Paul, "a servant
of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ"
(Titus 1:1)
To Timothy - Paul refers to himself as "an apostle
of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God" (I Timothy 1:1) and as "an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God" (II Timothy 1:1)
To Titus - Paul refers to himself FIRST as "a servant
of God" and SECOND as "an apostle of Jesus Christ" (Titus 1:1)
This is in keeping with the PRACTICAL EMPHASIS concerning
local church order in his epistle to TITUS (Titus 1:5)
To such a commanding (II Corinthians 7:13-15) and determined (II Corinthians 8:6) individual as Titus - it was also a gentle reminder that no matter
what our God-given position - we are ALL first and foremost servants to the One Who performed the ultimate act
of service to us (II Corinthians 5:14-15)
It was with reference to the faith of God's elect that
Paul was God's servant and apostle (Titus 1:1) for which Paul endured "afflictions" (II Timothy 1:8)
and also imprisonment for what he terms "my gospel" (II Timothy 2:7-10)
This FAITH is said to be the DOCTRINE which is "according
to" ("consistent with") godliness (Titus 1:1)
The term "godliness" does NOT occur in Paul's
epistles UNTIL we come to the pastoral epistles where it occurs 11 times, which is in keeping with their burden
for encouraging faithful pastors to remain true to their calling in an ever increasing godless age (II Timothy 3:12-14)
Only "WORDS OF FAITH" and "GOOD DOCTRINE"
(I Timothy 4:6) will be able to "save" the pastor and
his flock (I Timothy 4:16) from the "ungodliness" of the "word" of those
who "concerning the truth have erred" and, thus, "overthrow the faith of some" (II Timothy 2:16-18)
Paul's last words to the elders at Ephesus were to "feed
the church of God" (Acts 20:28) with "THE WORD OF HIS GRACE" which ALONE is "able to
build you up" (Acts 20:32)
God promised Christ that as the God Man - He would be
the source of Eternal Life (John 5:21-22,26-27) to ALL those that the Father would give to Him (John 10:27-29 cf.I John 5:11-12)
God made this promise to His redeemed (I John 2:25)
for "He calleth those things which be NOT as though they were" (Romans 4:17)
God chose Paul to be the revealer of this promise (Titus 1:3)
by making him the living demonstration of His grace which is able to make good that promise (I Timothy 1:15-16 cf. Titus 3:5-7)
Paul with ever increasing consciousness - knew BOTH the
REALITY and the POWER of that DIVINE GRACE bestowed upon him:
"for I am the least of the apostles" (I Corinthians 15:9)
and by "His grace which was bestowed
upon me ... I labored more abundantly than they ALL" (I Corinthians 15:10)
"Unto me, who am less than the least of ALL saints,
is this grace given, that I should preach ... the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3:8)
As God's "chosen vessel" to the nations, Paul's
life was transformed from "evil doer" to "sufferer" (Acts 9:13-16) and it is his "preaching" which is commanded as the "obedience
of faith" for all nations (Romans 1:5)
Paul was Divinely "strengthened" during his
long years of suffering, so that "the preaching might be
fully known" (II Timothy 4:17 cf.I Corinthians 13:12)
God worked "mightily" through Paul, so that
ALL may hear the "preaching" and "teaching" which is
able to make one "perfect" ("fully fitted") in Christ (Colossians 1:28-29)
Paul through the grace of God "labored more abundantly
than they all", i.e. all the apostles (I Corinthians 15:9-10) and is, thus, the shining example of God's "grace" (Galatians 1:15-16)
and of His "longsuffering" (I Timothy 1:15-16)
It takes knowledge of three teachings for one to be considered
as "stablished" ("firm") in the faith and
whereby one may be called "obedient to the faith" (Romans 16:25-26), i.e. Paul's "preaching" (Titus 1:3)
Paul declares that God will judge men "according
to my gospel" (Romans 2:16)
It is his gospel, "BUT NOW", which reveals "the
righteousness of God without (apart from) the Law" (Romans 3:21)
It is "God's righteousness" wrought by the "redemption
that is in Christ Jesus", i.e. the blood of Christ for the "remission of sins", by which "AT
THIS TIME" God can both declare the believing sinner righteous and Himself being righteous in doing so (Romans 3:24-26)
"The Preaching of Jesus Christ according to the Revelation
