As Paul closes out this letter to Titus, he leaves instructions about the behavior of believers outside the walls of the church. It was extremely important that the church conducted themselves with integrity and love while interacting with those who were outside the church. The actions of Christians would directly affect the way the lost would think about Jesus Christ. If there was no distinction in their conduct, why would non-believers want to become believers? Paul had already challenged the followers of Christ to submit themselves to government authority (3:1) and he continues his instructions by commanding them to “speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men” (3:2). Then Paul reminds them of their past so that pride would not enter into their relationships with others: “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another” (3:3). I guess we all need this reminder in case we think highly of ourselves when it comes to relationships. So what now makes the difference in the lives of these Cretan believers? Paul writes that only through “the kindness and the love of God our Savior” we have experienced mercy and forgiveness (3:4). The implication is clear – we have accepted God’s forgiveness and we must extend patience and forgiveness to those who treat us wrong. Paul gives them bottom line of what he is trying to say by writing “those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men” (3:8). Those who all called Christians should be characterized by doing good to all people. Before giving his final farewell and instructions with this letter (3:12-15), Paul writes that the Cretan Christians should “avoid foolish disputes [arguing for the sake of arguing], genealogies, contentions, strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned” (3:9-11). Paul has written many things in these last verses of Titus, but we must heed his words for they will bring effectiveness to the church in reaching out to a lost world who needs to hear the saving message of Jesus Christ.

Dear God, fill me with good works so that others will see You living through me!

In Titus 1, Paul had addressed the character of leadership in the church and provided him with the qualities which make a leader effective in ministry. In Titus 2, Paul dealt with the character of those within the church and the importance of modeling a godly lifestyle. The church could not reach its full potential in the community until righteous behavior characterized the people. So, what makes a person live an obedient lifestyle before God and others? Paul has already alluded to the answer – proper doctrine. When a person has the right belief system, it should lead to right attitudes and actions. And when a leader is clothed with integrity and those within the church are living right, God’s will is being fulfilled. To remind them of this, Paul writes “for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (2:11-12). In essence, Paul is saying that genuine salvation has the ability to change someones actions and cause them to resist the power of sin over them. New life in Christ should result in a transformed life before God and others. Paul writes in Romans 6:6-7 – “…our old man was crucified with Him [Christ], that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died [with Christ] has been freed from sin.” To the Cretans, this should have been good news – they no longer had to live under the power and control of sin! Now God’s people should be able to look “for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing [the rapture and millennial kingdom] of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2:13). Jesus Christ became the sacrifice for our sin so that He could “redeem us from every lawless deed, and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (2:14). The church has been saved in order to do good. Are you characterized by good works toward God and others?

Dear God, make me zealous for good works and realize that I do not have to live under sin’s control.

In the first chapter of Titus, Paul spent most of his words addressing the characteristics of leaders in the church. In order for a church to attain God’s calling, they must be led by those who are spiritually mature in the faith (Titus 1:5-16). However, when godly leadership is in place, those who make up the church must also seek to live godly lives. Paul gets very specific about the character of different people groups within the church and provides exactly what is expected from the Cretan Christians. Before Paul expounds the list he gives the key to godly character – a proper response to biblical truth (2:1). As the word of God is faithfully preached by the leaders, people should respond to the truth by modeling a holy lifestyle. The first group of people Paul addresses is the older men. He commands that they “be sober [sensible], reverent [dignified], sound in faith, in love, in patience” (2:2). Secondly, he advises the older women. The older women must be “reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things” (2:3). Along with these character issues, the older women are also given the responsibility to teach the younger women “to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet [appropriate in all situations], chaste [pure], homemakers [keeping a peaceful home for her husband and children], good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed” (2:4-5). The younger men should be “sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you” (2:6-8). Last, Paul gives the character of the employees. Those who work for another should “be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering [stealing money], but showing all good fidelity [loyalty], that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things’ (2:9-10). Although this is a large list of character points, you need to find which category you fit in and make these characteristics a part of your life. When you have godly character, you honor God and the outside world is drawn to Him. Seek to live a life worthy of that which you believe. Model Christian character in your words, your attitudes, your actions, and your reactions. Allow God to shape your life through His truth.

Dear God, help me to live a life of character so that people’s attention might be drawn to You.

After providing Titus with the type of person who could lead the church, Paul turns his attention to the responsibility of the elders. The task ahead would not be an easy one, but God would grant the strength to handle every circumstance so that His church can be effective in spreading the gospel. Paul reminded Titus that “there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain” (1:10-11). These false teachers were Jews who believed that circumcision was necessary for salvation. Apparently, they were spreading a false message to the churches in Crete seeking to deceive many for the purpose of financial gain. Paul further defined the character of these false teachers by using a quote from the Cretan poet, Epimenides: “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons” (1:12). Paul knew these men must be stopped, but he understood Titus would not be able to do this alone. Titus needed spiritually mature men to come alongside him and conduct the ministry of the churches with integrity, consistency, and doctrinal purity. The task of the elders would be to rebuke those people who were listening the false teachers and bring them back to a position of being “sound in the faith” (1:13-14). Although the words of the false teachers sounded spiritual, the faithful should have been able to tell they were lying because of the sinfulness of their lifestyle. Paul writes that the false teachers “profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work” (1:16). The church must remain a place of sound doctrine and not allow deceitful men to enter in with teachings which do not reflect the word of God. There are even many in our modern day churches who are saying things in the name of God, but in reality are not speaking the truth. One of the best ways to distinguish what is being said is to examine the actions of the teacher. What is in the heart will always manifest itself in action. Do not be a Christian who is always caught up in the latest “doctrinal trend” but be discerning and a lover of the truth. God has provided us with His word to give us guidance and direction. Never grasp on to something labeled spiritual without first comparing it to Scripture.

