day 5

Read Titus 1
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+1&version=NIV
The recipient of this letter was Titus (1:4), one of Paul’s partners in ministry (1:5; cf. 2 Cor. 7:6; 8:16–18, 23; 12:18; Gal. 2:1, 3). Titus, a Greek Gentile, accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem during the famine relief visit (Acts 11:29–30; Gal. 2:1). Evidently, Paul took him along as a test case for Gentile salvation apart from circumcision. The fact that Titus was not compelled to be circumcised confirmed the believer’s liberty and freedom from the law (Gal. 2:3).
Paul’s first visit to Crete was on his voyage to Rome (Acts 27:7–8). About four years after Paul’s release from his first Roman imprisonment Titus accompanied Paul to the island of Crete, where he was left to set the church in order and to appoint elders in every city (1:5). Titus later joined Paul in Rome for awhile. Second Timothy 4:10 speaks also of Titus having left Paul in Rome for a journey to Dalmatia. Eusebius (a.d. 339) indicated that Titus returned to Crete where he was made bishop and remained there until his old age. Paul apparently took the opportunity to visit Crete on his return voyage from Spain (a.d. 66). The immediate occasion for writing was that Titus was facing a difficult assignment (1:5) and Paul wanted to encourage him.

Paul’s letter to Titus was designed to establish the basic elements of church order and witness. It achieves this by emphasizing the need for purity in leadership and soundness in doctrine.

1:5–9 The island of Crete (156 miles long and between 7 and 35 miles wide) forms the southern boundary of the Aegean Sea. The center of the island is formed by a mountain chain rising to the height of 8,193 feet (Mount Ida, birthplace of Zeus) which is fringed by lower valleys along the coast. Jews from Crete were present at Pentecost (Acts 2:11) and may have carried the gospel message back to the island. The culture of these island people was strongly influenced by Cretan myth and legend.
Paul’s first visit to the island took place on his voyage to Rome as stated above (Acts 27:7–8). He had suggested to the captain of the ship that they spend the winter there. Since he probably had not had the opportunity to evangelize the island during his first visit, he took the opportunity to return to Crete sometime after being released from his first Roman imprisonment. This letter indicates that Paul and Titus had a successful ministry there.
Paul’s directive was twofold: set things in order and appoint irreproachable elders (1:6). Paul then set forth the qualifications for irreproachable elders (cf. 1 Tim. 3:1–7). The term “overseer” or elder (1:5–7) emphasizes the dignity and maturity required for the office. The determining factor for qualification stems from being God’s minister (1:7). The church leader had to be one who held fast to the word of God, promoting truth and refuting error. Pure character was a necessity for the people with the roles of teaching and correcting. Good character plus sound doctrine were necessary to enable a ministry of exhortation and correction.

1:10–12 The character traits described in 1:10–12 are opposite to the traits of a qualified leader. Here Paul gave the reason for Titus’s assignment and revealed the need to appoint qualified elders. There were false teachers among the Cretans. Paul used a strong expression, saying that these false teachers must be “silenced” (1:11). Paul cited the testimony of a Cretan poet and self-styled prophet, Epimenides (1:12; c. 600 b.c.). According to tradition, Epimenides slept for fifty years and then became a prophet. He possessed great knowledge of medicine and natural history. His statement concerning the Cretans was apparently very accurate.
1:13–16 The command “rebuke them sharply” (1:13) is a present imperative and could be rendered: “keep on rebuking them sharply.” This severe rebuke matches a correspondingly severe problem. Such a rebuke was designed to bring conviction. It had to be sharp but was designed to be restorative, not vindictive. For “Jewish myths” (1:14). The concept of purity (1:15) was brought up to contrast the false way of purity that was represented in the “commands” of 1:14. True purity in Christ does not come from obedience to the law or Jewish myths.
Titus 1:16 expresses the major theme of Titus: A believer’s character and conduct must be consistent with his confession. This is the basic message of the epistle of James: faith without works is a fallacy.


Discussion & reflection question

Paul tells Titus that there are believers that don’t walk the talk. Do you know believers that don’t walk the talk? How should we respond to them?