Maintain Good Works – Titus 1:1-5

Titus verse by verse: Lesson # 1 Introduction and salutation of the Epistle to Titus.

Place & Date of writing: Approx. AD 63, around same time as 1 Timothy (probably shortly after). Written post Acts, after Paul’s first imprisonment.

Theme & Purpose

• Strong focus on Church practice. Doctrine also in view but stronger stress laid on the practice that is to accompany sound doctrine. 2:1 “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine.” ‘become’ = that which is appropriate, fitting & becoming.
• “good work(s)” = this phrase appears 5 times in this short Epistle. (1:16, 2:7, 2:14, 3:8, 3:14) Eph. 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Good comparison of the 3 Pastoral Epistles by R. Hester

• 1 Timothy – Protect It
• 2 Timothy – Proclaim it
• Titus – Practice it

The Author (Vs. 1-3)

His Titles (1a)

1. A Servant of God
   1. ‘servant’ = one born into slavery.
   2. Paul was a slave to sin by natural birth. He became a slave to Christ by spiritual birth! Refers to one whose will is swallowed up in the will of another. It refers to one who serves another to the disregard of his own interests. (Wuest)
2. An Apostle of Christ
   1. ‘apostle’ = a sent one
   2. Primarily used in a specific sense to refer to the office of an Apostle (the twelve)

His Ministry (1b-3)

1. A Ministry of the Truth (1b)
   1. Faith – “faith of God’s elect”
      1. “according to” = in harmony or agreement with. Paul’s ministry was in harmony with the standard of Christian truth.
      2. Faith connected to truth. A reference to Christian doctrine.
      3. God’s elect = term used frequently of believers. 1 Peter 1:2 “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”
   2. Truth – “truth which is after godliness”
      1. The truth mentioned here is a truth that affects our conduct/behavior. Knowing Christ as Saviour should lead to holy living.
      2. Paul mentions this as the false teachers on Crete were saying that grace means you can live as you please (1:16, 2:11-12). The truth Paul preached brought about change in the lives of those to whom he preached. “Our preaching is not what it should be, except and in so far as it aims at the same practical result.” (Fairbairn)
2. A Ministry of the Gospel (2)
   1. A Gospel of Hope (2a)
      1. “hope of eternal life” = ‘hope’ refers to a confident expectation.
      2. The Gospel offers genuine hope of eternal life.
   2. A Gospel of Certainty (2b)
      1. Guaranteed by God – God never deceives!
      2. Promised before the beginning of the world – Christ is “the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Rev. 13:8). Salvation finds its source in the heart of God, even before the beginning of time.
3. A Ministry of Revelation (3)
   1. “due times” = God’s timing. Gal 4:4 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,”
   2. ‘manifest’ = to make visible, clear
   3. ‘preaching’ = the means God used to reveal His promised plan of salvation
   4. ‘commited’ = Paul was called of God to the Gospel ministry and to be a custodian of much of the N.T. Revelation.

The Addressee (Vs. 4)

1. His name – Titus (4a)
   1. Mentioned 12 times in the New Testament (2 Cor. 2:13, 7:6, 13, 14; 8:6, 16, 23; 12:18; 13:14; Gal. 2:1, 3; 2 Tim. 4:10)
   2. Titus was a full blood Greek (Gal 2:3) unlike Timothy who was half Greek and half Jewish. This is why he was not circumcised. He accompanied Paul and Barnabas in the early days of the church over the law/grace controversy. He was their proof that the Gentiles could be saved without circumcision (Gal. 2:1).
   3. He was a partner and fellow helper of the Apostle Paul. “he is my partner and fellow helper concerning you.” (2 Cor. 8:23) 2 Corinthians reveals Titus as a spiritually strong leader who could cope with difficult church situations and ministry (Hester) He was a man who like Paul, cared much for the churches (2 Cor. 8:16)
2. His relationship to Paul (4b)
   1. “mine own son” – he was a convert of the Apostle (like Timothy)
   2. “after the common faith” = the faith shared by all believers (held in common)
3. His blessing from Paul (4c)
   1. The blessing: Grace, Mercy & Peace
   2. The source: God the Father & Christ

The Aim (Vs. 5)

1. The Location – Crete
   1. Fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea
   2. Located southeast of Greece in the Mediterranean Sea
   3. The reputation of the inhabitants is described in 1:12 “…The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.”
2. The Purpose – Establish Order
   1. “set in order” = word used by medical writers for the setting of broken limbs or the straightening of crooked ones
   2. “things that are wanting” = the things that lacked, things left to do. Paul had established a certain level of order but there was more work to be done.
   3. 1 Cor. 14:40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.”
   4. “ordain elders in every city” = leadership for the churches the first item on the list of things to do! “The first and most prominent point concerned the official organization of the churches.” (Fairbairn) “Everything rises and falls with leadership” (Dr. Lee Robertson)

Conclusion

Are you a believer? Then live like it! Maintain good works!

Sermon 1 of 9 in Titus Series

Sermon Audio Id: 641762183