The book of Titus was written in the last year of Paul’s life which
could be 64 A.D. when Rome had burned or 67 A.D. which was the last year of
Nero’s life. It could have been written as early as 62 A.D. during the
beginning of Paul’s two year imprisonment. Titus is one of the Pastoral
Epistles which has to do with the church.
Paul dispatched Titus to the Island of Crete for the purpose of setting
things in order in the churches in that area. Titus was a young Pastor but
Paul had much faith in him that he would get the job done. This book deals
with church officials and Christian living. Titus also faced some problems
with the Judaizers but not as bad as Paul had to deal with in Galatia.
Whenever I reference Paul, it is not recognizing Paul as the ultimate
author, thus bringing the Scriptures down to human authorship alone. Paul,
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, penned this epistle. I use Paul’s
name as a matter of context in the Scriptures and never to take away the
divine authorship of the Scriptures. When I use the term “Paul says,” you
can substitute “Scripture says.”
Titus 1:1 (KJB)
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;
Servant - Slave
Elect - Chosen or selected
Acknowledging - Recognition or consciousness
Paul begins his letter to Titus stating that he is a slave of God. This
is the only place in Paul’s letter that he describes himself in this manner.
Paul was also an Apostle of the Lord Jesus. Paul was an Apostle because he
was saved and commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ for that office. Paul
connects his salvation with the body of believers using the term “according
to the faith of God’s elect.” The word elect means “chosen.” Paul also
states that he recognized the truth which is according to godliness. The
recognition of truth can only come after one is saved. When one is in an
unsaved state, they are unable to recognize truth because they are
spiritually dead and need to be regenerated. It is always salvation first,
then one begins to grow in the faith and is then, in proper time,
commissioned.
Titus 1:2 (KJB)
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised
before the world began;
Hope - Expectation of something future
Promised - Proclaimed as in a promise
The great hope of the believer is eternal life in Heaven. We can be sure
of God fulfilling His promise of everlasting life simply because He cannot
lie.
(Num 23:19 KJV) God is not a
man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath
he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not
make it good? If you notice the word used is
“cannot” which is a word of ability. It is not in God’s pure nature to make
any kind of false promises or statements. This is why when God says
something, it will come to pass. (2 Tim
1:9 KJV) Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
The promise of eternal life to God’s elect was already in
the mind of God before He created the world but could only be proclaimed
once He created man and the world.
Titus 1:3 (KJB)
But hath in duetimesmanifested his word through
preaching, which is committed unto me according to the
commandment of God our Saviour;
In due - One’s own or peculiar to oneself
Times - A fixed time, a season, or an opportunity
Manifested - To show, reveal or disclose
Preaching - Proclaimed
Committed - Have faith or confidence in or entrusted
Here Paul states that the Gospel of salvation was disclosed at the fixed
time God had decreed. Then when the time came for the Gospel to go forth it
went forth through preaching. The word preaching does not necessarily mean a
sermon but it can come in many forms such as the written word or even in
godly music. Today the Gospel is sent forth by TV, Radio, Internet, and
Shortwave. Paul was commissioned to spread the Gospel by a command of God
our Savior.
(Acts 22:12-16 KJV) And one Ananias, a
devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which
dwelt there, {13} Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother
Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. {14}
And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest
know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his
mouth. {15} For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou
hast seen and heard. {16} And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
The Commission was given on the road to Damascus by the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself. The true Gospel was entrusted to Paul so that he would begin
to start planting churches all around the Mediterranean Sea. This was the
beginning of world evangelism.
Titus 1:4 (KJB)
To Titus, mine ownson after the common
faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Mine own - Genuine or true
Son - Child, descendant, or prosperity
Common - Pertaining equally to all
Here Paul ends his greeting by stating who the letter is addressed to.
He calls Titus (his name means “honorable“) his genuine son in the faith.
Paul also addresses Timothy in this manner.
(1 Tim 1:2 KJV) Unto Timothy, my own son
in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus
Christ our Lord. He uses the term common faith
because it is common among all the true believers. All Christians have the
same position in Christ but not all have the same calling concerning the
propagation of the gospel. Paul was an Apostle and Titus was a young pastor
on the Island of Crete. Crete is the largest island in Greece so Titus would
have needed all the help he could get. Paul gives Titus a three-fold
greeting. Grace which represents the method of salvation. Mercy is something
God gives His children because of our unsaved condition before He saves us.
Peace is what we have as a result of salvation, peace with God.
(Rom 5:1 KJV) Therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
These three greetings come from God the Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Titus 1:5 (KJB)
For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order
the things that are wanting, and ordainelders in every
city, as I had appointed thee:
Thou shouldest set in order - Set right or correct that which has been
corrected already
Wanting - Lack or be in need of
Ordain - Appoint or designate
Elders - Presbyter - a member of a governing body
Had appointed - Direct, command, or prescribe
Paul knew there were some problems with the churches on Crete, so he
left Titus there to begin to start straightening out the churches by helping
them get better organized. We see this in the words Paul had used “set in
order.” Good organization can be the key to keeping a church running
properly. New churches, such as the ones on Crete, were no different in that
they needed to have good leadership to run properly and to make sure that
only the true gospel was being preached. Paul had commanded Titus to stay in
Crete and begin the job of appointing elders in the local churches. This
way, there was ordained leadership in each local congregation so there would
not be chaos. Before any elders could be appointed, there were strict
qualifications which must be adhered to. Titus could not go into a church
and just appoint anyone based on age or community standing. The
qualifications of elders are given by God and if they are departed from,
then there will be problems in the church. We see that very plainly today.
Elders
As we look at the requirements for Elders, we will also see that the
office of Bishop and Elder are one in the same offices. They both constitute
the position of overseer. Notice that Titus was given the responsibility of
ordaining Elders in Crete and then in verse 7, he speaks of the
qualifications of the office of Bishop in the context of Eldership. The
difference between the Elders and the Bishop, is that the Bishop is the
ruling Elder in the local church and that is why we see the same spiritual
requirements applied to this particular office as we will see in verses 5 &
6.
Ordain elders in every city - Paul gave Titus the responsibility of
ordaining (appointing) Elders in the cities where there were churches. If
you notice, the word "Elders" is plural which means, there must be a
plurality of elders in each congregation. There is no church in the New
Testament which had just one elder per congregation. A church having only a
single elder would set that up to be a dictatorship. Each congregation, no
matter how small should have at least three elders.