Titus 3:3 (KJV)

Passage

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Nearby Context

Titus 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

Titus 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Titus 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ourselves", "sometimes", "foolish", "disobedient", "deceived", "serving", "divers", and "lusts". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ourselves" and "sometimes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "To speak evil of no man to..." into verse 4's "But after that the kindness and love...", so "ourselves" and "sometimes" belong inside that flow. In Titus context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "ourselves" and "sometimes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.