of the Mystery" (Romans 16:25)
It was given to Paul to reveal "the mystery"
concerning "(the) Christ", which was NOT BEFORE revealed. i.e. that the Gentiles are "FELLOW (EQUAL)
heirs, and of the SAME body" (Ephesians 3:3-6)
"IN TIME PAST" the Gentiles were "aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel" and, thereby, "strangers from the covenants of promise" (Ephesians 2:11-12)
The "Day of the Lord" spoken of by the Prophets
shall come upon the ungodly as a "thief in the Night" (I Thessalonians 5:2-3) and is called a "day of darkness" (Joel 2:1-2)
and a "day of wrath" (Zephaniah 1:14-15)
That day shall NOT "overtake" us a "thief",
because we are "ALL the children of Light" and "children of the Day", i.e. we are "NOT
of the Night, NOR of darkness" (I Thessalonians 5:4-5)
Titus, "mine own
son after (according to) the common faith" (Titus 1:4)
Paul adds the word "common" to describe "the
faith" when addressing Titus (Titus 1:4), but makes no such qualification concerning "the faith" when
addressing Timothy (I Timothy 1:2)
The reason for this difference is in reference to where
they came from concerning "the faith"
Titus was a Gentile, i.e. "a Greek" (Galatians 2:3)
and, therefore, raised as one "without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:11-12)
Timothy had both a grandmother and a mother "of faith"
(II Timothy 1:5) who no doubt raised him "from a child" to know "the
faith" of "the Holy Scriptures" (II Timothy 3:15)
The term "common" (Titus 1:4) is the Greek word "koinos", which can either mean "common"
in the sense of being ceremonially "unclean" (Acts 10:14) or "common" in the sense of being "shared by all"
(Acts 2:44;Acts 4:32)
The context of Titus 1:4 clearly indicates the latter
meaning as Paul makes reference to "the hope of eternal life" (Titus 1:2) which is "in Christ" (II Timothy 1:1) and "common" to "the faith" preached BOTH
to Israel (John 3:13-15) and to the Gentiles (Acts 13:47-48)
Jude speaks of "the common salvation" as being
"the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3)
Paul also declared the SAME "common" faith before
the Jewish King Agrippa (Acts 26:27) concerning Christ as the "Light" of the people (Israel)
and of the Gentiles by virtue of His suffering (death) and subsequent resurrection (Acts 26:22-23)
Paul was uniquely "set apart" (Acts 13:1-2)
as being the FIRST to preach Christ as the means of justification "apart from the Law" (Romans 3:21,24-26 cf.Acts 13:38-39) and declares that "the gospel which I preached
unto you" is "according to the Scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:1,3-4), i.e, the OT Scriptures:
Paul leaves Titus in Crete to "set in ORDER the things
that are wanting" (Titus 1:5)
The Cretians were "UNRULY and vain talkers and deceivers"
(Titus 1:10)
The churches in Crete were in need of ORDER in the assembly
as also was true of the church at Corinth (I Corinthians 14:40) - without ORDER there cannot be EDIFICATION of the assembly (I Corinthians 14:26)
The Lord desires for His Church that truth be administered
in LOVE unto the EDIFICATION of ALL the members (Ephesians 4:15-16)
THANKSGIVING is ever the true response to GRACE RECEIVED
(II Corinthians 4:15)
and is evidenced by the "submitting" of "one to another" (Ephesians 5:20-21)
The churches in Crete were in dire need of LEADERSHIP
and so Paul "APPOINTED" Titus to "ORDAIN elders in every city" (Titus 1:5)
The Lord in GRACE distributes to each assembly "a
measure of the GIFT of Christ" (Ephesians 4:7), i.e. GIFTED individuals (Ephesians 4:11) for the "perfecting (equipping)" of its members for the
"work of the ministry" unto the "EDIFYING" of ALL its members (Ephesians 4:12)
These GIFTED individuals are called "ELDERS"
(Gr. presbuteros) and "OVERSEERS (BISHOPS)" (Gr. episkopos) in which both terms are used interchangeably:
Paul sent for the "ELDERS" of the Church"
(Acts 20:17) and so respected the DIGNITY of their
office (I Timothy 5:1)
Paul charged the "OVERSEERS (BISHOPS)" with
the RESPONSIBILITY of their office (Acts 20:28) and so appreciated the VALUE of their office (I Timothy 3:1)
Leadership is by BOTH Divine and human APPOINTMENT:
Divine APPOINTMENT "which was given thee by prophecy"
(I Timothy 4:14)
Human APPONTMENT "with the laying on of the hands
of the PRESBYTERY (ELDERS)" (I Timothy 4:14)