Titus Study #3

“How to Spot Smoke-Blowers and Snake-Oil Salesmen”

Titus 1:10-16; 2:1

Study #3 in Titus Series

 

INTRODUCTION: 

Satan is a counterfeiter. He fakes whatever God does and twists whatever God says. He is most effective when he comes up with something really close to the original. One of his best techniques is to mix lies in with the truth (i.e., adulterating the Word of God, 2 Corinthians 4:2, like putting one tiny drop of strychnine into a glass of cool, fresh water). He has been doing this from the beginning.

·       Jesus repeatedly tangled with the Pharisees over their flawed OT interpretations

·       Paul debated the Gnostics and Judaizers, combating their heresies

·       We fend off the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other cults who twist God’s Word

 

Truth is powerful and compelling, with a strong flavor. The poison can easily be slipped in behind it so that it is not detected, the way poisoners slip antifreeze into a sweet drink, or politicians slip “pork” into nearly every House and Senate bill. It just slides through without people even noticing. 

 

TRANSITION: 

In this letter Paul advises Titus on what to watch out for with those who were stirring up trouble in the Christian churches on the Island of Crete. This comes in the flow of thought coming out of verse 9, that a leader of the church must “be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”

 

NOTES on the Text:

Verses 10-11: For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, ¹¹ who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.  

·       Note: There were “many” of these kinds of men in the churches in Crete. 

·       CHARACTER: What were they like?

Ø  “Rebellious men” = undisciplined, unruly; like disloyal soldiers who refuse to obey the word of command.

ü  They refused to accept the guidance of the leadership of the church.

ü  They refused to accept the teachings of the church.

ü  They refused to accept the control of the church.

Ø  “Empty talkers” = vain, profitless, producing nothing of value.

ü  They could talk glibly and fluently about religion but could not bring people closer to God.

ü  N.B. Being “spiritual” counts for nothing.

Ø  “Deceivers” = (lit. mind-deceivers)

ü  Instead of leading men to the Truth, they led them away from the Truth, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons of today who go from house to house selling magazines and offering “Bible studies.”

·       “…especially those of the circumcision”

Ø  Paul here refers to the people known as “Judaizers,” a 1^st Century cult that mixed Christian teaching, Greek Gnosticism, and Pharisaical Judaism.

Ø  They professed to be Christians but denied many of the fundamental truths.

Ø  They taught that Christ’s death on the cross was not sufficient to pay for all our sin. = Heresy! (N.B. Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others teach this.)

Ø  They taught that grace alone cannot save = Heresy! Any group or any preacher that tries to persuade people that they need more than Christ and more than grace to be saved is a CULT!

Ø  They thought that Paul’s message was too simple and too good to be true. They wanted to intellectualize everything (the Gnostic influence).

Ø  Paul had much to say about these people because they were showing up everywhere. (cf. Colossians, Galatians, and 1 John)

Ø  cf. verse 14 – They were teaching “Jewish myths” as though they were the Gospel truth. They were teaching the “oral traditions” that Jesus condemned in Mark 7:1-13. Paul accused them of teaching the commandments of men rather than those of God.

Ø  In doing this they had hundreds of rules and regulations about everything: clean vs unclean, circumcision, sabbath keeping, etc. 

·       ACTIONS: What were they doing? 

Ø  Paul says they were “upsetting whole families” (οἴκους, i.e., households) – Their teaching was fundamentally upsetting by its very nature. Teaching that ends in doubts, confusion, and questionings is BAD TEACHING. In GOOD TEACHING, outside of the mental disturbance which truth so often causes, there should come in the end a greater certainty than ever. A good and noble teacher seeks to shed light on the truth, not to obscure it or twist it for his own purposes.

Ø  “Teaching things they should not teach” – Not only was their teaching upsetting, but it was also just plain wrong! The truth can be upsetting enough without mixing in a bunch of rubbish.

