1. first, he admonishes Titus to instruct others to resist heretics

1. first, he advises Titus to ordain bishops to resist heretics

2. second, why this is necessary, at for there also many

2. second, he teaches how they are to be resisted and what he should do, at but speak the things

1. first, he proposes a general plan

2. second, he breaks it down to its details, at that the aged men

1. first, he proposes a sound doctrine against perverse living

1. first, he instructs different classes of people

1. first, he shows how to instruct free men

1. first, he shows how to instruct men by word

1. first, he shows how the old should be instructed

1. first, he shows how to instruct old men

2. second, old women, at the aged women

2. second, the young at exhort young men

2. second, by example, at in all things show

2. second, how to instruct slaves, at exhort servants

1. first, he does this

1. first, he urges servants to be subject

2. second, he determines the limits of subjection, at in all things pleasing

3. third, he shows why this advice is necessary, at that they may adorn

2. second, he gives the full reason for all he has said, explaining what he means by a good life, at for the grace of God

1. first, he mentions the grace and doctrine of Christ

1. first, he states that grace has appeared

1. first, it should be noted that grace implies mercy

1. first, because grace is of that which is freely granted; and what is freely granted is conferred out of mercy

2. second, moreover, mercy has always been present in God; yet for some time it was hidden to men

1. first, O Lord, your mercy is in heaven (Ps 35:6)

2. second, for before Christ’s coming, all men, no matter how holy, were under condemnation, but in Christ the Son of God assuming flesh, the grace of God our Savior has appeared

1. first, and evidently great is the mystery of godliness, which was manifested in the flesh (1 Tim 3:16)

2. second, you that sit upon the cherubims, shine forth (Ps 79:2)

3. third, but the more powerful a person is, the more his grace is desired; hence, God’s grace must be desirable; and this is why he says the grace of God

1. first, and this is given for our salvation; hence he says, our Savior

2. second, my salvation shall be for ever (Isa 51:6)

3. third, but this grace is not offered only to the Jewish people alone, as formerly, but to all men

1. first, and all flesh shall see together that the mouth of the Lord has spoken (Isa 40:5)

2. second, all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God (Isa 52:10)

3. third, God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved (1 Tim 2:4)

2. second, we might say that in Christ's birth, this grace appeared in two ways

1. first, because Christ has been given as God's greatest gift

1. first, hence his conception, although it was a work of the entire Trinity, is attributed particularly to the Holy Spirit, who is the giver and source of all graces

2. second, and this grace appeared to all men but especially to the man Christ: full of grace and truth (John 1:14)

2. second, it appeared as an instruction to the human race, because before the coming of Christ, the world languished in ignorance and heresy

1. first, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light (Isa 9:2)

2. second, and this grace appeared to all men but especially to the man Christ, hence he says, instructing us, as a father instructs his son

2. second, its instruction, at instructing us

1. first, he shows how Christ instructed us in regard to good works, at denying ungodliness and worldly desires

1. first, because all sins are involved with one of two things

1. first, either with matter directly against God, and are therefore sins of ungodliness

1. first, for godliness, or piety, is a virtue which inclines us to show proper respect toward parents and fatherland

2. second, but because God is our principle Father, godliness consists in paying worship to God

3. third, consequently, sins against God are called acts of ungodliness, where ungodliness refers to idolatry

2. second, or sins consist in misusing temporal things, and these sins are worldly desires

1. first, but a world is a span of time that measures how long things exist

2. second, hence by worldly is meant secular things and all sins committed against our neighbor, or against things by misusing them

2. second, he indicates what good we should do, at live soberly

1. first, in relation to ourselves, he says soberly

2. second, in relation to our neighbor, he says justly

3. third, in relation to God, he says godly

2. second, in regard to a right intention, he instructs them about the end, which consists in two things, at looking for the blessed hope

1. first, in the soul's glory after death, at looking for the blessed hope

2. second, and in the body's glory at Christ's coming, at and coming of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ

3. third, its operation, at who gave himself

1. first, he shows the benefits derived from the grace of his passion

2. second, the fruit of his passion, which is deliverance and sanctification, at that he might redeem us

1. first, deliverance, at redeem us from all iniquity

2. second, sanctification unto good is mentioned, at and might cleanse for himself a people

2. second, he urges him to preach grace, at these things speak

1. first, he exhorts him to preach

2. second, he describes the way he should preach, at with all authority

1. first, because he speaks as an instrument and minister of God, and therefore with confidence in God's authority

2. second, yet when he exhorts, he must sometimes entreat, considering his own weakness

3. third, at other times, he must speak with authority, considering the authority entrusted to him

4. fourth, or, with gentleness to the good and with authority to the obstinate

2. second, he gives general admonitions to for all people in general, at admonish them to be subject

1. first, he gives the admonitions to them

1. first, he teaches how to behave toward superiors

1. first, he points out that subjects owe a debt of reverence to superiors

2. second, that they should obey their commands, at to obey at a word

2. second, toward equals, at to speak evil of no man

2. second, he gives the reason for them, and especially the last piece of advice, namely, that they be meek; for someone could say: how are we to be meek to unbelievers and to the wicked? for we cannot do this; he answers: consider what you once were, consequently, the best remedy against anger is to consider one’s own weakness, at for we ourselves

1. first, he reminds them of their former state

1. first, he reminds them of their former intellectual weakness

2. second, their affective weaknesses, at slaves to diverse desires

2. second, he shows how they are able to arrive at the state of perfection, at but when the benignity

1. first, first he describes its order and process

1. first, he shows the cause of our salvation

1. first, the cause of our salvation is God’s love: but God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (Eph 2:4)

2. second, this charity is described, first, in its intensity; second, in its effect

1. first, the inward intensity of charity is designated by benignity, which is from bonus, which means good, and ignis, which means fire

1. first, now fire signifies love: love is strong as death, its flashes are flashes of fire (Song 8:6)

2. second, therefore, benignity is an internal love, which expresses itself outwardly in good works

3. third, now this love was present in God from all eternity, because his love is the cause of all things: he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (Joel 2:13)

2. second, in its effect

1. first, but this love is not always visible: where are your zeal and your might? The yearning of your heart and your compassion are withehld from me (Isa 63:15).

2. second, but its effect appears; and this is designated when he says, humanity, which can be understood in two ways

1. first, in one way, as signifying the human nature

1. first, as if to say: the benignity and humanity of God our Savior appeared when God was made man out of benignity

2. second, being born in the likeness of men (Phil 2:7)

3. third, you crown the year with your bounty (Ps 65:11)

2. second, or, as signifying the strength which consists in publicly coming to the aid of others in their weakness

1. first, hence it is a human thing to condescend: the natives showed us unusual kindness (Acts 28:2)

2. second, but God condescended to our weakness: he knows our frame (Ps 103:14)

3. third, and this of God our Savior, because the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord (Ps 37:39)

2. second, the reason he saves, at not by the works of justice

1. first, he rejects the supposed reason

1. first, the supposed reason is that we are saved because of our own merits

2. second, but he rejects this when he says, not by the works of justice which we have done

1. first, there is a remnant chosen by grace (Rom 11:5)

2. second, not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going to possess their land (Deut 9:5)

2. second, he mentions the true reason, but the true reason is God’s mercy alone; hence he says, but according to his mercy

1. first, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases (Lam 3:22)

2. second, his mercy in on those who fear him from generation to generation (Luke 1:50)

3. third, the method by which he saves us is through baptism

1. first, he describes it

1. first, he says, therefore: by the washing, i.e., we are saved by a spiritual washing: having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word of life (Eph 5:26)

2. second, there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness (Zech 13:1)

2. second, he mentions its effect, at of regeneration and renovation

1. first, to understand this it should be noted that man lacked two things in the state of perdition, and both were restored by Christ

1. first, namely, participation in the divine nature

2. second, and the laying aside of his oldness

2. second, more on these two things

1. first, for he had been separated from God: your iniquities made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you so that he does not hear (Isa 59:2)

