1:1-4 Greeting
As with 1 and 2 Timothy, the Pastoral Epistle to Titus instructs a young minister on matters of church administration, doctrinal purity, and personal conduct. The close thematic parallels of i Timothy and Titus suggest their contemporaneous authorship, presumably by their common mentor Paul, as claimed in the opening of both letters. Apparently, Titus (an uncircumcised Greek Christian) is attending to ecclesiastical affairs among his ethnic kin on the island of Crete while Timothy (a circumcised Christian of Jewish and Greek parentage) is overseeing the church at Ephesus, where the need exists to foster the unity of Jewish and Gentile Christians.
Though Titus goes unmentioned in the reports of Paul's missionary journeys in Acts, Paul himself refers to him in his letters to the Galatians and Corinthians (Gal. 2:i-3; 2 Cor. 2:13; 7-8; 12:18). Toward the end of Paul's life, Titus has moved north to Dalmatia, opposite Italy on the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea (2 Tim. 4:10).
1:1-4 Greeting
Paul identifies himself as God's bondservant to communicate his voluntary assumption of lifelong service to the master who freed him from slavery to sin (cf. Rom. 1:1), and as Christ's "apostle" (one sent), to acknowledge his commissioning for the evangelization of people "chosen" by God for faith leading to eternal life (cf. 1 Thess. 1:4-6). Evidently Titus, whom Paul calls his "true child" in the faith, converted to Christianity through Paul's ministry, as did Timothy (cf. 1 Tim. 1:2). On Paul's signature greeting, "grace and peace;" see Rom. 1:7.
1:5-16 Elders and False Teachers
The close literary relationship between Titus and i Timothy becomes evident from the start. Paul left Timothy to oversee ecclesiastical matters in Ephesus, and he left Titus to do the same on Crete, where earlier as a prisoner Paul put into port on the way to Rome (Acts 27:7-13). In Titus, instructions on the appointment of church elders come first (vv. 5-9; cf. i Tim. 3:1-13). Warnings against false doctrine follow (vv. io-16; cf. 1 Tim. 1:3-11; 4:i-5; 6:3-10). "Those of the circumcision" (v. io) refers to Jews, for whom the rite constituted the sign of belonging to the chosen community of God. The ethnic slur that "All Cretans are liars" (v 12) is attributed to the 6th-century-B.c. philosopher Epimenides. The islanders' natural bent for falsehood makes it all the more important that Titus steer them clear of false teachers and the untruths they propagate.
2 Faith Made Practical
Paul outlines proper conduct for Christians of different ages and social positions and for Titus himself (cf. 1 Tim. 4:12-6:2). Sensible, godly living and the denial of worldly desires form the overarching principles of Paul's instruction, and the expectation of Christ's return (the "blessed hope") provides the basis for their practical application (vv. 12-13).
3 Humility and Conviction
Whereas in i Timothy Paul urges prayer for rulers and authorities, in Titus he prescribes subjection and obedience to them (v. 1; cf. Rom. 13:1). The urgent need for the freely bestowed favor of God obliges the believer to treat all people with consideration (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-7).
In conclusion Paul restates his commendation of godly behavior and admonition to shun false doctrine (vv 8-9). Persistent troublemakers are to be ousted from the church (vv. 10-11; cf. 1 Tim. 1:19-20). Closing greetings identify the Macedonian port of Nicopolis as the location of Paul's intended wintertime sojourn and name current associates of the apostle, including his sometime courier Tychicus (Acts 20:4) and the eloquent Alexandrian Jew Apollos, who converted to Christianity and preceded Paul at Ephesus (Acts 18:24-28).