·       MOTIVES: Why did they do what they did?

Ø  Cf. Verse 11 – “…for the sake of sordid gain.”

Ø  They were in it for what they could get out of it. Beware of information peddlers offering high-priced seminars to “help” you do anything. These guys were more concerned about what they could get out of the people, than what they could put into them. 

 

Question: What is the relationship between Character, Actions, and Motives? 

Answer: Your character is defined by your motivations; but your character is displayed by your actions.

 

Or in other words, the things that motivate you will shape your character, which in turn will be revealed by the things you do and the choices that you make. 

 

So, Paul’s conclusion in verse 11 is that these troublemakers “must be silenced” (lit. “whose mouths must be muzzled or stopped). N.B. The best way to combat false teaching is to offer the truth in such a way that people can see it clearly and act upon it. (cf. Matthew 5:16; 2 Cor. 4:4ff)

 

Verse 12: One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

·       Cretans had a bad reputation in the whole Roman Empire. Sometimes stereotypes are exaggerated but more often they have at least a grain of truth. In this verse Paul quotes Epimenides of Knossos, a Cretan poet and philosopher who lived about 600 BC and was considered to be one of the 7 wisest men of Greece.

·       The common view was that Cretans were liars, gluttons, drunks, cruel, untrustworthy, greedy, and rude. (This was a common stereotype of the same order as that Blacks are all musical, Mexicans are lazy, Russians steal cars, Arabs will always cheat you, etc.)

·       The Greeks coined a verb, kretídzein, which in English would be something like “to Cretanize.” It meant to act like a Cretan and was invented as a word synonymous with “to deceive,” and “to lie.” It was used in the same way as another 1^st Century pejorative, corínthiazein, which in English would be “to corínthianize,” and meant to take part in sordid, debauched, and immoral behavior. They also had a well-known phrase, “…to play the Cretan with a Cretan” meaning to out-swindle a swindler.

 

Verses 13-14: This testimony is true. For this reason, reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, ¹⁴ not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

·       “This testimony is true.” Paul does not beat around the bush. Apparently, he had dealt with them enough to form a strong personal opinion, and it is obvious that even he did not have a very high view of the Cretans, but that is just the point. No one, no matter how bad they are or how misguided, is beyond the power of the Gospel and the help that Christ brings. Salvation transforms the very worst of men and turns them into true saints of God.

·       To this end Paul tells Titus to “reprove them sharply or severely” so that they will turn from their wicked, ignorant path and become “sound (i.e., healthy) in the faith” (cf. 2 Tim. 2:23-26). This is the goal of Biblical teaching (cf. Acts 26:18). God is in the business of Life Transformation, Character Development, and Attitude Adjustment.

·       “…not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the faith” – These were the same people Paul was talking about up in verse 10 (“…rebellious men, empty talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision”). The point of contention in the churches of Crete had to do with Jewish legalism. It was not centered on God’s Word, but on Jewish fables and the teachings of men who valued their own ideas and religious theories over the authoritative Word of God.

 

Verse 15: To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

·       Paul is referring to the Judaizers’ teachings about things clean and unclean, pure, and impure. Jesus taught about this in Mark 7:14-23. Here Paul echoes Christ’s words and says that the sin and impurity was within them, dirtying everything they touched (cf. Rom. 14:20).

·       “…but to those who are defiled and unbelieving” (lit. stained with dye) – N.B., A sick, impure heart and mind hears and sees impurity everywhere. A pure mind and heart see goodness, purity, and beauty. (e.g., Have you ever known someone who could turn any statement or any conversation into something dirty or sordid?)

·       Paul says, “…but both their mind (intellect) and their conscience (heart) are defiled” and therefore must be changed. Only God can do this! (cf. Rom. 12:1-2; Phil. 4:7-8) 

 

Verse 16: They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.

·       In verse 16 Paul tells how you can spot these Spiritual Smoke-Blowers and Religious Snake-oil Salesmen.

