About Jesus - Steve Sweetman

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Training
Titus

 

My commentary on Paul's

letter to Titus

 

 

 

written 2021

Bible passages quoted in Part One of this book, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

 

Biblical text used and quoted in Part Two of this commentary is the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) as seen in the authorization statement below.  Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

Preface

 

Part One
Church
Leadership

 

Defining Church

 

The Evolution Of Elders

 

Three Greek Words

 

The Bishop - 1 Timothy 3:1

 

Acts 20:17 And 28

 

Titus 1:5 Through 7

 

1 Peter 5:1 Through 3

 

Part Two
My Commentary

 

Introduction To Titus

 

Titus 1:1 - 4

 

Titus 1:5 - 16

 

Titus 2:1 - 15

 

Titus 3:1 - 11

 

Titus 3:12 - 15

 

Concluding Thoughts

 

About The Author

 

Other Books By Stephen Sweetman

 

Contact Information

 

 

 

Preface

 

I am sure you would agree with me that every page and every book in the Bible is important, but sometimes we skip over the smaller books of the Bible, like Paul's short letter to Titus, a young man learning to be a leader in the church.  In the pages of this book I hope to instruct the reader on what Paul had to say to Titus as one who was called to lead God's people.  What Paul wrote to Titus is certainly beneficial for us in today's western-world church, and thus, the reason why I have written this commentary.     

 

This book is divided into two parts.  Part One concerns the nature of church and church leadership.  I have incorporated this part in the book because much of Paul's letter to Titus concerns church and church leadership.  Some preliminary and background material concerning New Testament thinking on church, thus, becomes important.

 

Part Two of this book is my verse by verse commentary based on which I believe is a hermeneutical approach to Biblical exegesis.     

 

Before you read my book I tell you in advance that due to the fact I have been legally blind since birth, because I am not a professional editor, and because this book has not been edited by an outside source, you may find a few grammatical or spelling errors.  Hopefully you will not find many, but most importantly, I hope those you do fine will not detract from what you read.      

 

 

Part One
Church
Leadership

 

 

Defining Church

 

When attempting to learn anything, we must begin our quest to learn with the basics of what we desire to learn.  Concerning church, the basics are found with the first time the word "church" appears in the New Testament, and that just happens to be from the mouth of Jesus Himself.  Matthew 16:18 reads:

 

"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

This verse has been debated to death over the centuries.  We have argued over the word "rock" and Peter's role in the church.  In the process of our endless debates we have failed to understand the word "church" as Jesus understood it when He spoke it in His own language, not in our twenty-first century, English language. 

 

One of the most common mistakes we make today as we attempt to interpret the Bible is to impose our modern definitions of words and concepts onto a text that is thousands of years old, and written in a language and culture far removed from our language and culture.  This does not only do great harm to the text, it misleads you into a wrong understanding of the text that in turn will be misapplied into your life.         

 

Matthew wrote his gospel account in first-century, Koine Greek.  The Greek word "ekklesia" is translated into English as "church" in Matthew 16:18.  In the first-century, Greco-Roman world, an ekklesia was a group of people who were called out of the general public for a specific purpose.  A governing parliament would have been considered an ekklesia.  The Jewish Sanhedrin in Jerusalem would have been understood as an ekklesia.  A fishing guild would be known as an ekklesia. 

 

There is a good chance that Matthew used the Greek word "ekklesia" to convey what Jesus meant when He said that He would build His church because it was descriptive of church.  That is to say, Jesus calls people out of the general population in order for them to accomplish His specific purpose.   

 

All of the above being said, Jesus did not speak Greek.  He would have spoken Aramaic or Hebrew.  He would have spoken the word "synagoge," a word rooted in ancient Hebrew culture that meant "the community of people belonging to God."   When our English Bible states that Jesus will build His church, it means that Jesus will build His own community of people who belong to Him, emphasis on the word "community."

 

Understanding church as a community of people belonging to Jesus that has been called out of the general population is the most basic thing we must know and understand about church.  If you, as a leader in church, build your thinking about church on any other foundation, your concept of church is unbiblical.  If you leave community belonging to Jesus out of church, you have no legitimate church as taught in the New Testament. 

 

Community implies people relating together because they share common characteristics.  Community, as seen in the New Testament, is expressed by the Greek word "koinonia."  Koinonia is translated as "fellowship" throughout the New Testament.  In Biblical terms, koinonia, or fellowship, implies the sharing of your life with those whom Jesus has placed you alongside in His community.  The most important characteristic Christians share in common is the Holy Spirit, who resides within each and every true Christian.  We might say that the Holy Spirit is the life blood of the Body of Christ, the church.   

 

When thinking of the Holy Spirit and church, the next basic point to consider concerning church is the birth of the church.  The church was born on the Day of Pentecost, as described in Acts 2.  There, we read that the Holy Spirit entered the lives of one hundred and twenty believers.  The Holy Spirit not only united the individual believer to Jesus on that occasion, He united the individual believer to the remaining one hundred and nineteen individual believers.  The reception of the Holy Spirit into the lives of these believers was just as much a corporate experience as it was an individual experience, something that is often overlooked in our study of the church.  In fact, as 1 Corinthians 12:13 implies, each one of those believers was immersed into the lives of his fellow believers, thus giving birth to the community of Christ, the Body of Christ, otherwise known as the church.  1 Corinthians 12:13 reads:

 

"For we were all baptized [immersed] by one Spirit into one body ​— ​whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free ​— ​and we were all given one Spirit to drink."

 

With all of what I have written above in mind, North American Christians have a problem.  Our cultural emphasis on the rights and independence of the individual prohibits us from fully experiencing Biblical community as Jesus would want.  That was not the case in Jesus' day.  The Jews who heard Jesus speak, lived out community and would have clearly understood what He meant when He said that He would build a community of people belonging to Himself, and by implication, belonging to each other.

 

Another problem we as western-world Christians face is that we view church as a meeting that takes place in a building that we call church.  Church is much more than a meeting and it is definitely not a building.  Church is the community of people belonging to Jesus and to each other.  People within the community are called alongside certain other people for support as they function with one another in the service of the Lord.  If you have this basic understanding of church, you are well on your way to having a Biblical understanding of church that you can implement in your life and ministry as a leader. 

 

With all of the above in mind, if your church had no regularly scheduled meetings in a building most call church, would you still have a church as I have defined above?  In today's western-world church, the answer would probably be "No."  Why would that be?  Our churches, more often than not, revolve around meetings and the building, and not around personal supportive and functional relationships.  This is important because as our western world becomes more anti-Christian in nature, church will probably be forced to exist without regular scheduled meetings in a building.  We will join the ranks of Christians living in such nations as Iran and China .  If that is the future of the western church, a church leader must lead God's people into the direction of what the New Testament teaches about church.  He must lead God's people into community.  At some point, we might have to leave much of our traditions and structures behind us.  If that is indeed our future, it is better to begin to think of church in terms of community now, than wait until it is too late.            

 

 

 

The Evolution Of Elders

 

I hold to the position that the New Testament teaches plurality of church leadership.  By this I mean that a body of men, not one man, cares for the local community of believers.  This was the practice of the early church.  The Bible has a lot to say how these men cared for God's people, but that is a topic for a different day.  

 

History shows us that soon after the first two generations of Christians passed on, plurality of leadership began to evolve into something different.  By the end of the first century, among this group of leaders who were called elders, one man rose up to be a lead elder, or the bishop as many Bible teachers have called him over the centuries. 

 

The reason for this change was based mostly on the need for unity in the church because of doctrinal differences and heresies that plagued the church from the beginning and intensified by the end of the first century.  The church was experiencing some devastating divisions, which was the reason why the apostle John wrote his first letter.  In response to these heresies, certain leaders promoted the idea that unity in the church could best come through strict obedience and submission to the one man, the bishop, or the head elder.  This was the birth of submission to ecclesiastical authority that led to many abuses over the centuries, abuses that can still be seen in parts of the church today.  The theological term that denotes submission to elders is often called "submission and authority."  It too is an important issue to understand, but once again, that is a topic for another day.      

 

I will not get involved in the details, but if you read such men as Polycarp, Ignatius, and other second-century church leaders, you will see that this transition from plurality of leadership to a single leader is the historic fact.     

 

The supremacy of this one man leader grew to the extent that by the end of the second century the local bishop, or lead elder, was beginning to be seen as God's spokesman to the Christian.  This meant that the individual in the church heard from God through his church's lead elder or pastor.  The idea of an individual hearing from God himself was beginning to be severely damaged at this point in the history of the church.

 

By the end of the third century, or so, the lead elder evolved into an intermediate person who mediated between those he cared for and God.  This meant that the individual in the church approached God by means of his local lead elder.  At this point the New Testament concept of the priesthood of the believer was really being threatened if not lost altogether in Biblical theology and church practice.  This was part of the foundation of Catholicism and what has been called "the dark age of the church." 

 

The first generation church both taught and practiced plurality of elders, with one possible exception, and that being the Jerusalem church where James appeared to have been the lead elder.   I use the word "appeared" because the idea that James was a lead elder among the elders, is a bit speculative in my opinion.  If James was a lead elder, the reason for this was most likely due to the fact that James and the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem did not leave their Jewish heritage behind them to the same extent as the apostle Paul and others did.  James might well have been influenced by the idea of a high priest being the leader as seen in Judaism at that time in history.

 

To sum up this bit of history; the first generation church designated a group of qualified men to lead and care for the local expression of church.  By 100 AD there emerged a lead elder among the group of elders.  He was often called a bishop by theologians over the centuries.  This lead elder morphed into the means by which the individual Christian heard from God.  In subsequent years, this one leader became the means by which the individual approached God.  The local pastor, thus became, the local priest.  At this stage in history, the New Testament concept of the priesthood of the believer was mostly lost until the reformation of the fifteen hundreds where it was once again recognized, at least in part, as being fundamental to Christian doctrine and practice.     

 

We will now examine the concept of plurality of leadership based on five important English words and three important Greek words from which the English words were translated.  We will study just a few passages that will clearly show us that plurality of leadership is a New Testament principle that our modern-day church would do well to embrace. 

 

 

Three Greek Words

 

The New Testament was written in what is called Koine Greek; the common, street-level, Greek of the day.  In the Greek New Testament there are three different Greek words that are translated into five different English words in the King James Bible, and four English words in most newer versions of the Bible.  These three Greek words are titles given to men who form a group of men who care for God's people in any given locality. 

 

The Greek word "presbyteros" is translated into English as "elder."  The Greek word "episkopos" is translated into English as "overseer," and in the King James Bible is also translated as "bishop."  The Greek word "poimen" is translated into English as "shepherd" or "pastor."

 

"Presbyteros" simply means an older man, or when it is used in the plural sense, means older men.  This word is translated into our English New Testament as elder or elders as it relates to church leadership.

 

"Episkopos" literally means to watch over.  It is made up of two Greek words; "epi," meaning "over," and "skopos," meaning "to watch."  We, thus, read the words overseer or overseers in our English New Testament as they apply to church leaders.  The word bishop that is found in the King James New Testament is also translated from this Greek word.  

 

"Poimen" means one who feeds a flock.  We, thus, derive our English words shepherd and pastor, as they apply to church leaders.  "Pastor" is the Latin word for "shepherd."    

 

So there you have it.  There are three Greek words that are translated into five English words in the King James Bible and four English words in newer translations of the Bible.   

 

The one point I will make in the following pages is that these five English words refer to the same men that formed the group of men who cared for the first generation local expression of church.  These words are used interchangeably throughout the New Testament.  In short, these words are somewhat synonymous in that they speak to the same leadership team, although by their definition, they represent different aspects of the responsibility these men carry out in their ministry.   

