Introduction
This study opens a short series on Paul's letter to Titus, a short three-chapter letter, often less known than the great Pauline epistles. We begin with a time of general introduction to the letter itself, then focus solely on the first four verses, the prologue. In these few lines, Paul introduces himself, describes the meaning of his ministry, and greets Titus. Nothing purely formal here: he already slips into this greeting a theological depth that sets the tone for the whole letter.
Message Outline
1. Introduction to the Letter to Titus
- One of the three "pastoral epistles" (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus): letters addressed primarily to a pastor, but meant to also be read by the community (the final greeting "grace be with you" is plural).
- The author is Paul. Some contemporary scholars dispute this (different vocabulary, calmer tone, chronology difficult to fit into Acts), but none of these arguments is truly convincing: a secretary-editor, a personal context, a later ministry period are enough to explain it, and the theology remains well within Pauline lines.
- Probable dating: around AD 63-64, after Paul's first Roman captivity (60-62). 1 Timothy and Titus seem to have been written at roughly the same time.
- Who is Titus? A Greek coworker of Paul, mentioned 12 times in the New Testament: present in Jerusalem with Paul and Barnabas (Galatians 2), sent as an emissary to Corinth to defuse the conflict (2 Corinthians), called by Paul "my true child."
- Writing context: Paul had proclaimed the Gospel in Crete and left Titus there to teach the new converts and structure the church. His assignment is a "fixed-term contract": as soon as Paul sends him a replacement, Titus is to join him at Nicopolis.
2. The Prologue (Titus 1:1-4): Structure of the Text
- Verse 1a, Introduction of the author: "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ."
- Verses 1b-3 · The purpose of Paul's ministry: to lead God's elect to faith and to the full knowledge of the truth, in the hope of eternal life.
- Verse 4 · Greeting to Titus: "my true child in our common faith," with the blessing "grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior."
3. The Components of Paul's Ministry
- Paul does not preach his own message: it is a message that comes from God, and he is only its relay. This gives value to both his ministry and that of Titus: they are God's instruments to call those whom God has chosen.
- Paul sees himself as both an evangelist (leading people to faith) and a pastor (leading people to the full knowledge of the truth that accords with godliness). Today these two ministries are too often separated: it is the same Gospel that saves and that causes growth.
- On election: it is neither Paul's role nor ours to determine who is elect. The Bible insistently affirms election, but this does not cancel human responsibility or the sincerity of the offer of salvation. All who believe in the Lord Jesus will be saved, this is a reliable promise, there is no trap here.
- No one deserves this salvation: it is a matter of grace. We must neither deny this aspect because it is uncomfortable, nor become so fixated on it that we forget it belongs to God's secret decree.
4. "The Truth That Accords with Godliness"
- For Paul, doctrine (believing true things) cannot be separated from the way we live. These two dimensions always go together in the New Testament.
- What we believe influences how we live; the knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ encourages and stimulates a godly life. It is a virtuous circle.
- Efforts toward godliness without understanding the Gospel do not lead to salvation or to true godliness, but to conflict, envy, and rebellion (a theme taken up later in the letter): seeking to be righteous through one's own strength does not result in righteousness before God.
- Conversely, when people who theoretically adhere to the message of Jesus fall lastingly into sin in a visible and unrepentant way, this can almost always be traced back, at some point, to a doctrinal shift, the truth is no longer really at the heart of their life, even if their lips continue to confess it.
5. The Hope of Eternal Life as a Driving Force
- Paul insists on this hope because it is, in the New Testament and especially in his writings, a powerful driving force for the Christian life, not in the sense of escaping the world, but because it opens up a horizon beyond the fallen world.
- Knowing the risen Jesus Christ is not just having a compass for daily life: it is entering into communion with the eternal God. The more we see things this way, the more we can endure the trials of the present.
- If you think the purpose of your life with God is to "succeed in life," you will be angry with God every time difficulty strikes. If you understand that the purpose is to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, you have far more solid reasons to persevere.