·       FIRST, with their mouths they profess loud and long that they know God. They are good talkers, BUT

·       SECOND, by their deeds they deny Him (i.e., disown Him). They are good talkers but rotten livers.

·       And in their sinful condition, they are...

1.    “detestable” = They are repulsive, ugly, an abomination. N.B. Sin is ugly to God and should be to us as well, especially when worn by a professing Christian.

2.    “disobedient” = They cannot obey the will of God. They have a darkened conscience and a twisted mind and everything they touch gets polluted. This is from God’s viewpoint.

3.    “…worthless for any good deed” = They are reprobates, and sinful men cannot do righteous deeds.

a.    Paul here uses the Greek adjective ἀδόκιμος (adókimos). In biblical usage it is translated as unapproved, i.e., rejected; by implication it is worthless (literally or morally), and thus castaway like rubbish.  

b.    The word is used to describe counterfeit coins that are below the standard weight and therefore pulled out of circulation.

c.     It is used for soldiers who run away in battle.

d.    It is used for rejected candidates for office.

e.    It is used for a stone that the masons rejected. It was marked with a capital alpha (Α) and thrown to the side as unfit for use because of some flaw.

 

Chapter 2, Verse 1: But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.

·       Strangely, all our versions group this verse into chapter two. However, I believe that is a mistake. You must remember that Paul wrote this as a letter with no chapter or verse divisions, and contextually, this verse fits better as the conclusion of Paul’s argument in Chapter 1 than it does as the introduction to Chapter 2.

·       “But as for you” – Paul expected something different from Titus than what these troublesome legalistic Judaizers were dishing out. Titus knew the Word, he knew the truth, and Paul encouraged him to take his stand on sound doctrine and godly living and to raise up leaders who would do the same.

 

CONCLUSION: 

If we are to be useful to God in any way, we must first be changed at the core of our being through the New Birth. Without that heart transplant we cannot do anything to please God! Our good works are as “filthy rags” to Him (Isaiah 64:6).

 

But even as Christians we need to take a hard look at our character, our motives, and our actions. Is your motivation pure and unselfish and godly? Is your character Christlike and mature? And are your actions Spirit-controlled? Only then can we truly please God and accomplish His will.

 

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A personal note to my readers:

I love producing these studies and putting them online. While I am no longer in active full-time ministry since retiring, I still teach a weekly community Bible study here in Eastern Oregon where we now live. These study notes are what I am teaching each week. My prayer is always that they will be helpful to people seeking to know the Bible better. At the end of every study there is a comment box for people to weigh in with observations or questions but almost no one ever does that. I do not know why. Over the past few months, the number of people who are accessing the blog has risen and I am curious about who you are, how you found me, and how you are using the studies. Are you mostly using them in your personal devotions, or as source material for your teaching or preaching? Any way you use them is fine with me. I am just happy that you are finding them helpful. Please tell me a little about yourself – where in the world you live, what your life is like, how you are growing as a Christ follower – things like that. My email address is nosliwekim88@gmail.com. May God pour out His richest blessings on you and your ones. Mike

Titus Study #2

“Building the Team”

Titus 1:5-9

Study #2 in Titus Series

INTRODUCTION:

Christian ministry is a team endeavor. It has been from the very beginning. Jesus hand-picked 12 men to be with Him and to become His apostles. He spent three years with them, teaching them, training them, and equipping them for a lifetime of ministry. Later He had a team of 70 that He sent out 2 by 2 to preach the Good News, to heal the sick, and to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Paul also was seldom alone because he understood that a team approach to ministry is the most effective strategy. He teamed up with Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Titus, Aquila and Priscilla, Luke, Epaphroditus, and many others over the years. They worked together, prayed together, suffered together, and rejoiced together.

In our text for this study, we hear Paul telling Titus that he needs to build a team of fellow workers to continue and advance the church-planting ministry in Crete. 

