Titus

Author: Paul
Type of Book: Pastoral Epistle
Date of Writing: AD 63-66
Theme: Church order and organization

This is the third of Paul's Pastoral Epistles. The two letters to Timothy and this letter to Titus were personal letters written to pastors to instruct them concerning the conduct of the pastors and the church. At the writing of this letter, Paul was probably in Macedonia while Titus was in Crete. Paul likely wrote this letter at the same time that he wrote his first letter to Timothy.

We don't know much about Titus. He isn't mentioned in the book of Acts. We know that he traveled with Paul and that Paul used him to deliver the second letter to the Corinthians. Titus also was the one who collected money for the needy church in Jerusalem. One of Paul's first outreaches was to the island of Crete, and Paul eventually sent Titus there to help get the church established.

The emphasis of this book is the orderliness and organization of the church and the qualifications of its leaders (see Titus 1:5). Paul also exhorted the believers to live a life of grace and to demonstrate it by their good works.

As he described the qualifications for church leaders, Paul reminded Titus that the proper perspective of any church leader is "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). Besides being one of the strongest declarations of the deity of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, this verse also reminds us to keep our eye on the sky, waiting for the rapture of the church and living our lives knowing that Jesus could come back at any time. Paul really packed some precious jewels into this short book and every Christian, especially church pastors and leaders, should read it often.

-from Pastor Chuck Smith from The Word for Today Bible