Letter of St. Paul to Titus
Title: This is the third of the pastoral
letters of St. Paul (1-2 to Timothy and to Titus). Titus means either
“honorable” or “strong/giant”.
Date of
writing: The
Lutheran Study Bible states that the date of writing 68 AD. Possible, but I
might suggest a bit earlier date, around 64 AD. The reason is based on the fact
that the only time, according to the Book of Acts, St. Paul stops at Crete is
on the way to Rome (Acts 27:7-8). The proper identification of the date can be
based on the understanding of Nicopolis (3:12). There are three readings of
this town – (1) town on the West coast of Greece, (2) town between Jerusalem
and Jaffa, (3) St. Paul uses it as a symbolic name “city of victory” for Rome,
hoping to achieve judicial victory and being vindicated.
Structure:
a. 1:1-4, Greetings
b. 1:5-9,
elders and bishop
c. 1:10-16,
dealing with insubordination etc.
d. 2:1-2,
older men
e. 2:3-4a,
older women
e’. 2:4b-5,
younger women
d’. 2:6-8,
younger men
c’. 2:9-3:2,
submissiveness of bondservants
b’. 3:3-11,
turning from disobedience
a’. 3:12-15, final greetings
Main
themes: Qualifications
for the leaders of the church – both the presbyters/elder and the bishop/overseer.
It looks like the St. Paul charged Titus to install one bishop over the island,
at the same time instructing him to install several elders. If this conclusion
is true, it might help us in understanding of the proper roles of bishops as
the overseers of a region, while the elders were the leaders on a
congregational level.
Important
inputs on godly behavior for a variety of church members. In a very concise form,
the apostle lays out the needed instructions for the moral standards of the
older and younger generation of believers.
Letter to
Titus is yet another example where we can observe the interconnection of the
mission field. Wherever Nicopolis might be (see “date of writing”), St. Paul
asks people to move around the Mediterranean area according to his
understanding of the current needs of the mission/church.
Main
Characters: Paul,
Titus, Artemas, Tychicus, Zenas and Apollos
Reflection
in other parts of the Bible: There are at least three topical parallels of Titus with the other two
pastoral epistles of St. Paul: Christological foundation for the teaching and
confession of the church; the need for the transformed leadership of the new
Body of Christ and high moral standards for leaders; and the practical ethical
lessons the preachers should deliver to their congregations.
Lutheran
teaching: St. Paul
greets his younger colleague Titus reminding him of God’s faithfulness to His
promises and the fact that God never lies (1:2, cp. Num 23:19). Our confessors
use this statement many times throughout the Book of Concord (LC I:46,165;
III:120; IV:57; V:14; FC Ep. VII:13; FC SD VII:23).
Probably,
the most famous usage of the passage from the Epistle can be found in the Small
Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther. Chapter four talks about the magnitude of
impact of baptismal waters on the life of a person based on Tit. 3:5-8.
Lutheran
hymnody:
LSB 599 – O
Gracious Lord, with Love Draw Near (Tit. 3:5-8)
LSB 517:11 –
St. Timothy and St. Titus
Relevancy
of the Book: The
epistle is the most compact manual for the godly church life. In only three
chapters the apostle asserts the deepest theological convictions, gives needed
instruction on the question of the church governance, and sets the moral
standards for the Christian living for the people of God.
Memory
verses:
3:5 – He
saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to
His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
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