TRANSITION:

To get us back up to speed, let’s review the first four verses of Titus just to refresh our minds.

Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth, which is according to godliness, ² in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, ³ but at the proper time manifested, even His Word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior, ⁴ To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

NOTES on the Text:

Now look at Verse 5: For this reason, I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,

·       So, in this verse Paul reminds Titus of the two (2) reasons why he left him in Crete:

1.    “That you would set in order what remains” – Paul and Titus working together had started the work in Crete. They had gotten things up and running. People had come to faith in Christ in several of the towns, and they were meeting together regularly for prayer, for the study of the Word, for fellowship, and for the breaking of bread (Communion). These were Christian congregations. But they were all made up of baby Christians, people very new in the faith. They needed to be instructed in the things of God, to be discipled, and to become grounded in the truth. So, Paul left Titus in Crete to carry on the work that had been started. He did the very same thing with Timothy in Ephesus. Paul was primarily a church planter and a traveling evangelist. He was very good at getting new congregations started. But churches also need pastors and teachers and capable lay leaders who will be there for the long-haul. Who better to do that in Crete than Titus, one of the founders of the ministry, a man already known, loved, and trusted.

2.    “…and appoint elders in every city as I directed you.” This tells us several things: First, there was more than one Christian congregation in Crete. Evidently the Gospel had spread very effectively so that groups of Christians were now meeting in many towns and villages. And each of those groups needed and deserved to have godly, well-trained leaders. But how do you get those kinds of leaders? That’s the second thing—You must raise them up, train them, and then appoint them. You must apply 2 Timothy 2:2 in which Paul tells Timothy: “And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” So, in the same way that Paul had discipled, trained, and appointed Timothy and Titus, they in turn now must find, train, and appoint others to carry on the same ministry in these new little churches that were springing up everywhere. The third thing I see in this phrase is the word “elders.” Notice that the word is plural, not singular. The model we see in the New Testament is a plurality of elders working together, leading the church. But what kind of men are those exactly? 

Let’s take a little side trip for a couple of minutes. Then we will come back to Titus.

The English word “elder” that we find here in verse 6 is the Greek word presbúteros. This was a common and well-established Jewish concept in Paul’s time.

·       The Jews had elders from way back when Moses chose 70 men to help him rule Israel (cf. Numbers 11:16). Over time this group came to be known as “the Sanhedrin.” Men were chosen to be a part of the Sanhedrin based on their knowledge of Scriptures as well as their personal dignity and maturity.

·       Moreover, every synagogue had elders. They were seen as the leaders of the Jewish community.

·       The presiding body of the Spartans was the Gerousía, from the Greek word géros, or “old man,” (n.b. our word “geriatric”) thus, a board of the older men.

·       The Latin word senex means “a wise old man.” The Roman Senate was so named because it was the “assembly of wise old men” i.e., the elders.

·       In England the term used was “aldermen” which means older men.

·       Egyptian villages were overseen by the village elders.

·       In all these cases, the emphasis is on the experience and age of the person and on his character.

Besides the word presbúteros, the Bible uses another word to describe those who lead the church. It is a synonym. Paul uses it in verse 7 to refer to the very same person and the very same office. It is the word “overseer” and sometimes translated by the word “bishop.” It is the Greek word, epíscopos (from epi = over, plus scópos, to see, to look, or to examine.)

·       This word is used of masters, managers, and foremen.

·       It is sometimes used of commissioners and magistrates.

·       The emphasis is on the person’s work and job description.

·       It points to the function and the office of the person rather than to their character.

God calls and gifts all Christians for service, and He expects all of us to grow to maturity in Christ. However, some, like cream, rise to the surface demonstrating not only godly character and spiritual wisdom, but also the ability to lead others. After careful examination and evaluation these are publicly elevated to positions of authority in the Body of Christ.

