Identity. Titus 1:1.
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness.
Dear Saints,
This letter to Titus, one of Paul’s closest friends and disciples, begins in a typical Pauline fashion.
God (v. 1a). Normally, Paul identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ, as he also does here. However, in this letter, he also identifies himself as a servant of God. This term is common in the Old Testament and is used by people like Moses (Psalm 105:26), David (2 Samuel 7:8), and the prophets (Amos 3:7). It is possible that Paul wants to make a clear connection between the gospel he preaches as an apostle and the service that the Old Testament servants rendered to God.
Goal (v. 1b).The purpose of Paul’s dual office as a servant and an apostle that the elect would come to faith through the “knowledge of the truth.” This echoes Paul’s words earlier, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Put simply, Paul lives to preach the gospel, that by hearing it people may come to faith in Christ.
Godliness (v. 1c). Faith in God leads to godliness. From this assertion, we can surmise that there were people claiming to believe in Jesus, whose lives did not evidence godliness. In other words, “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6). Put in crude modern parlance, “put your money where your mouth is.”
Your Loving Pastor Chris.