Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Titus 1:4

"to Titus, my true child after a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour." — Titus 1:4 (ASV)

(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.