Paul’s Letter to Titus.
Titus was a Greek follower of Jesus. He was sent to the Island of Crete off of the Grecian shore to restore houses of the lord.
There is a term in Greek literature called Kritizo which means to be a liar (to be a Cretan). They were notorious for things such as treachery, violence and sexual corruption. Paul looked at Crete to be a perfect place to host churches because of its many harbors and the amount of traffic it had as it was known to deliver goods throughout different parts of the Mediterranean. But due to its nature a lot of corrupt leaders came and took over said churches and started spreading false news. Titus was sent to set things straight.
Titus’s mission was to spread the word about hope of eternal life as promised by the God that does not lie. This is an important factor because the Cretans historically believed in the Greek gods including their “chief god” Zeus, who was well known as a liar, manipulator and deceptor. Paul wanted to be clear that this God, the true God did not lie and has promises of eternal life and salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Christian life is about truth and faithfulness which is completely different than what they historically believed.
Titus first line of work was to devote new leaders or elders whose way of life matched more with the Christian way of life. These leaders were to be mature husbands and fathers who are known for their integrity, devotion to Jesus, self-control and generosity, not only in their home but in their community as well. They wanted to replace the corrupt leaders with these types of men.
Some of the things that the corrupt leaders were teaching was that Christians had to observe the practice of Jewish religions, such as reading the Torra in order to follow the Jewish Messiah and they were motivated by money alone. While they claimed to know God, their Cretan way of life and actions showed that they deny Him.
Due to what was portrayed by these leaders it set a bad example for Christians and what they stood for. They discredited God’s word and made the Christian life not as compelling.
Titus 2: Doing Good for the Sake of the Gospel
You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
Titus is being called to teach the Cretans about how to be truly devoted to one another and the mission that God truly stands for. It is a completely different value system than what the Cretans are used to.
calling c.p 