q Some Jewish believers in Christ taught that all Gentile believers must become like themselves. They must be circumcised, and they must obey all the rules in the Law of Moses. Paul strongly opposed what this group taught, and he instructed Titus to do the same. #v10-14 #xr-gal2:12-14 #dg-circumcise ### 12 ;Whose words did Paul repeat here? #q Paul repeated words written by Epimenides, who had been a Greek poet. Epimenides had been born in Crete six or seven hundred years before Jesus was born. The people of Crete thought that he was a philosopher and prophet. #v12 #adv ### 14 ;[Jewish myths] ;What were the Jewish stories to which Paul was referring? #q We do not know what these stories were. Perhaps they were stories or ideas that Jews had invented in order to explain events that had happened long ago. #v14 #xr-1ti1:4 ### 15 ;[the defiled] ;What does it mean that all things are pure for those who are pure, but nothing is pure to those who are defiled? #q Some Jewish teachers said that in order to be pure, a person must be careful not to eat certain foods, and that he must also avoid other things. But these teachers were wrong. However, believers are pure through faith in Jesus Christ, and do not need to follow those restrictions. #v15 #xr-col2:13-23 #xr-1ti4:4 ### 16 ;How can a person act as if he wanted to say that he does not believe in God? #q When a person disobeys God, he shows by his actions that he does not believe God or his teachings. Paul was still writing here about the false teachers. #v16 #xr-mat7:16-20 #xr-mat12:23 #xr-luk6:43-45
Chapter 2
1 # Titus 2 ### 1-10 ;What is a list of duties? #q Here, Paul instructs Titus on what to teach the Christian believers. #v1-10 ;What is a list of duties? #q Verses 1-10 have a list of duties. These are things that different kinds of people should do, for example, men, women, children, servants, and rulers. During Paul's time, people often wrote down ways in which everyone should behave. In these verses, Paul told Titus what he should teach the Christian believers, about how they should behave. #v1-10 #adv #xr-eph6:1-5 #xr-col3:18-22 ### 1 ;How did Paul change what he wrote about from the end of chapter 1? #q In 1:1-10 Paul wrote about false teachers and said why they were bad. At the start of chapter 2, Paul wrote the word "you" very strongly, in order tell Titus that he must teach very differently from how the false teachers were teaching. #v1 ### 3 ;[older women] ;What made the older women able to teach the younger women? #q The older women loved God, so they were well able to teach the younger women. #v3-5 ### 4-5 ;[younger women] ;What did Paul tell Titus to teach the younger women to do? #q Paul told Titus that he must tell the older Christian women to show the younger women how to be good wives to their husbands, and good mothers to their children. In this way, the young women would show everyone that God's Word is true and good. #v4-5 ### 7-8 ;[be an example] ;Who is Titus to be an example for? #q In verses 7-8, Paul told Titus that he must live right, in order to be an example for others. This would make it difficult for unbelievers to speak against the Christian faith. #v7-8 ;[be an example] ;Who is Titus to set an example for? #q Paul's command Titus to set an example immediately follows the verse about young men. However, it is likely that Paul wanted Titus to be an example for all the people named in verses 2-6. #v7-8 #adv ### 9-10 ;[slaves] ;Why did Paul instruct Christian slaves to obey and honor their masters? #q If Christian slaves acted well toward their masters, they could persuade other people to honor Jesus Christ. #v9-10 #xr-eph6:5-8 #xr-col3:22-25 #xr-1ti6:1-2 #xr-1pe2:18-20 #da-slavery ### 11 ;Why should Christians make other people want to trust in Jesus and obey him? #q God has offered to save everyone. For that reason, believers should learn to live right, so that everyone will see that God works with power in believers. #v11 ### 12 ;[the grace of God] ;What does God teach us through his power and love? #q God teaches us to live rightly and to control ourselves. He does this because he loves us and is powerful. This different from the Jewish stories and myths in chapter 1, because those things cannot help us. #v12 #xr-tit1:15 ;[the present age] ;What is this present age? #q This present age is the time that we live in now, rather than the future when God removes all sin and evil from the world. #v12 #xr-1co2:6-8 #xr-1co15:24-28 #xr-gal1:4 #da-present_future_age ;[the present age] ;What is this present age? #q The Bible shows that this age is different from the age that will come