Bible Study Titus 1: 1-16

 

A Commentary of the Book of Titus

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study Titus 1: 1-16

Book Introduction

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Titus

WRITER The Apostle Paul (1.1)

DATE Practically the same with First Timothy

THEME Titus has much in common with First Timothy. Both Epistles are concerned with the due order of the churches. The distinction is that in First Timothy sound doctrine is more prominent 1Ti 1:3-10 in Titus the divine order for the local churches Tit 1:5. The permanent use of these Epistles lies in this twofold application, on the one hand to churches grown careless as to the truth of God, on the other, to churches careless as to the order of God's house. The importance of this order is made solemnly emphatic in that the tests by which true elders and deacons may be known are repeated 1Ti 3:1-7; Tit 1:6-9.

There are two divisions:

I. The qualifications and functions of elders, 1.1-16.

II. The pastoral work of the true elder, 2.1-3, 15.

Text:

Greetings and Grace

1 Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, [a]for the faith of God’s elect and the full knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life, which the God who cannot lie promised [b]from all eternity, 3 but at the proper time manifested His word in preaching, with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,

4 To Titus, my genuine child according to our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Qualifications of Elders

5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, 6 namely, if any man is beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, who are not accused of dissipation, or rebellious. 7 For the [c]overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of dishonest gain, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to reprove those who contradict.

10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but by their works they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and unfit for any good work.

Verse by verse commentary:

Verse 1: “Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and the full knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,”

Paul will spend the rest of this chapter teaching Titus on the qualifications of elders. 

One of the reasons I like the Legacy translation is because of the way it translates the Greek word doulos. It is properly translated as a slave. Most other versions translate it as “servant” or “bondservant.” Think about servants as you would an employee. You can have several employers, but if you are a slave, you have only one master. That was the concept Paul was describing. He was a slave to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul knew he was among the elect and that his faith was a gift to him from the Lord. God’s elect were chosen to believe in Christ.

Verse 2: “in the hope of eternal life, which the God who cannot lie promised from all eternity,”

The phrase “from all eternity” is literally “before times eternal.” The blessings secured by Christ were promised by God before eternity began. Let that set in. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, it was determined before eternity began. In spite of everything you would do to dishonor God, He knew about it and elected you to salvation notwithstanding your rebellion against Him. That should move you. 

Verse 3: “but at the proper time manifested His word in preaching, with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,”

Notice how the “hope of eternal life” is brought to you, through the Word in preaching. Man provides a general call to salvation by preaching Christ to the lost. It is the Holy Spirit that takes the general call of the Word and applies it to the sinner’s heart making the call effective. Man responds to Holy Spirit conviction in repentance and faith. Paul knew God had called him to preach the gospel and he was obedient to that call.

Verse 4: “To Titus, my genuine child according to our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.”

“My genuine child” is literally “my legitimate child.” This means that Titus was one of Paul’s converts. They shared the same faith from the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul uses the title “Savior” interchangeably for both God and Christ throughout this letter. There is no doubt that Paul believed in the Deity of Christ.

Verse 5: “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,”

Paul will spend the rest of this chapter writing regarding the qualifications of elders. Titus was to correct wrong doctrine and practices in the Cretan churches, a task that Paul had been unable to complete. Titus was to appoint mature believers in every church.

Verse 6: “namely, if any man is beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, who are not accused of dissipation, or rebellious.”

This verse sets forth several requirements of an elder: (1) he is man; (2) beyond reproach (has a good reputation in the community); (3) faithful to his wife; (4) children that are walking in the Christian faith; and (5) not accused  of debauchery, suggesting, again, that the reference is to grown children. “Rebellious” carries the idea of rejection to the gospel. Here the elder shows his ability to lead his family to salvation and sanctification. “Faithful” in the New Testament generally refers to believers in the faith. Notice there are no qualifications for women as elders because women are not allowed to be elders.

Verse 7: “For the overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of dishonest gain,”

The overriding theme here is that the overseer is to be selfless and not self-promoting like so many in the ministry are today. He should be careful not to jump to conclusions so quickly and take his time in determining the proper course of action. Obviously, he should not have any addictions to drink, drugs, or other vices. He is to be totally surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is to be a good steward (think manager) of the time and talents that God has given him. If he is in business, his representation should be one of honesty and not motivated by making money dishonestly.

