Titus 3:8

Faithful is the saying, and concerning these things I desire that thou affirm confidently, to the end that they who have believed God may be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men:

Faithful is the saying... This is not a formula for introducing either a hymn or a proverb, despite the widespread prejudice to that effect. See under 2 Timothy 2:13, above. This is merely Paul's equivalent of the "Amen, Amen" sometimes used by Jesus.

Scholars cannot agree upon whether it should be applied here to what precedes, or what comes after. Many refer it to the epic pronouncement in Titus 3:5-7; but Hervey was sure that:

Here the faithful saying can only be the following maxim: "That they which have believed in God may be careful to maintain good works," the words, "these things I desire that thou affirm confidently" being parenthetically added to give more weight to it.[23]

Scholars who insist upon applying it to the foregoing "affirm that it is ungrammatical to refer it to the following." But as Conybeare said, "This objection is avoided by taking `that' as a part of the quotation,"[24] as Hervey did, above. Perhaps the biggest objection to construing it as a reference to the preceding is that there is no agreement on "what part" of the preceding is meant. The viewpoint of this writer is that it refers generally . to all Paul was writing.

Maintain good works... The allegation that this means "pursue honest occupations," while true enough in principle, is not what Paul said here. White pointed out that throughout the New Testament, the terms used here "mean good works in the religious or moral sense."[25]

[23] A. C. Hervey, Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 21, Titus (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 45.

[24] J. W. Conybeare, Life and Epistles of St. Paul (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1966), p. 762.

[25] Newport J. D. White, op. cit., p. 200.