The Book of Titus

I began studying the book of Titus this week in my Bible study. I admit I was skeptical. We are going to do six weeks on a three chapter book and our memory verse for the session is the one below? Thinking it was the only verse for the whole session, I found this a preposterously odd choice and decided I probably wouldn’t memorize it.

Titus 3:3
For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.

As I felt the darkness and oppression of these words, a picture took form in my mind. A picture of me as a prisoner shackled, each word another step down into the darkness, dirt and stale air of my underground cell.

For we were once…
Foolish,
         disobedient,
                    deceived,
                            enslaved…
         living in malice and hating one another…

What in the world are they thinking? I asked. Bible studies traditionally are crafted to inspire and encourage and they picked this verse? I read on to see what I was missing and quickly realized our memory verse was a passage of verses, not just the one. It was the ‘But When’, though, that captured me and blasted open my first picture.

3:4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us…

But when the kindness of God appeared…It was as if my shackles fell off and the prison walls crumbled around me and fresh air flooded my lungs as the Son rose before me…to save me!

He “But When’d” me!

I’ve been smiling all week as I consider all the BUT WHENs in my life. As I consider my hard times, I see now how they parallel the first verse. I feel the oppression of them BUT WHEN my Savior appears in my hard time, everything changes!

And! The passage gets better:

:5b He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy.”

He doesn’t save me because of what I did, I was stuck in a hole, but He saves me because of His mercy, kindness and love: these are the reverse steps up out of the hole.
                                                   Appear and save Me!
                                        Kindness
                                 Love
                      His Mercy

But there’s more!

3:5 He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 He poured out His Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Topside, He washes me clean and renews me and pours His Spirit on me Abundantly!

Why?
7 so that, having been justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.

Do you see it? He BUT WHENs SO THAT: we can become His Hope-Full Heirs instead of hopeless haters!

From the dark hopelessness of my malice and hate to a world of His kindness, mercy and love plus hope of a future!

What I thought I would not bother to memorize has, instead, consumed my thinking. I realize that He has been teaching me, though I didn’t have the words until now, to anticipate His “But When”!

If you can’t see it just yet, know He always appears with the purpose to transform and escort you through the difficulty and into His glorious light!

Lord! Bring on Your well crafted design of Titus and give us eyes to see Your ‘But When’s and ‘So that’s as You enlarge our vision of You.

Titus 3:3-7

3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.

4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
5 He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
6 He poured out His Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior
7 so that, having been justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.”

Amen,
AMRB
September, 2026