 

Another point I will make is that these four or five English words are normally used in the plural form when referring to church leadership.  That is to say, the New Testament speaks of church leaders.  It does not speak of a church leader.   The New Testament speaks of elders and not an elder.  The New Testament speaks of pastors, and not a pastor.  The New Testament speaks of men, not a man, who leads and cares for the local expression of church. 

 

To show you these things we will look at just a few passages of Scripture.  We could look at many more, but these will show my point quite clearly.

 

 

 

The Bishop - 1 Timothy 3:1

 

Before I go any further I need to comment on the word "bishop" as seen in the KJV.  1 Timothy 3:1 in the KJV reads as follows:

 

"This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work."

 

The word "bishop" is also seen in the King James Bible in 1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:7, and 1 Peter 2:25.

 

Note the words "office of a bishop" in the KJV in 1 Timothy 3:1.  The KJV misrepresents the intent of the Greek word "episkopos" that is translated as "bishop" when it attributes "episkopos" in terms of an office.  To begin with, there is no corresponding Greek word for our English word "office" in the Greek text.  That has been added by the King James translators. 

The phrase "office of bishop" in the King James Bible in this instance reflects more of the religious concepts of sixteenth-century church leadership than it does New Testament teaching and practice.  King James mandated that certain English words were inserted into the text to reflect his personal view.  Neither does it do justice to the Greek text. The New Testament emphasizes the actual responsibilities to be carried out by overseers or elders, and not the office King James translators say the overseers or elders hold. 

 

The idea of an office of bishop is simply putting the translator's personal thinking into the translation process.  Besides this, the Greek word "episkopos" that is translated as "office of bishop" in the KJV is better translated as "overseer," as is its usual translation in newer versions of the Bible. 

 

My point here is simple.  Just because someone holds what we, or the KJV, calls an office, does not mean the one holding that office has been called by God to care for God's people.  It does not mean the office holder is actually carrying out his Biblical mandated responsibilities of leadership.      

 

In my opinion, 1 Timothy 3:1 in the KJV sounds more like a career choice than a calling from God, despite the fact that the one who desires such a responsibility desires a good thing.  The KJV seems to be emphasizing the office of an overseer when it should be emphasizing the responsibilities of an overseer.  This is fundamental to New Testament thinking concerning being a Christian or a church leader.  The emphasis is not simply on being a Christian or a church leader, but doing what a Christian or a leader is meant to do.  Being is one thing.  Doing is another thing.        

 

 

 

Acts 20:17 And 28

 

Acts 20:17 and following is the account of the apostle Paul speaking to the Ephesian elders for the very last time. He would never see these men again.  From the text, you can see that their good-bys were heart-wrenching.  Verse 17 says this:

 

"From Miletus , Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church."

 

The Greek word "presbyteros" is translated as elders in this verse.  Note the word is in its plural form.  Paul called for the elders of the church at Ephesus .  He did not call for the elder or the pastor of the church at Ephesus .

 

Paul went on to say the following in Acts 20:28.  The text reads:

"Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.  Be shepherds of the church of God , which he bought with his own blood."

 

Note that the elders to whom Paul was speaking shepherded the church of God .  The English verb "shepherded" is translated from the Greek verb  "poimaino," which is the verb form of the Greek noun "poinen," that means "a shepherd."   Paul also told these elders that they have been made "overseers" of God's flock.  Our English word "overseers" is translated from the Greek word "episkopos." 

 

Here is my point.  In these two verses we have all three of our Greek words used, and three of their English equivalents used to refer to the same men, or, body of men, who were the church leaders in Ephesus .

 

Do you remember the Transitive Law that you learned back in your high school days?  The Transitive Law states that if A equals B, and if B equals C, then A must equal C, and in fact, A, B, and C, are all equal to each other.  You didn’t think you would get a math equation in a Bible study, did you?  According, therefore, to the Transitive Law, and by the context of this Scripture, we see that elders equal overseers, and overseers equal shepherds.  In fact all three of these titles are used for the same body of men.  All three titles are synonymous. 

 

The church of Ephesus had a group of men called elders, overseers, or shepherds.  These men cared for individuals in Jesus’ church.  They provided oversight for God's people.  Again, Paul used three different titles in reference to the same leadership team. 

 

Part of the duties of this team of elders, overseers, or shepherds, were to feed, keep watch or guard, God's flock, just as a shepherd would feed and guard his flock of sheep.  

 

Note again, in verse 17 the word "elders" is in the plural form and in verse 28 the word "overseers" is plural.  This was not a one man leader scenario.

 

I have one last point to make here.  Note that it is God's flock that He has purchased with His own blood.  As an aside, there is a theological point to be made here, and that is, the blood of Jesus is in fact the blood of God.  Laying the theology aside, the flock, the church, does not belong to the elders.  It belongs to God, and therefore, it is God, and God alone, who chooses who will lead and care for His flock.  Leading God's people is not a career choice that one decides to make.  It is a calling, an invitation, by God, the Holy Spirit, to lead His people in the way He wants His people to be led.   

 

 

Titus 1:5 Through 7

 

Titus 1:5 through 7 says this:

 

"The reason I [Paul] left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.  An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.  Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless — not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain."

 

I will not comment on the qualifications for elders as seen in these verses.  That too is a discussion for another day. 

 

If you are a fan of the King James Bible you will note that it translates "episkopos" as "bishop" in verse 7, while the New International Bible and other newer versions translate "episkopos" as "overseers."  As I said earlier, the King James translators translated "episkopos" as "bishop" because of its religiously cultural significance of the day.  Most church denominations today understand a bishop to be in charge of a large geographical area.  The word "bishop," for the most part today, does not suggest a local church leader that Paul was writing to Titus about.  

     

The point to be made here is that the word "elder" and the word "overseer," as well as the KJV's word "bishop," all refer to the same group of leaders.  These three words are synonymous. 

 

Once again, according to our Transitive Law, bishops, elders, and overseers in these verses are three titles for the same leadership team.  When taking Acts 20:17 to 28 and Titus 1:5 through 7 into consideration, we now have four out of our five English words being synonymous. 

 

Note again, that the word "elders" is in the plural form.  There is still one more English word left to complete my point, and that is the word "pastor."

 

One last point to note from Titus 1:5 and that is this.  Paul understood that a church without elders was not a fully functioning church.  Titus was sent to ordain elders; something Paul said was left unfinished.  The public recognition of elders would thus complete the establishment of the church in question.    

 

 

 

1 Peter 5:1 Through 3

 

1 Peter 5:1 through 3 says this:

 

"To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be, not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock."

 

Much could be said from this passage concerning how elders are to care for God's people.  There is a wealth of important information in these three verses, but again, that is a topic for another day.   

 

In this text all three of our Greek words are used to refer to the same group of men.  Presbyteros is translated as "elders."  Episkopos is translated as "watching over."   Poimaino" is translated as "be shepherds."  According to our Transitive Law, all of these titles, whether Greek or English, refer to the same group of church leaders.    

 

Notice again the word "elders" is plural.

 

One last point I will make from this passage concerns the word "entrusted."  Elders are entrusted with God's people, the church.  Based on the word "entrusted," you might say that elders are trustees of God's possession, the church.  A trustee is one who holds and administers the possessions of a third party.  The third party in this case is God.  The trustees are the elders or the overseers.  Being a trustee of God's possessions is a serious matter.  It is certainly not a choice that we make, but a choice that God makes.

 

   

Part Two

My Commentary

 

 

 

Introduction To Titus

 

Titus was a young Gentile Christian man who had served Jesus with the apostle Paul from time to time.  His specific ethnicity was Greek, as Galatians 2:3 tells us.  That verse reads:

 

"But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:"

 

We see Paul mentioning Titus in the following verses. 

 

In 2 Corinthians 2:13 we note that Paul had an affectionate brotherly love and concern for Titus.  That verse reads:  

 

"I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus. Instead, I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia ."

 

In 2 Corinthians 7:6 we learn that Titus was a very comforting person, a very good quality to have in the service of the Lord.  That verse reads:   

 

"But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,"

 

In 2 Corinthians 8:6 we see that Titus was well qualified to be a servant of Jesus.  If Paul could trust him, so could everyone else to whom Paul sent to serve.  2 Corinthians 8:6 says:

 

"Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also."

 

In 2 Corinthian 7:13 we learn that Titus was well equipped to do whatever was necessary to strengthen a local community of Christians.  Although the New Testament does not say Titus was an apostle, according to this verse, it does appear that Paul sent him on an apostolic mission, which, might suggest him being an apostle.  2 Corinthians 7:13 reads:

 

"For this reason we have been comforted. In addition to our own comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy Titus had, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you.

For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been disappointed; but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, so our boasting to Titus has also turned out to be the truth."

 

In 2 Corinthians 8:6 we learn a bit about the apostolic mission Paul had sent Titus on in this specific instance.  2 Corinthians, chapter 8, is an appeal by Paul to the Corinthian believers to give graciously to the poor Jews in Jerusalem .  It was Titus' job to encourage the believers at Corinth to complete their act of grace, meaning, their giving financial assistance to the poor Christians in Jerusalem .  2 Corinthians 8:6 says this:        

 

"So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete among you this act of grace."

 

In 2 Corinthians 8:16 we see that Titus caught Paul's vision for the poor saints in Jerusalem .  Although it appears that Paul sent him out on this particular mission, Titus wanted to go.  He freely chose to serve Jesus by serving the Christians in Corinth in whatever way he could.  Titus seems to have been a very diligent and intentional servant of the Lord, which again, is a godly character quality we all need in our lives.  2 Corinthians 8:16 reads as follows"      

 

"Thanks be to God, who put the same concern for you into the heart of Titus. For he welcomed our appeal and, being very diligent, went out to you by his own choice."

 

I said earlier that the New Testament does not clearly state that Titus was an apostle.  That being said, if the brothers Paul wrote of in 2 Corinthians 8:23 includes Titus, then Titus was a God appointed apostle.  I say that because the word "messengers" in this verse is translated from the Greek word "apostolos," which translated into English means apostle.  2 Corinthians 8:23 reads:  

 

"As for Titus, he is my partner and coworker for you; as for our brothers, they are the messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ."

 

Paul's letters to both Timothy and Titus are very similar in nature.  The one difference seems to be that Timothy had to re-establish order in Ephesus , while Titus had to establish order in Crete , where Paul had left him, as we will see in the opening remarks of this letter.

 

The general consensus is that Paul most likely wrote this letter in and around AD 62 while in Macedonia .  We read, after seeing a vision, Paul chose to visit Macedonia , as seen in Acts 16:9 and 10. 

 

"During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, 'Cross over to Macedonia and help us!'  After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia , concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them."

 

Paul was executed by Caesar Nero somewhere around AD 64 to 66.  If the dating of this letter as AD 62 is correct, and that might be debatable, then, it was only a few short years later when Paul died.   

 

 

 

Titus 1:1 - 4

 

The Text

 

1 - Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. In his own time he has revealed his word in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior: To Titus, my true son in our common faith.

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

 

My Commentary

 

Verses 1 and 2

 

"Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began."

 

The first word we read here in Paul's letter to Titus is his name, that is, Paul.  A surface reading of the Book of Acts shows us that the first time we see Paul; his name was Saul, not Paul.  Many believe that Jesus changed Saul's name to Paul after his conversion to Jesus, but that was not the case.  There is simply no New Testament evidence of that being true.  What is true is that Saul was his Hebrew name while Paul was his Greek name.    

 

Paul was raised in Tarsus as a free-born Roman citizen.  He was both a biological Jew and a Roman citizen.  While in the Roman world he would have been known as Paul and while in the Jewish world he would have been known as Saul. 

 

The first time we see Paul in the Book of Acts is recorded in Acts 7.  There, we read about the stoning of Stephen in Jerusalem , the capital of the Jewish civil and religious culture.  We see Paul as Saul in this instance because he was in Jerusalem , and thus, would have been known as Saul.  Acts 7:58 reads:

 

"They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul."

