New Testament
Titus
3 chapters
Start reading: Titus 1About this book
Titus is a short, practical letter from Paul to a trusted co-worker he had left on the island of Crete. The young churches there needed leaders and a clear sense of how to live in a culture where honesty and self-control were not assumed. Paul asks Titus to appoint elders of proven character and to correct false teachers who were upsetting households. He then describes what sound teaching looks like in the daily lives of older men and women, younger people, and enslaved workers, always tying conduct to the grace of God that has appeared in Christ. He asks believers to be good citizens, ready for every good work, gentle and courteous to everyone. In the middle of the practical advice stands a short, rich statement that we are saved by God's mercy and not by our works, through the washing of new birth. Good works flow from that gift. Christians differ on church offices and on how to apply the household instructions today.
- Author
- The apostle Paul; traditionally accepted, though some scholars suggest a later follower.
- Date
- Probably about AD 62–65, between Paul's two Roman imprisonments.
- Audience
- Titus, a Gentile co-worker of Paul, and the young churches on Crete.
Themes
Outline
- 1:1–1:4Greeting
- 1:5–1:16Appointing elders and correcting false teachers
- 2:1–2:15Sound teaching for every group and the grace that trains
- 3:1–3:11Good citizens, saved by mercy, devoted to good works
- 3:12–3:15Final instructions and greetings
Key verses
Chapters of Titus
- 1Titus 1Paul greets Titus, whom he left in Crete to put the churches in order and appoint elders in every town.
- 2Titus 2Titus is to teach what fits sound doctrine, and Paul describes how different groups should live: older men should be sober and steady, older women reverent and good teachers of the young, younger women and men self-controlled, and slaves trustworthy so that they adorn the teaching about God.
- 3Titus 3Paul reminds Titus to teach believers to be subject to authorities, ready for every good work, avoiding slander and quarrels, and showing gentleness to everyone.