Titus 1:1-16

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Titus

Rusty's Notes

The Neronian Persecution
Spring 65 - Nero’s massacre of the Christians begins.

• Over the next three years, Nero will brutalize the Christians in such unspeakable ways that the Romans themselves have sympathy for them.
• He will have some sewn up in the skins of wild beasts to be preyed upon by dogs until they expire.
• Others he will dress up in shirts of stiff wax, fix them to the trees in his garden, and light them up as human torches.
• The church in Rome has dwindled due to the killings.
• Priscilla and Aquila move to Ephesus to help Timothy care for the church.
• The persecution of the Christians spreads throughout the entire Roman Empire and lasts until A.D. 68, when Nero is banished from Rome and commits suicide.
• Crisis in Crete Paul is still in Macedonia, and Apollos and a lawyer named Zenas visit him there.
• Paul gets word from Titus in Crete that the churches on the island are still in crisis.
• The influence of the false teachers is growing. They are spreading the same heresy that Timothy is combating in Ephesus.
• Some of them are also encouraging rebellion and an immoral lifestyle. (The Cretans as a culture are noted for lying, engaging in wild parties, and gluttony.)
• A number of families are being disrupted as a result.
• Specifically, both the old and young men in the church are being influenced by the old Cretan lifestyle and are not exercising self-control.
• Some are rebelling against the local authorities.
• Some of the older women are engaging in slander and are abusing wine.
• Paul is burdened to write to Titus and give him further instructions on handling the crisis.[1]

 
PAUL WRITES TITUS

• Year: A.D. 65
• From: Macedonia
• To: Titus who is in Crete
• Provocation: Paul encourages Titus to strengthen the things that remain in the churches at Crete.
• He gives him practical instructions on selecting elders (1:5ff).
• Paul exhorts Titus on how to silence those who are spreading heresy in Crete and how to encourage and remind the believers with the truth that is in Christ (1:10–3:11).
• He closes the letter by asking Titus to meet him in Nicopolis for the winter and promises to send either Tychicus or Artemas to replace him in Crete.
• Paul sends the letter off with Apollos and Zenas the lawyer and asks Titus to care for their needs while they are in Crete.
• Luke scribes the letter.[2]

 
GREETING
TITUS 1
1 Paul, a (bond-)servant of God

• A “bond-servant” is one who has been set free by his master, but chooses to remain with and serve him for life (Exodus 21:5–6; Deuteronomy 15:12–17).
• This was Paul’s perception of his relationship with the Lord. Jesus set Paul free![3]

and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness,

• God’s grace leads to godliness.
• When we believe we are made completely righteous to the core.
• This means that grace encourages righteous living.
• This is a central theme of Titus.
• We don’t need to focus on trying to be moral people.
• Our focus is to be on God’s grace in Christ, and to allow this to encourage us to live righteously. 

2 in the hope of eternal life

• Paul is not speaking of hope as a speculation about eternal life.
• For Paul, hope is a reality.
• The hope is something that is unshakeable and unbreakable. 

that God, who cannot lie,

• The New Covenant is founded on God’s promise to humanity.
• God has sworn to Himself that He will save forever all who believe in Jesus (see Hebrews 7:25).

promised before time began. 3 In his own time he has revealed his word in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior:

• Paul is reminding Christians that their Savior is none other than God Himself.
• The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are responsible for our salvation.
• Before time began it was the entire Trinity who set out the plan of salvation in Christ. 

4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith.
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

• Titus was Gentile who was led to Christ by the apostle Paul.
• Titus ministered on the island of Crete.
• It’s unknown as to whether Titus taught but he evidently had the task of acting as an administrator, setting up the leadership for the church. 
• God is giving us endless grace and peace.
• This is God’s message to the world today regardless of what we may feel or experience because of life’s difficulties.
• In Christ, God has provided an all-sufficient salvation.
• When we believe we become beneficiaries of God’s grace and as a result experience His peace.

 
TITUS’S MINISTRY IN CRETE
5 The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town.

• Titus seems to have been, primarily, an administrative pastor.
• There is no indication that he taught the congregation though this could have certainly been the case.

6 An elder must be blameless (above reproach), the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion.

• Paul wants Titus to find people who truly know Jesus.
• This relationship will be expressed through righteous living at home as well as in the world.
• This is seen in Paul’s admonition to find someone who is married to one woman and consequently not a polygamist.
• Those who know Jesus will have lives characterized by His fruit and not deeds of the flesh.

7 As an overseer of God’s household, he must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled,

• Hospitable, loving: Love is the single characterizing trait of the Christian. Consequently, elders ought to be examples of how Christ’s love can shine through believers.

9 holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.

• Elders must be well-versed in the New Covenant otherwise confusion will spread in the congregation.
• Those who lead the church need to have a crystal-clear understanding of God’s grace and have good theological boundaries.

10 For there are many rebellious people, full of empty talk and deception, especially those from the circumcision party.

• The number one enemy for the Christian is legalism or adopting a law-based religion.
• During the days of the early church there was a constant battle to not mix the Old and New Covenants.
• Paul was absolutely against such an act.
• Therefore, Paul encouraged the silencing of these teachers who are wreaking havoc on the family.

11 It is necessary to silence them; they are ruining entire households by teaching what they shouldn’t in order to get money dishonestly. 12 One of their very own prophets said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

• The false teachers were engaged in racism and bigotry and stereotyping the people of Crete.
• This is a constant affliction for humans.
• We always label people according to the flesh and to what is seen.
• However, Christ is the only real identity for people.
• He brings all people together.

13 This testimony is true. For this reason, rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith 14 and may not pay attention to Jewish myths and the commands of people who reject the truth.

• Paul encouraged reproving of false doctrine ultimately so that the church would be strengthened in their understanding of sound doctrine, and perhaps the false teachers saved through faith in Jesus.

15 To the pure, everything is pure,

• If we have believed in Jesus, we are pure to the core.
• To those who are pure every act, no matter how mundane, is an act of purity because we are in union with Jesus and can express Him in every context.

but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.[4]

• They profess to know God: Paul seems to be speaking of those who have mixed law and grace.
• These judaizers were ever present amongst the early church.[5]

[1] Viola, Frank. The Untold Story of the New Testament Church, Destiny Image Publishers, Shippensburg, PA. 2004, PP 162-163.
[2] Viola, Frank. The Untold Story of the New Testament Church, Destiny Image Publishers, Shippensburg, PA. 2004, PP 162-163.
[3] Warren, B. (2013). Romans: The Foundational Truths of Romans 1–8 (p. 7). The Hill Publishing.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Tt 1:1–16). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Farley, Andrew. www.BibleCommentary.com. Titus 1.