Jesus: Our Great God and Savior
Titus Ministers With Paul | Paul Writes Titus | Paul Martyred in Rome |
c. AD 53–57 | c. AD 63 | c. AD 67–68 |
The work of the church is central to God’s plan. Paul invested his life in the establishment of the church and wrote a number of letters to these churches in order to encourage their ongoing faithfulness and gospel fidelity. Two pastors, Timothy and Titus, received personal letters instructing them in how to lead their respective churches—Timothy in Ephesus and Titus on the island of Crete. Together these letters form what are commonly known as the Pastoral Epistles, due to the recipient’s task in each letter and the instructions they contain regarding leadership in the church. The church at Crete, a large island near Greece, was a newly formed congregation located among a radically pagan culture. Paul left Titus to lead the church and bring order to the young church (1:5). This challenge was made all the more difficult due to the fact that Crete had a reputation for wickedness that was known throughout the region (1:12).
Titus was an appropriate choice for this challenging role since he had been discipled personally under the apostle Paul. Like Timothy, Titus traveled with Paul on numerous missionary journeys, received personal training in doctrine and theology under his care and was sent by Paul to minister among the churches they established.
The organization of the church was central to Paul’s instructions in this short letter. He instructed Titus on the role and qualifications of elders and deacons, which contrasted sharply with the false teachers that were pervasive in that day (1:5–16). As in the letters to Timothy, Paul exhorted Titus to proclaim the Word of God with boldness and confidence because it was the God-ordained means of bringing transformation to God’s people (2:1).
Paul concluded his letter with the motive for such challenging work. The grace of God compels leaders to invest their lives in God’s church. Because of Jesus, all people should live godly, honorable lives as they await his second coming (2:11). They can shun immorality and idolatry, knowing that the worship of Jesus far surpasses anything this world has to offer. And they can run the race God has given them, knowing that they are heirs to the abundant riches of God through our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (2:13).
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.