"THE EPISTLE TO TITUS"

Introduction To The Epistle (1:1-4)

INTRODUCTION
  1. As the apostles of Christ fulfilled their ministry, it lead to the creation of churches...
    1. Initially established by the preaching of the gospel - cf. Ac 14:1-21
    2. Further established by following up - cf. Ac 14:21-23
  2. From Ac 14:21-22, we learn that the process of follow up involved...
    1. Strengthening the souls of the disciples
    2. Exhorting them to continue in the faith
    3. Appointing elders in the church
  3. The apostles did not always do the follow up themselves...
    1. Paul left Timothy in Ephesus - 1Ti 1:1-3
    2. He also left Titus on the island of Crete - Tit 1:5

[By studying such epistles as Titus, we learn what was expected for churches to becoming established. With that in mind, we begin this series of lessons based on Titus, starting with a basic introduction...]

  1. THE AUTHOR OF THE EPISTLE (1:1-3)
    1. PAUL...
      1. Known formerly as Saul of Tarsus, persecutor of the church - Ac 9:1-2
      2. Who became known as the "apostle to the Gentiles" - Ac 9:15
      3. Author of half of the books of the New Testament
    2. HIS SELF-IDENTIFICATION...
      1. A bondservant (slave) of God
        1. So James described himself - Jm 1:1
        2. Also Peter and Jude - 2Pe 1:1; Jude 1:1
        3. Paul normally identified himself as a bondservant of Christ, only here does he describe himself as bondservant of God - cf. Ro 1:1; Php 1:1
      2. An apostle of Jesus Christ
        1. apostolos - a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders - Thayer
        2. An apostle chosen by Christ Himself - Ga 1:1
      3. Paul expresses his objective as an apostle - Tit 1:1-3
        1. Proclaim the faith of God's elect (chosen people)
        2. Preach the truth that leads to holy living
        3. Nurture hope for eternal life
          1. Which God promised before time began
          2. And has now made manifest through preaching, as God commanded Paul

          [The epistle itself was written toward fulfilling Paul's objective as an apostle. Assisting him in fulfilling his objective will be the one to whom the epistle was written...]

  2. THE RECIPIENT OF THE EPISTLE (1:4)
    1. TITUS, A TRUE SON IN OUR COMMON FAITH...
      1. Calling him "a true son" suggests he was a convert of Paul - cf. 1Co 4:15
      2. There is no mention of Titus by name in the book of Acts
      3. But we can glean some things about him from the epistles of Paul
    2. HIS BACKGROUND...
      1. He was a Gentile by birth - Ga 2:3
      2. He accompanied Paul to Jerusalem during the controversy over circumcision - Ac 15:1-2; Ga 2:1-5
      3. During Paul's third journey Titus became his personal emissary to the church at Corinth
        1. First seeking to learn how they received his first letter
          1. When Titus did not return to Troas as expected, Paul went on to Macedonia - 2Co 2:12-13
          2. There Paul and Titus finally connected, much to Paul's relief when Titus reported how well he was received by the Corinthians - 2Co 7:5-7,13-15
        2. Paul then sent Titus and two others back to Corinth - 2 Co 8:16-9:5
          1. Bearing the letter we call Second Corinthians
          2. Exhorting the brethren to complete their collection for the needy saints in Jerusalem
    3. HIS PRESENT AND FUTURE MINISTRY...
      1. At the time of Paul's epistle to Titus - Tit 1:5
        1. He had been left on the island of Crete by Paul
        2. To "set in order the things that are lacking"
      2. If Paul's plans as expressed in this epistle materialized... - Tit 3:12
        1. Titus left soon after the arrival of Artemas or Tychicus
        2. He met Paul at Nicopolis in northwest Greece
      3. We last read of Titus that he had gone to Dalmatia (in modern Croatia) during the final days of Paul's life - 2Ti 4:10

      [Titus proved to be a true son to Paul, also a "partner and fellow worker" (2Co 8:23). Now let's consider what we can about...]

  3. THE TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING
    1. THE TIME AND PLACE IS UNCERTAIN...
      1. Not all are in agreement as to when and where it was written
      2. It really doesn't matter in the final analysis
    2. ONE POSSIBLE SCENARIO...
      1. Following his first imprisonment in Rome the apostle Paul was released and allowed to travel for several years before being arrested again
      2. The following itinerary has been proposed by the Ryrie Study Bible:
        1. Paul was released from his house arrest in Rome (where we find him at the end of Acts - Ac 28:30-31), probably because his accusers did not choose to press their charges against him before Caesar
        2. Paul visited Ephesus, left Timothy there to supervise the churches
        3. He went on to Macedonia (NE Greece) and from there he wrote 1 Timothy - 1Ti 1:3
        4. He visited Crete, left Titus there to supervise those churches, and went to Nicopolis in Achaia (NW Greece) - Ti 3:12
        5. Either from Macedonia or Nicopolis, he wrote this letter to Titus
        6. He visited Troas (2Ti 4:13), where he was suddenly arrested, taken to Rome and imprisoned
        7. During this second imprisonment, he wrote 2 Timothy before he was finally beheaded
      3. It cannot be established with certainty, but it possible that Paul wrote this letter from Corinth, sometime around 63-66 A.D.

      [Now let's examine...]

  4. THE PURPOSE AND CONTENT OF THE EPISTLE
    1. THE PURPOSE...
      1. This letter is written to a young preacher assigned a difficult task
      2. The churches on the island of Crete were in need of maturation, and this letter is designed to assist Titus in that work
      3. Therefore, Paul wrote to encourage Titus:
        1. To see that qualified elders were appointed in every city - Tit 1:5-9
        2. To preach things befitting "sound doctrine" - Tit 2:1
        3. To exhort the brethren to be "zealous for good works" - Ti 2:14; 3:1,8,14
    2. THE CONTENT...
      1. The epistle is unique in that every chapter includes the phrase "good work(s)" - Tit 1:16; 2:7,14; 3:1,8,14
      2. Here is a brief outline of the epistle:
        1. Introduction - 1:1-4
        2. Instructions concerning church organization - 1:5-16
          1. Qualifications of elders - 1:5-9
          2. Dealing with the insubordinate - 1:10-16
        3. Instructions concerning Christian conduct - 2:1-3:11
          1. For older men and women - 2:1-3
          2. For younger women and men - 2:4-8
          3. For servants - 2:9-14
          4. For brethren in general - 3:1-11
        4. Conclusion - 3:12-15
CONCLUSION
  1. With such an emphasis on good works, an appropriate theme for this epistle would be:
    "Maintain Good Works!"
  2. In keeping with such a theme, I offer the following passage as the key verse of the epistle:
    "This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men." - Tit 3:8
  3. As we proceed through this epistle, it will be my prayer and aim that our study will help...
    1. To "set in order the things that are lacking"
    2. To encourage one another to be "careful to maintain good works"

Note finally Paul's greeting to Titus: "Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior" (Tit 1:4). Are you lacking in that wonderful grace, mercy, and peace...?