Introduction to Titus

Introduction:

Paul left Timothy in Ephesus; and he left Titus in Crete.

While Timothy was laboring in metropolitan Ephesus, Titus had his hands full on the island of Crete.

Crete, is in the Mediterranean Sea, 160 miles south of Athens, 200 miles north of Africa, is 160 miles long and 7 to 35 miles wide.

It is a mountainous island with excellent shallow harbors. Ancient farmers grew wheat, barley, figs, olives, grapes, and tended to sheep and goats, and fish were plentiful.

In Roman times Crete was covered with forests, now the interior mountains have few forests. Nevertheless, it has been called “the garden of the whole Universe,” for its “beauty, pleasure and profit.”

Crete had a mixed culture with influence from Western Semites (Phoenicia, Syria, Israel), Egypt, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Anatolia, Cyprus, and Greece.

Jews lived in Crete as well.

Ancient Cretans were known as a maritime people.

Cretan archers were especially renowned and frequently hired as mercenaries.

The society was organized very similar to Sparta’s, a communal society set up to train citizen-soldiers.

Even the buildings were set up in a communal manner, with construction built around a central court.

Streets would radiate out from the center of the palace.

Minoan Crete had a predominance of female deities, including the Snake Goddess, protector of the household.

But each new civilization brought its own deities.

As in Ephesus, the goddess Artemis could be found.

Cretans claimed that Zeus was born in a cave in Crete and that Crete was the birthplace of many deities.

Although females in Crete did not have all the political rights that men had, in Minoan Crete women were probably the social equals of men and participated in all activities including the dangerous sport of vaulting over charging bulls.

Aída Besançon Spencer, 2 Timothy and Titus: A New Covenant Commentary, ed. Michael F. Bird and Craig Keener, New Covenant Commentary Series (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2014), 3–4.

As you read and study this letter, you will discover that it is a condensed version of Paul’s first letter to Timothy. In this first chapter, Paul reminded Titus of three responsibilities he had to fulfill.

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 260.

Vs. 1

Paul introduces himself as a slave of God.

The strong Greek word doulos cannot be accurately translated in English as servant or bond servant; the HCSB translates this word as slave, not out of insensitivity to the legitimate concerns of modern English speakers, but out of a commitment to accurately convey the brutal reality of the Roman empire’s inhumane institution as well as the ownership called for by Christ.

The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009).

Acts 16:17

As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation, are the slaves of the Most High God.”

.

“Elect”

Matthew 22:14

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

1 Co 1:27–28.

27 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world —what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something,

“To Godliness”

1 Ti 6:3

If anyone teaches other doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness,

Vs. 2

“Hope”

1 Co 15:19

If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone

Vs. 4

Who was Titus?

Titus was a Greek believer (Gal. 2:3) who had served Paul well on special assignments to the church in Corinth (2 Cor. 7:13–14; 8:6, 16, 23; 12:18).

Apparently Titus had been won to Christ through Paul’s personal ministry (Titus 1:4) as Timothy had been (1 Tim. 1:2). “As for Titus,” Paul wrote, “he is my partner and fellow worker among you” (2 Cor. 8:23, NIV).

But the people on the island of Crete were not the easiest to work with, and Titus became somewhat discouraged.

Like Timothy, he was probably a young man.

But unlike Timothy, he was not given to timidity and physical ailments.

Paul had been with Titus on Crete and had left him there to correct the things that were wrong.

Since Jews from Crete were present at Pentecost (Acts 2:11), it is possible that they had carried the Gospel to their native land.

Titus had his share of problems!

The churches needed qualified leaders, and the various groups in the churches needed shepherding.

One group of false teachers was trying to mix Jewish law with the Gospel of grace (Titus 1:10, 14), while some of the Gentile believers were abusing the message of grace and turning it into license (Titus 2:11–15).

By nature, the people of Crete were not easy to work with (Titus 1:12–13), and Titus needed extraordinary patience and love.

It would have been easy for Titus to have “heard God’s call to go elsewhere,” but he stuck it out and finished his work.

1 Ti 1:2

To Timothy, my true son in the faith.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Co 2:13

I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus,

2 Co 7:13

For this reason we have been comforted.

In addition to our comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy Titus had, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you.