BACKGROUND OF TITUS
Titus was a Gentile Christian. Titus had probably become a Christian when Paul taught the good news about Jesus Christ. So Paul described Titus as his ‘true son’ (1:4). Paul described Titus as a partner and a worker with him.
--- 1. Titus went to Jerusalem with Paul.
--- 2. Paul insisted that Titus need not obey the very strict Jewish laws.
--- 3. Paul had to send a severe letter to the Christians in Corinth by Titus who stayed to help solve some of the problems.
--- 4. Titus had a special responsibility to collect money for the poor people.
--- 5. Titus had been working with Paul on the island called Crete. Paul did not have time to complete the work himself. So he left Titus to finish it.
Reasons Paul Wrote the Epistle Titus
--- 1. Titus had to appoint men to lead the churches.
---2. Paul reminded Titus about the kind of character that a leader should have.
---3. Paul advised Titus how he should teach the old, the young, and slaves.
---4. Titus had to emphasize the true message about Jesus Christ.
---5. Titus had to tell the Christians how to behave in the right way.
---6. Titus had to warn people about false teachers.
CHAPTER 1
Paul’s Greeting
v1 This letter is from Paul. I am a servant of God. I am an apostle of Jesus Christ. I help the people that God has chosen. I help them, as they believe. I help them to really know the truth. It shows them how to respect and please God. v2 This is the truth. God’s people can confidently expect to live for ever. Before time began, God promised eternal life. God cannot lie. v3 At the right time God let people know this good news. And he trusted me to tell it to everyone. God, who saves us, ordered me to do it. v4 I write to you, Titus. You are my true son because we both believe God’s good news.
God is the Father. Jesus Christ saves us. I pray that they will give you grace and peace.
Commentary
Verse 1
The author described himself as ‘a servant of God’. A servant is loyal to his master. And he obeys his master. This title showed that Paul was humble. He thought that it was an honor to serve God. Paul also described himself as ‘an apostle of Jesus Christ’. An apostle is someone whom God sends. So Paul had God’s authority.
‘The people that God has chosen’ refers to Christians.
Paul worked for Jesus in two ways:
--- 1. Paul told people the good news about Jesus. People believed and trusted Jesus.
--- 2. Paul taught the Christians more about God’s true message. He taught them how to live in the right way. He wanted them to become mature Christians. Then they would not believe the false teachers.
Verse 2
‘Eternal life’ is the life that comes from God himself. Christians already have eternal life (John 5:24). It begins on earth. It continues in heaven after a Christian’s physical body dies. So, Christians know that they will live forever with God. Even before the world began, God promised eternal life. He never lies. Christians can trust God’s promise completely.
Verse 3
The ‘good news’ is the message that God gives eternal life by means of Jesus (1 John 5:11-12). Jesus can forgive people’s sin and forgive their wicked deeds. Then they can receive eternal life. Paul said that ‘God, who saves us’ had told him to declare the good news. In verse 4, Paul referred to ‘Jesus Christ who saves us’. God the Father loves people so much that he sent Jesus to this world (1 John 4:10). Jesus obeyed his Father. So, both God the Father and God the Son save people. They rescue people from their evil ways.
Verse 4
Paul calls Titus his ‘true son’. Titus probably became a Christian when he first heard Paul teach about Jesus. So, Paul felt that he was like a Christian father to Titus. However, they both belonged to same Christian family. So, God was the Father of both Paul and Titus.
Paul gave the usual greeting. Grace is a gift that God gives. We do not deserve it and we cannot earn it. ‘Grace’ means that God the Father is kind and generous to his children. God helps and protects people. God’s grace comes to people by means of Jesus. He gives his people everything that they need for their Christian life.
‘Peace’. In the Hebrew language this word is ‘shalom’. It is a traditional blessing in the Old Testament (Numbers 6:24-26), and among Jewish people today. ‘Peace’ is not just the opposite of war or noise. Peace means that God gives a person a calm spirit. This affects every part of a person’s life and relationships. Nobody can have God’s peace without his grace.