Verse 8: “but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled,”

Further, he is to be “self-controlled” which means he is to be sensible in all his dealings with others. He is not to be prone to go to extremes but is to live a balanced life for the Lord. He is not to be given to fanaticism or easily led away from the truth of the Scriptures. One of the clear indicators that the modern church has lost its way is in the advent of ordaining women into positions of being elders. The Word is clear that only men are to be elders and overseers. When you see a church that has done that, it is clear that “Ichabod” (meaning loss of glory) is their label. The overseer is to live a life of purity and holiness and be hospitable to all he encounters. 

Verse 9: “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to reprove those who contradict.”

“Holding fast the faithful word” means sound biblical doctrine not only should be taught but also adhered to with deep conviction. The overseer is to both teach and correct those that are disobedient to the Word of God. He will be balanced in his approach to ensure that sound doctrine is being taught.

Verse 10: “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,”

I have known people to talk so much and say so little. They speak just to hear themselves talk regardless of your efforts to contribute to the conversation. The word is literally “empty chatterers.” The “deceivers” refers to those who were seeking to contradict his teaching. Paul mentions circumcision, i.e. the Jews, but I think this verse could be applied to any group that teaches a work based righteousness. As I have preached, taught and written, salvation is 100% grace and not from your will or effort. You respond to God’s grace in repentance and faith in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Verse 11: “who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of dishonest gain.”

Legalism divides. I have personally witnessed an entire denomination divide families over the creation of man-made rules. In the case I observed, it was over whether the Internet should be allowed in the homes of its church members. The denomination said “no” and it split families. In fact, the very conservative church stated it was acceptable to leave your spouse if they disagreed with the Internet rule. Since the era of the church, there have always been people that sought to make money dishonestly from believers. Some prey on their misfortune, e.g. sickness or poverty, and promise a better life if you will give them money. All these people are unsaved religionists and will taste the fires of hell if they don't repent. 

Verse 12: “One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’”

Paul is quoting a Cretan poet, Epimenides, who was born in Crete several centuries earlier. Another poet wrote, “Crete, which a hundred cities doth maintain, cannot deny this, though to lying given.” Paul said, “Cretans are alway liars.” This does not mean that everybody who lived in Crete was a liar, however the Cretans had the general reputation of being liars. Notwithstanding the general reputation, it was no match for the grace of God that touched some of the hearts of the Cretans. When grace touches the heart, people change, no matter how sinful they were before being born again.

Verse 13: “This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith,”

Paul instructs Titus that he is going to have to be more strict with the Cretans than he would with others because of their background and their very nature. Elders need a backbone and not be afraid of the more difficult aspects of ministry. It is easy to preach soft and smooth messages that offend no one. However, the minister must also have the ability to be severe with people when it is for their own good. 

Verse 14: “not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.”

“Jewish myths” most likely refers to the rabbinical debates and stories that would be compiled between the 3rd and 8th centuries and called the Talmud. While they were compiled later, they would have existed in Pau’s day. Here are a few “Jewish myths:  Moses dueled with Angels; The Rainmaker who slept for 70 years; and talking with rivers and training animals to do Mitzvot (means commandments). Imagine teaching your pet not to lie or steal and you get the idea. “Commandments of men” were man-made rules that were not in Scripture. The Lord Jesus Christ rebuked the religious rulers for adding traditions to God’s law, and that is what Paul is talking about here. 

Verse 15: “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.”

Some people use this verse to support the belief that once you are saved you can live anyway you want. However, that is not Paul’s point. He is speaking to this issue of legalism and the dietary rules. But Paul says, “Unto the pure all things are pure.” In other words, whether you eat meat or don’t eat meat makes no difference at all. All food is clean. If you are an unbeliever, any special diet you might eat will make no difference in your relationship to God. It will not save you.

Verse 16: “They profess to know God, but by their works they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and unfit for any good work.”

Many believers today deny God by the lives that they live. And they deny the Word of God. I had an attendee seek prayer for deliverance from cocaine. After speaking with him, I began to pray. Something didn’t sit right with me. I asked him, “Do you really want to be set free from this drug addiction?” He said, “Not really, I like it.” I told him to sit down and quit mocking God. Now I know that this man would raise his hands and sing, jump around and talk a good spiritual game. However, he was a Christ rejector by his actions. Paul said these people were “detestable and disobedient and unfit for any good work.” Ceremonies and rituals cannot change the evil heart of man. Only the Word of God can change the human heart. When the heart is changed,  a person’s life will reveal the change.