We don’t know a great deal about Titus; he’s only mentioned a few times in the New Testament (2 Cor. 2:13; 7:6; Gal. 2:1; 2 Tim. 4:10; Tit. 1:4). We can glean a few things, however, from these mentions: He was a young man acquainted with Timothy and Paul and involved with them in their missionary work for quite some time. We know for certain that Paul left Crete and the new churches established there in Titus’ charge (Titus 1:5) to get the new churches organized and operational. As you might guess, this is the purpose of Paul’s letter, to give instruction to Titus regarding the proper organization and operation of the local church, and the behavioral patterns of both church leaders and members so that they, in community with each other, might advance the cause of Christ.

The only other of Paul’s letters with such a purpose are 1 and 2 Timothy, for both Titus and Timothy were the only recipients of what has come to be called a pastoral epistle. As such, these are of great value to all of us who are followers of Jesus, particularly to those of us who are leaders within the local church, because they are the only three books of the New Testament that specifically speak to the issue of local church operation everywhere, as opposed to guidance for a particular city of region addressing their local and sometimes unique challenges.

So, as we prepare for our study of Titus, our contextual point of beginning looks something like this:

Author: Paul the Apostle

Recipient: Titus

Date of Writing: AD 64-67

Purpose: Instruction on the proper organization and operation of the local church, and the     behavioral patterns of both church leaders and members so that they, in community with each other, might advance the cause of Christ.

Covent: The New Covenant

Armed with our book’s context, we are ready to begin our study… See you next time!