1.    This involves being officially and formally set apart unto ministry, i.e., ordination.

2.    This, only after the candidate has undergone a period of testing (1 Tim. 3:10).

3.    He is to be paid a fair wage for his work so that he is free to serve the church (1 Tim. 5:18).

4.    He is liable to censure and removal if he falls into sin (1 Tim. 5:19-22).

5.    He has the duty of presiding over the assembly and teaching the congregation (1 Tim. 5:17).

6.    He is not to be a recent convert but a proven man with some spiritual miles on him.

Now let’s drop back into our text. Look at Titus1:6.

Verse 6: …namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion.

·       In this verse Paul lays out five (5) Social and Domestic Qualifications for an “elder.”

1.    “…is above reproach” – This means unaccused and unaccusable, with nothing laid to his charge, blameless, above criticisms or accusations, past or present. The Greek word is anégklētos (ἀνέγκλητος), and is the same word used in 1 Tim. 3:10 in the same context.

2.    “…the husband of one wife” – This verse gets on the nerves of our enlightened left-leaning feminist sisters because the Scripture affirms not only here but in several other texts as well, that the primary leadership role in the local church is reserved for certain specially qualified males. Not only are they to be males but married men with children if possible. That was the norm for local church leaders in the Early Church. In this modern egalitarian age, many people view this restriction as an outdated standard that should be changed, but I believe there are good reasons to stick with the practice, which we will discuss more later.

3.    “…having children who believe” – In other words, children who have trusted in Christ, who are in the Faith. This is not, and has never been, a hard and fast rule because once young people reach adulthood their parents no longer have any authoritative influence over them. But still, Christian leaders with believing children is still the template, and what we should be aiming for.

4.    “…not accused of dissipation” – Here Paul uses the Greek word asōtía (ἀσωτία), which literally means “unsavedness” but by implication suggests a reckless, abandoned, dissolute, riotous life spent on selfish personal pleasure.

5.    “… [not accused of] rebellion” – Here Paul uses another complicated word, anupótaktos (ἀνυπότακτος), which means undisciplined, out of control, unruly, and guilty of public disorder. N.B. A man’s inability to train and lead a family creates a presumption of his inability to train and lead the church.

Verse 7: For the overseer [Gr. epíscopos] must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,

·       In verses 7-8 Paul focuses on 12 Personal Qualifications of elders/overseers. Verse 7 lists 6 of them, seen from the negative side. Verse 8 lists 6 more of them but seen from the positive angle.

1.    “…above reproach as God’s steward” = i.e., unreproachable, as in vs. 6. The elder/overseer is God’s house manager or administrator [Gr. oikonómos]. I believe it is noteworthy that Paul uses this same phrase, above reproach, twice in two verses. It must be pretty important!

2.    “…not self-willed” – Paul here refers to that self-loving spirit that seeks to gratify self in arrogant disregard of others (Gr. authádēs αὐθάδης from autos = “self” + hedomai = “pleasing” i.e., hedonism). – My opinions, my way, my best interests, my rights, my pleasures, etc.

3.    “…not quick tempered” – Means soon angry, quick tempered, easily flaring up at people (Gr. ὀργίλος = prone to anger, irascible, grouchy)

4.    “…not addicted to wine” – Literally “not one who sits alongside of wine;” not addicted to it or influenced by it, because it leads to violent quarrels and angry outbursts.

5.    “…not pugnacious” – Not quick with his fists, given to bodily violence (KJV, “a striker”). Also, not quick with hurtful words, browbeating, bullying, or bad-tempered. Remember, Jesus was reviled but did not revile in return.

6.    “…not fond of sordid gain” – He must not be eager for shameful gain, the kind who wants money and does not care what he must do or who he must step on to get it. The KJV translates this as “not greedy of filthy lucre.” Remember, money is not the problem. Rather, “…the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10)

Verse 8: …but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled,

·       Here in verse 8 Paul continues to list the 12 Personal Qualifications of the elders/overseers. As I mentioned, Verse 7 lists 6 of them, stated from the negative perspective. Verse 8 lists 6 more of them but from the positive perspective.

