The Apostolic Resume Text: Titus 1:1-4
Introduction: Setting Things in Order
The book of Titus is a manual for setting things in order. The Apostle Paul left his apostolic delegate, Titus, on the island of Crete, a place notorious for its liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons. His task was not to start a book club or a social program, but to establish order in the churches by appointing elders and teaching sound doctrine. This is a book about the bone structure of a healthy church, and by extension, a healthy society. Whenever a culture begins to come apart at the seams, as ours most certainly is, the reason can always be traced back to a departure from the truths laid out in books like this one. When the church loses its nerve, the world loses its mind.
But before Paul gets to the task at hand, he begins with a dense, tightly-packed introduction. These opening verses are not mere pleasantries. They are what we might call Paul's apostolic resume. He is establishing his credentials, but not in a spirit of self-promotion. Rather, he is grounding his authority, and the authority of the message he carries, in the character and eternal purpose of God Himself. Every phrase in this introduction is a theological anchor, driven deep into the bedrock of reality. He is laying down the doctrinal foundation upon which all practical godliness must be built. If you get the doctrine wrong, the house will fall down, no matter how sincere your efforts. And so, before telling Titus what to do, Paul reminds him who God is, who Paul is in relation to that God, and what the ultimate purpose of their shared ministry is.
This is a declaration of divine war against the chaos of Crete, and by extension, against the chaos of our own day. The gospel is not a suggestion; it is a command from God our Savior. It is not a therapeutic program for self-improvement; it is the manifestation of an eternal promise from the God who cannot lie. And it is not a private spiritual journey; it is the faith of God's elect, a common faith that creates a new people. Let us attend carefully to the ground upon which Paul builds everything else.
The Text
Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and the full knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which the God who cannot lie promised from all eternity, but at the proper time manifested His word in preaching, with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,
To Titus, my genuine child according to our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
(Titus 1:1-4 LSB)
Identity and Mission (v. 1)
We begin with Paul's self-identification, which is packed with theological weight.
"Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and the full knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness," (Titus 1:1)
Paul begins by calling himself a "slave of God." In our egalitarian and autonomy-obsessed age, this language is jarring, and it is meant to be. The Greek word is doulos, and it means bond-slave. It signifies absolute ownership. This is not the language of a volunteer or a part-time contractor. Paul is not his own; he has been bought with a price. This is the foundational identity of every Christian. Before we are anything else, we are slaves of God. This is the most profound liberty a man can know, because to be a slave of God is to be free from slavery to sin, to self, and to the tyrannical opinions of other men. If you are not a slave to God, you will be a slave to something far less worthy of your devotion.
He is also an "apostle of Jesus Christ." This is his specific office. An apostle is one who is sent with the full authority of the sender. Paul's authority does not come from a committee vote or from his own personal charisma. It comes directly from the risen Lord Jesus. He is an emissary of the King. This is why his letters are not collections of helpful hints, but rather binding, authoritative Scripture.
And what is the purpose of this slavery and this apostleship? He lays it out immediately: "for the faith of God’s elect and the full knowledge of the truth." Paul's entire ministry serves a particular goal, which is to cultivate faith in a particular people, God's elect. Faith is not a vague leap in the dark; it is a firm trust in the promises of God, and it is a gift sovereignly bestowed upon those whom God has chosen from before the foundation of the world. This demolishes all man-centered gospels. Salvation is of the Lord, from start to finish.
But notice what this faith is tied to: "the full knowledge of the truth." Biblical faith is not blind. It is not a feeling. It is rooted in and nourished by objective, propositional truth. And this truth has a specific character: it is "according to godliness." This is a crucial diagnostic test for all doctrine. True doctrine always, without fail, produces godliness. If a particular teaching, no matter how intellectually stimulating, results in arrogance, licentiousness, or laziness, it is a false teaching. The truth is not just for filling our heads; it is for transforming our lives. Doctrine and duty are inseparable. Right thinking leads to right living. This is the central theme of Titus. The chaos of Crete was a direct result of bad theology, and the only solution is the truth that produces piety.
The Unshakable Foundation (v. 2)
Paul then grounds his entire mission in the eternal plan and character of God.
"in the hope of eternal life, which the God who cannot lie promised from all eternity," (Titus 1:2 LSB)
The entire Christian enterprise, the faith, the knowledge, the godliness, is all oriented toward "the hope of eternal life." This is not a wishful "I hope so," but rather a confident and certain expectation. It is an anchor for the soul. We labor and strive in this present world because we have a guaranteed inheritance in the world to come. This hope is what enables us to be faithful when the world is hostile.
And why is this hope so certain? Because of its source. It was promised by "the God who cannot lie." The Greek is apseudes theos, the non-lying God. It is not simply that God chooses not to lie, as though it were one option among many for Him. It is that lying is contrary to His very nature. He is the truth. For God to lie would be for Him to cease to be God. All of His promises are therefore as certain as His own existence. Our hope is not tethered to our performance or our feelings, but to the immutable character of God Himself.
And when did He make this promise? "From all eternity." Before time began, before the mountains were brought forth, before He ever created the world, the plan of salvation was already settled within the councils of the Trinity. The promise of eternal life for His elect in Christ was not a Plan B that God came up with after Adam fell. It was the plan from the beginning. This gives us immense comfort. Our salvation is not a historical accident; it is the outworking of an eternal, unchangeable decree.
The Timely Proclamation (v. 3)
The eternal promise was not kept secret forever. It was revealed at a specific moment in history through a specific means.
"but at the proper time manifested His word in preaching, with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior," (Titus 1:3 LSB)
God's eternal plan intersected with human history "at the proper time." God is the Lord of history. The incarnation, the cross, the resurrection, and the sending of the apostles did not happen randomly. They were part of a divinely ordained timetable. The eternal promise was "manifested," made public and plain.
And how was it made manifest? "In preaching." The Greek is kerygma, the proclamation of a herald. God's chosen method for revealing His eternal plan and saving His elect is the public proclamation of the gospel. This is an offense to the wisdom of the world, which looks for signs, for sophisticated philosophies, or for political programs. But God has chosen the foolishness of what is preached to save those who believe. The preached Word is the power of God unto salvation. This is why Paul is so insistent that Titus appoint elders who can teach sound doctrine. The health of the church depends on the faithful heralding of God's Word.
Paul's role in this was not self-appointed. He was "entrusted" with this preaching "according to the commandment of God our Savior." Preaching is a stewardship, a sacred trust. A preacher is not an entertainer or a motivational speaker; he is a man under orders. He has been given a message, and he is not at liberty to alter it. His authority comes from the one who gave the commandment: "God our Savior." This title for God emphasizes the very nature of the message. The God who commands the preaching is the God who saves through the preaching.
A Common Faith, A Common Grace (v. 4)
Finally, Paul turns his attention directly to his recipient, Titus.
"To Titus, my genuine child according to our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior." (Titus 1:4 LSB)
Paul addresses Titus as his "genuine child." This is not a statement about biological parentage, but about spiritual fatherhood. Titus was one of Paul's converts, brought to faith through his ministry. This reveals the beautiful, familial nature of the church. We are not just members of an organization; we are brothers and sisters, fathers and sons in the faith. This relationship is established "according to our common faith."
This "common faith" is a crucial concept. The faith that saved the great Apostle Paul is the very same faith that saved Titus, and it is the same faith that saves us. There are not multiple ways to God. There is one Lord, one baptism, and one faith. This faith is "common" because it is shared by all of God's elect, across all time and all cultures. It unites the Jew and the Gentile, the Cretan and the Roman, the slave and the free man into one body. It is the great leveler and the great unifier.
Paul concludes his opening with a standard, yet profound, blessing: "Grace and peace." Grace, charis, is the unmerited favor of God. It is the foundation of everything. We are saved by grace, we stand in grace, and we live by grace. Peace, eirene, is the result of that grace. It is not merely the absence of conflict, but the positive reality of wholeness, well-being, and reconciliation with God. This is the peace that passes all understanding.
And where do this grace and peace come from? "From God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior." They are not generated from within us. They are gifts that flow down from the Father, through the mediatorial work of the Son. Notice the second use of the title "Savior," now applied to Jesus. God the Father is the architect of salvation, and Jesus Christ is the agent of salvation. The Father planned it, and the Son accomplished it. Our salvation is secure because it is a Trinitarian work from beginning to end. This is the solid ground upon which Titus is to stand as he goes about the difficult work of setting the church in order.