The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to
TITUS
He had to be. Much of his work, like the apostle Paul’s, was dangerous, unpopular, difficult, and tiring. It involved travelling, introducing strangers to new ideas, constantly making new friends, consistently battling new enemies, and even deflecting threats on one’s life. The number of people who could share such a load was small, but the early church desperately needed them. Not just anyone could start and maintain a new church in a hostile world. Yet Titus rose to the challenge.
The believers in Crete lacked leadership and were suffering as a result. False teachers were taking advantage of the absence of sound doctrine. Judging from Paul’s exhortations, the harmony and morals of the young congregation were disrupted. Paul relied on Titus to help them establish their leadership and make up their other deficits. Their struggles are repeated in every age, and this letter is as relevant today as it was to Titus.
Author and Date
This letter says it was written by the apostle Paul (1:1), and there is little reason to doubt that he wrote it. Although some scholars have raised objections in the last two hundred years, these objections rest mainly on the assumption that Paul died at the end of the imprisonment described in Act 28 and did not make the journey implied in the letter to Timothy and Titus. The historical details within Titus itself give us no reason to abandon the tradition view that Paul wrote this letter. Because of the arguments against Pauline authorship are the same ones suggested against the Pastory Epistles in general.
It seems that Paul wrote Titus some time between his two Roman imprisonments, between A.D. 62 and 65. Tradition holds that Titus was written shortly after First Timothy, around A.D, 63.
Historical background
Crete is a large island, approximately 160 miles long and 35 miles wide, in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is located 100 miles southeast of Greece. The Cretans developed a relatively prosperous agriculture and trading economy, creating one of the best-known business centers of the ancient world. Such prosperity also fostered a great deal of excess. In 1:12, Paul quotes the Greek poet Epimenides, who wrote “Cretans are always liars, evils beasts, lazy gluttons.”
Paul may have planted a church on the island of Crete during a missionary trip after his first imprisonment in Rome, which ended about A.D. 62. When Paul departed from Crete, he left Titus behind to “set in order the things that [were] lacking” in the church (1:5).
Titus is mentioned numerous of times in the New Testament as one of Paul’s most trusted assistants. He was a Greek and was converted by Paul (See Galatians 2:3). He assisted the apostle on some of his missionary journeys (See 2 Corinthians 7:6, 8:6, 16) and went with him to the Jerusalem council (See Acts 15:2; Galatians 2:-3). Paul mentioned Titus several times in Second Corinthians (See 2 Corinthians 2:13; 7:6, 13, 14, 8:6, 16, 23; 2:18)
Theology
Although Titus contains only forty-six (46) verses, it covers a wide range of tropics. It is a key New Testament book for church organization, with its guidelines for elders, pastors, and other believers. Furthermore, it contains one of the clearest statements about God’s grace in all of the New Testament (2:11-14; 3:3-7). It explicates the significance of Christ’s first (2:11) and second comings (2:13). The book contributes to our understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation and the Christian life (3:5). But it is known most for its practical instruction about the roles of men women, and servants (2:2-10) and its instruction for dealing with false teaching (1:9-16; 2:1, 7, 8, 12, 15; 3:2, 8-11, 14). A church needs organization, sound doctrine, and good teaching to survive. In this letter, Paul gives Titus a succinct overview and how to lead a church.
Theme
Whereas the letters to Timothy emphasize sound doctrine, the letter to Titus emphasizes good works (1:16; 2:7, 14; 3:1, 5, 8, 14). There were influential people in the church who were motivated by personal interest and selfish gain (1:11). In his letter, Paul exposes the ways this was affecting the doctrine (1:11) and practice (1:16) of the church and urges Titus to champion purity, service, and kindness toward others (2:11-15; 3:3-7). Paul reminds Titus that salvation is not based on our own “works of righteousness” (3:5) but rather is the result of God’s work of kindness and love toward us (3:4). We are unable to do good works in our disobedient and selfish state (3:3). Salvation in Chris frees us to do good works, and the “washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (3:5) enables us.
God wants His people to devote themselves to doing good works (2:11, 12; 3:, 8, 14). Older men (2:2), Older women (2:3), young women (2:4, 5), young men (2:6-8), and servants (2:9-10) should “adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things” (2:10). In his letter, Paul exhorts the believers at Crete to display the testimony of good works to outsiders (2:11, 12; 3:1, 8, 14). While good works are a Christian duty, they are also a gift from God. Through justification in Christ (3:7), God declares us righteous. We must have this legal standing in order to qualify before God to do good works. Redemption (2:14) removes us from the jurisdiction of Satan by paying the debt incurred by our sins. At the same time, it places us in the family of God so that we might be “His own special people, zealous for good works” (2:14).
Titus Outline
1. Greetings 1:1-4
2. The character of the elders and the Cretans 1:5-16
a. The Character of the elders 1:5-9
b. The Character of the Cretan false teachers 1:10-16
3. God’s grace displayed within the church 2:1-0
a. The duty of Titus to teach sound doctrine 2:1
b. Instructions for various age groups 2:2-6
c. The personal example of Titus 2:7-8
d. An exhortation to slaves 2:9, 10
4. God’s grace displayed to all humanity 2:11-3:11
a. Instructions based on God’s Grace 2:11-14
b. Restatement of Titus’ Duties 2:15
c. Display of good works 3:1-11
5. Farewell instructions 3:12-15
Theme
Whereas the letters to Timothy emphasize sound doctrine, the letter to Titus emphasizes good works (1:16; 2:7, 14; 3:1, 5, 8, 14). There were influential people in the church who were motivated by personal interest and selfish gain (1:11). In his letter, Paul exposes the ways this was affecting the doctrine (1:11) and practice (1:16) of the church and urges Titus to champion purity, service, and kindness toward others (2:11-15; 3:3-7). Paul reminds Titus that salvation is not based on our own “works of righteousness” (3:5) but rather is the result of God’s work of kindness and love toward us (3:4). We are unable to do good works in our disobedient and selfish state (3:3). Salvation in Chris frees us to do good works, and the “washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (3:5) enables us.
God wants His people to devote themselves to doing good works (2:11, 12; 3:, 8, 14). Older men (2:2), Older women (2:3), young women (2:4, 5), young men (2:6-8), and servants (2:9-10) should “adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things” (2:10). In his letter, Paul exhorts the believers at Crete to display the testimony of good works to outsiders (2:11, 12; 3:1, 8, 14). While good works are a Christian duty, they are also a gift from God. Through justification in Christ (3:7), God declares us righteous. We must have this legal standing in order to qualify before God to do good works. Redemption (2:14) removes us from the jurisdiction of Satan by paying the debt incurred by our sins. At the same time, it places us in the family of God so that we might be “His own special people, zealous for good works” (2:14).
Titus Outline
1. Greetings 1:1-4
2. The character of the elders and the Cretans 1:5-16
a. The Character of the elders 1:5-9
b. The Character of the Cretan false teachers 1:10-16
3. God’s grace displayed within the church 2:1-0
a. The duty of Titus to teach sound doctrine 2:1
b. Instructions for various age groups 2:2-6
c. The personal example of Titus 2:7-8
d. An exhortation to slaves 2:9, 10
4. God’s grace displayed to all humanity 2:11-3:11
a. Instructions based on God’s Grace 2:11-14
b. Restatement of Titus’ Duties 2:15
c. Display of good works 3:1-11
5. Farewell instructions 3:12-15
