Titus 1

The pastoral epistles are written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy and Titus. They provide the church in every age with a wealth of direction from the Lord concerning the Christian life and the ministry of the Lord's church. The period is swiftly approaching when the generation of leaders beyond the original disciples will have to continue with the Lord's good work on earth. The original men of His choosing will soon move on to the Lord's congregation in heaven. We have a strong sense of that timing in 2 Timothy, since Paul appears to have an awareness that his earthly race is almost over. In all three of these letters, we can hear in the apostle's message something of a passing of the baton to men like Titus.

Paul was only a servant of Jesus Christ, though he had a special apostolic role that was very important to the history of the entire Christian church. He knew that God was the one who had chosen His own beloved children, and that he, Paul, had served for a number of years at the Lord's good pleasure. He had built up the Lord's family in the faith that he had received from Jesus Christ, and was now passing this job on to other faithful soldiers of the cross. Paul was not manufacturing new theology as some might still suspect. He was simply teaching the foundational truths of the Son of God and urging on his hearers a life of godliness that follows from the facts of the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

In addition to proclaiming Christ, his person and his works, Paul was teaching those who would receive his message the sure hope of eternal life, knowing that the God who has promised a life of blessing for his chosen ones never lies or gives up on his plans. His decree was sure before the ages began. These great promises of God are certain. They are known through the preaching of men like Paul and Titus, and they are guaranteed by God our Savior.

Just as Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to establish good order within the church there, Titus had a special place of service in Crete. Each city and century have their particular challenges, and the men of God entrusted with establishing good order in Christ's kingdom need to have some awareness of where they are and of how the Lord would use them in that specific place and time.

The order of Christ as King in His church is not only doctrinal, it is also governmental and personal. Titus has a special direction from the apostle to appoint elders in every town on the island of Crete. The qualities for these servant leaders are very similar to those that Paul communicated in 1 Timothy. They are heavily weighted in the direction of exemplary character, and say little or nothing about native abilities or showy spirituality.

Respected Christian men living commendable lives in their communities, men who had proven themselves as leaders in their families, these men were part of God's plan for order and blessing in His church. This is one of the main reasons that Paul left Titus in Crete. If the church were to select leaders on some other basis, it is very possible that forceful and arrogant men would soon be running the Lord's family in their own way and for their own purposes. We need humble men of quiet, steady, godly leadership. Even in a place like Crete, the Lord can eventually provide such men from among the Christian converts themselves.

There are some skills that are necessary. The Lord's teachers must be able to recognize the difference between good theology and bad theology, taking action to teach and encourage the former, while correcting those who would mislead God's people with the latter. Among the Jews and pagans on the island of Crete, there was apparently a ready supply of men who should not be elders. Some of these would presume to teach their false ideas anyway, and they even may have wanted to take up a collection for themselves. These false teachers had to be silenced by those leaders whom God had actually chosen through his servant Titus. The prevailing way of life on the island was not particularly commendable, so it would be necessary for the true elders in the churches to take a hand in leading the people into a more orderly and diligent pattern of life. When elders do this job well, they are acting on behalf of Jesus. All the authority in the church is His.

What right does anyone have to correct anyone, whether in doctrine or in life. We don't have the right ourselves, but Jesus does. He is the one who bought us with His blood. If we ignore the moral and ministerial claims that he has upon us, and if we let arrogant noisy people take over His church by force of personality or some other worldly advantage, we are trespassing upon something that belongs only to the King who died on a cross, and who now reigns over us from on high. We appoint elders in all the church because this is His plan. We instruct people in godly doctrine and living because he demands that we do so. His way is the way of love and obedience. Do we really think that any other way would be better than His?