Titus 3:1-2: Principalities, Powers, and Magistrates
2022-05-21
Titus 3:1
This chapter opens with “Put them in mind.” The “them” is identified in the previous chapter as those to whom Titus was ministering. He was to exhort them to good works and looking for the Lord’s return. In addition, Titus was to teach the people to be subject to the rulers. Principalities, powers, and magistrates were examples of these. The word for “principality” can mean “beginning,” “corner,” or “first.” From this, we can discern this principality would be a primary ruler. The word for “powers” can mean “authority,” “jurisdiction,” “liberty,” “right,” and “strength.” These seem to be lesser authorities that are subordinates to the principalities. These can be used as spiritual authorities, such as Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This is not what is meant here; rather, these are the governmental authorities that are ordained by God.
To obey these authorities, we are exhorted to do a few things, the first being “to be ready to every good work.” Consider Romans 13:1-7. The rulers of the world have authority delegated to them from God. They may often misuse that power, but they still do exist to punish wickedness and keep order in the world. No Christian wants to be charged as an evildoer because of testimony’s sake and conscience’s sake. “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same” (Romans 13:3). They aren’t looking for those who are doing good; they praise them because they do not have to waste their time with them! Also, we do not want to draw attention to ourselves. “...that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:2).
Titus 3:2
“To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers...” To speak evil is to blaspheme or abusively disparage in some way. We should not be looking to start fights or cruelly disparage others. There is a place for calling out leaders’ wickedness. Jesus said of Herod, “Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected” (Luke 13:32). Stephen said of the religious leaders, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Acts 7:51). We can truthfully call out sin, but there is a time and place. These are truthful assessments, and still there are not a lot of them out there.
On the contrary, generally we would be “gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.” This does not mean that we are weak and wimpy. It is controlled strength, speaking truthfully in love. It is humility. Think of Moses: “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). While he was standoffish about speaking in his early ministry, by this point in Numbers, we would not consider him timid.
The Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). He is referencing Psalm 37. Consider Psalm 37:9-13. The implication here is that the wicked control the earth now, but in the end, the meek will inherit the earth and rule it. Those who rely on the LORD inherit the earth, but it also says that the meek inherit the earth. Those who trust in the LORD are also meek. That is a characteristic of us, or so it should be. To trust in the LORD, one must be meek. You cannot trust in yourself and the LORD, for our strength will always impede His work in our lives. Being meek contrasts with being wicked, interestingly. “The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground” (Psalms 147:6).