Well, lookie here. Another letter from Paul. Wait, Joy, didn’t you say in yesterday’s podcast that 2 Timothy was Paul’s last letter? Well, yes…yes, I did. But remember, the Bible is not ordered chronologically. Paul’s letter to Titus was written between 62 & 64 AD, three to five years before 2 Timothy. Titus was the other young man whom Paul referred to as his son in the faith. Well, Paul also called him his partner and fellow worker and as his brother. Titus is mentioned like 13 times in the New Testament, nine of which are in 2 Corinthians.
This letter along with 1 & 2 Timothy are called the Pastoral Epistles, because they make up Paul’s instructions to two young pastors. (The word “epistle” means letter.) Titus served beside Paul and as you recall in the last chapter we read together, Titus had gone to Dalmatia which is the modern Yugoslavia Kingdom. Paul apparently trusted Titus implicitly, despite his youth, and left him in Crete to continue the work and appoint elders.
Titus travelled all over with Paul for years. As a matter of fact, it is thought that Titus came to Christ during Paul’s very first missionary journey and he accompanied Paul and Barnabas to the Jerusalem Council. For this reason, Titus was very familiar with false teachers and Judaizers. This letter was most likely a response to one of Titus’ reports from the island of Crete.
My study notes say that the text in Titus is pretty straight forward and should be taken at face value. If you find interpretive challenges, let’s talk about it at Lifting Her Voice, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
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