Crete was an island due South of Sparta and Southwest of Ephesus in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Crete was a nasty place, filled with laziness, gluttony, lying and all other sorts of evil. Paul started churches on the island and left Titus, a Greek convert, to organize and oversee the churches. Paul’s letter tells Titus how this was to be done. This letter was, by all accounts, written between Paul’s first and second Roman imprisonments, prior to the writing of his second letter to Timothy (approximately A.D. 64).
Paul starts out by stating that his is a slave to God and an Apostle of Jesus Christ. There is no requirement to be enslaved to the Lord, it is merely a statement used to establish a person’s dedication to another. His mission from God is to proclaim the faith he has come to embrace and teach the truth that eternal life can be theirs just as God had promised. It is a promise that remains to this very day. Paul adds an exclamation point to that by saying God “does not lie”.
Paul left Titus there to appoint elders and continue on completing the work assigned to him. The next paragraph addresses the requirements for elders in the church. It’s serious business that should never be taken lightly. I fear that there are some churches see the things listed as suggestions, rather than requirements. I believe the Lord takes these requirements very seriously or they would not be listed in several letters. You will find them listed in Titus 1:5-9.
We will continue in Titus next time. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.
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