PAUL'S GREETINGS TO TITUS, 1.1-4

 

1.       Paul uses two terms here to describe his office:

 

    a.  Looking UPWARD towards God, he is a                                                             

     b.  Looking OUTWARD towards men, he is an                                                       

 

2.       Paul's calling as a "slave-apostle" has here two aims or goals to it:

    a.  The FAITH of God's elect/chosen ones (building them up spiritually), and

     b.  Their KNOWLEDGE of the TRUTH (building them up doctrinally)

 

3.       All of this, -- Paul's calling and the believer's growing, -- rests upon the hope of eternal life which God promises before the worlds were created (1.2).  Note TWO unusual thoughts used by Paul here, and how they tie in with the situation that existed in Crete!

 

 a.  The truth which Paul wants these Cretan believers to have full knowledge of is        "according to godliness" (1.1).   Their present lives were anything but godly, and Paul speaks of them as "evil beasts" (1.12) in need of good works 

b.  The God who gives the hope of eternal life is One "who never lies" (1.2). One of the blatant characteristics of these Cretan believers is quoted by Paul in 1.12 as  "Cretans are always liars."

4.       Paul’s being entrusted with such a ministry is noted by him in 1 Tim.1.11 and in 2 Tim.1.11, besides here in Titus 1.3. In noting this, Paul speaks of God as "Savior."

 

    a.  This word "Savior" occurs as often in Titus as in all the other Pauline letters put together! (1.3,4; 2.10,13; 3.4,6)

 

    b.  The term is used by Paul of God (1.3; 2.10; 3.4) and of Christ also (1.4; 2.13; 3.6).

 

5.       As far as we can tell, Titus was saved through the ministry of Paul, as Paul uses the same basic description for Titus as he does for Timothy: "my true child" (Titus 1.4; 1 Tim.1.2). No one else uses such a term in the New Testament. This word "true" is used in terms of the "common faith"

      -- the normal, worldwide Gospel.  Timothy and Titus, both outstanding as leaders,

          were not 'extra special' kinds of believers! They were what we would call today REAL,

      -- and with the ordinary Gospel, too....!

 

NOTES:

 

1.         Paul had spent three years ministering and equipping the church in Ephesus.  Read Acts 20. 17-38.  List the terms he uses to describe this group of leaders.  What was their task to be?  Note how soon he expected all this to happen!

2.         Paul's charge to Titus in 1.5 reflects Paul's constant desire to finish what has been started.  Note for this 1 Tim.1.3 and 1 Thess.3.10.  Titus has TWO jobs here (1.5):

1^st,                                                                                                         

   

2^nd,                                                                                                                                     

3.         Paul and Titus had talked this over before!  Had you noticed this in 1.5...?

4.         To Timothy in Ephesus, Paul outlines the qualifications for the office of elder AND deacon.  Here, in Titus, only the office of elder.  What would this show...?

5.         According to verse 5, what part did the congregation play in choosing these elders?

6.         There are similarities between the qualifications for elder (presbyterous) (or bishop/overseer (episkopon) in vs.7) in Titus and those in Timothy.  There are also differences!  What might this show?

7.         ELDER refers to the individual's age in the Lord, his maturity, his growth.  BISHOP refers to the job or the office, and is here referred to as OVERSEER.

8.         Notice in 1.5 that the churches in the various cities each had their own elders.  See this practice of Paul in Acts 14.23, 20.17,28-31

NOTES:

 

 

 
 

7.  In the following list, let’s compare the conditions for office in ordaining the elder in Ephesus   (1 Timothy 3) and in Crete (Titus 1), and deacons in 1 Timothy 3.  Also, note the different words used by different translations.  These are from the NASB.

TITUS 1 (elders)	1 TIMOTHY 3 (overseers)	1 TIMOTHY 3 (deacons)
above reproach (6)	above reproach (2)	beyond reproach  (10)
husband of one wife (6)	husband of one wife (2)	husband of one wife (12)
children are believers (6)	must manage his own household well (4)	good managers of their children (12)
not open to the charge of debauchery (6)
not open to the charge of insubordination (6)
not be arrogant (7)
not quick tempered (7)
or a drunkard (7)	or a drunkard (3)	not addicted to much wine (8)
or violent (7)	not violent (3)
or greedy for gain (7)	not a lover of money (3)	not fond of SORDED gain (8)
hospitable (8)	hospitable (2)
a lover of good (8)
self-controlled (8)	self-controlled (2)
upright (8)
holy (8)
disciplined (8)
hold firm to the trustworthy Word as taught (9)	able to teach (2)	holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience (9)
so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine (9)
and also to rebuke those who contradict it (9)
	sober-minded  (2)
	respectable (2)
	but gentle (3)
	not quarrelsome (3)
	not a recent convert (6)
	well thought of by outsiders (7)

 

1.         To Timothy, Paul also mentioned the elder qualifications of temperate, respectable, gentle, uncontentious (3.2,3), and not a new convert (3.6).  In the gaps found in Column 2, could you put these quieter conditions next to their more blunt counterparts...?

