A Strategic Assignment in a Difficult Place
Welcome again. I am excited to share with you today the message of the book of Titus. This brief letter brings together powerful themes—leadership, sound doctrine, godly living, and the transforming grace of Christ. Exploring every detail would take more time than we have today, but let me highlight the key insights Titus offers us.
Titus was among the first clearly identified Gentile Christian leaders placed in charge of a church under Paul’s authority (Gal. 2:3). Paul left him on the island of Crete to “put what remained into order and appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5). Crete was not an easy assignment. Known in ancient literature as the birthplace of Zeus, the Cretans were so notorious for dishonesty that one of their own poets described them as “always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12). Their culture embraced violence, greed, mythologies, and immoral pleasures, resembling pirates more than the peaceful stability of a church community.
Yet Crete was also a strategic location. With multiple active ports, countless sailors, merchants, and travelers passed through its harbors each day. If the gospel could take root in Crete, it could spread throughout the Mediterranean world.
The Challenge of False Teaching
But as in our day, Titus did not enter with a blank slate. Crete already had teachers promoting a distorted gospel. Paul calls them “those of the circumcision party” (Titus 1:10), meaning Jewish-background instructors insisting that Gentile believers must adopt Jewish customs to be saved. They mixed Scripture with speculative genealogies, Jewish myths, and even local Cretan legends about Zeus (Titus 1:14). (1) The people were religious, but they were worshiping a Christ who was not the Christ of Scripture.
We see the same pattern today—churches that use Christian language but preach a Christ shaped by culture rather than by the Word of God.
Leading with Truth and Gentleness
In such an environment, Titus may have felt tempted to charge in “all guns blazing.” But Paul gives him a different pastoral strategy. Titus must be gentle but firm, correcting falsehood but understanding that unbelievers do not yet possess the values of Christians. As Romans 6:20–21 teaches, before salvation the gospel has no hold on our hearts—we do not choose sin so much as we fail to recognize that we have a choice.
Christ redeems us (Titus 2:14) and regenerates us through the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5), making us new creatures with new desires (2 Cor. 5:17). This transformation empowers us to abandon old customs and embrace godly habits. But doing so will always make us stand out from the world—just as Christians in Crete appeared strange to their neighbors. Our conduct must honor Christ regardless of what others think.
Appointing Godly Leaders
Paul gives Titus a clear leadership playbook. He must appoint respected older men whose lives display maturity and integrity (Titus 1:6–9). These elders were not perfect, but they were to be living examples that it was possible to follow Jesus even in Crete. Christ should visibly shape their homes, marriages, and character.
Paul warns that some would claim to know God but deny Him by their actions (Titus 1:16). Titus must warn such people, teach them, call them to repentance—but if they refuse correction, he must move on (Titus 3:10–11). Pastors can invest all their energy into a few troublemakers and neglect those who are hungry for growth. Wise shepherds must learn to discern when to pursue and when to release.
We see this in today’s churches as well. Now that I am one of the older men in my church, I recognize people watch me—my speech, my conduct, my faithfulness. But I also remember who I once was. As Paul called himself the “chief of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15), I could claim I gave him stiff competition. Remembering where I came from helps me remain patient with those still learning. God showed me endless tolerance.
Growing Into the Example God Calls Us to Be
Whether you are a new believer or have followed Christ for decades, the time will come when you become the older man or woman whose life teaches others what faith looks like. People are learning from you even when you do not realize it.
One of the simplest ways to grow into this role is to reflect on someone you admire.
Ask yourself:
- What do they do differently than I do?
- What habits, disciplines, or attitudes shape them?
- What would I need to change to become more like them?
- And most importantly, what would both of us need to change to become more like Jesus?
That is the real question Titus forces us to ask.
Titus reminds us that the church grows not through gifted teachers, but through ordinary believers whose transformed lives shine like a beacon in a dark culture. May we strive to become those people.
Footnotes
- For historical background on Crete’s mythology and the influence of Jewish myths and genealogies, see Craig Blomberg and Mariam Kamell, Titus in Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, vol. 3.