Association. Titus 1:4.
To Titus my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.
Dear Holy Nation,
Paul had a few close friends that he could trust. Among them were Timothy and Luke. The other was Titus. Titus was not Jewish (Galatians 2:1-3) but Greek.
A Common Faith (v. 4a). Paul identifies Titus as his “true child in a common faith.” Paul had led Titus to the faith, so he could claim him as his child. But they share the same faith and in this, there is no superiority or priority. We are all one in Christ. There is no separate heaven for the apostles. We are all heirs of the same kingdom with Christ.
A Common Favour (v. 4b). Paul wishes Titus Grace. This was a common Greek greeting. In Paul’s use, this is God’s favor to undeserving sinners. Where God should have visited us with wrath, he extended salvation at his own cost the death of his son. Peace. This was the usual Jewish greeting and still is, to this day. But in Christ, it took on a revolutionary meaning. We were estranged from God because of sin. Christ in his death and resurrection reconciled us to God, so our peace is a reality, not just a wish.
A Common Father (v. 4c). Salvation comes to us from God the Father, through Christ Jesus. It was the Will of the Father to save us, something he had planned from the beginning but which was kept secret until it was revealed in Christ (Romans 16:25-27) and the Work of the Son when died on the cross as a “ransom for all,” to buy our freedom from slavery to sin (1 Timothy 2:6). The affiliation of those who are in Christ is not just a friendship or camaraderie. It is the bond of the blood of Christ that was applied to each of us when we received him as Saviour.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.