7.    “…hospitable” – A lover of hospitality (lit. “a lover of strangers”), possessing an open heart with an open home.

8.    “…loving what is good” – A lover of goodness (things and people)

9.    “…sensible” – Serious-minded, not frivolous, and therefore watchful, vigilant, and self-controlled.

10. “…just” – Means upright in his dealings with others; honest and fair.

11. “…devout” – He is holy, pure, unpolluted, free from the stain of sin.

12. “…self-controlled” – Literally, “one in control of strength,” meaning able to control his own appetites and desires, and temperate (moderate) in all things.

Verse 9: …holding fast the faithful word, which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

·       In this verse Paul gives three (3) important Doctrinal Qualifications for elders/overseers.

1.    “…holding fast the faithful word” – True to the Faith, clinging to the Word of God in the face of opposition and temptation to abandon it, i.e., doctrinal stability – having such a tight grip that it cannot be knocked out of his hand and heart.

2.    “…able to exhort in sound doctrine” – This is his ministry to believers, encouraging, exhorting, challenging, correcting, and teaching. In 1 Timothy 3:2 Paul includes “…able to teach” as one of the qualifications for elder. It’s just a different way of saying the same thing he says here in Titus 1:9. “…able to exhort in sound doctrine” or “able to teach” mean the same thing. This quality is the main difference between a deacon and an elder.

3.    “…able to refute those who contradict” – This is the elder’s ministry to refute, convict, and set straight the critics, back-talkers, and opponents of the faith.

CONCLUSION:

I see two possible approaches to solving our need for more good leaders in the local church.

1.    We can whine, whinge, and complain about not having enough good leaders in the church, pitifully crying out, “God has not given us the people we need!” In other words, we can bellyache and blame God.

2.    OR (and this has two parts)

a.    We can resolve to become the kind of people that all of us should be anyway and begin to fill in the gaps and do the work of God, title or no title, letting our light shine in such a way that the church will recognize our usefulness and maturity, and the world will recognize our Christlikeness.

b.    Begin to train the kind of leaders we want and need for the church. This responsibility falls most heavily on the existing leaders but not entirely. Christian parents need to raise their children in such a way that they naturally move into serving and leadership roles in the church when they are old enough. Our church’s children’s ministry and youth ministry should have as a goal to raise up leaders. Training good leaders is a long-term project, and we must start early. Moreover, every church should have a strategy for training new elders and equipping them for service. There are many wonderful resources that pastors can use to set up this kind of program. What is lacking, all too often, is the willingness to do it, because it is hard work. However, in God’s plan, everything is to reproduce after its own kind. That includes pastors. Pastors need to reproduce pastors (elders) to come alongside them to carry out the work of ministry in the local church.

Titus Study #1

“Adorning the Doctrine” 

Titus 1:1-4

Study #1 in Titus Series

 

INTRODUCTION: 

One of the biggest industries in America is the cosmetics industry. Millions of dollars are spent each year on adornment.

·       In some cases, it is a lost cause (e.g., the Annual Pug Festival).

·       The goal is to adorn or make attractive something that is plain or unlovely (e.g., Professional models are often just ho-hum plain janes away from the cosmetics and cameras.)

·       But even a drop-dead strikingly beautiful woman can be made even more lovely with makeup, a fresh hairdo, and a designer gown.

 

TRANSITION: 

In Titus 2:10 Paul tells us that Christians, by the way they live, can make Christian teaching become attractive to people. “…but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.” I think this may well be the key verse of Titus.

·       “…to adorn” – The Greek verb, cosméo, which means to adorn, garnish, arrange, or put in order.

·       “…in every respect” – This means beautiful from every angle.

