Paul was proud to be a servant of God (v1) and the word servant here means bond-slave, a description he also uses in the first verses of Romans and Philippians. This was a slavery of love; it is terrible to be a slave of almost anyone but it is wonderful to be a slave of Jesus Christ, having been bought by Him at an enormous price. Paul knew his calling; he was an apostle (a messenger) with a message to bring people to faith in God. Thankfully, that message is still powerful for us, today, and we can learn from Paul the knowledge of real truth, a life of godliness and the hope of eternal life.
APPOINTING LEADERS
Titus, like Timothy, is called a loyal “child in the faith” (v4) and, like Timothy, he was one of Paul’s trusted leaders. We can read in 2 Corinthians 7 and 8 how Titus was a great help in sorting out the major problems of the Corinth church, which Paul had highlighted in his first letter to them. We can see in verse 5 that Titus had an important role to play in Crete, establishing the churches there. Titus was asked to appoint elders in each town; elders were people of quality, in their home life and character (6). The beneficial qualities are very similar to those described in 1 Timothy. There is one particular type of elder, called an overseer, who has a special ability to understand and preach the word (v9).
FALSE LEADERS
We need to be aware of the dangers posed by rebellious leaders, within the church, who may well teach for money and, through false teaching, lead many innocent people astray (v11). In Titus’s time, there were those “of the circumcision” group who said that Jewish laws, like circumcision (v10), should still be practiced; but, in doing so, they ignored the wonderful news that God’s grace is freely given and not conditional on performance. One strong theme of the Bible is that the way to God is, not through keeping the law or good works, and is only possible through faith.
Titus was trusted by Paul to do the difficult jobs; look at verse 12; the Cretans weren’t the most promising people to become Christians- “liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons.” Sometimes it is necessary to rebuke people sharply to get them going the right direction (v13) in their faith. You can tell these people, because their actions do not match up to their words (v16). Actions are not necessary for faith, but you would expect them to follow afterwards. Be careful yourself, because it is very possible to have a corrupted mind and conscience (v15).
TEACHING CONTENT
Good teaching is essential and at the beginning of chapter 2 we see that a thriving church has a foundation of faith, love and endurance (v2). Paul encouraged Titus to recognise different needs in the church for different groups may need a different slant to the message:
Paul had advice for a number of different groups of people-to the older men (v2), the older women (v3), younger women (v4), younger men (v6) and slaves (v9). The older men were to be serious about the faith and lead godly lives, likewise the older women. Notice the special role for older women to encourage the younger women in their family life and relationships to their husbands (4,5). Paul has a great insight into human nature and it is interesting that his only advice for younger men is to be self-controlled (v6) whilst Titus, himself, was to be an example of good works and teaching (v7). An important element of all this is that we should be ornaments for our Lord (v10) otherwise, the word of God may be discredited (v5) and an opportunity given to those who oppose us (v8). Our family and working relationships, a major part of our lives, should be right.
GOD WANTS A PEOPLE OF HIS OWN
Notice that it is the dynamic of God’s grace that brings us salvation but the purpose of God’s grace is for God to have a purified people of his own, that he is proud of, and who are zealous for good deeds (v14). As we wait for Christ’s return, we should renounce worldly passions and live godly lives. It is the duty of the leader to seriously encourage, and sometimes reprove, his flock with all authority (v15) and young leaders should not be intimidated.
RELATING TO NON-CHRISTIANS
Just like the slaves to the master we should be dutiful to rulers and authorities and treat other people with courtesy and respect (3:1,2). Interesting we should “speak evil of no one” (v2) and Paul explains why we are not to criticise the world. This is because we, ourselves, were not saved by works of righteousness (v5) but God’s mercy. In other words, we were not any good either until we were saved by the loving kindness and mercy of the Lord (v4). Here Paul speaks of water and the Spirit (v5). The water speaks of our rebirth (v5) when we were born again. The Holy Spirit brings renewal in our lives and this is poured out on us richly (v6) through Jesus.
DEVOTE YOURSELF TO GOOD WORKS
Paul encouraged his leader Titus to insist that believers (v8) be careful to devote themselves to good works; things that are excellent and profitable. Wrong teachers, on the other hand, get involved with all kinds of stupid discussions and controversies which can lead people astray and cause divisions. Paul says these people must be dealt with and, after a couple of warnings, he should have nothing more to do with them (v10).
Finally, in verse 14, Paul once again emphasises that people live productive lives and devote themselves to good works. This has, very much, been the emphasis of Titus, a major correction for Cretans who we read are always liars, vicious brutes and lazy gluttons (1v12). Throughout the letter, we are taught that Christians of all age groups and positions in society should live good lives, lives which stand out in contrast to the world around them. Leaders should be setting the example, encouraging and sometimes reproving others. We should treat authorities and non-Christians with respect, even if they live worldly lives, because the only difference between us and them is that we have received God’s mercy, kindness and love. False leaders who worm their way into the church should be dealt with because of the effect they have on others.