History and Theology

Titus 1:6, 7

7/7/10

Reading the Bible in another language usually forces a person to read slowly and therefore carefully. This fact alone is probably the single most important advice a person can follow. What struck me was that Titus 1:6 and 1:7 use the same adjective twice, anegkletos, which can be translated as blameless. It is used five times in the New Testament with the same general shade of meaning (1 Cor. 1:8, 1:22, 1 Tim. 3:10, Titus 1:6, 1:7). Continue reading…

Titus 1:5-16

7/6/10

In our generally anti-institution ethos, most do not want to talk about structure and organization. It all smells of corruption and the misuse of power. However, the purpose of the book of Titus is about structuring the church. This is an important point to make, because even when there is little talk of organization or the downright resistance to it, in the end there will be some sort of structure. Therefore, it behooves us to see what Titus teaches concerning the importance of church organization in general and elders in particular. Continue reading…

Titus 1:1-3

5/27/10

The spoken word is on hard times these days. Short sound bytes are the norm as the attention span of people decreases. Most people do not seem to be alarmed at all, since they have found a solution – entertainment. Entertainment is not bad per se, but when it becomes a preoccupation it is problematic, since sustained argumentation and reasoning is not possible. These observations are not only true of the world, but also the church.

With respect to the latter, there is a particular danger, because God has ordained preaching to be means of communicating what he has done through his son, Jesus. Paul makes this point clear in this text. He has been called to preach the message of Christ, which leads to godliness and eternal life (Titus1:1, 2).

Some may argue that there are other modes available. To this point, I would agree, but there is still something important about preaching. Part of the reason for this is the human element. There is qualitative difference in the human touch that makes it distinct from any other mode of communication. The incarnation of Christ may be the perfect example. We are called to go and share, because that is what God has done through his son.