Exposition of Paul’s Letter to
TITUS
LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION
Welcome and Introduction
Thank you for choosing to study this important letter of
Paul to a colleague named Titus who was pastoring a Church on the island of
Crete. There are a total of 9 lessons.
For those who like to keep notes, I’ll leave fillable notes
on a music stand in the aisle near the back.
I will post my full transcript on my blog immediately following the
Sunday when the lesson is given. I will
provide a link to that on the Church Facebook page.
Once we start into the text I will offer 5-10 minutes for
questions following my lecture. If you
have questions that don’t get answered please feel free to email me or text me
the question and I will be happy to attempt to answer it.
If you are late for class, please enter quietly and for the
least disruption please sit near the back.
Today’s Lesson
My goal today is three-fold:
1. To give some context and
background to this letter.
2. To teach why it is an important
letter in the New Testament
3. To teach why it is an important
letter for you and I.
Background to the Letter
What’s with Crete?
Crete is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean, located southwest
of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). The text of the letter says that Paul was in
Crete. Crete is a long and narrow island, spanning about 160 miles (260 km)
east to west. We are not sure if or when Paul planted a Church there. We know that Paul sailed past Crete and docked
in the city of Fair Havens (Acts 27:8) on his way to Rome. We also know that there were Cretans at
Pentecost (Acts 2:11). Is that when
Christianity got its root on the Island?
We don’t know.
We are simply certain that Paul was there with Titus and left
him there. We are sure that Paul wrote
Titus there, probably during or right after his first imprisonment (house
arrest).
What’s with Titus?
When Paul was newly converted and need validation by the
Jerusalem Council we read in Galatians 2:1-10 that Titus was there. He was an uncircumcised convert. Titus also served as Paul’s assistant to the
church in Corinth, where he helped collect relief funds for the poor believers
in Jerusalem (2Corinthians 8:6–7). In
2Timothy 4:10 at Paul’s last imprisonment and before his execution, we learn
that Titus had been with him and headed off to Dalmatia (Dalmatia was part of
the Roman province of Illyricum.) That is the last we hear of him.
Why is this letter in the
New Testament?
When I ask this question I am not wondering why the early
Church fathers deemed this letter inspired and appropriate to the New Testament
canon. That is a good question. I am assuming that this is an inspired
portion of Scripture and my question is why would our Lord give it to us?
If you were to read 1Timothy and then read Titus you would
be aware that both letters seem to contain similar material, albeit Titus is
shorter. They both deal with the duties
of spiritual leaders and social relations in the Church. Titus is less personal
that 1Timothy. In 1Timothy Paul stresses
“sound doctrine” as he does in Titus, but in Titus the author, like nowhere
else[2] in
the New Testament emphasizes the reality that Christian behavior must be based
upon the truth of the Gospel leading to holy living (e.g.[3])
In one word the stress of Titus is to lead us to integrity, i.e., our behavior matches
our belief. “The theme of Titus is the
inseparable link between faith and practice, belief and behavior.”[4] It’s about “the integration of right belief
and right action.”[5] In
the dictionary, the word integrity means 1) an unimpaired condition, i.e.,
soundness, wholeness 2) firm adherence to a code of moral values, i.e.,
incorruptible, honor, 3) the quality or state of being complete or undivided,
i.e., completeness.
This letter is important to us for several reasons:
1.
Because God has deemed this it is profitable
(2Timothy 3:16-17);
2.
Because it would be the “go-to” book of the
Bible to learn about the need of making sure our practice lines up with our
profession; and
3.
Because Titus is called to address “false
teachers”, if the Church lacked integrity – if the Church was hypocritical –
how effective might they have been?
Note this helpful quote: “Paul’s message to Titus—the
integration of right belief with everyday practice—is a transformative one for
us today. The letter is full of things that make us question our interactions
with culture, but the overall message is clear: Empowered by the Holy Spirit,
Christians can transform their culture by their very presence in it. Although
this involves separation from things of that our world values, it does not
involve separation from culture itself. As Christians, we’re meant to be public
witnesses to Jesus in everyday, ordinary stations.”[6]
Considering Integrity
Contractors and engineers refer to the integrity of steel.
There are times when you can have two pieces of steel that both look great on
the outside—there’s no apparent difference between them—but one of them, when
it is put under stress, may not support the weight. The reason the other piece
of steel does hold up
under stress is because it has integrity.
Integrity has to do with a sense of consistency. A person of integrity is the same inside as
outside. He or she lives what they
believe. Their character and values
don’t fluctuate depending on where they are. C. S. Lewis wrote, “Integrity is
doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” Their values, words and
actions were thoroughly the same.
Integrity is a determination of the heart. Integrity is the unwavering determination in
the heart to do right no matter what.
Preparation for the next
lesson.
I would encourage to read Paul’s letter to Titus (several
times) (maybe different translations) before our next lesson. As you do, look for specific instruction that
relates to the theme of integrity. See
if you can find support for the following statements:
1.
The Gospel will naturally produce godliness in
the believer.
2.
The Gospel is the basis for all ethical conduct.
3.
Our outward behavior determines whether we truly
know God or not.
4.
Christians of integrity commend the Gospel to
those who do not know Christ.
5.
Good works are not inconsequential to Christian
living.
6.
Both false doctrine and immoral practice MUST be
dealt with in the local church.
[Next week I’ll put the answers on the “Welcome” screen
before class.]
[2] Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis
CD-ROM:Titus/Introduction to Titus/Theological Value of Titus, Book Version:
4.0.2
[3] “Proper
Christian behavior is based on the fact that “the grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation for all people,” and therefore those who believe in Christ
are to “live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives” as they await his
return (2:11–13).” - The Holy
Bible: English Standard Version.
(2016). (Tt). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[4] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The
ESV Study Bible (p. 2345).
Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[5] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S.,
Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife
Study Bible. Bellingham, WA:
Lexham Press.
[6] Barry, J. D., Mailhot, J., Bomar, D., Ritzema, E.,
& Sinclair-Wolcott, C. (Eds.). (2014). DIY
Bible Study. Bellingham, WA:
Lexham Press.
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