The book of Titus was written by Paul, as an instruction to Titus, a trusted companion of Paul, who was caring for the church on Crete. The book was written about 65 AD. Paul had already been through the known world planting churches and preaching the word of God. As he found those who were willing to take up the mantle of church leadership, Paul would appoint those men to be the face of the church before he moved onto another area in need of the word of God. We see Paul returning to some areas for further instruction and encouragement.
But who is Titus? Paul mentions him in a number of his writings. First, in 2 Corinthians 2:13, he is mentioned as a genuine brother. 2 Corinthians 8:23 considers him a partner and fellow worker alongside Paul. 2 Corinthians 12:18 says that Titus took the same steps as Paul, and Titus 2:7 lists him as an example to other believers. It is obvious Paul holds him in high regard, and in his introduction of this book, he further lavishes praise on him.
1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior, 4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Paul first gives us his credentials. Paul’s servitude is equated with a bondservant (KJV). In Greek, this is Doulos, which means lowest slave, or slave by choice. As is typical of Paul after his credentials (a servant of God and apostle of Jesus Christ), he tells us his mission (to further the faith of God’s elect). He wants to teach others about knowledge, and this is a knowledge of the truth that leads to Godliness- thoat will lead to eternal life. It isn’t simply knowledge, but understanding. This is a promise of Gd, and it is a promise from the beginning of time. God’s promises do not fail. In verse 4, he tells us who this letter is addressed to: Titus, my true son in our common faith. Paul’s affection for Titus is obvious, and tells us how they are united: through common faith.
5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint[a] elders in every town, as I directed you.
Paul first reminds us of Titus mission: something on Crete was left in disrepair. His job is to find other men who are not only willing, but spiritually strong and able, to appoint as elders in every Christian church in Crete. He must find mature, responsible and faithful leaders. This job is not permanent. He must appoint Godly leaders and move on. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe[b] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Next, Paul lists the very things that define the leaders Titus is to look for. Each of these are deeper than they seem, so we’ll take each one on its own merit.
Blameless What this means, in a literal sense, is that nothing can take hold upon him. In other words, there is nothing in his present that can be used against him. He cannot be accused of grievous sin. This doesn’t mean he’s sinless; he’s not operating in a knowingly sinful lifestyle.
Faithful to his wife A leader, if he is married, must be faithful to his wife. If he is single, he must focus on a single woman.
Faithful children The ability to lead a family displays faithfulness. If a man desires to lead others to faith, he must first lead his family. Children emulate their father’s pattern, so it is important, from a leadership perspective, to set a proper example.
Not overbearing In the KJV, it is termed self-willed. NLT calls it Arrogant. The Berean Bible Study calls it self-absorbed. All of these fit well with what the bible is trying to teach us. A leader cannot be selfish. Quick-tempered KJV calls it not soon angry. The Holman translation says hot-tempered. This is a reactionary mindset. A leader can’t have a simmering cauldron of contempt for others.
Not given to drunkenness Drunkenness speaks to a person who lacks self-control. A leader is not a slave to vices, whether it is drunkenness or something else.
Not violent This can certainly mean physical violence, but it also refers to speech. Our tongue, as James tells us, is a small appendage, yet it controls out entire body, and its well worth our efforts to get it under control (James 3). Literally, this means one who browbeats his fellow man. Someone who essentially puts someone in their place. A follower of Christ is about peace (Matt. 5:9) and inclusion.
Not pursuing dishonest gain This points to earning money in a sordid way. Sometimes we are very willing to turn our eyes away from how we acquire money. This is an important note, because a leader has to earn his wage honestly, without cutting corners or finding ill-gotten ways to acquire wealth. Once we begin down that road, it gets slippery fast.
Verse 8 begins to define what a Christian leader is.
Hospitable & love what is good A Christian leader must be hospitable and open to helping others. He/she must love the good things, not the sordid things of this world (Romans 12:2).
Self-Controlled A Christian is a person who once lived in the world and, through the intervention of Christ, now sees the more beautiful route of selflessness. In the former life, selfishness was the route. That produced urges, which were nurtured in that life. To live a self-self-controlled life, one must master the urges that so easily overtook them in an earlier life.
When we look at the Acts of the Flesh (Gal 5:19) in contrast to the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), we see a stark contrast. The Acts of the Flesh define a life acting in rebellion to the spirit God has set in them. The Fruit of the Spirit shows the result of that spirit spreading from a God-centered life. The point is this: we can’t do both. We can’t cling to the world and all of its trappings and still have an authentic relationship with God.
Upright, holy and Self-Controlled Upright refers to our dealings with others; we must be fair toward all Holy refers to our relationship with God; must be right toward God Self-controlled refers to our relationship to self; must be right to ourselves
Verse 9 Tells us that we must hold to the message that has been taught. This is the message of the apostles, the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ. We must understand (know) and execute (hope) in the message. Why? So that a leader can encourage some and refute others. A leader must be both a soldier and a shepherd. Our faith must be used (James 2:1-26).
10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
In verse 10, Paul refers to the circumcision group. He is referring to a group known as the Judaizers. They were a group that purported Christian beliefs, yet they preached that one still needed to adhere to the law of circumcision in order to attain true salvation. In other words, they preached grace, and at the same time legalism. He refers to them as rebellious, which is code for a person who does not submit to God’s authority. Submitting yourself to another becomes an act of trust in God.
• Authority should be submitted to and respected (Rom 13:1-10) • Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake (1 Peter 2:13-17) • Submission between husband and wife (Ephesians 5:21-22) • Young men submit to their elders (1 Peter 5:5) • Submit to your employers (Ephesians 6:5-8) • When a leader acts against God, we can still act in a Godly manner (Acts 5:29)
Verse 11 tells us they must be silenced. Why? They are disrupting households and teaching incorrectly. Besides that, they are doing it for the sake of dishonest gain. They must be silenced immediately, because they are doing damage.
Rebuking is the answer. But what is rebuking. The dictionary defines it as expressing sharp disapproval or criticism of (someone) because of their behavior or actions. But the biblical definition is a verbal expression of blame. Scripture gives examples of both divine and human rebuke. Sometimes God issues rebukes directly but more commonly he did so through the OT prophets. In the NT Jesus Christ and the apostles issue rebukes and teach the church how to address those who sin.
The Greeks did not hold the character of Cretans in high regard. Most didn’t. Crete was a rough place. Paul is referring to Epimenides, who was a writer and poet who predicted a few major events in Crete, and also wrote of the nature of his own people.
Rebuking is a refuting of someone’s choices, lifestyle, or opposition. But the motive for rebuking should always be so that the one you are rebuking will come to an understanding of the truth.
Verse 16 Paul uses the work detestable. It means someone who is polluted by idolatry. He also says unfit. This is from he Greek Adokimos, which is a term that identifies a counterfeit coin.