I. The Setting
A. Paul V. 1a
1. Bondservant- doulos- a voluntary slave who is devoted to his master and not to himself.
2. Apostle- a delegate or messenger; in the New Testament, they were used by God to establish the Christian doctrine for the churches.
a. The disciples of Jesus were considered apostles.
b. Also, Barnabas was called an apostle. Some say that Timothy and Silvanus were apostles.
B. According To The Gospel Vs. 1b-3
1. V. 1b-Paul’s ministry as a bondservant and an apostle was in harmony with the Gospel.
a. His authority didn’t come from a man-made institution. And his servanthood and authority were done in the godliness of the Christian faith.
b. Sometimes we see religious leaders that serve according to man-made institutions, and we don’t see that institution as something that embraces godliness.
c. We know that Christian leaders sometimes fail, but it is not because they are following a man-made institution. It is because they ignore the godliness of the Christian faith.
2. V. 2– The Gospel declares that the follower of Jesus will have eternal life. We expect that.
a. The promise of heaven for the Christian was established and promised before time started.
b. Eternal life for the Believer isn’t something we wish for, but something we expect.
3. V. 3a- The Gospel isn’t just communicated through kind words and loving actions.
a. Certainly, Christians ought to be kind and loving, but the Gospel must be spoken.
b. The idea of, “preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words” is a reaction to Christians who never show kindness, but it’s an inaccurate statement.
c. Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
d. God committed the preaching of the Gospel to Paul. It wasn’t Paul’s idea or message.
4. V. 3b-Paul’s ministry of preaching the Gospel wasn’t Paul’s idea, but God’s command.
C. Titus
V. 4a
1. We read about Titus in 2 Corinthians 2:13, 8:23, 12:18.
2. He was a trusted co-laborer with Paul and others.
D. Paul’s Greeting V. 4b
1. Grace, mercy, peace- These were standard greetings in the first century.
2. Paul wished these things not from himself, but from God the Father and Jesus the Savior.
II. Titus’ Ministry Vs. 5-16
A. Set Things In Order V. 5
1. V. 5a- Paul had begun to set things in order, but he left Titus behind to finish the task. Titus needed to complete the work that they had started together.
a. Things that are lacking-Things that had been left undone. Titus had an assignment.
2. V. 5b-appoint elders-God designed the church to have leaders among the people.
a. Ultimately, it is God who chooses leaders, but He often/usually does that through revealing those choices to other people within the church.
B. Qualifications For A Bishop Vs. 6-9
1. V. 6a-Blameless-not perfect, but one against whom no accusation can be established. Paul continues with a list of things which a bishop cannot be guilty of.
2. the husband of one wife-not a polygamist. He could be single or a widower.
3. faithful children-a church leader’s responsibility starts in the home.
4. V. 7 blameless-a person who cannot be found guilty. Accusations are not provable.
a. steward of God-Someone who manages that which belongs to someone else.
b. not self-willed-self pleasing, one who does what they want.
c. not quick-tempered- easily provoked to anger.
d. not given to wine-one who regularly sits with wine, not just an occasional drink.
e. not violent-a quarrelsome person who is quick to fight physically.
f. not greedy for money- one who has a deep desire to gain riches.
5. V. 8-hospitable-generous to guests, willing to open his home.
a. a lover of what is good- one who loves and promotes moral excellence and goodness.
b. sober-minded-one who controls his impulses and desires.
c. just-one who loves and keeps the laws of God.
d. holy- undefiled by sin, free from wickedness.
e. self-controlled-one who has power over themselves.
6. V. 9a-This is of utmost importance. Christian leaders go astray if they fail to do this.
a. The Christian leader must believe that God’s word is the final authority.
b. We then study that word to interpret and apply it, but we don’t depart from it.
c. There can be many reasons why leaders depart from God’s word. Cultural pressure, personal experiences, failures in the church, betrayals, etc.
d. If we depart from God’s word, then we are only left with man’s opinions.
e. This is how some churches or individuals become shipwrecked in their faith.
f. The wise Christian will understand that God’s word is the eternal truth, and then he/she will seek to apply God’s word in a constantly changing world.
g. Titus was called to exhort (encourage) and rebuke (correct) others, but not by using his own opinion.
7. V. 9b-Church leaders sometimes need to exhort and convince people who follow and promote erroneous doctrine or ideas.
a. Titus would have to correct people, but not by using his own opinion as the standard of what was right.
b. We need to remember that correcting people is actually for their benefit.
C. Problematic People Vs. 10-12
1. V. 10-insubordinate- Not subject to control, unwilling to be subject to authority.
a. idle talkers, deceivers- they say spiritually senseless things and try to deceive others
b. those of the circumcision-Christians who insisted on following the law of Moses
2. V. 11-whose mouths must be stopped-they must be silenced.
a. subvert- to overthrow, destroy, overturn. This is why they must be silenced.
b. dishonest gain-There is a deliberate desire to gain money.
3. V. 12-The Cretans had terrible reputations. They were well known for being liars, for having the sensibilities of animals, for being lazy, and for being people who lived to eat.
D. How Titus Was To Respond To Problematic People Vs. 13-16
1. V. 13-They needed to be rebuked, not treated as victims or confused children. This is why godly leadership needed to be appointed in the churches. The Cretans needed Jesus.
2. V. 14-The false teaching came from Jewish fables, stories that couldn’t be proven.
3. V. 15- If these people leaned towards legalism, then they would try to forbid things that God said were good. Timothy faced these same kinds of people. See 1 Timothy 4:3
a. They tried to disqualify things that God said were good. They were works oriented.
4. V. 16-These people used Christian speech and professed to be true followers of Jesus.
a. abominable- something that is polluted.
b. disobedient- not compliant, those beyond persuasion, stubbornly disobedient.
c. disqualified-a counterfeit coin, a cowardly soldier, a rejected stone for building.