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Inscription and greeting (1–4). Titus’s concerns about appointing quite worthy persons to sacred positions, especially in view of the appearance of false teachers in Crete (5–9). How Titus should treat the Cretans (10–16). Titus 1:1. Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth pertaining to godliness, The greeting to Titus is more extensive than the greetings found in the other epistles of the Apostle Paul (excluding the letter to the Romans). "According to the faith of God's elect". This expression depends on the word apostle and indicates the purpose of the apostolic ministry. The apostle is called for the purpose of leading the elect to faith (the preposition by - κατά is close to the preposition in - εις and can be replaced by the words “in order to.” Compare Rom. 1:5). "To the knowledge of the truth pertaining to godliness." This expression also depends on the word apostle. The goal of the Apostle Paul was to awaken in God’s elect, that is, in those people who willingly accept the Gospel, not only faith, but also to give them the knowledge of saving truth, because only with such knowledge does a person take the path of true piety. “The reason why the content of the Gospel teaching is called truth is, firstly, that the Gospel really contains the highest truth, and then partly because the apostle had in mind the heretics who, instead of the true Gospel teaching, preached Jewish fables and genealogies” (Troitsky pp. 120 and 121). Titus 1:2. in the hope of eternal life, which God, unchangeable in his word, promised before time began, "In Hope of Eternal Life". These words form an appendix to the expression apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul acts as an apostle of Christ because he has hope for eternal life, that is, for eternal future bliss (cf. 1 Cor. 15:14, 30 et seq.). "Before the Ages of Times". This refers to the First Gospel about the Savior as the descendant of a woman (see Gen. 3:15). Titus 1:3. and in due time he revealed His word in the preaching entrusted to me by the command of our Savior, God, - “In due time” - that is, in God’s appointed time (cf. 1 Tim 2:6). "Revealed His Word". Of course, through Christ, Who in His person and activity fully clarified the word of God or God’s decision about the salvation of people from sin, curse and death. "In the Sermon". This expression refers to the words of the apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul appeared as an apostle of Jesus Christ especially through his preaching, which was entrusted to him (cf. 1 Cor 9:17; Gal 2:7). “By commandment” - this expression also refers to the word of the apostle (cf. 1 Tim. 1:11). "God our Savior". It is remarkable that God the Father is called the Savior by the Apostle Paul only in his pastoral letters. Perhaps this name reveals the apostle’s grateful recollection of the many different cases of salvation from dangers to which he was exposed especially in the last years of his life: God always provided him with His saving help. Titus 1:4. To Titus, true son according to the common faith: grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. "To the true son according to the common faith". It was in his faith, which remained firm despite all sorts of trials, that Titus showed that he was a true spiritual son of the Apostle Paul, who was also distinguished by the firmness of his faith (2 Tim 4:7). Titus 1:5. For this reason I left you in Crete, so that you would complete what was unfinished and install presbyters in all the cities, as I ordered you: "In Crete". The island of Crete, on the Mediterranean Sea, is 36 miles long and 197 miles in circumference. The island was densely populated with inhabitants. In 69 before Christ he was converted to the Roman province. Among the inhabitants of the island were Jews (Acts 2:11). Christianity was probably introduced here by aliens from the first Christian holiday of Pentecost. The Apostle Paul, preaching the Gospel, arrived on the island of Crete after his release from the first Roman bonds, but did not stay here long and left Titus in his place to put church affairs in order. "Presbyters". See Acts 11:30; 1 Timothy 3:2 et seq. Titus 1:6. if anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife, has faithful children, not reproached with debauchery or disobedience. Titus 1:7. For a bishop must be blameless, as God’s steward, not insolent, not angry, not a drunkard, not a murderer, not a covetous man, Titus 1:8. but hospitable, loving goodness, chaste, just, pious, temperate, "For the bishop". The same person who is called an elder in verse 5 is here called a bishop. From this it is clear that here the expression bishop does not denote the highest hierarchical degree of priesthood, but simply the activity of any presbyter who was supposed to oversee (έπισκοπεϊν) the church community entrusted to him, just as bishops - for example, Timothy or Titus - oversaw entire churches, consisting of many church communities. For the rest, see the commentary on 1 Timothy 3:3 et seq. Titus 1:9. holding fast to the true word, consistent with doctrine, so that he may be able to teach in sound doctrine and to rebuke those who resist. “Agreeing with the teaching.” Here we can see an indication of the existence of a firmly established creed (cf. 2 Timothy 3:14). Titus 1:10. For there are many who are disobedient, empty talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, "There are many". Here we mean, of course, Cretan Christians, in particular those who converted to Christianity from Judaism. Titus 1:11. whose mouths should be stopped: they corrupt entire houses, teaching what they should not, out of shameful self-interest. “Stop the mouth,” that is, reprove them so strictly that they remain silent (Blessed Theophylact). “They corrupt entire houses,” that is, they spoil entire families with their teaching. “For shameful gain” (cf. 1 Timothy 6:10). Titus 1:12. Among them, one poet said: “The Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy bellies.” Here the apostle speaks of the Cretans in general. “Poetmaker” is a prophet in Greek (προφήτης.). The Greeks often called poets prophets, obviously attributing to them a kind of divine inspiration. Here, of course, is the Cretan poet Epimenides, who lived in the 6th century BC, whose passage cited was in the already lost work “On Oracles.” Titus 1:13. This testimony is true. For this reason, rebuke them strictly, so that they may be sound in the faith, Titus 1:14. not heeding the fables of the Jews and the decrees of people who turn away from the truth. "That they may be sound in the faith." This refers, of course, to Cretan Christians. Titus 1:15. To the pure all things are pure; but for the defiled and unbelieving there is nothing pure, but their mind and conscience are defiled. Titus 1:16. They say that they know God, but deny by deeds, being vile and disobedient and incapable of any good deed. The same thought is expressed here as was expressed by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 15:11–20) and the Apostle Paul himself (Rom 14:20). For people who are pure in heart and conscience, everything seems pure, and nothing defiles such people (the body and its functions). For unclean people, both in thought and in life, everything appears, every object seems to be such that it must certainly arouse in them unclean thoughts and desires. The word mind means “the entire internal content of a person: mood, beliefs, concepts, thoughts, intentions and actions; and by the word conscience is the moral consciousness of the way of thinking and acting in the face of the law” (Troitsky p. 194). You might be interested in: