INTRODUCTION TO TITUS

Paul's letter to Titus is one of his Pastoral Epistles (the others being 1 & 2 Timothy). In these letters Paul gives instructions to young shepherds about the pastoral care of the flock of God under their care. These letters were probably written between A.D. 63 and 65, after Paul's release from his first imprisonment in Rome (c. 60-62). Paul was probably martyred in A.D. 67 or 68.

Titus was converted by Paul, and was one of the young men he took around with him, trained, and sent out to shepherd churches needing help. He is not mentioned in Acts, but is mentioned 13 times in other books of the New Testament. He was a Gentile, but Paul did not circumcise him (Gal 2:3). This demonstrated Paul's conviction that faith in Jesus alone is all that is necessary for salvation. Titus worked, among other places, in Corinth (2Co 7:6,7). At the time of this letter, he was shepherding believers in Crete, an island of the Mediterranean. Later, he pioneered Dalmatia (Yugoslavia). [2Ti 4:10]

Crete was a hard mission field, for the people were famous for being lazy gluttons and liars (1:12). But Christ died to change sinners into saints.

1. Knowledge of truth leads to godliness (1)

Paul writes about the kind of faith that God's elect must have. Faith comes from a knowledge of the truth, and the knowledge of the truth leads to godliness. Though we know a lot of theology, history, philosophy, ethics, etc., if our knowledge does not lead us to live godly lives, it is not true knowledge. A godly person is one who knows God and is growing in the image of Jesus.

2. The foundation of faith and knowledge (2-4)

True faith and knowledge rest on the hope of eternal life. This is a sure hope, because God promised it before the beginning of time. God does not lie. God keeps his promises. At the appointed time, he kept his promises to Adam, Noah, Abraham and David by sending Jesus to die for our sins and to give us eternal life. No one can live without hope, and only the hope that is rooted in God's promises is sure hope. Jesus accomplished our salvation; now, Paul--and all Christians--must tell the people of the world about it because this is God's command.

Application: Lord, let your truth in my heart change me into a godly person.
One Word: Truth leads to godliness