·       “…the doctrine of God our Savior” – This takes in the whole of Christian theology but especially God’s plan of salvation, which we refer to as the Gospel.

 

So, who was Titus? Titus was one of Paul’s trusted fellow-workers in the Gospel. This tiny little letter is one of the 4 “Pastoral Epistles” – 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Although Titus was active in ministry alongside Paul during many of the events recorded in the Book of Acts, he is never mentioned by name there. However, his name appears 13 times throughout the New Testament. Titus 1:4 leads us to believe that Paul led Titus to faith in Christ. Paul calls Titus, “my true child in a common faith.” In Galatians 2:1-3 Paul recalls the events recorded in Acts 15 when he went up to Jerusalem to meet James and the other church leaders there. He says that he took Titus with him to that meeting for “show-n-tell.” Titus was a Gentile, specifically a Greek, but he had been converted and was now a disciple of Jesus. He was sort of the poster child of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles. The leaders wisely concluded that Gentile converts like Titus did not need to be circumcised but were to be welcomed as full-on brothers in Christ and were as much a part of the Church as the Jewish-Christians.

 

The chronology of Titus’ ministry is somewhat sketchy, but we know that he worked with Paul in Ephesus for a considerable time during Paul’s third missionary journey (cf. 2 Cor. 8:23). From Ephesus Paul sent Titus to Corinth to help strengthen the church there (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:12-13, 7:5-6, 8:6). After Paul’s release from his first Roman imprisonment, he and Titus worked briefly in Crete (cf. 1:5). Paul left there to go back to Macedonia, but he commissioned Titus to remain there to be his representative and to organize and strengthen the work, starting with developing a team of elders to work alongside him. In 3:12 Paul tells Titus that he is sending someone to replace him, either Tychicus or Artemus, and asks that Titus come join him in Nicopolis (“city of victory,” located on the west coast of Greece where he planned to spend the winter.

 

What do we know about the church in Crete?

·       In general, the Cretans were rude, crude, and hard to get along with so it would take a special kind of pastor to work with them. Apparently, Titus was that guy.

·       The seeds of the Gospel may have been planted by Jewish-Christians coming back from Jerusalem who were converted on the Day of Pentecost.

·       Paul and Titus visited there after his first Roman imprisonment and preached the Gospel and got the church started.

·       Paul left Titus there to continue the work, just like he left Timothy at Ephesus.

 

The last glimpse we have of Titus in the NT is recorded in 2 Timothy 4:10. There Paul says that “Titus has gone to Dalmatia,” undoubtedly at Paul’s own insistence. Dalmatia was a Roman province including the whole central area of the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It encompassed the northern part of present-day Albania, much of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia. 

 

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 1: Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth, which is according to godliness, 

·       “a slave of God [Greek, doulos theou] and an apostle of Jesus” – This is a formula used in many of Paul’s letters. It mingles humility and pride for Paul.

·       HUMILITY because:

Ø  Doulos is the most abject word for a slave. It refers to one born into slavery, not for one taken in war and sold as a slave (i.e., andrápodon, ἀνδράποδον).

Ø  Doulos refers to one who is the undisputed possession of another, having no will, no time of his own, serving another regardless of self-interests.

Ø  Therefore, Paul is the possession of God. His will is swallowed up in God’s will. His life is totally submitted to God.

Ø  Paul was born into slavery to sin at his first birth. The term doulos refers to one bound by bonds so strong that only death could break them. Paul’s death with Christ (cf. Romans 6:3) broke the bonds that bound him to Satan. After salvation Paul became bound to Christ as a willing bondservant in bonds that only death could break. But since Jesus Christ will never die again, Paul’s union to Christ is unbreakable.

·       PRIDE because:

Ø  The term “slave of God” is used in Scripture of Moses, Joshua, and the prophets. It is a term of honor and respect.

·       “…and an apostle of Jesus Christ” – In Paul’s mind this was the greatest honor anyone could be given and even more for him who had been a persecutor of the Church and had done horrible things against those who were followers of the Way. He was daily amazed at the grace of God.

