But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord. And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind,... If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. (II Corinthians 8:16-23)
Titus was a Gentile convert to Christianity (Galatians 2:3), led by the Spirit of God through the Apostle Paul's teaching (Titus 1:4). He accompanied Paul on many of his trips visiting and establishing churches in the Italian and Greek cities (Titus 1:5). Titus was left to complete organizing the church in Crete, where he was met with a lot of opposition and insubordination , especially from the Jews (Titus 1:10).*
Early on, the Jewish brethren wanted Titus to be circumcised, which Paul would not allow, because that would imply that all non-Jewish Christians were not truly Christians and second-class citizens of the church, unless they did so (I Corinthians 7:19). Titus wrote to Paul about the difficulties he was having. In response, God by the hand of Paul wrote this letter to Titus.*
Titus is instructed that in spite of having to endure much criticism from false teachers, to continue to preach sound doctrine (Titus 2:1), and to use wise judgment concerning the appointing of leaders in the church (Titus 1:5-9).*
*Strong's Key Word Study Bible notes
To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you— (Titus 1:4-5)
The greeting of the letter is filled with so much goodness, about God and the Word of God: Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior; (Titus 1:1-3)
The word bondservant refers to a person who serves as a slave, a person bound to service without being paid. We have to submit our lives completely to God, and it is His responsibility, because of our faithfulness, to make sure we have everything we need: Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:5-7, 10) And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philipians 4:19)
The word apostle refers to a disciple, follower of Christ, that Christ entrusted and empowered, through the Holy Spirit, to organize His church and preach and teach His gospel, the message of salvation: And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. (Matthew 10:1-4)
Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”[Psalm 69:25] “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” [Psalm 109:8] And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:15-17, 21-22, 24-26) Notice that even an apostle can be a "false teacher" (ie. Judas Iscariot). We will be studying that more later in the book of Titus.
The most encouraging thing about the teaching of Christ is that it can lead anyone to change, no matter how far away from the truth they seem to be, based on the life of Paul (name changed from Saul), who also became an apostle and wrote most of the epistles, letters of the New Testament: When they heard these things [which Stephen the martyr taught] they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. (Acts 7:54-58)
And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. (Acts 7:59-8:3)
As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” ...he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. (Acts 9:3-4, 6, 20) Most of us haven't murdered or persecuted others physically, but most have verbally. Just like Paul, we all need to be saved; and no batter how bad we've been, God can save us and use us to spread His gospel and bring glory to Himself.
So, based on Paul's greeting, we all should be willing to be a bondservant and follow the examples of the apostles because: that's what those of us chosen by God should do, to prove our faith (James 2:17); that's an outward acknowledgement of the Truth, which we profess to believe (John 18:37); our hope is to receive eternal life, which God promised before the world began, and manifested, or revealed through the preaching of the gospel, after Chirst's death, resurrection and ascension (II Timothy 1:8-11).
But the most compelling reason to be a servant of God and an "apostle" of Christ, is the short phrase ...God, who cannot lie,... (Titus 1:2). People will tell each other all kinds of things, some true, most probably not. But proof of God not being able to lie and using anyone, regardless of their intentions is when King Balak tried to get the prophet Balaam to make a false prophecy against the children of Isreal, to curse them, but when Balaam opened his mouth, God spoke: “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Behold, I [Balaam] have received a command to bless; He [God] has blessed, and I [Balaam] cannot reverse it. (Numbers 23:19-20) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Titus was a Gentile convert to Christianity (Galatians 2:3), led by the Spirit of God through the Apostle Paul's teaching (Titus 1:4). He accompanied Paul on many of his trips visiting and establishing churches in the Italian and Greek cities (Titus 1:5). Titus was left to complete organizing the church in Crete, where he was met with a lot of opposition and insubordination , especially from the Jews (Titus 1:10).*
Early on, the Jewish brethren wanted Titus to be circumcised, which Paul would not allow, because that would imply that all non-Jewish Christians were not truly Christians and second-class citizens of the church, unless they did so (I Corinthians 7:19). Titus wrote to Paul about the difficulties he was having. In response, God by the hand of Paul wrote this letter to Titus.*
Titus is instructed that in spite of having to endure much criticism from false teachers, to continue to preach sound doctrine (Titus 2:1), and to use wise judgment concerning the appointing of leaders in the church (Titus 1:5-9).*
*Strong's Key Word Study Bible notes
To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you— (Titus 1:4-5)
The word bondservant refers to a person who serves as a slave, a person bound to service without being paid. We have to submit our lives completely to God, and it is His responsibility, because of our faithfulness, to make sure we have everything we need: Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:5-7, 10) And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philipians 4:19)
The word apostle refers to a disciple, follower of Christ, that Christ entrusted and empowered, through the Holy Spirit, to organize His church and preach and teach His gospel, the message of salvation: And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. (Matthew 10:1-4)
Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”[Psalm 69:25] “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” [Psalm 109:8] And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:15-17, 21-22, 24-26) Notice that even an apostle can be a "false teacher" (ie. Judas Iscariot). We will be studying that more later in the book of Titus.
The most encouraging thing about the teaching of Christ is that it can lead anyone to change, no matter how far away from the truth they seem to be, based on the life of Paul (name changed from Saul), who also became an apostle and wrote most of the epistles, letters of the New Testament: When they heard these things [which Stephen the martyr taught] they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. (Acts 7:54-58)
And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. (Acts 7:59-8:3)
As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” ...he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. (Acts 9:3-4, 6, 20) Most of us haven't murdered or persecuted others physically, but most have verbally. Just like Paul, we all need to be saved; and no batter how bad we've been, God can save us and use us to spread His gospel and bring glory to Himself.
So, based on Paul's greeting, we all should be willing to be a bondservant and follow the examples of the apostles because: that's what those of us chosen by God should do, to prove our faith (James 2:17); that's an outward acknowledgement of the Truth, which we profess to believe (John 18:37); our hope is to receive eternal life, which God promised before the world began, and manifested, or revealed through the preaching of the gospel, after Chirst's death, resurrection and ascension (II Timothy 1:8-11).
But the most compelling reason to be a servant of God and an "apostle" of Christ, is the short phrase ...God, who cannot lie,... (Titus 1:2). People will tell each other all kinds of things, some true, most probably not. But proof of God not being able to lie and using anyone, regardless of their intentions is when King Balak tried to get the prophet Balaam to make a false prophecy against the children of Isreal, to curse them, but when Balaam opened his mouth, God spoke: “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Behold, I [Balaam] have received a command to bless; He [God] has blessed, and I [Balaam] cannot reverse it. (Numbers 23:19-20) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
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