later. Everyone living in this age, which the Bible sometimes calls "this world," sins, does evil, and will die. Satan is the ruler of this age, but God has already started to save his people. In the age to come, God will rule the world completely. He will stop everyone from sinning and dying. He will save and his people and show them honor. God wants his people to honor him, as they wait for the age to come. #v12 #adv #xr-2co4:4 #da-present_future_age ### 13 ;[our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ] ;Was Paul writing about God and Jesus separately, or was he writing about Jesus, who is God? #q Paul was saying that Jesus is God. He called him both God and Savior. #v13 #xr-jhn1:1 #xr-jhn20:28 #xr-rom9:5 #xr-2pe1:1 #da-trinity ;[our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ] ;Was Paul writing about God and Jesus separately, or is he writing about Jesus, who is God? #q Perhaps Paul was saying that Jesus is both God and Savior. Or perhaps he was writing about God the Father and about our Savior Jesus Christ. Or perhaps Paul was calling God the Father our Savior, and he was saying that Jesus is the glory that appeared to us. The sentence in Greek makes us think that Paul was saying that Jesus is both God and Savior. #v13 #adv #da-trinity ### 14 ;[gave himself for us] ;What did Jesus do when he died? #q When Jesus died on the cross, he freed us from having to sin, just as someone frees slaves from their masters. This means that God will not punish us for having sinned, and that he also makes us able to refuse to sin, so that we can live rightly now and honor him. #v14 #adv #da-redeem ### 15 ;[with all authority] ;How should Titus teach the believers? #q Titus knew the truth about Jesus Christ, because the apostles had taught him well. So he should teach these same things well, because he knows they are true. Also, Titus should not let anyone stop him from leading the believers. #v15 #xr-1ti4:12-13 #xr-1ti5:20 #xr-2ti4:2 #xr-tit2:7
Chapter 3
1 # Titus 3 ### 1-2 ;What did Paul instruct Titus to teach to everyone? #q Paul instructed Titus to tell the Christians how they should behave toward non-Christians. Christians should respect all people, not just other Christians. If they do this, non-Christians will understand some of the truth about God. #v1-2 ### 1 ;[rulers and authorities] ;How should Christians act toward kings, rulers, and those who govern the people? #q Christians should obey their rulers. But if a government requires them to do something that God forbids, Christians should not obey. #v1 #xr-mat22:21 #xr-act4:18-20 #xr-rom13:1-7 #xr-1ti2:1-3 #xr-1pe2:13-17 ### 2 ;[slander] ;What kinds of things did Paul warn believers not to say? #q Paul told believers that they should not say bad things about other people. Examples of bad things include falsely accusing someone to hurt their reputation, or telling lies or telling stories about people that may not even be true. #v2 #xr-pro16:28 #xr-2co12:20 #xr-eph4:29 #xr-jas3:3-12 #xr-jas4:11 ### 3 ;[we] ;About whom was Paul writing when he wrote the word "we" in verse 3? #q When Paul wrote "we," he was writing about Titus and himself. He wanted to show that even he himself and Titus did these sinful behaviors before they believed in Jesus. #v4 ### 4-7 ;[he saved us] ;In these verses, what did Paul want us to know about God saving us? #q In verses 4-7, Paul wanted us to know that God saves us because we believe in Jesus. #v4-7 #trinity #da-save #dg-save #da-eternal_life #dg-eternal_life ### 4 ;[kindness of God] ;What did Paul say about how God loves us? #q God loves all people. The word for [love](#g5363) refers to love for all people. Even if we behave badly, God loves us. When we sin, God forgives us because He loves us. #v4 #adv #xr-rom3:23 #xr-rom5:8-10 #xr-col1:19-22 ### 5 ;[according to his mercy] ;Why does God save people? #q God decided to save people because He has mercy on them. He does not require us to do anything good before he saves us. #v5 #xr-rom3:27-28 #xr-eph2:4-9 ;[washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit] ;What did Paul write about the Holy Spirit washing us and making us new? #q Paul wrote here that the Holy Spirit washes believers and makes them new people. In #eph5:26, Paul wrote that Jesus washes believers and makes them new people. The Holy Spirit and Jesus work together to make God's people spiritually clean, to forgive their sins and make them want to obey God. #v5 #xr-rom6:4 #xr-2co5:17 #xr-eph5:25-26 ;[washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit] ;What is the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit? #q Christians