             

For more information about the apostle Paul you can read my book entitled "Who Was Paul," an introduction to the life of Paul.

 

As in every letter that Paul wrote, he always introduces himself by name, as was the normal procedure of letter writing in the Greco-Roman culture.  In this case, as in most cases he called himself an apostle, and a servant of Jesus Christ.  Paul called himself an apostle.  Our English word "apostle" is translated from the Greek word "apostolos" that simply means one who is sent.  Paul was sent out as an apostle by Jesus Himself.  Jesus called Paul to go and proclaim the truth of the gospel.  We read about this in Acts 9:15 and 16.

 

"But the Lord said to him [Ananias],  'Go, for this man [Paul] is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

 

Note the word "chosen" in the above passage.  It appears to me that Paul had a most special apostolic calling.  He was obviously not the first apostle Jesus had chosen, but it does seem that God chose Paul, more than others, to be a significant apostle to the Gentile world.  It was probably for this reason that He had so many visions and revelations from the Lord.  2 Corinthians 12:1 begins an important passage where Paul alludes to these visions and revelations.  It reads:

 

"Boasting is necessary. It is not profitable, but I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord."

 

Paul also called himself a servant, of God a doulos in Greek.  The Greek word "doulos" implies one who was a slave by choice, not by constraint.  Doulos was the lowest of the lowest of slaves.  You could easily translate doulos as slave here in Titus, as you could everywhere else it is used in the New Testament.  Slave would probably be a better translation of doulos but due to our western-world's concept of the word "slave," we prefer to use the word servant than slave.  The word "servant" is a softer, less offensive word, but a slave was who Paul believed he was in the Lord.  As a matter of fact, the general consensus among the first couple generations of Christians was that all Christians were slaves of Jesus.  We might do well to bring this concept back into today's Christian world.  We have allowed the whole culture of slavery in American history to steer us away from the word "slave."      

 

Once reading Acts 9 that records Jesus meeting up with Paul on the road to Damascus , you might think that Paul had little choice to hand his life over to Jesus and become an apostle.  The situation was a pretty dramatic intervention into the life of Paul by Jesus.  Knocking Paul to the ground and causing him to be blind was no small intervention.  Whatever the case, Paul's confession was that the love of God compelled him to serve Jesus.  2 Corinthians 5:14 reads:

 

"For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If one died for all, then all died."

 

Paul said that he had been called for the faith of God's elect.  There are two important New Testament words here.  They are the words "faith" and "elect."   Our English word "faith" is translated from the Greek word "pistis" that simply means trust.  If you say that you have faith in Jesus, what you are saying whether you realize it or not, is that you trust Jesus.   Unless you understand faith to mean trust, you will misunderstand one of the most fundamental and important Biblical words and truths that we cherish as Christians.  It is something that many do not know these days. 

 

A Christian who has faith in Jesus has trusted his life with Jesus.  Faith does not mean merely giving mental consent to the reality of Jesus.  Believing in your head about Jesus does not constitute Biblical faith.  Acknowledging that Jesus died on the cross, as important as that is, does not mean you are a saved person. That is a false faith, and a false faith saves no one.  

 

The other word we see here in verse 1 is the word "elect."  This word, as it is used here as God's elect, simply means God's choice of people.  Christians are God's elect, His choice.  He calls, or chooses, people out of the world and makes them His own.  He chooses those He wants. 

 

The word "elect" has caused lots of doctrinal disputes and problems among theologians over the centuries.   The fact that God chooses people to be His special people suggests to some that God chooses some to be His but others He chooses not to be His.  Others say just the opposite.  They say that God chooses everyone to belong to Him but not everyone chooses Him in return.  In theological terms the concept that God chooses some but not all is called "Predestination."  That is to say, God predestines some to be saved and others not to be saved.  You can do your own research on this issue. 

 

There are, as there usually is in these matters, some good arguments on both sides of the fence.  I have always leaned towards God calling all people to salvation and those who respond in a positive fashion He chooses to be His.  If that were not the case, then all of the "whosoever will believe will be saved" verses in the New Testament need to be rethought.  Time will tell what side of the fence is correct.   

 

Here is one last thought about election as it pertains to predestination.  It is based on my understanding of what Paul wrote as seen in Romans 8:29 and 30.

 

"For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified."

 

We see the words "foreknew" and "predestined" in Romans 8:29.  Foreknowing as it pertains to God is not a difficult concept to grasp.  God lives in eternity, outside of our earthly time space environment.  In other words, there is no distinction in past, present, or future with God.  You might say that there is just the eternal present, if you can actually say it that way.  In short, God sees our future, and in that sense, He foreknows all things that are to be known in our time space world. 

 

The word "predestined" is the difficult word here.  From my standpoint to date, those God foreknew who would respond to His call on their lives; He predestined, or, predetermined, to be like Jesus presently is.  Those people He called, then, when they accepted His call, God justified them.  Once justified, and when it is all said and done, He glorified, meaning, they would become like Jesus presently is.  Romans 8:29 and 30 is seen from God's side of things.  What we do not see in this passage is man's side of things, that is, man's positive response to the call of God.  I don't expect this explanation to satisfy everyone; so once again, you must attempt to draw your own conclusion the best you can.         

 

Two more important words in verse 1 are the words "truth" and "godliness."  Jesus is the ultimate universal truth.  In John 14:6 He calls Himself truth.  John 14:6 reads:

   

"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

 

I have always maintained that I am not a Christian because of all of the benefits I derive from being a Christian, and there are many.  I am a Christian because I have come to understand that Jesus is the ultimate universal truth.  That being the reality, I have no other logical conclusion to make than to hand my life over to Him. 

 

Part of Paul's calling in life was to instruct the elect or God's chosen people in the knowledge of truth that leads to a life of godliness, and thus, the other important word that closes off this sentence.  Godliness simply means that God's will is to have His character qualities incorporated into our individual and corporate lives. This Biblical fact should be known by us all.  Becoming a Christian is not the end of the matter for us.  It is only the beginning of the matter.  From the day you give your life to Jesus is the day you begin the process of becoming more like Jesus, and that is done with the help of the Holy Spirit.  

 

Note the word "knowledge" here in verse 1.  It is translated from the Greek word "epignosis" which is an intense form of the Greek word "gnosis," which means to know.  Because epignosis is an intense word, the knowledge Paul wrote about is suggestive of an experiential knowing.  It is more than head knowledge.  It is a knowing based on a relationship with Jesus that is being worked out, or experienced, in your daily life.  It is like when the Old Testament, in the King James Bible, speaks of a husband knowing his wife, which meant a sexual intimate knowing.  If there is anyone who knows anything about you, it is your spouse, assuming you have a spouse.             

 

In verse 2 we read the word "hope."  We should not understand hope in our worldly culture's view of hope.  Biblical hope has nothing to do with I hope to win the lottery.  That kind of hope implies some kind of doubt because more often than not, you will not win the lottery.  Biblical hope, on the other hand, is a present-day assurance of a future reality.  There is no sense of any doubt in that definition.    

 

The sense of specific hope, or assurance of a future reality, Paul wrote about concerned eternal life.  That is to say, those who have handed their lives over to Jesus will live forever in the presence of God, but until then, they have a present-day assurance of that future reality.  Paul said that such a hope is indeed an assurance of a future reality because God does not lie.  It is impossible for God to say anything that is not true.  It is impossible for God to break a promise.  If God says something will happen, that something will certainly come to pass.  If God, or Jesus, says that they will do something, that something will be done.  You can count on that.      

 

Paul said that the promise of eternal life was made by God prior to the beginning of time as we read in the Genesis account of creation. This tells us that prior to the creation of the material universe, at least part, if not in all aspects; God's plan was to have some kind of life outside of our present-day time space environment.  In other words, the concept of eternal life pre-existed creation as we know it today.  Eternal life has always been God's desire for His people.  To live with us beyond the limits of life on earth has always been in the mind of God.      

 

 Verse 3

 

"In his own time he has revealed his word in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior:"

 

The words "in His own time" in verse 3 are important.  I have always said that God has a time table of events.  Even while Jesus was on earth we see that He did certain things in respect to this heavenly time table.  John 7:8 is one such example of this.   It reads:

 

"Go up to the festival yourselves. I'm not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come."

 

We don't know all of the reasons why God does certain things and when He chooses to do them.  Many Bible teachers have suggested reasons why God chose the exact time when He had Jesus come to earth.  Some say that because the Greco-Roman religious system of polytheistic paganism was on the decline and being replaced with a more philosophical approach to life made it easier for the spread of the gospel.  Some say that the Roman Empire itself, with its system of roads and the one world language of Greek made it easier for the spread of the gospel.  Some suggest that the spread of the Jews throughout the Roman Empire also made it easier for the New Testament gospel to be spread in remote parts of the empire.  The general way of doing things, especially with Paul, was that the gospel was first preached the Jews, and then to the Gentiles.   There are probably many things we could add to this, but I am sure God had His reasons that are beyond our knowing, at least in this present age in which we live.

 

Paul said that God's word is now being revealed through preaching, something that he was called by God to do.  He said that God entrusted the proclamation of God's Word to him.  God, after having Jesus transform Paul's life, as recorded in Acts 9, could trust Paul with the proclamation of the gospel, which Paul said was commanded to him by God.  We see Paul's commanded ministry calling in Acts 9:15 and 16.

 

"But the Lord said to him [Ananias], 'Go, for this man [Paul] is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

 

Paul was one very special man in the history of Christianity and the plan of God.  I see him as the Moses of the New Testament.  As Moses was to the Old Testament, so Paul is to the New Testament.  Like Moses who set forth the foundations of Jewish thought, so Paul set forth the very fundamentals of the Christian faith more than any other person, and that includes Jesus Himself.

 

Verse 4

 

"To Titus, my true son in our common faith.  Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior."

 

In verse 4, Paul called Titus his son in the faith, as he called Timothy his son in the faith.  Of course, both Timothy and Titus were not biological sons of Paul.  Both men were sons in the faith.  Paul, in one sense of the word, was Timothy and Titus' spiritual father in the Lord because, as many think, he led these two men to Jesus.    

 

Paul declared grace and peace into the life of Titus in verse 4.  Biblical grace is both God's love given to us who do not deserve it and His divine ability given to us to accomplish His will in our lives.  Biblical peace means that we are on God's side.  We are no longer His enemy and because of that, we have a good measure of inner peace that keeps us through the difficult periods of life.

 

Paul said that this grace and peace comes from both God and Jesus.  This is an allusion to the divine nature of Jesus, often called the Deity of Christ.  While on earth, Jesus was God in a human form.  Now, at the precise moment, Jesus is still God in some kind of super-human, spiritual form.      

 

Note that in these first four verses both God the Father and Jesus are our Saviour.  Yes, Jesus was the One who was hung on the cross, but that being said, Jesus was God in a human form.  This speaks to the unity of both God and Jesus, a unity that is difficult to comprehend, if it is even possible to comprehend. 

 

 

 

Titus 1:5 - 16

 

The Text

 

5 - The reason I left you in Crete  was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town. An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion. As an overseer of God’s household, he must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it. 10 For there are many rebellious people, full of empty talk and deception, especially those from the circumcision party. 11 It is necessary to silence them; they are ruining entire households by teaching what they shouldn’t in order to get money dishonestly. 12 One of their very own prophets said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." 13 This testimony is true. For this reason, rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith 14 and may not pay attention to Jewish myths and the commands of people who reject the truth. 15 To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

 

My Commentary

 

Verse 5

 

"The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town."

 

The reason why I incorporated Part One into this book is because of what follows in Paul's letter.  Paul wrote Titus about church leadership and I thought a little background instruction might help the reader better understand Paul's instructions. 

