"Point man," "Pinch hitter,"
"clutch player," "go getter." These terms describe a person
who can be counted on, someone who knows what to do and how to do it and who
works tirelessly to get it done. Titus was that kind of person.
He had to be. Much of his work, like the apostle Paul's,
was dangerous, unpopular, difficult and tiring. It involved traveling, introducing
strangers to new ideas, constantly making new friends, constantly 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 Acts 28 and did not make the journey implied in the
letter to Timothy and Titus. The historical details within Titus itself gives
us no reason to abandon the traditional view that Paul wrote this letter.
Because the arguments against Pauline authorship are the same ones against the Pastoral
Epistles in general, see the Introduction of First Timothy for more information.
It seems that Paul wrote Titus sometime between his two
Roman imprisonments , between 62 A.D and 65 A.D. Tradition holds that Titus was
written shortly after First Timothy, around 63 A.D.
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 trading centers of the
ancient world. Such prosperity also fostered a great deal of excess. In 1:12, Paul quotes the Greek poet Epimendides, who wrote
"Cretans are always liars, evil 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 62 A.D. 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 times in the New Testament as
one of Paul's most trusted assistants. He was a Greek and was converted by Paul
(Galatians 2:3). He assisted Paul on some of his missionary journeys (2
Corinthians 7:6-7; 8:6, 16) and went with him to the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:2; Galatians 2:1-3). Paul mentioned
Titus several times in Second Corinthians (2 Corinthians 2:13; 7:6, 13, 14; 8:6, 16, 23; 12:18). Titus carried the letter to Corinth. While at Corinth, Titus was entrusted with collecting funds from the
Corinthian church. Later Titus went to Dalmatia at Paul's request (2 Timothy 4:10).
Early church tradition says that Titus returned to Crete
and spent the remainder of his life there.
Theology: Although Titus only contains forty-six verses, it
covers a wide range of topics. It is a key New Testament book for church
organization, with 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 with salvation and the Christian life (3:5). But it is
known most for its practical 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 on 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 is rather a result of God's work of kindness and love
toward us (3:4). We are unable to do good works in our selfish and disobedient
state (3:3). Salvation in Christ frees us to do good works, and the
"washing and 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; 3:1, 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 Savior 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 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).