Titus One

by Dr. Henry M. Morris

(taken from the Defender's Study Bible)

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Titus 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;?

before the world. “World” here is aionios, from which we derive aeons; “began” is inferred, though the word is not in the original manuscript. The concept is that of a space/time continuum. The phrase could be read “before the space/time cosmos.” That is, God promised eternal life to His people even before our universe of space and time existed. The same concept is in 2 Timothy 1:9.

Titus 1:3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;

God our Saviour. Note “God our Saviour” in Titus 1:3, and “the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour” in Titus 1:4. Note also Titus 2:10 and Titus 3:6, as well as Titus 2:13. It is clear that the Scriptures regard Jesus Christ as God.

Titus 1:4 To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Titus. Titus was a young convert of Paul's but was a full-blooded Greek, unlike Timothy, who was half Jewish (Galatians 2:3; Acts 16:1). Titus had apparently accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey, or at least part of it (Galatians 2:1). More recently, probably after Paul's first release from prison, he had been with Paul on a trip to the island of Crete, where Paul had left him to get the Cretian churches properly organized and functioning. Thus, Paul's letter to Titus and his two letters to Timothy (who had been left in Ephesus for a similar purpose) are known as Paul's pastoral epistles. Like 1 Timothy, the letter to Titus seems to have been written between Paul's two imprisonments.

Titus 1:5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:

ordain elders. The “elders” and “bishops” (Titus 1:7) are the same. See 1 Timothy 3:1-12 for the qualifications of bishops and deacons.

Titus 1:6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

Titus 1:8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

Titus 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

Holding fast. Compare 2 Timothy 1:13. It is vital that pastors and teachers guard both the Word and its words against its opponents.

gainsayers. It is important not only to exhort those who believe the Word to act on it, but also to convince those who reject it, being ready always to give an appropriate answer to problems and objections (1 Peter 3:15).

Titus 1:10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

the circumcision. The inhabitants of Crete were generally belligerent and were of a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, including many displaced Jews. This posed a great challenge to those who would establish sound Christian churches there, and Paul wanted to counsel and help Titus in whatever way he could.

Titus 1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

Titus 1:12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

prophet of their own. Here Paul is quoting a Cretian poet and reputed prophet by the name of Epeminides who lived about six hundred years before Christ. Paul confirmed that this deplorable reputation was still valid in his day (Titus 1:13).

slow bellies. That is, “lazy gluttons.”

Titus 1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

Titus 1:14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

Jewish fables. “Jewish fables” were an amalgamation of pagan myths and Jewish extra-Biblical traditions, superimposed on the Old Testament Scriptures. The “commandments of men” were ascetic prohibitions and prescriptions that had no Biblical basis, although Pharisaical hypocrisy may have pretended they did.

Titus 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

nothing pure. “The plowing of the wicked, is sin,” and even “the sacrifice of the wicked is abomination” (Proverbs 21:4, 27).

Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.