2. second, and he had grown old: you are growing old in a foreign country (Bar 3:11)

3. third, how these are repaired

1. first, but the first, namely, participation in the divine nature, we attain through Christ: that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet 1:4)

1. first, this new nature, however, is acquired only by a rebirth, regeneration

2. second, yet this nature is given in such a way as to become ours, and thus it is superadded

1. first, for we participate in the divine nature without ceasing to be men

2. second, you must be born anew (John 3:7)

3. third, of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth (Jas 1:18)

2. second, through Christ he has also put off the oldness of sin and received in return an integral nature

1. first, and this is called a renovation

2. second, be renewed in the spirit of your minds (Eph 4:23)

3. third, its cause

1. first, but what power can cause the heart to be cleansed?

1. first, the power that comes from the holy and undivided Trinity: in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19)

1. first, hence at Christ’s baptism were present the Father in the voice, the Son in the flesh, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove

2. second, hence he says, of the Holy Spirit, i.e., which the Holy Spirit accomplishes: you shall send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created: and you shall renew the face of the earth (Ps 104:30)

2. second, again, there is the regeneration through the Spirit

1. first, and because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father (Gal 4:6)

2. second, for you have not received the spirit of slavery again in fear: but you have received the Spirit of adoption of sons, in whom we cry: Abba, Father (Rom 8:15)

2. second, but God the Father gives this Spirit, whom he has poured forth upon us abundantly, that he may describe an abundance of grace in baptism; hence there comes about the full remission of sins

1. first, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 3:1)

2. second, I will pour out my Spirit upon your seed (Isa 44:3)

3. third, and on account of different gifts of grace: who gives to all men abundantly and does not upbraid (Jas 1:5)

3. third, this, too, is given through Jesus Christ

1. first, the Paraclete . . . I will send him to you (John 16:7)

2. second, for in Christ we find two natures, and it pertains to both that Christ give the Holy Spirit

1. first, it pertains to the divine nature, which is the Word, from which, as also from the Father, the Spirit proceeds as love. Now love in us proceeds from a conception of the heart, whose conception is the word

2. second, it pertains to the human nature, because Christ receives the Spirit’s highest fullness, in such a way that from him it streams forth unto others: full of grace and truth (John 1:14)

3. third, and a little after: and of his fullness we have all received, grace unto grace (John 1:16)

1. first, for it is not by measure that God gives the Spirit; the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand (John 3:34)

2. second, and therefore baptism and the other sacraments have no efficacy except by virtue of the humanity and passion of Christ

4. fourth, the end, and the goal of our salvation is the participation of eternal life, at that, being justified

1. first, now, justified is the same as that which he previously called regeneration; in the justification of the unbelieving there are two endpoints

1. first, namely, that from which, which is the remission of guilt, and this is renewal

2. second, and that toward which, which is the infusion of grace, and this pertains to regeneration

2. second, therefore he says, thus the Word was made flesh, that, being justified, i.e., renewed by grace, because justification does not come about without grace

3. third, but could God remit sin without infusing grace?

1. first, it seems he could, because from the beginning he had the power to create man without grace and without guilt

2. second, but I answer

1. first, that the case of man guilty of no offense is one thing, because he can exist without grace and without sin

2. second, but the case of man after sin is different, for it is such that he cannot live without being hated or loved

3. third, if he is loved by God, he should love in return

1. first, and if he loves, it is because he has received grace, because he cannot love without grace

2. second, and this makes him an heir: to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you (1 Pet 1:4)

1. first, he is an heir of life everlasting: the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage (Ps 16:6)

2. second, but how heirs? according to hope, because the hope for this life is already in us: let us rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God (Rom 5:2)

2. second, he confirms what he has said, at it is a faithful saying

1. first, he corroborates what he said about our salvation and hope

2. second, as if to say: this saying is trustworthy: these words are trustworthy and true (Rev 22:6)

3. third, he exhorts Titus to insist on these things, at and these things

2. second, against heretics and errors, at but avoid foolish questions