The Work That Titus Had to Do
v5 I left you on the island called Crete. We had not finished our work there. So I want you to put everything in order. You should appoint elders in every town as I told you to. v6 An elder must be a good man. Nobody should be able to blame him for doing anything wrong. He should have only one wife. His children should be loyal to God. They should not behave in a bad way but they should obey. v7 A leader is a manager for God. The leader must be a good man. Nobody should be able to blame him for doing anything wrong. He must not please himself. He must not have a bad temper. He must not drink too much alcohol. He must not fight. He must not be greedy to get more money. v8 Instead, a church leader should enjoy having guests in his home. He must love everything that is good. He must be sensible. He must behave in the right way. He must be holy. He must be able to control himself. v9 He must firmly believe the true message that we taught. Then he can encourage people as he teaches the truth. And he can answer the people who oppose the truth.
Commentary
Verse 5
Paul and Titus had visited Crete. The book of Acts did not record the visit. So, it probably happened after Paul had been a prisoner (Acts 28:16). Paul may have visited Crete for only a short time. He did not have enough time to complete his work. But he had told Titus what to do. Therefore, Titus had Paul’s authority to do the work.
Titus had to ‘put everything in order’. He had to organize the church properly. His first job was to appoint elders in every town. ‘Elder’ is another name for a Christian leader. Groups of Christians met in many of the towns in Crete. Each group needed good leaders who were in charge of the Christians. Elders were often older mature men. However, a young man could be an elder if he was a strong Christian. Paul had already told Titus how to appoint elders. So, in this letter, Paul told Titus what qualities elders and leaders should have. These qualities and standards still apply to Christian leaders today.
Elders and Leaders
This list is very similar to the list in 1 Timothy chapter 3.
The qualities that an elder should have:
Verse 6
1. An elder should behave well. He should not sin on purpose. A leader who pleases God always tries to obey God. 1 Peter 5:3 says that a leader should be a model for other Christians. If a leader behaves badly then Christians will not learn to respect God. They will not learn how to behave properly. And other people will accuse the elders too.
2. An elder should have one wife. This means that a married elder should be loyal to his wife. He must not have affairs with other women. However, an elder can marry again if his wife has died. It may also mean that all elders should be married, not single, men.
3. An elder’s children should behave well too. An elder should be able to teach his children about God. He should teach them how to behave properly. People would not respect a man who could not control his own family (1 Timothy 3:4-5). This probably refers to elders whose children still live at home.
Verse 7
Some English Bibles translate the word ‘leader’ as ‘bishop’. But the words ‘elder’ and ‘leader’ refer to the same job. Paul was referring to a leader in a local church. A manager is responsible for something that belongs to another person. God trusts leaders to do his work properly. All Christians belong to God’s family. So leaders care for God’s family. That is why leaders should be able to care for their own families first.
Paul repeated that leaders should behave well. He listed 5 bad things that leaders should not do. Then, in verses 8-9, he listed good things that leaders should do.
What a leader must not do:
1. He must not please himself. A selfish man pleases himself. He takes no notice of what other people need. Jesus showed that a leader should serve other people (John 13:1-17).
2. He must not have a bad temper (James 1:19-20). A man who gets angry quickly often insults people. He argues and does not listen to people. Instead, a leader should be patient as he helps people.
3. He must not drink too much alcohol. Instead, he should control himself properly.
4. He must not fight. A leader should help to unite people. He should be gentle.
5. He must not be greedy to get more money. He must not try to get money in ways that are not honest. People who love money may turn away from God. Instead, a leader should be content and generous (1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19). He must not be like the people in Crete, who were greedy for money (verse 11).
Commentary
Verses 8-9
1. He should be ready to welcome strangers into his home. In those days, small hotels were dirty and expensive. Christian teachers and other travelers often needed somewhere to stay. Both Paul (Romans 12:13) and Peter (1 Peter 4:9) urge Christians to welcome guests.
2. He must love good people and good things. He must act in ways that will help other people.
3. He must be sensible. This means that he should control what he says and does. He must think about the possible results of his words and actions.
4. He must behave in the right way towards other people. He should have a high standard of behavior.
5. He must be holy. This means that he should be sincere and be loyal to God.
6. He must be able to control himself. Then he will be able to rule other people.
7. He must firmly believe the true message. Paul had taught the true message about Jesus to the people in Crete. But there were many false teachers who did not teach the truth. And many people opposed the Christians. So, Titus had to appoint leaders who had continued to believe the truth. Those leaders would teach the truth to Christians. The leaders would also be able to explain the truth to the false teachers.