2.         How many qualifications are found in all three columns.  What would this show?

3.         Deacons are given two additional qualifications not mentioned for elders in either Titus or Timothy (see 1 Tim.3.8).  Why do you think Paul did this?

4.         Would the qualifications for elder given only to Titus show you anything about the historical situation in Crete that was probably not present in Ephesus?

5.         The fact that there are similarities and dissimilarities between these qualifications in different areas for the same office is important.  What conclusions can we draw from this?

(a)    Conclusions from qualifications which are in both lists 

(b)    Conclusions from qualifications which are in one or the other list only:

NOTES:

 

 

1.      Three groups of people appear in this section, and it is very important to see who they are before seeing what Paul says about them:

a.       Whole families (1.11) - These are families of believers in the Cretan churches. In what ways might these families be upset in their new faith?

b.      Those of the circumcision party (1.10) - These are believers who have been led away from the truth, and who are actively deceiving others by their false teachings

c.       People who turn away from the truth (“turn away” = apostrephomenon) (1.14) – These are Jewish unbelievers, outside the Cretan churches, who were infiltrating the churches by influencing weak believers to become false teachers.

2.      The problem itself had TWO main areas:  (1.14)

a.       Jewish myths - speculations about ancestors and genealogies of the O.T.

b.      Commands of people - the problem that plagued Paul's work throughout the N.T. - the desire to mix Christianity with Jewish ceremonialism.

3.      This problem was made all the worse by the general nature of Cretan people, 1.12.  Notice that in 1.13, Paul agrees with this estimate!  (Note: Epimenides, living some six centuries before Christ, wrote the statement quoted in Titus 1.12).

4.      How to deal with this problem, -- note this carefully!

1^st – have elders who are able to give instruction in sound doctrine (1.9)

2^nd – so that these elders can rebuke those who contradict it (1.9)

3^rd – They must be silenced from continuing to teach this error (1.11) and rebuke them sharply (1.13)

4^th - rejecting such a man after the second warning (3.10).

5.      The following diagram will help show what Paul is saying in 1.15,16

 

TO THE PURE, ALL THINGS ARE PURE	BOTH PROFESS TO	KNOW GOD	TO THE DEFILED AND UNBELIEVING, NOTHING IS PURE
(that is, all things are [ritually] clean to the [morally] clean.)	These           know                   Christ These have no ceremonies	These          deny                 Christ These have ceremonies	(that is, to the unsaved, their defiled conscience and rejection of Christ makes all they do unclean)
1 Timothy 4.1-5 Mark 7.19	These have good works	These have bad works	Even their conscience is incapable of knowing truth.

6.      Glance for a moment at 1.9 and 2.1...  Who is to take care of the situation in the Cretan churches where false teaching has come in, and whole families are being drawn away...?

 

This chapter arises over the order in which Paul commands Titus to carry out the work assigned to him by Paul on the island of Crete:

            (a)  Titus is to complete the organizing of the various local churches (1.5)

            (b)  Titus is to silence the false teachers who are everywhere (1.9-11)

            (c)  Titus is to teach sound doctrine (2.1)

            (d)  Titus is then to bring this sound doctrine to bear on family life within the churches (2.2-10)

 

CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR IN FAMILY LIFE, 2.1-10

 

1.      It is interesting that the five groups mentioned in this section would take in all of the people in any Cretan church, and Paul casts it in the light of a FAMILY LIFE situation...

2.      Look at 2.1. The word But indicates that Titus is to be a clear contrast to the people noted in 1.10-16. There is a gold mine in the word teach here!  Paul here uses the word speak instead...?  What does this signify to you?

3.      OLDER MEN, 2.2

1. Is it significant that these FOUR characteristics are those listed also for the leaders of the churches...?  It is the job of the elders to develop older men to be:

1)      sober-minded

2)      dignified

3)      self-controlled

4)      sound in faith, love, and steadfastness

2. The sound (healthy) doctrine of 2.1 is to produce a healthy/sound faith, a healthy/sound love, and a healthy/sound endurance (2.2), -- even in OLDER MEN!