 

Paul asked Titus to remain in Crete .  Crete is an island at the east end of the Mediterranean Sea .  Titus was to set right that which was left unfinished.  That which was left undone was the appointing of elders that would care for the believers in every city community of believers.  Because of Paul's evangelistic ministry on the island of Crete , there were a number of Christian communities formed.  Paul moved on to other places and wanted Titus to stay behind to appoint elders in these churches.  It seems obvious that Paul did not appoint these elders himself.  I believe that he waited until it was clearly evident who had the godly character qualities and God-appointed calling to leadership needed to care for God's people.  For this reason he left this task to Titus after he moved onto other parts of the empire to evangelize.     

 

Note the word "elders" is in the plural form.  Paul's church structure policy as it pertains to leadership was that a group of elders should be set in place to care for the church.  No one man would stand out over against another as being the leader, as it is in our modern church.  It was all about plurality, not singularity, when it came to church leadership.  Pastors, not a pastor, cared for God's people.  Elders, not an elder, oversaw the community of Christians in any given city.  Leaders, not a leader led the local community of Christians.  

 

The Greek word "presbyteros" is translated as elder or elders in the New Testament.  This Greek word simply means an older man, and thus, speaks to a mature Christian, which we will see in the following verses.  You can read a similar description of church leaders in 1 Timothy, chapter 3. 

 

At this point I suggest you read my book entitled "Plurality of Elders," the New Testament pattern.  In that book I go into much detail about church leadership that I do not go into here in this commentary.  If you have not already read Part One of this book, I would advise you to do that now.      

 

Note also that Paul said that since there were no elders appointed as yet, there was unfinished work that needed to be done.  In Paul's mind, a local church needed a body of elders to care for the people if it was to be a legitimate local community of believers. 

 

In most all English New Testaments there are four English words that have been translated from three Greek words that represent local church leadership.  These words are: elders, pastors, shepherds, and overseers.  The King James Bible adds another word, that being, bishop.  All of these words help explain the nature of church leadership.   The title elder suggests a mature person.  The title pastor suggests a caring person.  The title "shepherd" suggests one who feeds.  The title "overseer" suggests one who watches over the local church.  

 

Concerning the word "bishop," this word was a word used for church leaders in the era when the King James Bible was written.  Both in that era and our era today, the word "bishop" does not fit into the meaning of 1 Timothy 3:1.  You can refer back to my previous chapter in Part One of this book to refresh your memory on 1 Timothy 3:1.       

 

Verse 6

 

"An elder must be blameless: the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion."

  

As Paul told Timothy, as we read in 1 Timothy 3, he also told Titus what character qualities and qualifications elders must have.  They are as follows.  Elders must be blameless, suggesting that they should be of high moral and ethical character.  No one should be able to point a finger of blame at an elder without just cause.

 

An elder must be the husband of one wife.  There is some debate whether this instruction means that an elder must have one wife at a time or one wife in a life time.  It is my position that this instruction means an elder must only have one wife at a time.  Polygamy was somewhat commonplace in the first-century, Greco-Roman world, and such a marriage was not God's will for the Christian.  One man was to be the husband of one wife, as seen in the creation account in Genesis 2:24.  That verse reads:

 

"This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh."

 

As a side note, and, with the above verse in mind, the Law of Moses did not outlaw polygamy in Old Testament Jewish culture.  This has been a problematic issue to deal with over the centuries.  This might be debatable but some believe that since so many wives died during child birth, multiple wives for husbands were permitted in the Old Testament Law of Moses.  On the other hand, the Law of Moses has many things in it that it did not ban, slavery being another such issue.  I do not believe that the Law of Moses was meant to address every aspect of human morality.  It was meant to bring order to the Jews in a culture where polygamy and slavery were commonplace.   This is a huge subject, but whatever the case, God's original plan at creation was for one man to live with one woman as husband and wife for a complete lifetime.          

 

According to Paul, an elder must have faithful children.  The CSB version of the Bible uses the word "faithful" while other English Bibles use the word "believer" or "trustworthy."  I prefer the word "trustworthy" because it is translated from the Greek word "pistis" that means to trust.   The debate over this verse is this.  If a child is not a Christian, does that mean a man cannot be an elder?  Another question could be asked as well.  Was Paul talking about young children or adult children?

 

In answering these questions we should note that Paul's instructions to Timothy on this matter as seen in 1 Timothy 3:4, does not say anything about children being believers or trustworthy.  1 Timothy 3:4 reads:

 

"He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity."

 

In the instruction to Timothy, the elder must have control over his children.  An elder who has control over his children would suggest that his children would not be overly wild or rebellious as seen here in Titus.  Being able to keep people in some kind of unified fashion would be a good quality for and elder in the church to have.  Also, a father having control over his children would suggest that these are young children, not adult children.  Genesis 2:24, that I quoted above, states that a man will leave his parents in order to be united with his wife.  When this takes place, even though the man or the woman is a son or daughter of  his or her parents, the parental upbringing ends.  The new husband and wife are adults who make their own choices in life.  I do not believe, then, that adult married children who are not Christian should disqualify someone from being an elder of the local church.            

 

This is difficult for many to think through.  By their nature, teenagers, for example, can be rebellious and unruly as they move from dependence on parents to being independent adults.  During this period of life rebellion is par for the course of life.  For this reason, I don't believe that Paul was saying that a rebellious son or daughter would disqualify one from being an elder. 

 

The point I believe Paul was making to both Timothy and Titus was that the father, the elder, must know how to manage or control his family because managing and controlling church would be somewhat similar.  That is to say, how a father cares for his children is how an elder would care for God's people.                     

 

Verses 7, 8 and 9

 

"As an overseer of God's household, he must be blameless: not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it."

 

In verse 7 Paul said that an overseer is entrusted with the care of God's household.  Note the word "overseer" here in verse 7.  It is translated from the Greek word "episkopos" which means to watch over.  The word "overseer" is one of four words our English Bibles use as a title for the same leadership responsibilities.  Because the word "elder" and the word "overseer" are used here in the same context, we should know that an elder is an overseer and an overseer is an elder.  An elder, who is an older mature man, watches over God's people.        

 

An elder/overseer must be blameless, or, of high moral and ethical character.  He must not be an arrogant person, not quick tempered, not given to drunkenness (not necessarily an abstainer), not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. An elder must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, self controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.  I am sure Paul could have added more to this list.  Simply put, one who cares for God's people and provides leadership for them must have a good measure of godly character qualities, as seen in the above list.  There is nothing difficult for us to understand here. 

 

Paul said that elders must hold to good and sound teaching.  They must be able to encourage others with this sound doctrine.  Beyond that, the elder must be able to refute those who oppose sound Biblical teaching.  This is similar to what Paul told Timothy when he said that elders must be able to teach.  They must be able to both teach and refute wrong doctrine.  Some may be more given to teaching than others, but all elders must have Scriptural knowledge and understanding and be able to pass it along to others when needed.  Included in Biblical instruction is refuting those doctrines that are not Biblical.

 

Good Biblically based teaching is foundational to church.  If you get Biblical instruction wrong, church will be wrong.  In our day when it seems that sound doctrine is not important, we must return to what Paul told Titus in this letter.  Much of postmodern people are dumbed down.  They, and we, just want to here the sound bites, the quick and short version.  We do not want to do the needed research for ourselves.  That has inflicted parts of the church which has resulted in what I call a Biblically illiterate church.  

 

Verses 10 and 11

 

"For there are many rebellious people, full of empty talk and deception, especially those from the circumcision party. It is necessary to silence them; they are ruining entire households by teaching what they shouldn't in order to get money dishonestly."

 

In verse 10 Paul gave the reason why an elder or overseer must be qualified to teach and refute wrong doctrine.  He said that there are rebellious people, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group.  The circumcision group would be those Jews who did believe in Jesus but taught that in order to be a real Christian; you had to obey the Law of Moses.  This added a condition to salvation that is beyond what Jesus did for us on the cross.  It was telling Jesus that what He did was not good enough, and that is a pretty bad sin.   

 

These false teachers like the limelight.  They like to be the ones who do all the talking, all the teaching.  They like to be seen, and the pulpit is a very visible place for them to be seen.  If their only motivation was to be heard, then they should not be allowed to speak in the church.  Beyond merely talking, they were actually out to deceive the church.   Nothing has changed since Paul's day.  We still have such people in church who like the limelight and who teach wrong doctrine.  What they really want is a following, and that is a wrong motive to teach and preach.     

 

In verse 11 Paul said that these deceivers must be silenced because they are ruining whole households.  These false teachers were not just messing up church, they were destroying families.  All this was done in order to make money.  Any kind of church activity should not be motivated from the standpoint of earning a good income, although mush of the church in the West doesn't seem to get that.  I am not saying that church leadership should not be paid for all they do.  Even Paul said they should be paid. 1 Timothy 5:17 and 18 read:

 

"The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.  For Scripture says, 'Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,' and 'The worker deserves his wages.'"

 

Verse 12

 

"One of their very own prophets said, 'Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."

 

Cretans seemed to have had quite a bad reputation.  Paul quoted from an ancient Cretan philosopher who said that Cretans are always liars, evil brutes and lazy gluttons. Even though Paul had no respect for such philosophers, he suggested that the Cretan false teachers fell into this descriptive category. 

 

A close study of the life of Paul will tell you that he was just as much informed about the philosophical views of his day as he was about the Jewish tradition in which he was raised.  It is important for some in the local expression of church to be aware of the philosophical thinking of the day.  Paul was one of these people.      

 

Verses 13 and 14

 

"This testimony is true. For this reason, rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith and may not pay attention to Jewish myths and the commands of people who reject the truth." 

 

Concerning these false teachers, Paul told Titus to rebuke them.  Once again, these are strong words. Why should Titus rebuke these men so sharply, and I would say openly?  These false teachers needed to repent so they would be sound in their faith, something they obviously did not have.  Their faith was not to be in the Law of Moses or Jewish rabbinical traditions.  Whether these men had true faith or not may be debatable, but whatever the case, Paul wanted to bring soundness to the faith they had.  If these men were adding Law to faith, as I believe they were, that would tell me that they had a faulty faith and such faulty faith saves no one. 

 

It is important, as best as we can, to attempt to live by what I call the clear word of Scripture.  Sometimes our beliefs do not align exactly with what the Bible clearly states.  We often embrace a theological tradition than the Bible.  That should not be.      

 

Paul, in Romans 10:4 said that Christ is the end of the Law.  You cannot get it more clearly than that.  If you add law, no matter what law, to what Jesus did on the cross, you nullify the faith you claim to have.  Romans 10:4 reads:

 

"Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Anything we teach or say that takes away from the importance of the cross of Christ is unbiblical.  It must be rebuked.  As a matter of fact, Paul, in Colossians 2:14 and 15 taught that the Law of Moses had been cancelled because it was nailed to the cross along with Jesus.  That passage reads:

 

"He [God] erased the certificate of debt [Law of Moses], with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him."

 

By the first-century AD the Jewish religion had been pretty much corrupted.  Much had been added to what God told men like Abraham and Moses.  Over the centuries, the Jewish religious establishment had added much to what God commanded the Jews.  Judaism was no longer the real Judaism.  It was an apostate religion.  As a matter of fact, if you read the letters to the seven churches in Revelation, chapter 2 and 3, you will notice that Jesus called the Jewish religious system, the synagogue of Satan.  Revelation 2:9 reads:

 

"I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan."

 

Revelation 3:9 reads:

 

"I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you."

 

Verse 15

 

"To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled."

 

In verse 15 Paul said that to the pure all things are pure.  What Paul wrote here can be easily misinterpreted, as it often has been.  It does not mean a Christian has the freedom to sin, because sin has become pure.  Sin is still sin.  Sin is not one of the things that have become pure, and thus, be involved in.  In context, Paul was speaking of Jewish tradition and false teaching where such things as eating certain types of meat were deemed to be impure.  Paul himself was pure, and that, because of what Jesus had done for him on the cross.  Because of the cross of Christ, God declared Paul to be pure.  It is what the doctrine of justification is all about.  Such things, therefore, like eating certain meat that the Law of Moses deemed not pure, had become pure for him to eat.  Certain meats, and other such things, were no longer impure because, as I quoted Romans 10:4 above, Christ Jesus put an end to the obligations of the Law of Moses.

