As we read Paul’s Letter to Titus, we see that the Apostle Paul has a driving passion to see God’s character reproduced and made visible in the lives of the people that Titus is pastoring. He demonstrates this burning desire in several ways.

Making God Visible In God’s People

First of all, in his introductory greetings to Titus, Paul emphasizes the purpose of his apostleship ministry from Jesus Christ: it is “for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness” (Titus 1:1). This is a unique introduction that is not seen in the opening greetings of Paul’s other Letters.

Secondly, he immediately outlines the qualifications for elders/overseers for the local churches in each of the towns on the Island of Crete. The qualifications focus on the character traits of self-control, uprightness, a blameless heart (pure motives), being hospitable and being a lover of what is good (Titus 1:5-9). Apparently, in some of the churches on Crete, some unqualified teachers have risen up who are not handling the Scriptures properly (Titus 1:10-16).

The teaching of these false teachers is resulting not in soundness of faith nor in pure hearts. It is not producing a people who are devoted to do what is good. Instead, “they claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good” (Titus 1:16). The congregational life of the local churches should point to the reality of the Lord Jesus, who is reigning at the right-hand of God in heaven.

Thirdly, Paul expresses his passion for Christ to be reproduced in the lives of God’s people, by teaching what godliness looks like in various groups of the churches (Titus 2:1-10). For example, he urges Titus to teach younger men to exercise self-control over their bodily appetites and temper so that unbelievers will have nothing bad to say about the Christian community (2:6-8). Slaves are not to disrespectfully talk back to their masters, nor to be thieves, “but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive” (Titus 2:10).

In the Book of Titus, Paul has 2 passages which give the basis for a pure heart and godly behavior. In Titus 2:11-15, Paul emphasizes God’s intervention of His grace in our lives, through the redeeming death of our Savior Jesus Christ. This grace “teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:12). Paul reiterates that the whole purpose for Jesus giving himself for us, was “to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14).

The second passage which teaches the basis of a Christian lifestyle is given in Titus 3:3-8. In this passage Paul emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s inner nature. The Spirit of God regenerates, cleanses and empowers the believer to live a life that honors God and that points to Jesus. This is what sound teaching consists of, and what it produces in the lives of those taught by it. This kind of result is much different than the fruit of unsound teaching (Titus 3:9-11).

Dynamite Comes In Small Packages

The Letter to Philemon is Paul’s shortest Letter, but it is packed with explosive teaching. Paul is writing to Philemon, a rather well-off believer. Paul is in prison when he writes this Letter. Somehow Paul has come into contact with Onesimus, who is a runaway slave of Philemon. Onesimus has been converted to Christ in his encounter with Paul. The Apostle is sending Onesimus back to Philemon. In the Roman Empire at this time in history, Philemon could have ordered the execution of Onesimus for running away.

But Paul wants Philemon to not only receive him back, but to treat Onesimus as a brother. Note what Paul says in Philemon 15-16: “Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good – no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.” Paul fully humanizes Onesimus. He puts his worth on the same basis as the worth of Philemon and Paul.

Paul appeals to Philemon on the basis of Christian love for him to receive Onesimus back, and to not treat him as a piece of property (Philemon 8-11). It is on the basis of what the Scripture teaches, in places like the Letter to Philemon, which dismantled the institution of slavery in the Western world. It was slow in coming, but faithful Christians understood that the God they worshiped considered it repugnant for one group of human beings to own another group of human beings.

QOTD: Are you appropriating God’s grace faithfully by saying ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and by living self-controlled, upright and godly lives?