Context at a Glance
Author:Traditional Attribution
Topic:titus Chapter 3 Study
This chapter provides a foundational look at the theological themes of titus, analyzed across multiple historic translations for maximum scholarly depth.
Titus 3
New Revised Standard Version
1Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,
2to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone.
3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another.
4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
5he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
6This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8The saying is sure. I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone.
9But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.
10After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions,
11since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self-condemned. Travel plans; concluding exhortation to good works
12When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.
13Make every effort to send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way, and see that they lack nothing.
14And let people learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive. Epistolary greetings and benediction
15All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all of you. PHILEMON
466PHILEMON Introduction This enigmatic text is a piece of the apostle Paul's business correspondence, a curious but intentional blend of personal and public appeal, addressed to three named recipients (Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus) and to the church that meets in one their houses (v. 2). The letters shows Paul's epistolary style at its very best, and employs some of his most subtle rhetoric to make a request of one of the recipients — probably Philemon, because he is the first named. The exact nature of the request, however, is the basis for the enigma that the epistle to Philemon represents. In order to interpret this brief epistle, one must reconstruct the situation it presupposes, but to do so the reader must largely depend upon the letter itself. Paul writes this letter while he is in prison (vv. 1, 9-10, but the precise location is not specified), where he has been joined by a person named Onesimus, whom, Paul recounts, he has converted to the gospel while there (v. 10). This Onesimus, who is the slave of Philemon, (v. 16), is the subject of the letter, and the object of Paul's appeal (v. 10). While the circumstances that led to Onesimus's encounter with Paul are not described in the letter itself, two quite different possibilities suggest themselves: Either Onesimus ran away from his master, perhaps after causing him some financial loss (vv. 15, 18), or Onesimus was sent by his owner to serve Paul in prison (v. 13), much like Epaphroditus appears to have been sent to Paul in prison by the Philippians (Phil 2.25-30). The advantage of the latter possibility is that it explains how Onesimus came to be in prison with Paul, whereas the former option must explain why a slave would run away to a prison, though this can perhaps be overcome by the suggestion that Onesimus, according to legal precedent, sought out a friend of his master's to act as an intermediary for himself. The precise occasion of the letter is the moment of Paul's sending Onesimus back to his master PHILEMON
467(v. 12). The letter is intended to accompany Onesimus and register a plea on his behalf (v. 10). What exactly is Paul asking Philemon to do? Because Paul formulates his request for Onesimus in intentionally vague and suggestively persuasive terms, a certain judgment is hard to make. Readers should try out at least three possible interpretations: (1) Paul is asking Philemon to receive Onesimus back into service and forgive his transgressions, whatever they might have been (vv. 17-18); (2) Paul is primarily asking Philemon to send Onesimus back to him to continue to serve his physical needs while in prison (vv. 13-14); (3) Paul is strongly hinting that Philemon should not only receive Onesimus back, but free him (vv. 16, 21). Each of these options has some grounding in the text, and the choice of which the reader adopts depends upon which verses are thought to be the highlight of the argument, and upon how one assesses Paul's tone at various points. One thing, however, is certain about this letter: Paul engages in full-strength armtwisting of Philemon to do his "good deed" (v. 14). But the final decision of what to do is left up to Philemon himself to decide — in the context of a range of onlookers among his fellow Christians! One of the most remarkable things about this letter is that it was preserved at all, and ultimately incorporated in the canonical collection of Paul's letters, which perhaps gives us a hint about Philemon's ultimate decision. This letter has played a key role in the history of Christian social ethics disproportionate to its length. The adequacy of Paul's attitude and actions toward the institution of slavery, both in his context and as a legacy for Christian social thought, continues to be debated. The structure of Philemon is neatly exact. After the epistolary salutation (vv. 1-3) and thanksgiving (vv. 4-7), which praise Philemon for his past benefactions, in the epistolary body (vv. 8-22) Paul makes a fresh request for the present situation involving Onesimus through various forms of subtle and overt appeal, ending with a forecast of his impending visit. He closes the letter with epistolary greetings from missionary coworkers that accent the public arena of Philemon's decision. PHILEMON 468