Dear God, I desire to be a discerning Christian who is faithful to uphold the purity of the word of God. May I reject those who attempt to teach that which is contrary to Your word. Protect the church by sending many wise men who will stand for truth.

One of the main reasons Paul left Titus on the island of Crete was to “appoint elders in every city” (1:5). Weak leadership in the church would lead to instability and disunity, so Titus needed to empower men who were spiritually mature to pastor and oversee these congregations. This would be no easy task because not just anyone could be an elder, but only those who were qualified. Paul goes on to list the qualifications of an elder which are very similar to the ones he had written to Timothy (1 Timothy 3:1-7). An elder must be blameless. Being blameless is probably the primary characteristic of an elder because it implies a life free from controversy or indiscretion. Someone who was plagued by a shameful public testimony should not hold the office of an elder. Secondly, he must be the husband of one wife which literally means he should be a one-woman man. His children also should be be faithful “not accused of dissipation or insubordination” (1:6). Simply put, the pastor must be able to handle his own household before guiding the church. An elder is a steward of God meaning that he has been entrusted to carefully handle the truth as well as the church (1:7a). Paul goes on to write that one who leads the church must not be “self-willed, quick-tempered, given to wine, violent, or greedy for money” (1:7b). On the other hand, the elder must be “hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word…that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict” (1:8-9). Yes, the standard for being a leader in the church is high, but God desires people who will represent Him well before the people. Again, God is not expecting a man to be perfect, but to be completely devoted to follow in His steps. The church is very close to the heart of God. Paul even wrote in the letter to the Ephesians that Christ loved the church and sacrificially gave Himself for it, so an elder must also have a great love for the people of God. Let the standard remain high for those who wish to lead the people of God and may they continually submitted to His will. If you are already a leader in the church, rededicate yourself to exhibiting these characteristics in your ministry. Represent God’s church blamelessly that others may see your example and seek to follow.

Dear God, make me a blameless leader before Your people. Do not allow me to let down my guard. May I take the ministry You have entrusted to me seriously and lead the people in the way they should go.

In his introductory words to the young pastor, Titus, Paul introduces himself as “a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ.” By referring to himself as a bondservant, he was confessing his unwavering service to God. When I picture a servant, I imagine one who gives himself completely and willingly over to the will of another in order to accomplish the task at hand. Paul was truly an example of one who had devoted his life to accomplishing the purposes of God. He also describes himself as an apostle. An apostle is defined as one who delivers a message for another. In Paul’s case he was proclaiming the wonderful message of the gospel to all who would hear and receive. God had called him to preach this message on His behalf which gave him the authority to speak in the name of God. So, Paul willingly submitted himself as a servant of God to spread the truth of the gospel as an apostle. With this authority given to him by God, Paul was concerned about continuing the spread of the gospel to the next generation. Much like Timothy, Titus was also a young pastor who had been left on the island of Crete to provide leadership to the churches. Paul writes to Titus as “a true son in our common faith” (1:4). From the very first words of this letter, we can surmise that Paul had a sincere love for Titus and desired to see him effectively minister the truth to all in Crete. I think these first few verses are a great challenge to the church to invest time and much effort into future leaders. Paul knew he would not live forever, but he was assuring the continuation of his ministry by developing young leaders in the faith. Let us not ignore the youth, but raise them up to be communicators of truth and the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. If you are a spiritually mature leader, invest time in the youth. If you are young leader in the faith, seek wisdom from those who have experience in ministry. By doing this, we can be assured that the next generation will hear and have the opportunity to receive the truth.

Dear God, use me to carry the truth to the next generation!

This pastoral letter was written by the Apostle Paul around AD 62-64 to the young pastor, Titus. Paul’s writing to Titus is very similar in nature to 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy because he is mainly providing advice and encouragement in the operations of the church. Titus was most likely converted under Paul’s ministry during his first missionary journey and showed great promise as a young leader. It is likely he became a traveling companion on Paul’s second and third missionary journey. Through his times with Paul, he had been exposed to many situations which equipped him for the ministry. Titus had labored together with Paul on the island of Crete where he was eventually left behind to “set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city….” (1:5). Titus had a large task ahead but Paul knew he could handle it through the power of Christ. For the churches in Crete to be effective, Paul wrote that the leaders must be godly (1:5-16), the church must have right behavior within the church (2:1-15), and the church must have right behavior outside the church (3:1-11). Living in this manner would assure the churches of Crete that they would be effective in their witness and carry out the work of God. I believe the letter of Titus will serve as a great reminder to live holy in this present age.