·       “…for the faith of those chosen [elect] of God and the knowledge of the truth” – Paul understood that his life was to be dedicated to spiritually benefit lost Gentiles. His job was to bring them to saving faith in Jesus. He received this commission from the Risen Christ himself on the day of his conversion. Faith comes through knowledge of the truth, specifically, of the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

·       “…truth which is according to godliness,” – All truth is God’s truth, but not all truth is relevant to godliness. For example, it is true that the Earth is in orbit around the Sun, but that knowledge won’t save a soul from Hell. It is not truth that accords with godliness.

 

Verse 2: …in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,

·       “…in the hope of eternal life” – This is not the kind of hope that a child has at Christmas – “I hope Santa brings me a pony and a new red bicycle.” Rather, it is the quiet waiting on God to act on our behalf, knowing with absolute certainty that help is on the way. 1 John 5:14-15 adds this: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”  

·       “…which God, who cannot lie, promised…” – This eternal life is not a wish, but a hope. In this sense, hope is an anticipation founded not on wishful thinking, but on a promise from the God who cannot lie.

 

Verse 3: …but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,

·       “…at the proper time” – His own time (cf. Galatians 4:4, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law”). God has an amazing sense of timing. He is never early and never late. He always shows up right on time.

1.    Practically all the world spoke Greek, as well as their own languages. It was the language of trade, commerce, literature, and politics.

2.    There were virtually no borders or frontiers because of the Roman Empire. Therefore, no passports or visas were needed.

3.    Travel was comparatively easy. The Roman Roads were all over Europe and Asia. The Romans also tried to clear the land of highway robbers, and the sea of pirates.

4.    The world was mainly at peace. The “Pax Romana” was enforced.

5.    The world was conscious of its religious, ethical, and moral needs. They were thirsty for truth. The old religions had broken down.

·       I like the way this verse has been translated by the New King James Version: “…but has in due time manifested His Word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior.” – Preaching is the way that God’s eternal work meets people today. Preaching is the way God’s Word is made manifest today. This is exactly what Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 1:21, “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”

·       “…in the proclamation with which I was entrusted” – Which was committed to me. Paul knew that the work of preaching/heralding/proclaiming the Gospel was entrusted to him, but not to him only. Preaching (kerúgma) is a work committed to all believers.

 

Verse 4: To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

·       Paul loved Titus very much, in the same way he loved Timothy.

·       Notice some of the things Paul says about Titus:

Ø  “…my true child in a common faith” – Even though Paul was a Jew and Titus was a Greek they were now closer than blood could make them. Paul had led Titus to faith in Christ, so he looked at Titus as his own son in the Lord. Now they are members of the same family. 

Ø  “…my brother” – 2 Corinthians 2:13

Ø  “…my partner and fellow-worker among you” – 2 Corinthians 8:23

Ø  “…one who walks with me in the same spirit and in the same steps” – 2 Cor. 12:18

Ø  “…an example” (Gr. túpos = pattern, template, ensample, model) for the Cretan believers to follow of what an authentic Christian life looks like (cf. Titus 2:7)

 

CONCLUSION:

At the beginning of this study, I referenced Titus 2:10 where Paul tells us that the way we live, can make Christian teaching become attractive to people. “…but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.” Excellent Christian doctrine is made believable and attractive by excellent Christian living. But the opposite is true as well. Christians who lead shabby, marginal Christian lives bring shame and reproach on the Gospel. I never want to be guilty of casting shade on Christ, His Church, or the Word of God.  

 

In 2 Corinthians 3:2 Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers saying, “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” The greatest testimony of the reality of Christianity is the changed lives of believers who have been made new by the power of God, having passed from darkness to light, from death unto life, from the kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of Christ.

 

May we live as Christ’s love letters, known and read by all men, adorning the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.