56) The Book of Titus

TITUS was a Gentile convert of Paul (Acts 27:7-9; Gal. 2:1-3). Titus was the young pastor of the church in Crete. Crete is a large island off the north coast of Africa. The Cretians were descendants of Ham (Ezek. 25:16; Zeph. 2:5; Amos 9:7). Paul gave Titus similar instructions that he gave Timothy because both young men were soldiers of Jesus Christ as pastors. This brief letter to Titus could serve as a field manual for the infantryman of the Lord God.

The letter continues the chronology of the Epistles of Paul as an outline of growth in grace of the believer. Romans reveals the new birth and I Corinthians was written to babies in the Lord Jesus Christ. The seven stages of growth are baby, little child, child, young man, father, elder, and aged. The letter to Titus progresses to the aged man and woman in the church and the letter to Philemon was written by the aged Paul. The letters to Timothy reveal the soldier and student of the Lord, but the letter to Titus begins with the servant of God. This transition hints at the highest calling forthe saint as a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. The letter contains 3 chapters and 46 verses.