Titus 1:1-3 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; 3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
Introduction
Before the Apostle Paul wrote the epistle (letter) that bears the name of his trusted companion, many things happened that would be helpful to understand the “Who, What, When, Why, Where, and How” of the book.
Titus was a Greek, therefore by the Jewish tradition, he was a Gentile (Gal 2:1-32). Paul led Titus to the saving grace of salvation. “To Titus, mine own son after the common faith” (Tit1:4). Titus was drawn to the work of Paul and became a follower and “fellowservant” in Paul’s missionary work. Paul’s presentation of Titus’ conversion was an example of the Holy Spirit’s work among the Gentiles when he went to Jerusalem (Act 15:2; Gal 2:1-21). Paul sent Titus to the assembled believers in Corinth to serve the church (2Cor 8:6, 16-17). He faithfully served there in the absence of the Apostle Paul. It was during Paul’s third missionary journey (53-57 A.D.) that Paul expected to find Titus. However, when Paul did not connect with Titus (2Cor 2:12-13), Paul left for Macedonia. The two are finally reunited when Titus rejoined Paul in Philippi. Paul’s heart was made merry by the good report of the ministry in Corinth by Titus (2Cor 7:6-7, 13-14). Paul wrote what we refer to today as 2 Corinthians and gave it to Titus to hand deliver to the congregation when Titus returned to Corinth. When he returned to Corinth, he organized a collection for needy saints in Jerusalem (2Cor 8:16-24). Years pass and we find Paul and Titus traveling to the island of Crete. Paul leaves Titus there to minister to the saints on that island.
Titus in Crete
This epistle finds Paul’s protégé, Titus, may have been struggling in his effort to lead a congregation on the Island of Crete. The Apostle Paul left him there with several tasks at hand.
• Titus was to “set in order the things that are wanting” (1:5)
• He was to “ordain elders in every city” (1:5)
• Confront those that were unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially the Jews (1:10)
• Oppose false teachers that were only interested in the “filthy lucre’s sake” (1:11, 16)
• Oppose the Judaizers who wanted Gentile believers to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses (1:10-15; 3:9)
• Confront those who were engaged in “foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law” (3:9).
Titus’ struggles were real as Creatin’s were widely known as “always liars, evil beasts and slow bellies” (Titus 1:11). Paul puts full confidence in Titus throughout the letter, but especially in the second chapter:
Titus 2:11-15 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
Some believe this letter was written during Paul’s first confinement in Rome, in the mid-60s AD (Acts 28:16-31) and before his second imprisonment.
However, by Paul’s own confession, he wrote that his desire was to spend the winter in Nicopolis (Greece) in chapter three (3:12). This would show that he was not incarcerated or that he knew he would soon be leaving Rome and had the opportunity to receive guests like Artemas or Tychicus, there.
Timothy and Titus: Committed Fellow Servants
The work that the Lord Jesus had put upon the heart of Paul was growing so large that Paul needed help. He invested in two men of which he wrote letters to encourage them in the ministry: Timothy and Titus.
Titus had proven to be a committed fellow servant in the ministry before the Apostle sent him to Crete. Paul called him, “…my partner and fellowhelper concerning you” (2Cor 8:23).
Titus was sent to the church in Corinth and accompanied Paul to Jerusalem to meet with the church elders there. Titus was a Greek and therefore was “uncircumcised,” which presented no problem for the Christian leadership in the Jerusalem church (Gal 2:3). For Paul and the leadership of the church in Jerusalem, Christians were one people of God under Christ and no longer under the Law. We will get into later in this series.
Pastoral Epistles
While the letter was written to a pastor, to aid Titus in the ministry as a shepherd, we can take the message and the text as a “go to” ministry book for deacons, Sunday school teachers, ministers, and believers.
This book is as fresh today as when it was written nearly two-thousand years ago.
A week ago, I attended the funeral of my last living aunt in Springfield, MO. It was bittersweet as we will surely miss her, but she was a strong believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. The eulogy was typical with all the “facts” about her life. As I settled into my pew for the pastor to preach, I began wondering, “If I was the one in the casket, what would the pastor be saying about me?” I was captivated by things that I did not know about my aunt and yet in the back of my mind I was considering the text which we just read.
In the greeting of Paul’s epistle to his disciple, he declared his ministry to the reader. We are privileged to study that today.
What does it mean to be a “servant of God?”
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.
If I were to ask you about your spiritual position today, how would you respond? I thought about that, and I would have blurted out “I am a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.” And I am. And so was Paul. However, that statement is geared from the “reward” side of my experience.
But for Paul, that was not the way he described himself. He described himself as “a servant of God.”
For the believer, there is a “reward” side of salvation:
• Eternal life in a place prepared by Jesus Christ that is so beautiful that John could only describe it with words like: streets of Gold and the splendor of precious gemstones.
• No more pain, suffering, crying, and sin
• Joint heirs with Jesus Christ
• Blessings in “heavenly places in Christ.”
But, least talked about is the “position” side of salvation:
• The believer while left on this earth is to proclaim the Gospel, teach the saved, baptize the “born-again.”
• Jesus became the example as He became a “servant” to “do the will of the Father” (Mt 12:50).
• “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Mt 22:37; Lk 10:27)
Conclusion
Today, would you describe yourself as a “Servant of God?”
Today, would OTHERs describe you as a “Servant of God?”