- This hope is certain, because God does not lie. You can build your life on the foundation of his firm words.
6. "At the Proper Time He Made His Word Known"
- The "proper time" is the coming of Jesus Christ. This recalls Ephesians: Paul received, along with the other apostles, a fuller revelation of God's plan than what the prophets had received, and he was entrusted with proclaiming this mystery of Christ to all peoples.
- God revealed, at the time he chose, a fullness that had previously only been foretold. Paul feels privileged and glad to be entrusted with proclaiming this turning point in the history of salvation.
- The final fulfillment will take place in eternal life. But every time the word of Christ is proclaimed, this offer of salvation is repeated: every proclamation of the Gospel echoes this turning point. We should therefore be deeply grateful and amazed every time the Gospel is announced.
7. The Greeting to Titus (v. 4)
- "My true child in our common faith": Paul, Titus's spiritual father, expresses the affection he has for his coworker, a way of encouraging the one to whom he entrusts a task that is not easy.
- "Our common faith": Titus's faith is not isolated; it belongs to a lineage. In the difficult moments of the walk of faith, it is comforting to remember that we are not alone, that we do not believe something we made up, but what men and women of every nation have believed for 2,000 years.
- "Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior": the personal relationship with God the Father and with Jesus Christ, the Savior shared by Paul and Titus.
Key Takeaways
- Paul introduces his letter with solemnity: he recalls the meaning of his own ministry to prepare Titus to consider his own task with the greatest seriousness and in the fear of God.
- Christian ministry is not artificially split into "evangelist" on one side and "pastor" on the other: it is the same Gospel that saves and that causes growth.
- Election belongs to God's secret decree. We should neither deny it to reassure ourselves, nor lose ourselves in it to the point of forgetting that God sincerely calls all who hear the Gospel.
- Truth and godliness cannot be separated. Doctrine without obedience becomes an accusation; obedience without the Gospel becomes deadly legalism.
- The hope of eternal life is not an escape: it is the strength that allows us to endure present trials, because God does not lie.
Personal Application
- Do you view those who proclaim the Word to you as God's instruments, or do you first judge them by their style?
- Is your Christian life a "virtuous circle" between what you believe and how you live, or do you let one of the two drift?
- When a trial comes into your life, what is your first reflex: to demand from God the success you were promised, or to return to the knowledge of the risen Jesus Christ as your true goal?
- Are you able to be amazed simply by the fact that the Gospel is proclaimed, at home, around you, in the world?
- Do you live your faith as an isolated individual, or do you remember that it belongs to a "common faith" going back to the apostles?
Scriptures Cited
Further reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it certain that Paul wrote the letter to Titus?
Many contemporary scholars dispute Pauline authorship (different vocabulary, calmer tone, chronology difficult to fit into Acts), but none of these arguments is truly convincing. A secretary with a certain amount of editorial freedom, a personal rather than communal context, the apostle's advancing age, a final missionary journey after his first Roman captivity, all of this explains the differences very well. The theology itself remains squarely within Pauline lines, with its emphasis on salvation by grace and its rejection of legalism.
How can we understand election without falling into fatalism?
It is neither Paul's role nor ours to determine who is elect. Election belongs to the hidden sphere of God. What the Bible affirms is that election does not cancel human responsibility or the sincerity of the offer of salvation: all who believe in the Lord Jesus will be saved. There is no trap of the sort "I believe, but maybe I'm not elect." We can have assurance of salvation precisely because God's promises are reliable.
Why does Paul already speak of eternal life in the prologue?
Because the hope of eternal life is, for Paul, a powerful driving force for the Christian life, not in the sense of escaping the world, but because it opens up a horizon beyond the fallen world. It gives meaning to what we experience, especially our trials. If your goal is to "succeed in life," you will be angry with God at every difficulty; if your goal is to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, you have solid reasons to persevere, as you await the prospect of eternity with God. This hope is certain, because God does not lie.
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