Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Titus 1

The length of this salutation is due to the expansion of the first part, where Paul emphasizes his authoritative message. While this solemn self-identification was not needed by Titus, it effectively stressed the authoritative commission and message of the one for whom Titus acted in Crete. This letter was written to preserve and further that message, which was closely linked with godliness in daily life.

To his name Paul added two credentials. “A servant of God” occurs only here in Paul; elsewhere it is “servant of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10). “Servant” (GK 1528) is the common term for “slave” and its use implies Paul’s acknowledged ownership by God and complete dependence on him. “Servant of God” was used of Moses (Joshua 1:2) and the prophets (Jeremiah 7:25; Amos 3:7) to denote their use by God to accomplish his will. Paul is nothing less than God’s agent. Furthermore, he is Jesus Christ’s “apostle” (GK 693), having been called, equipped, and sent forth as his authoritative messenger.

“For the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth” describes his apostolic office. “For” as used in the NIV denotes purpose; Paul’s mission was to promote Christian faith and knowledge. It can also be translated “according to,” so that Paul’s apostleship is in full accord with the faith and knowledge that God’s elect have received. His apostleship is not regulated by their faith (cf. Galatians 1:11–17) but is wholly in accord with it. The Cretan Christians needed to evaluate their faith by that fact.

“God’s elect” (GK 1723) are those who have responded to God’s call through the Gospel. The expression embodies a true balance between the divine initiative and the human response. Although surrounded with mystery, the biblical teaching on election is for the benefit of believers and is intended as a practical truth. It assures faithful, struggling Christians that their salvation is all of God from beginning to end.

Christian faith is linked with the full apprehension of truth, the inner realization of divine reality as revealed in the Gospel. Faith is a heart response to the truth of the Gospel, but it must also possess the mind. God never intended his people to remain intellectually ignorant of the truth of the Gospel.

Christian truth has a moral aspect; it “leads to godliness.” Conduct must be evaluated by the demands of godliness, that reverential attitude that leads to conduct pleasing to God. Those gripped by God’s truth walk in harmony with such demands. There is an intimate connection between a vital possession of truth and genuine godliness—a lesson the Cretan church needed to learn.

The intended connection of v.2 is not quite certain. The NIV translators have added the words “a faith and knowledge” to make explicit their understanding of the connection—that the Christian life is grounded in the hope of eternal life. As with all of God’s elect, Paul’s life and service were firmly rooted in “hope” (GK 1828), which eagerly and confidently awaits the realization of “eternal life”— life not only endless but having an eternal quality. Believers already possess eternal life , but its full and perfect realization awaits the return of the Prince of Life.

This hope is not a vague, pious aspiration but is sure because it is grounded in the absolute trustworthiness of God. The character of the God “who does not lie” (GK 950) assures the fulfillment of his promise. This characterization places

God in contrast with the notorious deceptiveness of the Cretans (1:12).

God promised this eternal life before the ages of time, begun at creation, started to roll (cf. 2 Timothy 1:9). This promise existed within the Godhead before he created the world. In other words, it is rooted in God’s eternal purpose for humankind.

The reliability of the above-mentioned promise was demonstrated through the clear, public revelation it received in the preaching of the Gospel. “His word” is not the personal Christ, the Logos (cf. Jn 1:1), but rather the saving message of the Gospel. This message was made known “at his appointed season,” the opportune time established by God in his eternal wisdom. All history was the preparation for that revelation. The historical appropriateness of the time is evident from the existence of the Roman peace that gave a favorable setting for the preaching of the Gospel and the development of Greek as the linguistic medium of its proclamation throughout the entire world.

The message was brought to the world “through the preaching entrusted to me.” This refers, not to the act of preaching, but to the message that was heralded, the message of the Gospel. There is no substitute for that message, and Paul was writing so that its purity might be preserved on the island of Crete. That life-giving message was committed to Paul personally as a divine trust. He could never escape the wonder that this assignment should be given to him, unworthy as he was (1 Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:8; 1 Timothy 1:11–13).

The assignment came to him “by the command of God our Savior.” It is a vigorous assertion of his divine commission, underlining the authority behind this letter. The One who saves and preserves us is none other than God; we must personally appropriate and publicly confess him in this capacity. Paul’s usage of “God our Savior” suggests that his reference here is to the Father. In the Pastorals the term is applied to both the Father (1 Timothy 1:1; 1 Timothy 2:3; 4:10, Titus 1:3; 1 Timothy 2:10; 1 Timothy 3:4) and the Son (2 Timothy 1:10; Titus 1:4; Titus 2:13; Titus 3:6). As the ultimate source of all salvation, the designation is appropriately applied to the Father.

(4a) The recipient is tersely described as “my true son in our common faith.” This phrase reveals the intimate and endearing relationship between Paul and Titus; it also implies that Titus was Paul’s convert. The adjective “true” (GK 1188) means “legitimately born or genuine” and acknowledges that Titus was running true to his spiritual parentage and thus represented Paul’s position. “Common” (GK 3123) reaches farther than writer and reader to denote a faith mutually held by God’s elect.

(4b) The greeting with “grace and peace” is Paul’s usual greeting. “Grace” (GK 5921) is the unmerited favor of God at work in the life of the believer, while “peace” (GK 1645) is the resultant experience of harmony and well-being in the life of the reconciled. This double blessing comes “from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.” Since Paul viewed Father and Son as one source of blessing and the one object of every Christian aspiration, “from” is not repeated. “Our Savior,” applied in v.3 to the Father, is here transferred to the Son; both are involved in bestowing the same salvation. “Our” again signifies the common testimony of believers.

“I left you in Crete” asserts the joint labors of Paul and Titus on that island for a brief time. Paul’s labors there cannot be fitted into Ac 27:7–9 or before. The alternatives are to reject Pauline authorship of the Pastorals or to accept that the reference is to a time following his Ac 28 imprisonment. The latter alternative is probable scripturally and is asserted by tradition.

“Left” (GK 657) implies that Titus was deliberately left behind in Crete to carry out a specific assignment. Before Paul’s departure, the commission was orally delivered; now it is restated concisely in writing. Titus’s task was comprehensive: to “straighten out what was left unfinished.” “Straighten out” (GK 2114) denotes that his task was personally to set things in order. “What was left unfinished” points to several serious defects that still needed Titus’s attention. Organization was lacking (1:5), false teachers were unchecked (1:10– 11; 3:10–11), and instruction in doctrine and conduct was needed (2:1–10; 3:1– 2). Paul had observed and had begun to correct these matters; Titus must now complete the work.

An initial duty was to “appoint elders” in each place where there was a group of believers. Such a plural leadership in the local congregation continued Paul’s own earlier practice (Acts 14:23). Probably the congregation chose the elders with the encouragement of Titus, who in turn had the responsibility of formally appointing them to office. “As I directed you” recalls that this was in accord with his previous orders. In this way, Titus would carry out Paul’s ideal for these congregations.