 

On the other hand, to those who are corrupted, that is those who do not believe the truth of the gospel, nothing is pure. Whether they eat meat or don't eat meat, they are in a state of impurity.  They are still impure because they have rejected the declaration of being pure that was provided them as a result of the cross of Christ.

 

Paul went on to say that these false teachers who taught Jewish tradition as a means of salvation had corrupt minds.  They claimed to know God, but their actions deny their claim. This is often the case with such false teachers. Their mouths can profess faith in Jesus but their actions tell a different story.  Their mouths claim faith, but their actions claim Law.  That suggests that they have no valid faith in Jesus, and thus, cannot be a real Christian.

 

We need to be reminded that Paul was writing to Titus about false, corrupt teachers who taught wrong doctrine.  They were the one's that needed to be rebuked and silenced.  Paul was not talking about the ordinary believer who may have embraced some wrong teaching.  Those people needed to be taught correctly, not rebuked or silence. 

 

Verse 16

 

"They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work."

 

Verse 16 pretty much confirms what I just said.  These false teachers cannot be valid Christians.  These teachers were detestable, disobedient and unfit for anything good.  Paul was very bold in his wording here, something that many would call intolerant in today's so-called tolerant culture.  However you feel about tolerance, when a false teacher within the church teaches that what Jesus did on the cross is not sufficient to be saved, and that we need to obey certain rules, both the false teacher and his doctrine need to be addressed and openly rebuked.      

 

Any teaching that takes away from the divinity of Jesus and what He did for us on the cross is false.  We cannot allow such teaching within the Christian community.  For example, over the last couple of decades, certain men have been teaching, and now have a following, that Christians and Muslims serve the same God.  This is pure false teaching.  It makes no Biblical sense and it makes no logical sense.  Muslims believe that God never had a human son, and of course, Christians believe that Jesus is God's human son.  That fact alone clearly tells us that Christians and Muslims do not serve the same God.        

 

 

 

Titus 2:1 - 15

 

The Text

 

1 - But you are to proclaim things consistent with sound teaching. Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, and in submission to their husbands, so that God’s word will not be slandered. In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching. Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn’t have anything bad to say about us. Slaves are to submit to their masters in everything, and to be well-pleasing, not talking back 10 or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works. 15 Proclaim these things; encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

 

My Commentary

 

Verse 1

 

"But you are to proclaim things consistent with sound teaching."

 

In contrast to the false doctrine that Paul has been writing about, he now brings home the importance of teaching sound doctrine to Titus.  I maintain, in a day and age when we want to experience all that we can, whether it be spiritually, socially, materially, or in any other aspect of life, Paul puts great importance on right thinking that leads to right doctrine, that leads to right living.  From a Biblical perspective, if you want the most out of life, you must embrace sound Biblical teaching, and that begins in your brain.  All that we learn first enters our brain.  Once what we learn is fully understood in our brain, it will sink into hour hearts or souls, where, it will become the conviction by which we live.  Without this conviction, we will not live as Jesus wants us to live.  This places much importance on our intellect as a vital aspect of Christian growth.  That, of course, means we must apply ourselves to the study of the Bible, and all that goes along with that study.     

 

It is my opinion that much of western-world Evangelical Christianity is being dumbed down, like the world around us.  We just want the sound bites.  That's it.  We don't want the details and we certainly don't want to have to think through the details to reach a logical Biblical conclusion about any issue.  That was not Paul and that is not what Paul was telling Titus.  There must be some people in any expression of church that are capable of thinking issues through to their logical Biblical conclusions, and those who do not have such ability must adhere to those who do.         

 

I have always maintained that words matter.  The words we speak come from within us.  They are a product of both our minds and our hearts.  Over the years I have heard Christians say things that are just not Scriptural.  They will say to me: "you know what I mean."  My answer to them is that I can only know what they are saying based on the words I hear them say.  If, then, they say words that do not match the Biblical thinking, I can only conclude that they do not understand the Bible.  I believe that if a person really knows what the Bible says about any given issue, they will say the right words that portray the Biblical issue at hand.  Paul wanted Titus to say the right words.       

 

Note the word "proclaim" here in verse 1.  It is translated from the Greek word "leleo," which simply means to speak.  This might suggest, then, that Paul had more than just teaching sound doctrine in mind when he wrote these words.  Speaking implies simple normal talking.  It implies conversation, no matter where that conversation takes place.  It may be in a building we call church.  It may be in a coffee shop.  It may be anywhere.  In all that Titus was to ever say, must be Biblically sound.  The same would apply to you and I today.       

 

Verse 2

 

"Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance."

 

Paul told Titus that he must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.  Part of what is in accordance with sound doctrine is what Paul wanted Titus to teach older men, and that is, being self-controlled, worthy of respect, and sound in faith, love and endurance.  Once again, these are godly character qualities that must be seen in us all.  This should tell us that sound doctrine does include how to live as God wants us to live.  Sound doctrine is not merely theoretical in nature. 

 

It is interesting to note here that the Greek word "presbyteros" that is rendered elder, as in a leader of the local church, in chapter 1 is rendered as older men here in this verse.  Why would that be?  I believe the context tells us that presbyteros here refers to aged men and not elders of the church.  Verse 3 makes that clear with its use of the term "older women."  This is an example of how context is one important factor in the translating process from the original Greek text to our English text. 

 

I will not comment on all of the character qualities listed in verse 2 other than the word "love," which is translated from the Greek word "agape."  Older men, and really, all of us, must demonstrate a love that sacrifices for one another, because this is the nature of the Greek word "agape."       

 

Verses 3, 4 and 5

 

"In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children,  to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, and in submission to their husbands, so that God's word will not be slandered."

 

In similar fashion, Paul told Titus to teach older women certain things.  As stated in my comment on the last verse, the term "older women" demands we translate the Greek word "presbyteros" in verse 2 as older men and not elders, as in, elders of the local church.

 

Older women are to possess such godly character qualities as being reverent in the way they live, not slanderous, and not slaves to excess drinking.  Once again, these qualities should be seen in us all, but as would apply to older men being examples to younger men, so older women are to be examples to younger women.     

 

Note the word "slaves," as in, slaves to excess drinking.  The word "slaves" is a good word to use here because it is translated from the Greek verb "douloo" which literally means to be enslaved by something or someone.  Paul did not tell Titus to tell women not to drink.  He just told them not to be addicted to drinking alcohol.  There is a huge difference between what we would call social drinking and alcoholism.  Paul is thinking in terms of alcoholic abuse here, which was, a problem among women just as it was a problem among men.  Nothing has changed from those days to our days in this respect.  Drinking in excess is just as much a female problem as it is a male problem.          

 

This is what I believe the Bible teaches about drinking wine, beer, or any other such drinks.  There is no place in the Bible that says you must not drink such drinks.  The Bible simply tells us to be moderate in our drinking and not excessive, and especially not addictive.   It also warns us about the problems that excess drinking causes, so, we must be careful in our drinking habits.  I, therefore, conclude that drinking alcoholic beverages is permissible for Christians.  What is not permissible is getting drunk.  We see this clearly in Ephesians 5:18.

 

"And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:"

 

The point Paul was making in Ephesians 5:18 was that we must never lose control of ourselves which happens when we are drunk.  We must always be in control, as well as being filled with the Holy Spirit.  Being in total control of our senses, is in fact, a godly character trait. 

 

One thing we should not do is equate being drunk with being filled with the Spirit, as I have heard from many over the years.  I have seen and heard people totally out of control and acting as if they were drunk when they were not.  They claimed to be, as they put it, "drunk with the Holy Spirit."  I do not believe the Holy Spirit makes you act as if you were drunk.  There is no Scriptural support for that notion. 

 

Some people suggest that the one hundred and twenty disciples of Jesus on the day of Pentecost were drunk in the Spirit.  The text does not say that, neither does it allude to that.  It was the non-Christians who suggested that the one hundred and twenty disciples were acting like they were drunk.  That was because they had never seen or heard such a thing before.  They were both amazed and confused by what they saw and heard.  The one hundred and twenty disciples were actually glorifying God. 

 

Acts 2:13 tells us that it was the non-believers, who as they sneered at the disciples, said that they were acting like they were drunk.  That verse reads:

 

"But some sneered and said, 'They're drunk on new wine.'

 

These believers were not drunk.  As I said, they were glorifying God.  Acts 2:11 reads:

 

"... ​we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues."

 

It is clear, since Paul did not want women to over-indulge in drinking, women, like men, had a drinking problem in Paul's day.

 

Here is one last thought on drinking wine and other such drink.  We read in John, chapter 2, that Jesus turned the water into wine at a wedding feast.  This was real wine, not grape juice, as some think, and here is why.  The Greek word "oinos" is translated as wine throughout John, chapter 2.  The same Greek word is translated as wine in Ephesians 2:18 where Paul told his readers not to get drunk with wine.  The same Greek word that Paul said not to get drunk with was the same Greek word where Jesus turned the water into wine. It thus should be understood, then, that Jesus turned the water into a wine that one could get drunk on if he drank to excess.  Besides that, those who drank Jesus' wine said that it was the best wine they had tasted.  People who were familiar with wine would not suggest that Jesus wine was watered down into grape juice.  They would have known the difference between real wine and grape juice.  John 2:10 reads:

 

"Everyone sets out the fine wine first, then, after people are drunk, the inferior. But you [Jesus] have kept the fine wine until now."

 

According to Paul, part of the call of God on the lives of older women is to encourage, teach, and maybe even disciple, younger women in the ways of the Lord.  That would have included the responsibilities of being a mother and a wife.  We don't often see this kind of discipleship in today's church, just as we do not often see older men teaching younger men in the ways of the Lord.  Today's church seems to leave such teaching or discipleship up to the pastor, but that is not Biblical and it is not what Paul told Titus to pass along to older men and women in his day.   Biblically speaking then, adults are to be active in the ministry of discipleship, and I might suggest, that takes place outside of what we call Sunday school.  New Testament discipleship includes personal interaction between the one doing the discipling and the one being discipled.  This implies relationship.  Effective discipleship, then, stems from having personal relationships, and personal relationships are developed outside of what we call church meetings.         

 

Note that Titus was not told to teach younger women.  He was told to teach older women to teach younger women.  Understanding the hormonal nature of younger men and younger women, it is best to have older men disciple younger men and older women disciple younger women.    

 

Note here that we see that wives are to submit to their husbands.  In Ephesians 5:20 and following Paul addressed this issue in much greater detail.  You can read my commentary book entitled "Practical Theology" on those verses, but in short, when it comes to wives submitting to husbands, it is a submission based on mutual love and adoration for each other.  There is no hint of dictatorial rule by the husband over the wife in what Paul taught in Ephesians.  As a matter of fact, Paul said that the husband must love, or lay down his life, for his wife just as Jesus loved and laid down his life for the church.   Ephesians 5:25 reads:

 

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ..."

 

Beyond Paul's instructions about submission, he advised us all, and that would include husbands and wives, to submit to each other.  Ephesians 5:21 reads:

 

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."

 

Verse 6

 

"In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled in everything.

 

Paul encouraged Titus to encourage young men to have self-control in every way.  I think we all know what Paul was getting at here.  As with all young men, and young women too, hormones rage at times.  In those times of rage, self-control is necessary, and if not, the lack of control can certainly cause unwanted problems.  Beyond the obvious, this lack of self control can, and will, damage the testimony young men are to have for Jesus.  When Christian young men act and behave like young men in the world around them, the world sees no difference in the life of the Christian young man than what is seen in the life of a non-believer.  That defeats one reason why we are Christians, and that is, to be a good representative of Jesus to those around us. .   

