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CHAPTER 56 – Titus: Approx. 65 A.D.

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Titus is the fifty-sixth book of the Bible. The title of the book in Greek is Pros Titon meaning “To Titus.” The title in the English Bible is “The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Titus.”

Authorship

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, is the author of the book, The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Titus. It was probably written about 65 A.D.

Summary and Analysis

The book of Titus is actually a letter (epistle) that was written by the apostle Paul to Timothy, the pastor of the Christian churches on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea. It was probably written between Paul’s first and second imprisonment in Rome in approximately 65 A.D.

The book opens with a greeting from Paul to Titus, and Paul says of himself that he, Paul, acknowledges God’s truth, hoping to receive eternal life which God that cannot lie had promised before the world began. Paul then says that he had left Titus in Crete for the purpose of setting things in order in the churches and to appoint elders in every city in Crete.

Next, Paul describes the qualifications for being appointed as a bishop in the Christian church. He then declares that in the churches in Crete there are many insubordinate and mischievous talkers and deceivers, especially among the Jews, who were all circumcised. These Jews, Paul says, are to be silenced because they teach falsehoods, thereby corrupting whole households, and all for monetary gain.

In fact, Paul says, one of the Cretans own prophets describes the Cretans as liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons. And since this characterisation is true of the Cretans, Titus is to rebuke them firmly. By so doing, the Cretan church members may come to have a correct faith in Christ, and not believe Jewish fables and human commandments which turn people away from God’s truth. For the false teachers in the church profess to know God, but by their conduct they reject God, being detestable and disobedient to God, and are therefore rejected by God as true Christians.

Paul then urges Titus to teach correct Scriptural doctrines so that the aged men and women, as well as the young men and women in the church may turn from their evil ways and instead be godly in their conduct. Titus himself, Paul says, is to be a godly example in all things. Also, Titus is to encourage servants to obey their masters and please them well, and not in any way being insubordinate or disrespectful to their masters. Neither should servants steal from their masters but instead be trustworthy so that their conduct in every way makes the gospel of Christ attractive.

After this, Paul declares that God’s grace (God’s unmerited favour) which leads to our salvation has been poured out on the entire human race. This grace teaches us to put away ungodliness and worldly lusts and instead live soberly, godly, and righteously, in the world. For we are to look forward to the blessed hope of Christ’s return to the earth, the God and Saviour who sacrificed Himself for the human race. This sacrifice Christ made in order to have a people who are cleansed from their sins and who are zealous to do good works. These things, Paul says, Titus is to teach, encourage, and rebuke the church about with all authority, and let no one despise him because of it.

Next, Paul urges Titus to teach the churches to keep in mind how they should live in a godly manner and not according to their former sins. Paul then clarifies that our good works are not what causes us to be justified (to be declared righteous by God), rather it is God’s grace that justifies us. (In fact, it is God’s gift of repentance and faith in Christ to a person that causes them to be justified, which then leads to their receiving the gift of love from God, thereby empowering them to do good works. In other words, good works are the evidence that we have been justified and not the means to our justification.)

Paul then commands Titus to affirm these truths continually in the churches, so that the church members learn to always do good works. Also, Titus is to avoid foolish questions, debates about genealogies, contentions, and controversies over God’s law, for these things are useless and unprofitable. Those in the churches who are divisive, if they do not reform after Titus has rebuked them twice, he is to reject as true Christians. Paul closes his letter by asking Titus to meet him in Nicopolis, for Paul intends to spend the winter there, he sends greetings from his fellow workers, and sends his own blessings.

Themes

• A pastor with responsibility for appointing church leaders and reforming a number of churches.
• Church members who practice known, habitual sins.
• An experienced, godly church leader’s counsel to a pastor.
• Teachers of false doctrine who are deceivers of the members in a church.
• The call for church members to always do good works.
• The qualifications to become a bishop in the Christian church.
• Servants are to behave in a godly manner toward their masters.

God as Revealed in the Book

• God whose grace is able to save to eternal life.
• God who cannot lie.
• God who does not count the ungodly as true Christians.
• God who requires godliness on the part of professed Christians.

Connections with the Rest of the Bible

God says, “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds [of sin]; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in [the] knowledge [of God] after the image [according to the character of perfect love] of him [Christ] that created him [that created the new man].” Colossians 3:9, 10. “He that saith, I know him [God], and keepeth not his [God’s] commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:4.

Spiritual Applications

Pray to God sincerely and ask God to help you to do His will, believing that God will help you, and thus you will be enabled to make the spiritual applications noted below:

• Be a godly example thus helping to bring about any necessary church reform.
• Do not practice known, habitual sins such as lying.
• Be an experienced, godly Christian who can counsel others.
• Beware of teachers of false doctrine and deceivers in the church.
• Ensure that you always do good works.
• Do not receive God’s grace in vain by being ungodly.
• Know that God does not count the ungodly as Christians.
• Do not behave in an ungodly manner towards those who rule over you.

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