Titus Bible Class

Intro:

*Most of this information is taken from David Lipscomb’s Commentary on the Epistle to Titus, pages 257 and following.

Although Titus is not mentioned by name in the book of Acts, Paul frequently mentions him in his epistles.

Gal. 2:3 says that he was born a Gentile.

When you compare Gal. 2:1-21 with Acts 15:1-2, we see that Titus was with the Paul and Barnabas in Jerusalem when there was an uproar over circumcision. (The Judaizers were trying to enforce the Law of Moses when it was no longer in effect).

Paul refers to Titus as “a true son in our common faith,” implying that Paul might have been instrumental in teaching Titus the Gospel.

Here is a quote from Lipscomb: “He paid three visits to Corinth and was one of the most active in spreading the gospel ... He was with Paul at Ephesus, thence sent on a special mission to Corinth, probably the bearer of the first epistle to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 12:18); with Paul in Macedonia (7:6-15) and perhaps with him at Corinth. He had the superintendence of the work in Crete and was with Paul in Rome, thence sent by him to Dalmatia. (2 Tim. 4:10) His missions of investigation and love, his arrangement for the famous collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem were apparently undertaken spontaneously (2 Cor. 8:6, 16, 17).”

Looking at these verses, you get the picture that Titus was one who really took initiative to do what needed done.

You get an idea that he really and truly cared about the work of the church (as should we all).

Titus’ ministry on the island of Crete is an interesting one:

Titus 1:5 says that Paul left him there so he could fix what was lacking — namely, he needed to appoint elders there in every city! (And we’ll talk about the importance of “in every city” when we come to that).

There were many different ethnicities and religions on the island of Crete.

Jews represented a large minority group on the island, but there were many more Gentiles.

While there evidently were many congregations on the island, they were not organized correctly and there must have been much sin and certainly plenty of false doctrine (Titus 1:10ff)

According to Wikipedia, “In the Classical and Hellenistic period Crete fell into a pattern of combative city-states, harboring pirates. In the late 4th century BC, the aristocratic order began to collapse due to endemic infighting among the elite, and Crete's economy was weakened by prolonged wars between city states.”

“While the cities continued to prey upon one another, they invited into their feuds mainland powers like Macedon and its rivals Rhodes and Ptolemaic Egypt. In 220 BC the island was tormented by a war between two coalitions of cities. As a result, the Macedonian king Philip V gained hegemony over Crete which lasted to the end of the Cretan War (205–200 BC), when the Rhodians opposed the rise of Macedon and the Romans started to interfere in Cretan affairs.”

Then the Romans got involved around the turn of the century in 100 BC and, let’s just say, there were a lot of wars!

So long story short, there was a lot of societal collapse and rebuilding over and over again on Crete in the few centuries leading up to the time of Christ.

Did this factor into the spiritual state of the island?

(My buddy Avery Hackney just got back from Ukraine and told me some interesting things about what’s going on over there — Government was so impressed with the churches of Christ that they put the churches of Christ in charge of the “spiritual rehabilitation of the country.” Think about that!)

Titus’ job, then, in going to the congregations of Crete was to restore order both in proper organization (Elders and deacons), and in proper morality/doctrine.

Quoting Lipscomb again, regarding the design of this epistle, “the task which Paul committed to Timothy when he left him in Crete was one of much difficulty. The character of the people was unsteady, insincere, and quarrelsome; they were given to greediness, licentiousness, falsehood, and drunkenness in no ordinary degree; and the Jews who had settled among them appear to have even gone beyond the native in immorality.” (They sometimes did that, if you study the O.T.)

“Among such a people it was no easy work which Titus had to sustain when commissioned to carry forward that which had arisen there, especially as heretical teachers had crept in among them. Hence, Paul addressed to him this epistle, the main design of which was to direct how to discharge with success the duties to which he had been appointed. For this reason he speaks at some length on the qualification of elders and members and their functions with such loyal allusions as rendered these directions especially pertinent. Titus is enjoined to appoint suitable elders in every city, sound in doctrine and able to convict the gainsayers.”

Place and time of writing:

This letter was evidently written soon after Paul left Crete, and probably written while he was in Asia Minor.

Titus 3:12 says that Paul was on his way to spend winter at Nicopolis.

This, along with some other info that can be gathered, puts the date of this epistle somewhere in the ballpark of AD 67.

Chapter 1:

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Chapter 2:

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Chapter 3: