(1:5 9) Leadership necessary t jump-start the church. See Ephesians 4:7 16, until the church is able t edify itself). The appintment f elders was alwa

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1 Backgrund Authr: Paul (1:1) Titus n Crete at the time f writing (1:5) Paul was n Crete (Acts 27:7 13) n his way t Rme, but the wrding f 3:12, I have decided t spend the winter there [in Nicplis], implies that Paul was free at the time f writing. Mst place the date f writing after Acts 28. (1:6) Faithful children: implies sme time has passed, but may just refer t men wh led their whle families t Christ at the beginning (e.g., Acts 16:33, he and all his family were baptized ) (1:10) Idle talkers and deceivers wuld nt arise until after the riginal gspel had been delivered. This culd have happened sn (per Galatia), but nt while the riginal evangelists were present. (1:11) Dishnest gain wuld nly be available in a time f n persecutin. (3:12) Nicplis 150 miles NW f Crinth, prbably referring t the same winter as 2 Timthy 4:21. N mentin is made f travels this far west prir t Paul s imprisnment in Acts. Other mentins f Titus Titus went t Jerusalem with Paul and Barnabas (Galatians 2:1 10), which crrespnds t Acts 15. Titus carried tw letters t Crinth (2 Crinthians 2:12 13, 7:5 7, 7:13 14, 8:5 7, 8:16 24, 12:18) s Titus was in Ephesus in Acts 18 At the end f Paul s life, Titus spent time in Dalmatia which, tday, is the suthern cast f Cratia (2 Timthy 4:10). Basic utline: Purpse f the letter The general pint Specific applicatins Purpse f the letter (chapter 1) (1:1) Why is the intrductin s elabrate, since it is written t a clse persnal friend? Cmpare t Philemn and 2 Timthy versus 1 Timthy. This suggests that this letter was intended fr publicatin, t be used by Titus t establish his standing amng the knwn authrity figures, as ppsed t thse described in 1: (1:1 4) Fundamental pints f the gspel t set the stage fr chapter 2 (1:1) Teachers f strange things generally present themselves as authrity figures. Bndservant Apstle (ne sent) lcal teachers were nt sent. Accrding t the trust in Gd f the faithful nt by insight r knwledge Gdliness a pint that seems t have been verlked (1:2) Prmised befre time began nt smething new, but the riginal. (1:3) Spread by the preaching f designated representatives, nt persnal revelatin. (1:4) Cmmn faith (see Jude 3, 2 Peter 1:1), nt special. (1:4) The bjectives are a gracius nature, the desire t fix what ails thers, and peace in a brken wrld, nt ritual, thery, and self-centeredness.

2 (1:5 9) Leadership necessary t jump-start the church. See Ephesians 4:7 16, until the church is able t edify itself). The appintment f elders was always thrugh a miraculus persn (Acts 14:23, 16:4, 1 Timthy 3:1 7, 5:22, 1 Peter 5:1 4 althugh Peter did nt mentin appinting) The selectin f start-up leadership was nt left t lcal chice. Assuming that this letter was intended fr publicatin (t establish Titus authrity amng the cngregatins f Crete), these qualificatins were recrded by Paul t explain the selectin criteria t the lcals. Titus had seen it befre. The qualificatins reveal sme f the cmmn prblems in the church at that time. These characteristics were needed t be able t by sund dctrine bth t exhrt and cnvict thse wh cntradict. The quality f their lives validated their teaching. (1:10 16) Bad teaching must be ppsed, nt endured. (10) Insubrdinate: disregarding established truth. Of curse, everyne thinks that thse wh think differently than themselves are disregarding the truth. Paul s prf is in their results (liars, lazy, fables, bad behavir, a lack f gd wrks). (10) Idle talkers: empty, all fluff. (10) Thse f the circumcisin: Cmpare t Galatians. In Galatia, the circumcisin taught legalism, presumably because they were Palestinian Jews ( frm James, 2:12), s the fcus was n ritual and traditin. On crete, the circumcisin brught culture, which is t be expected frm Hellenistic Jews wh had been ratinalizing the Law fr generatins. (11) Dishnest gain: making a claim t cmpensatin fr teaching is a mark f a false teacher. (12) A message that fits the present culture. The culture f Crete was knwn fr its lack f hnesty, evil, laziness, and ver-eating. Subversive teachers are thse wh explain hw the present culture is acceptable. (13) Rebuke sharply: Sharpness des nt cntradict gentleness and patience, but rather clarifies the picture. Jesus was humble and gentle and patient, yet had sharp wrds fr sme. This is a reminder bth t Titus and his audience that pinted teaching is nt cntrary t the character f Jesus. (14) Fables: dctrines based n ft-repeated but unprvable stries, like praying t saints, stries f miracles withut evidence, and such like. (14) Cmmandments f men: this phrase is ften used t disqualify anyne wh disagrees with my view. Rather, this describes filling in the details f things the Scriptures leave as generalizatins. (15) If yu can t see gdness in this wrld, the prblem may be yu. (16) Wrks and dctrines must be in harmny. If yu d culturally acceptable bad stuff, the gd yu d is disqualified. See James 2: Pint f the letter (chapter 2) (1 10) In cntrast t questins f authrity, ritual, fables, and wrks, the pint is t display gd character.

3 These character traits seem bvius t us. Apparently, culture had vershadwed them. The traits mentined were areas that needed wrk amng the Christians n Crete, s they reveal cmmn cultural difficulties. Older men: Lazy cultures fster a flippant attitude abut imprtant things, s treating the gspel seriusly, nt resrting t irreverent humr, is difficult. Sundness (slid, predictable behavir) with regard t the prmises f Gd, lking ut fr the best fr thers, and patience run cunter t idle talk (fluff), deceit, and religin-fr-prfit. Older wmen: The same prblems as the men Teaching gd things in a first-generatin Christian sciety means teaching the ppsite f ne s wn past behavir. Yunger wmen: Apparently, their culture lacked wives and mthers wh were cmmitted t their families. The behavir f wmen in Greek culture was flambyant. Obedient t their wn husbands wuld be a difficult cncept in the Greek culture in which wmen were entirely equal t men. Outsiders wuld nt see a flambyant lifestyle as smething t be cndemned, rather t be celebrated. What was hindered by this behavir was the Wrd f Gd, the cncepts that lead t Gd s bjective (a big family that lasts). Yunger men: Sme prblem areas reach acrss several grups. A pattern f gd wrks, nt a fall-back psitin. Teaching with integrity and depth in a superficial, pprtunistic sciety. Persnal attack have been used in every sciety t de-rail a gd but uncmfrtable idea. Servants (slaves): Disrespect fr the bss was ppular in their time, t. Again, the pint is that this uncmmn behavir is necessary t becme ambassadrs wh will be believed. (11 14) The thery behind this cunter-cultural behavir The gracius nature f Gd has been revealed in Jesus and in His means f recnciliatin. The cmmn persn f that day wuld nt have such a picture f Gd. S, it was (is) imprtant t mdel this behavir and t illustrate the wrk f the Spirit. Our behavir demnstrates a lifestyle that wrks. The cntrast is between shrtterm gratificatin and lng-term success. Gd s grace teaches (nt cmmands) us that successful existence is based n this type f character. In additin t gdly character, we have hpe. Mst peple in this wrld have little r nne. Redemptin implies that Gd has given us the rm t change. Our pasts cannt hld us back.

4 Gd purifies us; we d nt purify urselves. His purpse is nt t create a grups f well-behaved peple, but a grup f believable ambassadrs. (15) This admnitin t Titus perhaps had mre impact n the ther readers, impressing n them that Titus has acting as Paul s representative. Specific Applicatins (Chapter 3) (1 2) Cunter-cultural behavir based n the gracius nature f Gd (2:11 14) is ften difficult t srt ut. Cntrlling ur wn behavir is difficult enugh. Extending that behavir tward utsiders is even mre trublesme. The gvernment in Paul s day was unjust, ruthless, and dictatrial. Vluntary bedience was uncmmn. Many have drawn a line here, that a Christian may ignre this reminder if, in the mind f the believer, the gvernment is acting cntrary t the desires f Gd. Obviusly, every wrldly gvernment acts cntrary t the desires f Gd, s the teaching gives license t be disbedient, side-stepping the Scriptures with clever man-made arguments. Wisdm is required t determine hw t be bedient t the gvernment and faithful t Gd at the same time. Ready fr every gd wrk. We can fcus n the inequities f the wrld, r we can be prepared t d gd. The wrld (in particular, the gvernment) is always full f thse culd have evil spken f them in truthfulness. Thse in whm a gracius and merciful nature is being built by the Spirit lk instead t hw t fix them, rather than recunting the manifld evil they have dne and prbably will cntinue t d. Remaining peaceable, gentle, and humble is difficult in the face f ignrance, evil, and dminating persnalities. Gdly character rarely induces a change in thse bad peple, but finds appeal amng thse being similarly mistreated (the majrity). They are shwn hw t handle a brken wrld and find peace and jy in this life. (3 7) Remember what wrked fr yu. (3) The lnger ne is faithful, the mre difficult it becmes t remember hw we chse bad behavir in the past. Remembering where we started is useful fr develping patience, gentleness, and humility. (4) Kindness and lve was the appeal, nt pwer and prsperity. Thse in ur time wh are drawn by the self-serving gspel are the same as thse wh frequented the temples f idls. Thse wh can be develped (by the Spirit) are drawn by the prmise f family. (5 7) Paganism, the main cmpetitin in Paul s day, prmised benefits t thse wh met certain criteria (generally ritual and dnatins). Paul reminds his readers that the basis f ur acceptance int the family was because f Gd s verwhelming desire t fix what ails us (His mercy). He regenerates and renews thrugh the Spirit, and declares us t be acceptable (justified) because f His gracius nature which prmpted His cming t earth t satisfy justice. Remembering these things (and the transfrmatin accmplished by the Spirit) allws us t shw that same gdly character t ignrant, evil, dmineering utsiders. (8 11) If gd wrks d nt result, yu are stuck in man-made religin, nt part f the family.

5 Many grups talk a gd game, but nly a miniscule part f their perating budget ges fr gd wrks. The individual members, feeling satisfied that dnatins accmplish their share f gd wrks, d nt venture beynd cnventinal church wisdm. If the discussin des nt end in a gd wrk, it is flish. Yet, many feel satisfied because f the explanatins f the theretical that they have heard. If the teaching justifies divisin, give them what they want. Say, Gd riddance, t the divisive. (12 15) An example f gd wrks: financial supprt f thse wh spread the gspel. Apstles had the right t be supprted (1 Crinthians 9:4 18, 2 Thessalnians 3:9), althugh they rarely used that right. (N instance was recrded in which that right was exercised.) The peple named in these verses went many places and taught. They had n authrity t demand financial supprt, nt being apstles; they depended n the gd will f Christians wh stayed in ne place and wrked. Their mst imprtant shared characteristic was that they determined that they wuld spread the gspel; financial supprt just made it faster and easier. Peple always have difficulty meeting urgent needs because they have already cmmitted future assets. The faithful need t learn that urgent needs will cntinue until Judgment, s they shuld nt be surprised, but rather prepared fr the inevitable but as-yet-unknwn needs.