Some Key Words (1/1/03)

Titus (Titoo[5103]):

| a Latin name with unknown meaning | It is possible that, since Romans generally bore three names (Titus being a first name), that he is mentioned by his second or third names in Acts. However, he would not be the Titius Justus of Acts 18:7.

True (gneesio[1103]):

| of legitimate birth, genuine | not spurious, sincere and true.

Child (teknoo[5043]):

son, the term focusing on the fact of birth, as opposed to the dignity of relationship. Jesus is not referred to by this term except by Mary, and then only in reference to His humanity. | a child produced | a true, genuine child. Those sharing intimate relationship of love, friendship, and trust akin to the parent-child relationship. Disciples are referred to as sons of their teacher, being molded in the teacher's character. The term is also applied to Israel as the legitimate children of God. As a Hebraism, the term speaks of one as a son of that which possesses his desires and affections, the object of an addiction.

Common (koineen[2839]):

defiled or unclean; open to all; belonging to many | shared by all, profane | common, as opposed to uniquely one's own; ordinary, in Jewish usage: unclean.

Faith (pistin[4102]):

from a root indicating 'to persuade.' To be persuaded, to believe. Knowledge, agreement with, and confidence in divine truth; this leading to good works. Faith as evidenced by accompanying miracles. The doctrine which teaches of that justification and salvation declared in the Gospel, thus the Christian religion. | persuasion, moral conviction regarding religious truth, God's truth. Constancy in profession of belief. The system describing God's truth. | conviction regarding the truth of a matter, especially regarding God and matters divine. Trust and fervor born of such faith. The conviction that God exists as creator and ruler of all things, and as the giver of eternal salvation through Jesus. Strong belief that Jesus is the Messiah, the means of our salvation in God's kingdom. Persuasion. The beliefs of Christians. Acknowledging the claims of Christianity as true. Faith is the means by which truth is appropriated to the believer. Trust in God. Faith is awakened through Christ, and established on the promises of God, relying on Him as the forgiver of sins. The character of one who is reliable.

 

Paraphrase: (1/1/03)

4 Truly, you are like a son to me, Titus. In the faith we share, indeed, you are my son.

Key Verse: (1/1/03)

1:4a - it's the only one. A true child in a shared faith. What more could any pastor desire in his flock? How could we possibly allow ourselves to sit under a pastor who could not say this of us?

People Mentioned: (1/1/03)

Titus:

The record of Titus' ministries lies largely outside of the accounts of Paul's missions that we have in Acts, perhaps because Titus was not a major component of that phase of the ministry. The first we hear of Titus is when he accompanied Paul to Jerusalem at the completion of the first mission trip (Gal 2:1-3). There, we also learn that Titus was of Greek descent, used by Paul to take a stand against attempts to force Jewish rites upon the Gentile church. This, taken with Paul's reference to him as his true son in this passage, would seem to indicate that Titus was a product of this first mission trip.

The next we hear of Titus is that Paul expected to meet up with him in Troas during his third journey (2Co 2:13), but they apparently missed each other at that point, catching up later in Macedonia (2Co 7:6). From this, it becomes clear that Titus was working in Corinth at the time, bearing news of that church's state to Paul. That it was the third journey and not the second is confirmed by the fact that prior to his going to Corinth, Paul had been boasting to him of the church established there (2Co 7:13-14). Since that church was established on the second journey, Titus must have arrived after that trip, meeting up with Paul as Paul approached the city once more. That Titus had been entrusted with turning around the situation in Corinth speaks volumes of what trust Paul placed in him. From 2Corinthians 8:6, it would seem that Titus returned to Corinth after meeting with Paul. Some think he bore that letter to Corinth, but in v16 of that chapter, Paul says that Titus has already returned, along with another unnamed brother. In that passage, it becomes clear that it is not simply doctrine that the two share in common, but also their faith, their zeal, and their concern for the foundling church. Paul continues, in v19, to declare that Titus is a church appointee, assigned to the work of gathering an offering for Jerusalem along with Paul.

If we accept that the latter portion of 2Corinthians was written at a later date, it would appear that Titus had returned to Corinth, and come once more to Paul by the time 2Corinthians 12:18 was written. In that verse, Paul appears to have already heard results of the work Titus and his companion accomplished on their return, and is commending their efforts to the church in Corinth, pointing out that they worked in the same spirit and doctrine that Paul himself worked in (a common faith).

In this letter, we find Titus in Crete. This would appear to have occurred after the history we have of Paul's missions, yet also, it seems that the letter is not of the prison letters. No mention is made of any adverse conditions on Paul's part. Indeed, he invites Titus to join him in northwest Greece for the winter. The Scriptures do not record much of what occurred after Paul's imprisonment in Rome. It is entirely possible that he was pardoned on that occasion, and proceeded about his work for a time. For Titus to have taken ship from Corinth to Crete is hardly exceptional. Was the church there a direct plant of Paul's, or a product of his wider ministry? There is nothing in the text that requires us to believe that Paul was the planter on this occasion, only that his apostolic authority should be known to them. This would be the case, if the Cretan church was established by members of the Corinthian church.

The last thing we hear of Titus comes to us in Paul's second letter to Timothy. There, Paul is requesting Timothy to join up with him, even as he urges Titus to come to him in this letter. As Paul recounts the deployment of those who have been with him, only Demas is explicitly declared a deserter. Titus and Crescens, it seems, were sent to continue the spread of the church. Crescens may actually have been on a strengthening mission, as he is said to have gone into Galatia, where Paul had already been. Titus, we are told, has headed into Dalmatia. According to the maps, Dalmatia is one and the same as Illyricum, and according to Romans 15:19, Paul tells us that he had already preached there. So, it would seem Titus may also have been on a strengthening mission, rather than a planting mission. Of course, this raises a further question: when did Paul do this? Romans was clearly written prior to his arrival there as a prisoner, and so the Illyricum trip had to have been part of one of his earlier trips. Where is the record of it? What does this say to the thought that the Cretan church was a secondary planting of his larger ministry?

Some Parallel Verses (1/1/03)

1:4a

2Co 2:13 - I was restless because Titus wasn't there to meet me; so I continued on to Macedonia. 2Co 8:23 - He is my partner, my coworker among you. Our brothers are church messengers, in whom Christ is glorified. Gal 2:3 - Even Titus, though he was Greek, was not pushed into circumcision. 2Ti 4:10 - Demas has deserted the work and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens is in Galatia, and Titus in Dalmatia. 2Ti 1:2a - This letter is to my beloved son Timothy. 2Pe 1:1 - Peter, also a servant and apostle of Christ Jesus, writes to those who share the same faith as is his by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.

 

New Thoughts (1/2/03-1/4/03)

One spirit, one truth, one faith, one Savior; Paul's focus ever seems to turn to this issue. Throughout Romans, we saw him pointing to the unity of our condition; all sinners, all saved by grace, none worthy, none greater than the other. Because it is all one faith, concerns over personal prowess are gone, along with any pride we might have in our faith. It's not ours, nor is it any different than the faith of our weakest brother. It's one faith, given to each according to the measure determined by our one God.

Through our one Savior, Jesus Christ, and Him truly one God, we have attained this faith. There is no other means given in the economy of God. He alone has been declared the Redeemer. Only our one High Priest can make the atonement that is sufficient to eternal pardon, and He has done so.

It is one and the same Holy Spirit, and Him truly one God, who teaches us of spiritual truth. He has been given us to lead us into all truth. Through Him, we come to understand better the revealed will of God that has been given us in Scripture. Through Him, we come to have discernment when it comes to spiritual matters. Through Him, we are trained to recognize truth from deception.

That there is one truth and one faith is the point of this particular letter. From the outset, Paul establishes that his teaching and that which Titus is providing are one and the same. Elsewhere, Paul calls down curses on any who would teach anything different, even if it be angels from heaven itself. So certain is he of the truth that has been revealed to him.

When Martin Luther began working to make Scripture available to the common man, the Church of that day feared the result that seemed inevitable in that activity. They feared that every man would begin to interpret Scripture differently, that the certainty of one truth would be lost to the Church. Concern over that one truth was appropriate, certainly, because that unity of truth and faith is the very strength of the Church. However, the concern was misplaced, because there remains one Spirit to guide all those who read the Scripture, all who are chosen by our God and Father, into all truth. There is no private interpretation. Certainly not among the true Church.

History is certainly marked by those who have attempted such private and fanciful interpretations. Many of our modern day cults, some large enough to be denominations in themselves, were founded on just such fancies. But this does not deny the central fact: those chosen by God, those who have received the gift of faith and salvation, are indeed led on the path of righteousness by our dear Holy Spirit. He teaches us the truth, He warns us of attempts at deception. He corrects us, when our understanding misses the point.

It is because of that initial gift of faith that we can appropriate truth. It is because of that faith that we are given the Spirit to guide. It is because of that faith that the blinders of sin have been removed, and we can understand the truth of what is around us, of what we're reading, what we're seeing, what we're experiencing. In understanding the truth, we cannot help but recognize that there can only be one truth. The ambivalent view of truth that prevails in today's culture cannot be correct. All roads cannot lead to God, when those roads all point in very different directions. Certainly, traces of the Truth can be found along each of those roads, but only one can go the right way.

Pilate expressed the prevailing view of truth when he asked Jesus, "what is truth?" (Jn 18:38). This is the question of the day. Today, it is assumed that truth is simply a matter of belief. If we believe it, it's true; if we don't, it isn't. But truth doesn't work that way. Truth remains truth whether we accept it or not. God remains God whether we accept Him or not. His plan of salvation remains the only way whether we think it right or wrong, whether we choose His way or rebellion, whether we follow Him or not.

Of course, recognizing this cannot help but lead us to questions. If there is indeed one truth, if there is indeed one Spirit informing the Church, how are we to explain the many denominations that abound today? If there is one truth, somebody's got to be wrong in each of the issues that divide the Church. How is this? How are we to know which of these denominations has it right? How are we to know if any of them do?

In the final accounting, I suspect we'll find that we all had it wrong in one degree or another. Though we have the Spirit to guide us, He does not guide us with bit and bridle, we remain free to decide whether we'll listen to His directions or not. We remain amidst a fallen world, and we remain, at least in part, a fallen people. Yes, we're redeemed. Yes, we've been saved from the full penalty of our sins. But perfection is not yet come. Now, we know in part, Paul tells the Corinthians (1Co 13:9-12). Now, in part, but when the perfect comes, there will be no more partial knowing. That will be the culmination of our maturing process. The childish lack of understanding that we have now, the childish insistence that this partial understanding is full and accurate, the childish arguing over things we don't fully grasp, will all be done away with, because what we now know only in part will be fully known to us in the day that we see Him face to face!

This is yet another part of our blessed hope. The time will come when we can truly say we understand. The time will come when we can truly say that there remains no possibility of deception or error. The time will come when all this present denominationalism will come down to a single dividing line: the line between those who have accepted the gracious offer of God, and those who have chosen their own petty gods. This line will pass not only between denominations, but through them. The Church within the church will stand revealed in that moment; they, too, doubtless shaking their heads over their own mistaken understanding, yet standing in the end in the marvelous light of God's Truth.

As children of God, God's Truth must be important to us. We dare not fall into the trend of accepting anybody's definitions as being correct - at least for them. They are either correct or they are not. God's Word is either true for all, or not true at all. There cannot be a grey zone here. We are called to be disciples of Christ, every bit as much as were James and John, every bit as much as was Paul. We are called His children, His disciples. Although we are His children by adoption, He looks upon us and declares us His true children.