 

Verse 7

 

"Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching."

 

Paul now directed his words directly to Titus.  Here in verse 7 Titus was encouraged to be  a man of integrity and dignity in his teaching, and if in his teaching, I would say also in his life.  What one teaches must be seen in his life or it is not worth teaching.  Your life is just as much of a sermon as your words.  Your words must match your life or you might as well be silent.  I would then suggest that many in our day must be silent.  Until one's words match one's life, that one should never stand behind a pulpit to teach the Word of God.       

 

Verse 8

 

"Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn't have anything bad to say about us."

 

Paul often showed a concern about what people think and say about him and his fellow workers.  He had no problem with people criticizing him for the gospel he preached, but he was opposed to criticism that was not well founded.  The gospel itself is an offense to many and the cause for much opposition and criticism.  We don't need to bring undue condemnation on ourselves for our own foolishness seen in our words or in our actions.

 

Note the word "message" here in the CSB's version of verse 8.  It is translated from the Greek word "logos" that simply means speak.  I would suggest, then, that Paul was telling Titus that all that he spoke, not just what he taught, should be blameless.  Being criticized for what you teach is one thing but being criticized for what we say outside a teaching session is quite another thing.  We must always be mindful of our speech. This is especially so today when so many of us are active on our favourite social-media web sites, where, many have no self-control or restraint in the things that they post.  Far too often I see Christians posting comments that look no different from those a non-Christian would post.  Both are nasty, and nasty is not Christian.    

 

I realize we are all human and we do misspeak at times, but that being the reality, we should do our best to speak from a heart of godliness.  As Christians, we do have our opponents.  There is no doubt about that, but exercising integrity in speech will limit the criticism of us.

 

Note the word "us" at the end of verse 8.  Paul did not want unwarranted criticism to be leveled against us, that is, the church community.  The fact is that the actions of one person, that is, a young man in this instance, can be reflected on the whole church community.  One person's words and actions can harm the whole church community.   

 

Verses 9 and 10

 

"Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive."

     

Paul gave Titus some advice concerning how Titus should approach the topic of slavery in his teaching.  Slavery was commonplace in the first-century Greco-Roman world.  There were some slaves that chose to be slaves and some slaves who did not choose that lifestyle.  Some slaves became slaves to work off a financial debt.  Other slaves were professional men, like doctors and lawyers.  For more information on how the Bible views the practice of slavery, you can read my book entitled "What The Bible Says About Slavery."   In short, despite the fact that there is no Bible verse that openly bans the practice of slavery; I believe the Bible does oppose the practice of one person owning another.  If you study Paul's letter to Philemon I think that makes my point clear.  What Paul told Philemon, a slave owner, in my opinion, tells me that the Bible does ban slavery.  For more details on Paul's letter to Philemon, you can read my commentary on Philemon entitled "Appealing For Freedom."  

 

Here in verses 9 and 10 Paul's point is that slaves should live their lives, which includes obedience to masters, in such a way that might cause their masters to give their lives to Jesus.  This sacrificial way of life was basic to the way Paul lived.  That is to say, he would sacrifice himself if that would lead another to Jesus.  In fact, this literal death did just that.  I believe as Paul's head was sliced from his shoulders at his execution, that became his greatest witness for Jesus.  Paul, like Jesus, is a good witness for us all to follow.    

 

One thing we can say for sure is that Paul opposed slave trading.  He lists it as a major sin in 1 Timothy 1:10, that reads:

 

"... for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for slave traders, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching."

 

Verse 11

 

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people."

 

In verse 11 Paul said that the grace of God has appeared to all men, and in context, that would include slave owners.   How has God's grace been so apparent to everyone?  First of all, God's grace was seen in the life and death of Jesus Himself.  We see this in the Greek aorist verb "has appeared."  An aorist verb is a one time specific action, and that one time specific action would have concerned the life of Jesus that culminated in His sacrificial death.  

 

Beyond Jesus' life and death, God's grace should be apparent in the gospel message that we preach and teach.  God's grace should also appear in the lives of Christians, and that would include Christian slaves.  Slave owners had a chance to be saved just like anyone else.  You can think of the worst person in history, even he or she was a candidate for salvation.  Even Hitler was a candidate for salvation.  In fact you can say that Jesus died on the cross for Hitler.  If Hitler would have handed his life over to Jesus, even after all he had done, he would be in heaven today.  There is no historic recollection, though, that suggests that Hitler ever gave his life to Jesus.       

 

Verses 12, 13 and 14

 

"It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."

 

Paul continued to say that the grace of God teaches us to live righteous lives, not ungodly lives.  Grace that is preached in the gospel appears in two forms.  First of all there is grace, that is, God's love and favour directed towards us who do not deserve anything from God.  Salvation is freely given to us once we trust Jesus with our lives.  The second meaning of grace is God's divine ability given to us to effectively accomplish His will in our lives, which in this case, means to live a righteous life.  I conclude, then, that we have the ability to live as God would have us to live more than most of us think.  

 

The gospel preached by Paul stated that we have been freely granted salvation upon our repentance and faith in Jesus, but once we have received this salvation, God provides the ability to live the way in which He expects.  Far too often it appears to me that a person becomes a Christian where we see a dramatic change in that person's life, but beyond that, change does not continue.  The Christian life is all about change.  It is all about being more like Jesus today than you were yesterday.

 

Note the words "as we wait" here in verse 12.  The verb "wait" is a present middle Greek participle.  The present part of this verb means that we are waiting in present time.  The middle part of this verb suggests that the waiting is both a result of us and also the result of an external force, who I would believe, is the Holy Spirit.  The participle part of this verb suggests that we do not just wait, but inherent in whom we now are in Christ, we are waiters.  There is a huge difference between doing an action, like waiting, and being that action, as in being a waiter.  Doing is one thing and being is quite a different thing.  The Christian life is all about doing that is based on being.     

 

When Paul said that Jesus gave Himself for us, we often think that this giving occurred when Jesus died on the cross.  I suggest that this giving took place when Jesus was born into humanity.  The life that Jesus lived is just as important as His sacrificial death.  As a matter of fact, if you understood the sinfulness of humanity and the perfect righteousness of Jesus, you would agree with me that being born into sinful humanity would have been a sacrifice for Jesus.  The life of Jesus was just as much an act of giving as was His death.           

 

Paul said that we should live godly lives as we wait for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  This verse is extremely important in Christian theology.  It is one of those few Scriptural passages that clearly say that Jesus is God.  Jesus being God is fundamental to Christian faith and doctrine.  If you do not believe that Jesus was God in a human form while He existed on earth, you do not believe in the Jesus of the Bible.  If you do not believe that Jesus, right now in whatever form He exists, is God, you do not believe in the Jesus of the Bible.   

 

Concerning Jesus, Paul wrote that He gave Himself for us, to redeem us from all wickedness, and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own.  The word "redeem" simply means to make some kind of an exchange via means of a purchase.  Jesus has paid the price for us to escape all wickedness.  This is an all inclusive redemption.  This means that we are set free from the punishment due to our wickedness.  It also means that we have the God-given ability to flee wickedness.  It also means that in the next age we will be completely free from all wickedness that inflicts us today.

 

Jesus also redeemed us so He could have a people for His very own.  This is yet another reason for the cross of Christ, a reason that many miss when thinking of Jesus' death on the cross.  God having a people belonging solely to Himself was His intent at creation.  Of course, humanity messed God's intent up, but that will change at the end of this age when Jesus will finally have the pure people of God that He has always wanted. 

 

Verse 15

 

"These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you."

 

Paul closed this part of his letter by saying that these are the things Titus should be teaching.  I am sure that Paul could have added many other things to the above list that should be taught, and, I'm sure in person, Paul instructed Titus on other doctrinal issues. 

 

Note the words "encourage" and "rebuke" here in verse 15.  We often think of church leadership encouraging those under their care, and we all like to be encouraged, but rebuking is just as important as encouraging.  Rebuking those in the wrong, whether morally wrong or doctrinally wrong, is not practiced in today's church as frequently as it needs to be.  This results in heretical teaching in church and some living immoral lifestyles that defeats the very reason for the churches existence.  

 

With the word "authority" in this verse, Paul was telling Titus and us too, that there is such a thing as ecclesiastical authority.  Church leadership is in a place of authority.  This too is not clearly understood by many in today's western-world church.  It is also something that has been abused in church over the centuries.  Authority does not mean dictatorship.  Those in ecclesiastical authority exercise their authority from a heart that loves and cares for those God has given them authority over.     

 

There are a couple of Greek words that we see translated as authority in the New Testament, but those words do not appear here in verse 15.  The Greek "epitage" is translated as authority in verse 15.  Epitage suggests a placing in order.  This would tell us that Paul acknowledged that Titus had both the authority and responsibility to put in order that which was lacking in the churches of Crete , as we saw was Paul's instruction to Titus back in chapter 1.  

 

Paul then said that Titus should not allow anyone to despise his God-appointed ecclesiastical authority.  He should stand up for himself when his authority is being unduly challenged.  We see here that it is not a sin to stand up for one's God-appointed ministry, as long as that ministry is not being used in an abusive or dictatorial way.  Paul believed in proper administration of apostolic authority in the church, as seen in 2 Corinthians 10:8.

 

"For if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be put to shame."

 

See also 2 Corinthians 13:10.

 

"This is why I am writing these things while absent, so that when I am there I may not have to deal harshly with you, in keeping with the authority the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down."

                

In today's western-world culture, and that includes Christian culture, the independence and rights of the individual that is basic to our culture can actually detract from the community aspect of church.  Church means community, and community means that there is a balance between individualism and communalism.  It also means that there is a structure where authority has the responsibility to maintain the functional communal nature of church. 

 

       

 

Titus 3:1 - 11

 

The Text

 

1 - Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people. For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.

But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life. This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone. But avoid foolish debates, genealogies,   quarrels, and disputes about the law, because they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 Reject a divisive  person after a first and second warning. 11 For you know that such a person has gone astray and is sinning; he is self-condemned.

 

My Commentary

 

Verses 1 and 2

 

"Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people."

 

The pronoun "them" in verse 1 would refer to all that Paul advised Titus to encourage and rebuke, as we see in the last verse of chapter 2.  That would include slaves, men, women, young men, young women, and really, all those in the local church.

 

On occasions Paul addressed the topic of obedience to rulers and authorities, as he did here in verse 1 of chapter 3.  Paul told Titus to remind his people to be submissive to the ruling authorities, meaning, the ruling government authorities in the Roman system of government.  History tells us that many Christians, including Paul, were executed by these very same rulers that Paul wanted everyone to obey.  That would be a very tough command to hear if you were a Christian back then.  You might well have a difficult time understanding why you should obey those in authority who might end up killing you for the faith that tells you to obey those authorities.  I am convinced that many today would refuse to obey such authorities.  I am also convinced that many do not understand what the Bible teaches on this matter.       

 

To what extent were these Christians to obey those civil rulers who exercised authority over them?  Were there any ways in which they could express civil disobedience?  Christians were, and are today, supposed to respect and obey the ruling authorities as much as they can, and as much as the gospel allows them.  Paul, in Romans 13:1 provides us with the reason why we are to obey those in authority over us.  That verse reads:

 

"Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God."

 

Christians submit to authorities because those authorities only exist because of God's sovereign choice to place them in authority.  That being the case, government is expected to submit to God and His decrees in all ways in which they exercise their God-appointed authority and responsibilities.  In short, we submit to government because government must submit to God.  That being what should happen; we all know that government rarely submits to God.  It is there where our problems are founded when it comes to this issue.     

 

When a government that does not submit to God demands us to do something that clearly would be in defiance to God's rule, Biblically thinking, we do not obey government.  We follow Peter's example concerning this issue, as seen in Acts 5:29.

 

"Peter and the apostles replied, 'We must obey God rather than people.'