The good character and qualities of Christian leaders were important. They had to be different from the false teachers in Crete.
How to Deal with the False Teachers
v10 There are many people, especially from among the Jews, who refuse to obey God’s truth. They talk about things that have no value. They lead people away from the truth. v11 You must stop these people. They are upsetting whole families. They teach things to these families that they should not teach them. They do it for financial profit. v12 One of their own prophets (speakers) has said, ‘People who come from Crete always tell lies. They are like evil wild animals. They are lazy people who eat too much.’ v13 This is true. Therefore, correct these people very firmly. Then they will be strong when they believe the truth about Jesus. v14 Then they will not give attention to the Jewish false stories. And they will not obey the commands from the men who have opposed the truth. v15 Everything is pure (morally good) to the people who are pure. But nothing is pure to the people who are not morally pure. They do not trust God. Their mind and their conscience are full of evil things. v16 They say that they know God. But they deny him by the way that they live. They are very bad people. They do not obey. They cannot do anything that is good.
Commentary
Verses 10-11
There were many false teachers in Crete. Many of them were Jews. They probably went to the Christian meetings. But they caused a lot of trouble among the Christians. Many false teachers said that Christians must obey the Jewish rules. For example, they should avoid certain food. They also should wash in a special way before they ate meals. The Jews had accused Jesus’ disciples because they did not obey these rules (Mark 7:1-5). However, the false teachers would not obey God’s word, and they would not obey the church leaders.
The words of these false teachers were not useful. They did not cause people to live a good life (verse 16). They told false stories (verse 14). They led people away from God’s truth. The false teachers had a bad effect on family life. They were teaching lies that ruined families. The false teachers taught those things for the wrong reason. They were greedy for money and they wanted to become rich. They did not care about other people. They cared more about money.
Paul said that Titus should stop the false teachers. The word ‘stop’ means to shut their mouth. The false teachers’ lies could have ruined the church.
Verse 12
Even one of their own famous speakers described the people in Crete as bad. His name was Epimenides. He was a teacher and a poet. He lived about 600 years before Jesus was born. He said that:
1. They always told lies. The common phrase ‘to speak like a person in Crete’ meant ‘to tell a lie’.
2. They were as cruel as wild animals.
3. They were lazy people. They ate too much and drank too much wine.
Verse 13
Paul knew this famous phrase about the people who lived in Crete. Paul believed what Epimenides had said. Paul also knew it from his own experience, especially with the false teachers. So Titus had to deal with them firmly. They would continue to cause trouble if they did not know the truth. Paul did not want the false teachers to leave the church. Instead, he wanted them to know the truth about Jesus. Paul did not want Titus to punish the false teachers. He wanted to save them from the lies. Then they would be strong Christians. When someone sins, we should always try to correct him or her (Galatians 6:1-2).
Verse 14
The ‘Jewish false stories’ are probably the same ones that Titus 3:9 and 1 Timothy 1:4 refer to. Some Jews had made up stories about people in the Old Testament. Then people wasted time as they discussed these false stories.
The ‘commands’ were probably traditions and rules that men had invented. But the men who invented these rules refused to obey the truth. The Jews had made up extra rules about the kind of food that people could eat. They told people what they could touch or do. Jews said that Christians must obey these traditions and rules. Paul listed some of these rules in Colossians 2:16-23 and 1 Timothy 4:1-5. The Jews said that their rules explained God’s laws. But they had made up the rules.
When the false teachers believed the truth, they would not be interested in the lies anymore.
Verse 15
In this verse, the word ‘pure’ means innocent and without sin. A pure person is good. He is not a mixture of good and evil. The Jews said that a person should obey all the Old Testament commands. And they said that he should obey all the Jewish traditions. That person would then be ‘pure’ or ‘clean’. Jesus said that those commands and traditions could not make a person pure (Mark 7:1-23; Luke 11:37-41). A person becomes pure in his spirit when he trusts Jesus. Jesus affects the person’s mind and conscience so that he is full of good things. Nothing physical can make him less pure in his spirit. However, if a person is not pure in his spirit, nothing physical can make his spirit pure.
Verse 16
A person who truly knows God will behave in a good way. But the false teachers behaved in a very bad way. This showed that they did not really know God. They declared that they were pure. But they could not do anything that was good. Therefore, they were no use to God or to other people.
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