1Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, 2in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago …
With a theologically rich introduction, Paul begins his single letter to Titus. It is generally understood that the apostle wrote this between his two letters to Timothy, so we presume the end of his life and ministry is not far off. This missive, only three chapters long, contains a relatively comprehensive view of the Christian life, one that balances faith with our created purpose to pursue doing good in the world. The divine writer seems to summarize:
This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. (Titus 3:8)
Titus had joined Paul somewhere during or right after Paul’s first mission tour. Although he is not mentioned in the book of Acts (which contains the chronicle of Paul’s travels), we know Titus was a Gentile who had joined the growing fellowship of Gentile believers in Antioch (Gal. 2:3). Scripture notes that he was part of what precipitated the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15, and the debate over whether Gentiles needed to be circumcised before the church could accept them into fellowship.
At some point, Paul left Titus on the island of Crete, possibly during the former’s layover on the trip to Rome. Although Paul traveled under arrest to face trial in Rome, we can safely call that his fourth mission tour, because he preached the gospel everywhere he went. He strategically left Titus to solidify the leadership of the churches (Titus 1:5) on that small Mediterranean island just south of Greece (about midway between Jerusalem and Rome).
The Cretans were actually among the first to hear the gospel, having been present at Pentecost (Acts 2:11), so churches there may have existed for a while. The Cretans had a reputation spread by one of the inhabitants of the island, whether rightly or wrongly, of being “liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12). Could this be why Paul refers in his introduction to “God, who cannot lie”? To a long-time coworker serving in a difficult, remote situation, Paul writes a letter that has been helpful for Christians and church leaders for two thousand years.
Lord, help me grow in my understanding of how to live rightly by faith.
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