Titus 1:1–4

 ¹ Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, ² in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, ³ but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior; ⁴ To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

Commentary

Vs. 1 “Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness”

The Apostle Paul first addresses himself as a bondservant of God; that is, he has made himself subservient and dedicated to doing God’s Word, work, and service. For leadership does not begin with “leading”, but with first following and submitting oneself to God’s Word, and thus obeying the Will of the Lord, so that anyone who then follows them is following Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). Having then declared that he is first and foremost God’s bondservant, which he has proven time and again, Paul now speaks of the authority given him by God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, for Paul did not exalt himself to be an apostle of Christ, but was chosen by God to be His Apostle, which is according to the faith of God’s elect. That is the Apostle Paul was not only chosen by God to see and to preach the Lord Jesus Christ to all nations, but also as Christ’s Apostle he has been given His Authority to teach and instruct all of us in the faith of God’s elect, (i.e., that is those whom God Himself has chosen to believe in His Son, and to ultimately be conformed to the Image of His Son) the Apostle Paul has been charged with overseeing and bringing God’s Word to us. This Word then that the Apostle Paul preaches to us is the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness. For having a sound faith always leads to having a sound and pure life, for that is the point of our discipleship in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, first Paul declares his servitude to God, then his position/authority given him by Him, then his/our faith in His Son Jesus Christ, and finally his character which is according to godliness.

Vs. 2-3 ² in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, ³ but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior; 

 Continuing on from, “… the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness”; which we also acknowledge and do when we too live according to Jesus Christ’s Gospel by living Godly lives, Paul now declares this we do, “…in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began…” For it is in the hope of eternal life that everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ purifies themselves (1 John 3:3). For it is God Himself who cannot lie, (consider Num. 23:19; Mal. 3:16; James 1:17), who promised this even before time began. Thus, even before the fall, before Adam and Eve sinned, God promised before the angels in heaven that He would make a way for believing mankind’s salvation. And so it is, in due time God Himself manifested His Word through preaching, which as the Apostle Paul now says, “was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior.”

Vs. 4 “To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Having identified himself as God’s bondservant and Jesus Christ’s Apostle and Preacher, Paul now greets Titus, to whom his is writing and whom he calls a true son in our common faith, which began when Paul first reached him with the Gospel. Now Titus himself was a Gentile by birth, whom Paul through preaching reached and began to disciple; who also faithfully followed Paul on several of his evangelistic and missionary endeavors, However, early on when faced with pressure from believing Jews to circumcise Titus, and those other Gentiles with him, Paul did consent and put Titus, nor any of them back under the law, just to appease them (Gal. 3:2). Instead, Paul and Barnbas went to Jerusalem with Titus their new disciple to the Apostles there (Gal. 1:2), where a decision was made once and for all time that no believing Gentile should ever be circumcised, and thus put back under the Law, when they have believed by God’s grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, since both Jews and Gentiles are now all being saved by the same grace (Acts 15:1-29). And so it was that Titus became a fellow worker with Paul, whom Paul also entrusted to fulfill several important missions to the church at Corinth, being mentioned in his epistles in (2 Cor. 2:12, 13; 7:5-7, 13-16; 2 Cor. 8:6, 16, 17, 23, 12:18). Therefore, the Apostle Paul personally knowing the faith and service of Titus, and having set Titus as an Overseer of all the believers in Crete, Paul now is writing to him as a true son in our common faith, a faith of both Jews and Gentiles, and is greets him and us all with a gracious greeting from God our Father by saying, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Therefore, the Apostle Paul extends to us all what God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior is constantly extending and giving to us all who believe in Him, and that is, grace, mercy, and peace, which I also pray for you, and extend to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ as well.

Scripture Quotations 

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.