Introduction

• Most Bible scholars believe that Titus was a Greek who was converted to the Church by Paul, and that he accompanied Paul on his third missionary journey. 

• This letter was probably written sometime between AD 65 and AD 68, between Paul's first and second Roman imprisonments.

• Sometimes before writing this letter, Paul and Titus had visited the Island of Cret the Mediterranean Sea.

• When Paul had to leave, he left Titus to help the Church there continue to get established.  

• Sometime later, he wrote this epistle (letter) to him, giving counsel on various organizational and doctrinal matters.

Outline of Titus

- Setting and purpose: 

• Paul writes to Titus, his trusted companion, serving among the saints in Crete, to set the church in order and appoint qualified leaders, correct false teaching, and teach grace-driven discipleship (Titus 1:5).

- Chapter 1: Appointing elders and confronting false teachers

  - Qualifications for bishops/elders: character, household order, doctrinal fidelity.

  - Rebuking deceivers (especially those promoting profit-driven, divisive teachings).

- Chapter 2: Sound doctrine for all ages and stations

  - Counsel to aged men and women, young women and men, and servants.

  - Christ-centered motivation: grace trains us to live holy lives while we await His appearing.

- Chapter 3: Civic goodness, gospel regeneration, and wise boundaries

  - Be subject to rulers, be gentle, avoid contention.

  - Salvation by God’s mercy through the Holy Ghost; insist on good works.

  - Avoid foolish disputations; handle divisive people with measured discipline; final greetings.

Five important verses in Titus (exact text and why they’re vital)

1) Titus 1:2 — The reliability of God’s promise

“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”

- Why it matters: Establishes God’s absolute truthfulness and the eternal scope of His plan. 

2) Titus 1:7 — The spiritual character of church leaders

“For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;”

- Why it matters: Leadership is stewardship. This frames service as moral responsibility, not status. 

3) Titus 2:11 — Grace is universally manifested

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,”

- Why it matters: Grace is God’s initiative—universal and salvific. It sets the tone for discipleship as a response to what God has already done in Christ.

4) Titus 2:12 — Grace trains us for holy living

“Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;”

- Why it matters: Grace doesn’t excuse sin; it empowers transformation. 

5) Titus 3:5 — Salvation by mercy, through spiritual rebirth

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

- Why it matters: Captures the heart of the gospel—God saves us by mercy through spiritual rebirth. 

The single “best” verse in Titus (my pick)

- Titus 2:14

“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

Why this one: 

• In one sentence it holds together the Atonement (He “gave himself”), redemption from sin, sanctification (purifying a covenant people), covenant identity (“peculiar” = God’s own treasured people), and the practical fruit—zeal for good works. 

A tip for deeper study

- Try reading Titus straight through, marking every mention of “good works,” “grace,” and leadership qualities. 

• Then note how doctrine (what God has done) fuels discipleship (how we live). 

• Share what you learn in a class or family setting—Titus is short, but it can reshape how we think about callings, conversion, and community