 

The people Peter spoke these words to were the Jewish religious and civil authorities of his day.  In this instance Peter chose not to obey governing authorities as Paul commanded here in Titus 3:1 and also in Romans 13:1.  With a public proclamation to the governing authorities Peter chose to obey God.  We should note that Peter did not hide or run from the authorities.  He stood before them, and in no uncertain terms, told them that he would not obey them, and by so doing, was willing to accept the consequences of his civil disobedience.        

 

The next question is this.  If we do not obey the governing authorities, what then?  If you study the life of Paul, Peter, and the other first-generation Christians, you will note that they did refuse to obey government when government clearly was out of alignment with God's authority over them.  That being said, Paul and others then obeyed government by freely submitting to the punishment due them for their act of civil disobedience.  They considered such punishment, which often included execution, their ultimate witness for Jesus.  Martyrdom can be God's will for a Christian.  That may be difficult for us to accept, but martyrdom has been a fact of the Christian life in the past and it will be for some in the future.  You can read Revelation, chapter 7, where you see many believers executed by the anti-Christ regime for their association with Jesus. 

 

We see martyrs in Revelation 6:10.

 

"When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and the testimony they had given.  They cried out with a loud voice: 'Lord, the one who is holy and true, how long until you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?'"

 

As Christians, we do need to be good citizens, yet with the understanding that we are first and foremost citizens of the Kingdom of God .  As Christians we sometimes find ourselves living in a dichotomy, that is to say, we are citizens of two kingdoms, two nations.   When these two kingdoms come into conflict, we obey our higher citizenship.  We obey God rather than man, but during the whole procedure, we show gentleness to all people, as Paul said here to Titus, and as we see Paul doing throughout his life.  Our civil disobedience is not a result of arrogant rebellion, but is born from a heart-felt love for Jesus and an understanding that our allegiance to the Kingdom of God trumps all allegiance to any earthly kingdom.

 

I suggest that when or if Paul ever stood before Caesar Nero in his court, and Nero was an evil man, Paul's heart would have went out for him.  I can easily see Paul praying for all those who were instrumental in having him executed.    

 

After saying what I have just written, we must seriously think through the issues that we feel is the reason why we should commit civil disobedience.  In today's Christian world there are many who are willing to not submit to government at a drop of a dime, so to speak.  It is my opinion, for example, that if government limits the amount of people who can attend a Sunday meeting, is not a legitimate reason to disobey government.  The bottom line to this issue is to act in the best way that will win people to Jesus without violating central, and I mean central not peripheral, teaching of Scripture.  

 

For further information on what the New Testament states about God and human government, I suggest you read my book entitled "The Politics Of God And The Bible."

 

Paul said that as Christians we are to slander no one, and in context, that includes governing authorities.  This is something that seems to be missing in today's online social-media environment.  It is not just non-Christians who slander others on their favourite social-media site.  Christians do the same, and that is simply not right.  Christians are to be peaceable and considerate in all areas of life.  They are to act humbly towards all men.  These qualities, and others like them, are meant to be a true and effective witness of Jesus to those who are not Christian.  In too many cases we as Christians have not demonstrated these godly character qualities as we should, and thus, it leaves a black mark, so to speak, on the church and on Jesus Himself.

 

Verse 3

 

"For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another."

 

Paul described himself and other Christians as once being worldly, that is to say, foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of human passions and pleasures. They once lived in malice and envy, being hateful, and hating one another.  This world that Paul described here does not sound very nice, but in reality, it is the same world in which we live today, and once again, this world is too prevalent in our modern day world of church.  As I have been saying, human nature does not change from place to place or era to era.  It remains the same.  Only the way in which our sinful nature is expressed changes.  What Paul told Titus here, he tells us today.  

 

How Paul described his pre-saved life is basic to how we should understand basic human nature in Biblical terms.  Jeremiah 17:9 is basic to how we should view human nature, and that includes my human nature and your human nature.  That passage reads:

 

"The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable ​— ​who can understand it?"

 

With this in mind, then, we should acknowledge that our sinful human nature is in defiance of God and His rule, and if we fail to understand this, we are deceived, as Paul wrote Titus.  I think many people are deceived these days because they fail to see how God views sinful nature as we read in Jeremiah 17:9.   

 

Enslaved by various human passions and pleasures is a good way to describe our sinful human nature.  We certainly see that in our world today.  We are addicted to all sorts of passions and pleasures that we sell each other and are freely expressed in our culture.  In philosophical terms, this addiction to pleasure is called hedonism, that is, the love of all things pertaining to self pleasure and self gratification. 

 

All of these sinful character qualities Paul lists here, and there are more that could be listed, culminates in the fragmentation of any community, whether it be a civil community or a Christian community.  We see this fragmentation when Paul penned the words "malice, envy, and hateful detesting."  Broken relationships, whether family, church, ethnicities, or any other kind of relationships, are just par for the course of human life.  That certainly does not mean we are to give into sinful tendencies that disrupt godly unity among us.  Church is those living in community, where each individual belongs to Jesus and to each other.  Unity in this community is important if we are ever going to represent Jesus to the world around us as we are called to do.     

 

Verses 4 and 5

 

"But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us —not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy ​— ​through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit."

 

In verse 4 Paul reminded Titus of the kindness and love of God their Saviour, who has saved them.  What did God's love save them, and us, from as seen in this context?  God's love has saved us from many things, but in context, it has saved us from this hedonistic world of envy and hatred that Paul described in the last verse. 

 

In the very first Christian sermon ever preached Peter told his audience to save themselves from their corrupt generation.  Saving one's self would be realized when one repented, handed his life over to Jesus, and, received the Holy Spirit into his life.  Acts 2:38 reads:

 

"Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

 

Beyond the context of verse 4, God has saved us from His wrath which will explode onto the unbeliever in the Lake of Fire , as seen in the Book of Revelation.  Revelation 20:15 reads:

 

"And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."

 

Paul continued by saying that we are not saved by any righteous things that we have done or can even think of doing.  We are saved solely by God's mercy and nothing else.  This is fundamental to our salvation.  We trust what Jesus has done for us, not what we think we should do for Him.  In theological terms, this is called being saved by faith and not by works, as seen in Ephesians 2:8 through 10.

 

"For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift ​— ​ not from works, so that no one can boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do."

 

Paul grew up in a Judaism that was steeped in the Old Testament Law of Moses and the traditions of his fathers.  In this context, Paul, and all Jews, had to do all sorts of things to find acceptance in the sight of God.  When I say that, I do not mean to imply that Jews in Old Testament times were attempting to be saved in New Testament terms of salvation.  Old Testament Judaism had no concept of a personal salvation as we see in the New Testament. 

 

Jesus put an end to all of our attempts to both find personal salvation and acceptance before God through the Law of Moses or any other man-made law or rule.  God's mercy has now made it possible for us to find acceptance with God based on His grace alone, as demonstrated in the life and death of Jesus.  We can do absolutely nothing, but trust Jesus to find acceptance with our God.  That does not mean we sit around and do nothing as Christians, because, as Ephesians 2:10 states, we have been called by God to do good works.  Good works do not save us, but once we are truly saved, our trust in Jesus, our faith, will naturally produce good works in our lives.  Genuine faith in Jesus both saves us and produces valid good works of service for Jesus.    

 

Paul said that God has saved us through the washing of regeneration and the renewal by the Holy Spirit.  The Greek word "palingenesia" is translated as regeneration in this verse.  This Greek word is made up of the Greek word "palin" which means "again," and "genesis" which means "birth."  In other words, Paul was writing to Titus about what Christians call "the new birth," or, "being born again."  It is what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3.    

 

"Jesus replied, 'Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God .'"

 

Note the word "washed" in verse 5.  The reception of the Holy Spirit into our lives is like when we take a morning shower.  It is what we read about in Acts 2 when one hundred and twenty disciples of Jesus received the Holy Spirit into their lives.  They received the Spirit of God by means of a baptism, a washing, or you might say, a shower.  The Holy Spirit was "poured out" on those people, just as water is poured out on you or I as we take our morning shower.  In one sense of the word, this washing has cleaned us of our sin.

 

You will note as you read through the book of Acts that you will often see the term "poured out" in reference to the Holy Spirit coming upon a person.  An example of this is found in Acts 2:33.

 

"Therefore, since he [Jesus] has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you both see and hear."

 

You can also see this in Acts 10:45 where Gentiles received the Holy Spirit when He was poured out on them.  That verse reads as follows:

 

"The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles."

 

Verses 6 and 7

 

"He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life."

 

The pronoun "He" in verse 6 refers to God, who has generously poured out His Holy Spirit on Paul, Titus, and the rest of us, who are truly born-again-of-the-Spirit Christians, and that, is the only kind of Christian there is.  Paul said that the reception of the Holy Spirit was through Jesus Christ, who is our Saviour.  Jesus is the One who died on the cross, so our sins could be removed from the heavenly record.  He died in our place, and thus, our sins have been accounted for and dealt with in order for God to declare us righteous and sinless.  Once being declared righteous and sinless, God then sees us as righteous and sinless, and then can enter our very beings in spirit form.    

 

The Holy Spirit's entrance into our very being is like a lawyer's seal that validates something to be real.  This is what is meant in Ephesians 1:13 where Paul said that God's Spirit is that seal that proves we are a valid Christians.  That verse reads:

 

"In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed."    

 

This generous gift of the Spirit is given so that we might be justified by His grace.  The reception of the Spirit into our lives is associated with us being justified.  The two go hand in hand.  Without the Holy Spirit in your life you are not justified, and thus, you are not a real Christian.  Romans 8:9 makes that clear.

 

"You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him."

 

To remind you, being justified in the sight of God means that He has declared us to be without sin.  The punishment for our sin rightly due us has been realized, not by us, but by Jesus while on the cross.  So, as a judge in a court of law would pronounce a person innocent, so God our judge has pronounced us, who have received this pronouncement, as being innocent.  

 

In these couple of verses Paul was teaching the basics of the gospel.  He links receiving the Holy Spirit with being justified.  Again, justification is the act whereby God views us as holy and just, just as He Himself is holy and just, despite the fact that we are not holy and just. 

 

Receiving the Spirit and being justified results in us becoming heirs of eternal life, as Paul said in verse 7.  Becoming a Christian is far more than a thing for this life.  We will inherit a life that is beyond our human imagination because it has nothing to do with humanity.   John, in 1 John 3:2 wrote it this way.

 

"Dear friends, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is."

 

Verse 8

 

"This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone."

 

In verse 8 Paul told Titus to insist that those people God had given him to care for devote themselves to doing good.  Once again, we see that Paul expected the true Christian to be involved in good works.  Yes, we are not saved by good works, but if we have genuine faith in Jesus, we will, to one degree or another, participate in doing good in the service of the Lord. 

 

Over the years many Bible teachers have thought that Paul and James had a difference of opinion when it comes to the issue of faith and good works.  If you seriously study what both men have written about this issue, maybe you will agree with me.  I do not believe Paul and James had any big difference of opinion, if any difference of opinion at all.  James said that he could tell that you have genuine faith in Jesus when he saw your good works.  Paul said that faith alone saves you, but genuine faith will produce good works in the life of one who claims faith in Jesus.  I believe that both men viewed this issue alike, but just from different angles.      

 

Another result of being saved by faith and not by works is that we will be able to devote ourselves to good things because the author of all things good lives within us via His Spirit.  

 

The last part of verse 8 states that good works are profitable to everyone.  That is not difficult to figure out.  Anything you do that is good, will surely help someone.  Church, more than anything else, is a community of people belonging to Jesus and to each other.  Anything we do for each other that is good only benefits both the individual Christian and the community of believers as a whole.  Seeing church as a community of people belonging to Jesus and to each other is important for the good health of any local expression we call church.  It is in fact, the New Testament understanding of church.  A close reading of 1 Corinthians 12 makes that clear.   

 

1 Corinthians 12 states that church is the Body of Christ.  1 Corinthians 12:27 states:

 

"Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it."

 

Since Paul specifically said that we are the Body of Christ, I do not believe he was speaking in metaphoric terms.  Since Jesus is not here in a physical human form as He once was, I believe we are Jesus replacement body on earth, and that due to His Spirit living in the corporate expression of church.  That being the case, as Paul told Titus, each part of Jesus' replacement body needs to do good to each other for the good health of Jesus' replacement body.       

 

Verse 9

 

"But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, because they are unprofitable and worthless."

 

In verse 9 Paul told Titus, as he had told Timothy, to avoid foolish controversies and debates, especially over controversial matters pertaining to genealogies and the law.  The law is in reference to the Old Testament Law of Moses, which in the first generation church was the most divisive issue that church had to contend with.  This specific divisiveness that concerned the Law of Moses should have ended when the leaders of the church got together in Jerusalem to clarify how New Testament Christians, especially Gentile Christians, should relate to the Law of Moses, but it didn't get resolved.  Acts 15 records the conclusion that the church leaders arrived at that should have put and end to this problematic controversy, but it didn't.  The issue is still alive and controversial in our day as it was in Paul's day.

 

Personally speaking, I have no problem entering a friendly debate that is meant to be instructive and informative.  That being said, when a debate becomes argumentative, nasty, self-promoting, and overly personal, it is, as Paul wrote, useless.  No one benefits from such a discussion, if you can actually call it a discussion.  Worst still, it is destructive and destroys the unity of the church, the unity that Jesus Himself prayed for, as recorded in John 17.  It is for such things that church is so divided today. 

 

Concerning Biblical genealogies, we should know a couple of things.  We should understand that during Old Testament times in the ancient near east, people thought much differently than we do today in the twenty-first century.  That should not surprise anyone, but it does.  Our twenty-first century, western-world concepts have absolutely no relevance to the Old Testament and the culture in which it was written and composed.  When we impose today's thinking and mindset onto the Old Testament, we will get the Old Testament all wrong.  We cannot interpret the Old Testament with modern thought processes, but we often do just that. 

 

With the above in mind, today's western-world culture views history much different than they did in Old Testament times.  If we watch a historical documentary on television, for example, we watch a systematic presentation of history with as much factual information available to us as is possible.  Those cultures in Old Testament times did not view historical documents like that.  Historical documents for them never included all of the facts in a systematic order.  As a matter of fact, many facts were left out of the historical account.  Their documents included only certain events to make a point, and, in many cases, the history did not have to be totally factual and accurate.  The point that was to be understood by all was the main importance.  This is the way it was with genealogies.  In all lists of genealogies in the Old Testament, many generations were left out of the list.  That was just their culture.  People did not need to know every little detail.   If, then, you do the math, and that depends on how long you think a generation is, these lists make no sense to our western-world's approach to genealogies.  Because many generations were left out of these lists, arguments arose in the first-generation church, as they do today.  This is an example of an issue that probably can never be resolved, and if it can't be resolved, we should not separate the church over.    

 

Concerning the Law of Moses, it has been redefined in these New Testament times.  In Romans 10:4 Paul said that Christ was the end of the Law, meaning, Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses, or, replaced the Law of Moses with Himself.  That verse reads:

 

"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes,"

 

Jesus Himself put a New Testament spin on the Old Testament Law of Moses.  He simplified the six hundred and thirteen laws by saying that all of the Law was summed up in just two commands.  Luke 10:27 reads:

 

"He answered, 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind;' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"

 

If you read the Sermon on the Mount, as recorded in the gospel of Matthew, you will note Jesus saying, "you have heard (from the Law) it said, but I say this."  Matthew 5:21 and 22 read:

 

"You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults his brother or sister, will be subject to the court. Whoever says, 'You fool!' will be subject to hellfire."

 

When the Law said, for example, "do not murder," Jesus redefined that law by saying do not get angry without due cause.  Jesus got to the heart of the matter.  Murder begins in the heart and if you can get the heart right, you will not have to worry about the outward sin.      

 

I believe the most misunderstood Biblical issue among Christians today is how they should view and understand the Old Testament Law of Moses.  We choose some laws to obey and some to disregard.  The tithing and Sabbath laws are two such examples.  If you study all of the laws pertaining to these two issues, you will see that they are more complicated than what you have ever thought.  The problem is that few have taken the time and energy to study issues of the Law of Moses, and therefore, they really don't understand what they are saying.  You can read more about all of this in my books entitled "Clarifying Biblical Interpretation" and "Understanding The Old Testament As New Testament Christians."

 

Titus was most likely young, as was Timothy, and maybe eager and willing to jump into some of the arguments that the circumcised group who opposed the gospel of Christ would want to trap him in.  Paul simply told Titus not to get involved.  This would be good advice for a young man, and really, for all of us today who can easily get trapped into a useless debate, whether in person or on any of a number of social media web sites.

 

Verse 10

 

"Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning."

 

Concerning these men who always wanted to argue over Jewish tradition with Titus, Paul told Titus to warn those men once or twice, but after that, reject them.  That is pretty strong language.  How often do we think about rejecting a divisive person in the church these days?  We may complain to each other amongst ourselves, but is there any official response to such men and women who like to divide us?  I understand that problems and difficulties that arise when you take such actions, but sometimes these actions are important to preserve the purity of the church.  I am sure that there were negative consequences of Paul's instruction to Titus, just as there are today.     

 

Verse 11

 

"For you know that such a person has gone astray and is sinning; he is self-condemned."

 

According to Paul, such a divisive argumentative person has gone astray.  He is a sinner, and is self-condemned.  His very words, that are both unbiblical and irrational, condemn him.  Again, these are very strong words Paul penned to Titus.  We must, then, be very careful about involving ourselves in certain arguments, and with those who like to argue their point that divide the church.  There is a difference between a healthy debate that is meant to instruct and a debate that is simply meant to defend one's opinion. 

 

There are times when we need to expose both the divisive person and his divisive doctrines.  We do this specifically to maintain proper Biblical doctrine and the unity in the Body of Christ, both of which are important for the success of a local expression of church.        

 

 

 

Titus 3:12 - 15

 

The Text

 

12 - When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me in Nicopolis, because I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey, so that they will lack nothing. 14 Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works for pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. 15 All those who are with me send you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all of you.

 

My Commentary

 

Verse 12

 

"When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me in Nicopolis, because I have decided to spend the winter there."

 

Paul closed this letter by telling Titus that he is going to spend the winter in Nicopolis, and that he wanted Titus to come to be with him. Paul will send Artemas and Tychicus to replace him in Crete .

 

Nicopolis was located in what is now south west Greece .

 

Verse 13

 

"Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey, so that they will lack nothing."

 

A lawyer named Zenas and another man named Apollos appear to be on a missionary journey.  Titus was encouraged to send these men on their way, that is, to supply them with what they needed for their journey.  Giving such support is part of the churches responsibility.  It is part of the cooperative ministerial relationship we are to have with one another as we work together in the service of the Lord.  It is what Christian communal ministry is all about.  Brothers and sisters in Jesus working together and supporting one another as they are actively involved in the work of the Lord.     

 

The Apollos who is mentioned in this verse  might be the Apollos we see elsewhere in the New Testament.  If that is so, you can learn more about Apollos by reading Acts 18 and 19.   You can also read 1 Corinthians 1, 3, 4, and 10 where Paul mentioned him. 

 

Verse 14

 

"Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works for pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful."

 

Paul said that our people must learn to devote themselves to do good works.  We have seen Paul write this earlier in this letter.  Note that Paul said that good works are something that Christians need to learn.  I have said earlier in this commentary that if one has genuine faith or trust in Jesus, that one will naturally do good works.  This verse seems to almost suggest the opposite, that is, we have to learn to do these good works.  I would suggest that good works do come natural to the genuine Christian, but, since we are still sinful at heart, we do struggle to do as we should, and thus, we have to learn to overcome the struggle and do the good works we are required to perform in the service of the Lord.

 

We do good works because being productive Christians is just part of the Christian life.  We, as Christians, are not to just sit around and reap the benefits of being a Christian.  We are to be involved in productive works of service.  Our good deeds are to reap the intended results.  We are to be intentional in all we do.       

 

As previously stated, we should remember that people of Crete had a reputation of being lazy.  Paul wanted these people to work, not only for their own daily needs but for the daily needs of those who are given to the work of the Lord.  Paul wanted the non-believers in Crete to know that Christians from Crete were hard workers.  They were not lazy, good-for-nothing slackers, as was thought by some who lived outside of Crete .      

 

Verse 15

 

"All those who are with me send you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all of you."

 

Verse 15 ends Paul's letter to Titus.  He said that all who were with him send their greetings.  The words "all those with me" are important because they imply the communal nature of the work of the Lord.  Church is a community of people who both belong to Jesus and to each other.  With such belonging in mind, it is expected that we serve Jesus with those to whom He has joined us in the Body of Christ.  Yes, we have our individual, distinctive, God-appointed ministry callings, but we minister as a collective body of believers.  I would suggest that each local expression of church has its own distinctive ministry calling in the community in which it exists.  That being the case, there is a corporate expression of Christian ministry that demands the individual to be involved in the communal ministry.       

 

Note the word "love" in this verse.  The Greek word "agape" is the most common Greek word translated as love in the New Testament.  Agape suggest sacrifice.  If there is no sacrifice in your attempt to love, you do not express agape style of love.  All of this being said, the Greek word "agape" is not the word Paul wrote in this verse.  He wrote the Greek word "phileo" which implies a reciprocal love, as in, I love you as you love me in return.  Philos style love is often called brotherly love, a reciprocal free flow exchange of love that biological brothers would have between each other. 

 

What Paul was probably saying with his use of phileo is that the church being a community of believers, is expected to share their love with one another.  That would be in contrast to agape style love that implies sacrificing for another whether your sacrifice is received or returned or not.  We should all know that just because you sacrifice for another does not mean that other person will sacrifice for you in return.  This is clearly seen with Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross.  He sacrificed for us but most of us ignore or even reject His act of sacrificial love.         

 

Paul's letter ends with the words "grace be with us all."  As I have said, grace is both God's love directed towards us who do not deserve it as well as His divine ability given to us to accomplish His will in our lives.  If we need anything from God as sinful human beings, both expressions of His divine grace are available for us.     

 

 

 

Concluding Thoughts

 

Like Paul's letter to Timothy, Paul's letter to Titus was meant to instruct a young man in the Lord who was being called to a leadership ministry within the church.  I am sure Paul could have written much more if he had our modern-day technology.  I am also sure that Paul spent much personal time, when he could, with Titus because that is what personal Christian discipleship is all about.  Much more leadership instruction would have taken place during such personal interaction between Paul and Titus.

 

From my perspective, we learn some things about what church should be like from this short letter.  We learn from the first few verses that a community of Christians without elders/pastors, is not a complete New Testament church.  All expressions of church need godly qualified leaders to care for God's people. 

 

All of the godly character qualities that Paul said should be evident in an older man, an older woman, a young man, a young woman, and a slave, should be seen in all Christians.  That certainly includes today's western-world Christians, who in my opinion, are in many aspects lacking in godly character traits.  Human nature remains the same.  It has not changed over the centuries.  It does not vary from one ethnic people to another.  The ways and means we express our sinful human nature may change from time to time and place to place, but the basics of who we are remain constant.  For this reason, all that Paul wrote to Titus, could easily be written to us today, and thus, is one hermeneutical approach I have taken as I have written this commentary.

 

Church consists of individual believers and how the individual believer goes is how church will go.  It is for this reason that the individual Christian must know what it means to live a godly life, and, must know what a godly church is all about.  May you be that intentional Christian who possesses the godly character qualities that will help the local expression of church to which you belong be the productive Body of Christ it has been called to be.

 

                          

 

 

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