Jeff at Dawn Treader and I are starting a series on Titus. Titus is one of the Apostle Paul’s “pastoral letters” and is part of the New Testament.
Paul’s pastoral letters were written to leaders of the early church. They include 1 and 2 Timothy as well as Titus. Timothy is probably the more well-known of the recipients of Paul’s letters. So who was Titus?
In Titus 1:4, Paul refers to Titus as “my true son in our common faith.” This suggests that Titus converted to Christianity as a result of Paul’s ministry.
The early church was predominantly comprised of Jewish converts, who retained many of their Jewish laws and customs. As more gentile converts entered the church, largely through Paul’s ministry, a serious dispute arose about whether gentle converts should become circumcised and obey the Jewish dietary and ritual laws. When Paul traveled to Jerusalem to discuss the nature of the gospel with the Jerusalem church leaders, he brought Titus along as the “textbook” example of an uncircumcised gentile believer. (See Galatians 2:1-6.)
Paul later sent Titus to the church in Corinth, a place where there were significant problems with moral laxity and heresy. For example, some in the Corinthian fellowship were gettting drunk on the communion wine (See 1 Cor. 11: 17-22); some were claiming apostolic authority they did not possess and were defaming Paul’s teachings and character (See 2 Cor. 10-11). Apparently Titus effectively carried out his responsibilities. Paul notes in his second letter to the Corinthians that he was comforted by Titus’ reports about the Corinthians. (See 2 Cor. 7:5-7.)
Later, Paul ministered with Titus in Crete, and left Titus in charge appointing local leaders (elders) there. (See Titus 1:5) Paul’s plan was to send others to Crete to carry on Titus’ work so that Titus could again join Paul. (See Titus 3:12-14 — and note the positive reference to “Zenas the lawyer” in v. 13!) It appears that Titus did return to minister with Paul, and still later ventured to Dalmatia (present-day Albania) (See 2 Tim. 4:10).
So who was Titus? He was a person the Apostle Paul trusted to handle situations of conflict, at a time when, from a human perspective, the Christian church was precariously small and fractured. As we dig into the instructions Paul gave Titus way back in the first century, we’ll learn about what Paul — and the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul — considered foundational for the Church’s health and growth. And, we will see that the Holy Spirit seeks to communicate those same truths to us who constitute the Church today.