do not always agree about how the Holy Spirit makes people new. Some Christians believe the Holy Spirit does this when a new believer is baptized in water. Other Christians say that the Holy Spirit begins to remake someone after that person has started to believe in Christ. They say that baptism only shows that the Holy Spirit has already made the believer into a new person. #v5 #adv #da-baptize ### 6 ;[poured out] ;Why did Paul write the words "pour out"? #q Paul wrote the words "[pour out](#g1632)" to show us that God generously provided the Holy Spirit for us through our Savior Jesus Christ. He wrote about the Holy Spirit as if he were a liquid that God pours out on us abundantly. #v6 #adv ### 7 ;[become heirs] ;Why did Paul call believers "heirs"? #q The Bible tells us that believers are God's children. Believers will permanently receive something from God as children receive land and possessions from their fathers. This is why the Bible says that God has an inheritance to give to his children. Like Christ, who always receives things from God, believers will possess the earth, God's kingdom, and eternal life. #v7 #adv #xr-mat5:3,7 #xr-act20:32 #xr-rom8:17 #xr-1co6:9 #xr-gal3:29 #xr-eph3:6 #dg-inherit #da-coheir ### 8 ;[trustworthy] ;What statement is trustworthy? #q When Paul wrote "this statement is trustworthy," he was writing about what he said in verses 4-7. #v8 ### 9 ;What did Paul warn against in this verse? #q Paul wrote that Christians should not get into arguments about Jewish rules and about things that happened in the past. Those kind of arguments do not do any good. Paul gave this same warning in chapter 1. #v9 #xr-tit1:10-16 #xr-1tim1:3-4 ### 10-11 ;How should Christian leaders correct believers who sin? #q In verses 10-11, Paul wrote that church leaders should warn people who quarrel. If the leaders do this, the believers will know that they must stop sinning. If these people repent, the leaders and the other believers must forgive them. If they do not repent, the leaders should reject them from the church so they will not cause more problems. #v10-11 #adv #xr-mat18:15-20 #da-church_discipline ### 10 ;[a divisive person] ;What sort of person was Paul warning against in this verse? #q Paul was talking about the kind of person who causes quarrels within the church. Such people say that non-Jewish believers must follow Jewish rules to make God happy. #v10 ### 12 ;[Artemas] ;Who was Artemas? #q Artemas worked with Paul, but we do not know any other things about him. The New Testament does not say anything else about him. #v12 ;[Tychicus] ;Who was Tychicus? #q Tychicus was a believer who worked with Paul. Paul trusted him. He was from the province of Asia, and he travelled with Paul on Paul's third journey to make new believers. #v12 #xr-act20:4 #xr-eph6:21 #xr-col4:7 ;[come to me] ;When did Paul want Titus to go to Nicopolis? #q When Paul wrote this letter, he was living in Nicopolis. Titus was living in Crete and working with the churches there. Artemus and Tychicus were going to Crete to replace Titus. When they arrived, Paul wanted Titus to leave Crete and come to Nicopolis, so they could be together. #v12 ;[Nicopolis] ;Where was Nicopolis? #q There were several cities with the name of Nicopolis. The one Paul was living in when he wrote to Titus was a city on the west coast of Greece. It had a port, and was about 300 kilometers northwest of Athens. #v12 #dm-greece ### 13-14 ;[do everything you can to help] ;What did Paul want Titus to do for Zenas and Apollos? #q Paul wanted Titus and the believers in Crete to give Zenas and Apollos all they would need to do their missionary work. #v13-14 ### 13 ;[Zenas the lawyer] ;Who was Zenas the lawyer? #q Titus 3:13 is the only place where the New Testament says something about Zenas. He probably helped Paul in his work. #v13 ;[Zenas the lawyer] ;Who was Zenas the lawyer? #q There are two reasons he might have been called a lawyer. 1) If Zenas was a Jewish believer, he was probably an expert in the law of Moses. 2) If Zenas was a Gentile believer, he was probably an expert in the law of Rome. #v13 #adv #da-law_of_moses ;[Apollos] ;Who was Apollos? #q Apollos was someone who worked with Paul. We do not know a lot about him. He was from Alexandria in Egypt. He was a Jewish believer who became a popular speaker and persuaded many people to believe in Jesus. #v13 #xr-act18:24-28 #xr-act19:1 #xr-1co1:12 #xr-1co3:4-6 #xr-1co16:12 #dm-mediterranean ### 15 ;[in the faith] ;What does "in the faith"mean? #q Pauls called people who are in the faith "believers." This means that they believe in Jesus. #v15
