1Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, 2in hope of eternal life, which God, who can’t lie, promised before time began; 3but in his own time revealed his word in the message with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior, 4to Titus, my true child according to a common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
5I left you in Crete for this reason, that you would set in order the things that were lacking and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you— 6if anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, who are not accused of loose or unruly behavior. 7For the overseer must be blameless, as God’s steward, not self-pleasing, not easily angered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain; 8but given to hospitality, a lover of good, sober minded, fair, holy, self-controlled, 9holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict those who contradict him.
10For there are also many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11whose mouths must be stopped: men who overthrow whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for dishonest gain’s sake. 12One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons.” 13This testimony is true. For this cause, reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14not paying attention to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. 15To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. 16They profess that they know God, but by their deeds they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.
As is customary in other Pauline epistles, Paul identifies himself as the author of this epistle. Paul knew that Titus was a man who knew how to get things done. Thus, Paul recognized Titus’ diligence and is by far one of Paul’s most trusted assistants.
Critical scholars have launched similar arguments against this epistle as they have against 1 and 2 Timothy. The notion that Paul died in prison shortly after the completion of Acts 28 rests upon a major assumption—that Paul was only imprisoned once. Yet, we have good reason to believe that Paul was imprisoned twice in Rome between A.D. 62 and 65. Moreover, tradition holds that Paul penned Titus after he sent his first epistle to Timothy. Thus, a date around A.D. 63 is very safe. For a further explanation, please see the introductions to 1 and 2 Timothy.
From our review of the content of the letter, Paul must have seen a need to clarify some ecclesiastical and doctrinal issues at the church in Crete. Thus, Paul ‘s main purpose for writing to Titus was to give instructions regarding church leaders, enumerating the qualifications for elders, including some instructions for the other members, even telling them how they should act towards one another and the civil authorities.
Although a small epistle, Titus consists of only forty-six verses. And yet, it is a concise guide on church order written to Titus at Crete. Although very short, it contains instructions for elders, pastors and lay people The island of Crete, located some 100 miles southeast of Greece, was rich in agriculture and trading. It is believed that Paul established a church here within the period of time between his two Roman imprisonments. After having left Titus in charge of the church to appoint elders in every city, the weak believers suffered from lack of good teachers and thus became weak in doctrine. Paul, therefore, reiterates to Titus the Gospel message that the salvation of the elect is not by “works of righteousness” but “according to His mercy” by “His grace” through faith in Christ. This salvation is both present and future, and should give the believer “the hope of eternal life.” Hence, Titus was encouraged to set in order those things that were lacking.
Perhaps due to Crete being a rich island, moderation in day to day living was sorely lacking. Personal greed and self-interest seem to have been at the center of Cretan life, including the center for some Christians. Such excess will affect ones conduct towards others. Thus, while Paul stresses sound doctrine to Timothy, in Titus, Paul stresses the need for good works as evidence of changed lives.
This epistle also includes teaching on Christ, the Holy Spirit’s work in salvation, and how to deal with false teaching, all the while stressing personal conduct. This includes living a pure Christian life and possessing the heart of a true servant by being kind toward others.