This is exactly what Paul has declared of Titus. What does he mean? The terms Paul uses speak of one born, of a son born to the family by legitimate birth. Where then is Paul's concern for truth? Clearly, Titus is not his physical offspring, and if so, certainly not by any legitimate means. Yet, Paul is not inclined to lie. There has been a true birth, the birth of the spirit, the birth that Jesus told us we could not see heaven without. This birth is indeed a true birth. It's not a simple state of mind, an emotional reaction to stimulus, it's a true birth, a new life breathed into the spirit. And Paul tells us that in the case of Titus, it is a legitimate birth. He is not like these profit seeking false teachers that have been arriving on the scene, he's for real. He's not putting on a show of spirituality in hopes of getting your attention, he's truly been reborn. As I said, this is the way God thinks of us. We are adopted, certainly, yet we are legitimate children, born of His spirit. This is the joy He has set before us, that we may be called the sons of God!

Yet, there is more to it than this. It is noted in Thayer's dictionary that the term was also applied to disciples of a particular teacher. As disciples, the training was a deeper thing than the typical student / teacher relationship. This went further, molding the character and mindset of the disciple, until his worldview, his morals, his way of thinking, all resembled the teacher's in detail. I think this thought was also in Paul's mind as he wrote this. He has opened the letter by establishing his own authority, and now is moving to establish the authority of his representative in Crete. He's a true son, writes Paul. He has been discipled by me, molded in my own character. I, in turn, am an apostle, a disciple of the Christ Himself. I, too, am a true son, molded in the character of the Son of God. What I have learned at His feet, I have faithfully taught to this student of mine, and he has been faithful to learn well.

Do you hear the echoes of 'well done, My good and faithful servant?' This is what God is seeking from us. He has birthed us into newness of life, delivered us in the blood of His Son. He has mentored and discipled us in the Holy Spirit, a work that continues to this day. He is fashioning us according to His own character, that we might resemble Him in detail. Our worldview: His; our morals: His; our way of thinking: His. Jesus told His disciples that if they had seen Him, they had seen the Father. He was a true son, resembling the Father in every detail of character. At the same time, He was saying of His disciples that they should also be able to make that claim, if in lesser degree. The standard still holds for us today. When the world looks upon us, when it considers our conduct, our character, and our worldview, it should see reflections of God who is our teacher.

How often do I fail of this, Lord? Sometimes I wonder which is the mask and which the reality, for I feel these two natures battling within me. I know that there are large portions of my character that You have radically reshaped since You called me. I know that. I am a very different person than the one You revealed Yourself to. Yet, in so many ways, the old me seems to assert itself. How often, as I go through my workday, do You show through? How often do I work hard to cover that over with a show of typical manhood? And why? You are my God. You have declared me Your own, and truly I am thrilled beyond words to know that. When I consider what Your hands have shaped in this life of mine, how can I not be thrilled? When I look back on the road I was following, how I courted destruction at every turn, and yet see that You have taken me off that road and set me on paths of righteousness, what is left for me but to rejoice? And yet… And yet, I can be so quick to hide You. God, this thing ought not to be. Sometimes I wonder which is the mask, yet I know that in those moments, it is merely the flesh seeking to deny the reality of the spirit. In truth, I know which is the mask, and wonder now how it might be disposed of. How can I possibly be ashamed of the wonderful things You have done for me?

How can I be ashamed of my family? Sure, some of them are a bit weird, but that's true of my physical family as well, yet I never deny association with them. Lord, I know You are bringing further change in me. I know that You are shaping parts of me that still look too much like the world. Please, Father, make this part a priority! Give me pride in this family You have placed me into. As much as I rejoice in being Your son, let me rejoice in being brother and sister to these other children of Yours. Teach me, my Teacher, how to love as I should love, how to love as You love. Give me a heart like Yours.