4.      OLDER WOMEN, 2.3

1. Do you see these FOUR characteristics reflected in the conditions on Crete (see 1.12)?

1)      reverent in behavior

2)      not slanderers

3)      not slaves to much wine

4)      able to teach what is good

2. What does Paul say is to be the goal of such behavior and teaching? (4-5)

3. Would the two behavior problems noted in 2.3 (2 & 3) be connected in any way...?

5.      YOUNG WOMEN, 2.4-5

a.       Note that Titus is to urge the young men (2.6) but NOT the YOUNG WOMEN. Paul gives this job to the OLDER WOMEN... (see 1 Tim.5.2)  What does this teach us about the role of the pastor/elders today? 

b.      The needs of the YOUNG WOMEN are practical ones in view of the disrupting of whole families (1.11).

1)      They need training how to love their husbands

2)      They need training how to love their children

3)      They need training how to be self-controlled

4)      They need training how to be pure

5)      They need training how to work at home

6)      They need training how to be kind

7)      They need training how to submit to their own husbands

c.       Do you notice a progression in these SEVEN characteristics?

d.      What is the goal here for this training?  (2.5b)

e.       How does the word train (2.4) read in other translations? What would this show you about the situation on Crete among YOUNG WOMEN believers?  In what ways do we need to train the younger women today?

f.        In Greek, only the last characteristic (2.5, subject to their own husbands) is more than one word!

g.       Think carefully: How would the Word of God be dishonored if these conditions for the YOUNG WOMEN were not met...?

6.      YOUNG MEN, 2.6-8

a.       Note that Titus is to urge (2.6) , and this is to be backed by Titus and the elders being a model of good works (2.7).

b.      The ONE requirement for the YOUNG MEN (2.6) merges on into requirements for Titus, who apparently is one of the YOUNG MEN himself!

c.       What effect will all this have (2.8)?  Is the little word us significant?

7.      SLAVES, 2.9-10

a.       In Eph.6.5 and Col.3.22 Paul urges obedience; here, he urges submission. Why?

b.      We get our word 'cosmetic' from adorn (2.10). How would you put this simply?

8.      One group is left out of the family circle as Paul writes these instructions to Titus. Which group is it, and why do you suppose they were left out...?

NOTES:

 

 

1.       What word does your translation begin verse 11 with? And what does this show you about how a believer lives (2.1-10) and what a Christian believes (2.11-14)?

2.       The grace of God (2.11) is Paul's favorite phrase when he is discussing God's undeserved favor, shown in Christ, towards lost men.

3.       We might ask what purpose Paul had in apparently interrupting his advice for the five classes of people in the churches to start talking about God's grace....The grace of God…

                  (a) …HAS APPEARED…

              God's grace is not just a Bible teaching, but something that has made an appearance in our world.   (see John 1.14! 1.17!)  What, then would you say it is?

                  (b) …BRING SOMETHING WITH IT…

                     1. Salvation, for ALL men, -- regardless of age, sex, social standing, etc.

                      2. This is only a part of the picture! God's grace does more than save!  It…

 

                    (c) …INSTRUCTS THE BELIEVER (2.12)

                                    1.  This word training is the word for 'child-training' or 'discipline.' How deeply the Cretan believers needed to realize that the Christian life is a disciplined life!

                                    2.  Negatively

                        a.  To renounce ungodliness is to deny or reject it. Note this is something done by the believer!  God's grace is only the Instructor!

                        b.  To renounce worldly pleasures; is again to deny or reject them. These desires are the foundation of the ungodliness which the Cretans were so used to.

                                    3. Positively

                        a. To live self-controlled (sensibly, sober living) to oneself.

                        b. To live uprightly (righteously in fairness, justice, honesty) to one's neighbor.

                         c. To live godly (with devotion, holiness) to God.

 

4.       God's grace, therefore,  saves a man, and then instructs him (both negatively & positively) how to order his life during this age. 2.12 summarizes all Titus is to teach the people as outlined in 2.1-10!

5.       While this disciplined life of the believer is going on, what else is the believer doing at the same time (2.13)?

(a)    Blessed Hope - in the NT, hope does not indicate merely what is wished for, but what is assured.  And "blessed" here is the Greek word for 'happy!'

(b)    Appearing of the Glory - Reference is here made to the coming of Jesus with all the splendor and majesty of God's glory and the angelic hosts!

6.       TWO REASONS are noted for the death of Christ in 2.14.

(a)    Negatively, to redeem us. Literally, to 'ransom' us, which He did with His own blood, from everything that we were slaves to.

(b)    Positively, to purify us for Himself, making us His very own possession, people who are zealous to do what is pleasing to Him.

7.       In 2.15, do you notice the THREE commands to Titus and the elders become more severe with each one?  Titus had a very difficult job, and he was to get as severe as necessary with those left in his charge.