Well, is the book of Titus important to everyday life? The truth is that the Bible is relevant to our daily lives in its entirety. However, why should we give importance to a short book of only three chapters in the New Testament, namely the book of Titus? What makes it significant, and how can we apply it to our everyday lives? Who should be incorporating its teachings into their lives?
Over the next few weeks, we will take a deep dive into the book & see just how applicable it is to our life as Christians. We will answer these questions and more. We will begin to see how this book can be used in all walks of life.
To get started let’s look at the backdrop of this book.
The book of Titus is an Epistle, a letter written by Apostle Paul to his protege Titus, a Greek convert ministering in Crete around AD 64 (Some say 62, some say 66). In Chapter One vs4, Paul gives us a glance at what he thinks of Titus and refers to him as “my true son in our common faith.” True Son is in reference to their close relationship, it is believed that Paul was the one who led Titus to believe in Christ and follow Him. Titus also accompanied Paul on a missionary journey and we see in 2 Corinthians that Paul had even sent him to Corinth. Common faith is pretty self-explanatory, they have the same fundamental beliefs in Christ. In Titus Ch 1, we see that Titus had been ministering with Paul & was left in Crete to “set right what was left undone, and appoint elders in every town” (vs.5). Titus was tasked with a very important responsibility.
What are the three main principles of Titus?
Miriam-Webster defines a principle as a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption. The book of Titus is filled with all of those things but when we dive deeper, we see that there are 3 main principles within the book. Those three impact our daily walk as followers of Christ. What are they? Well, they are,
- Sound Doctrine
- Servanthood
- Christ-like living
Sound Doctrine is the uncorrupted teaching of the word of God. This is of utmost importance for believers.
Servanthood is giving of oneself; it is an act of humility and love as a follower of Christ. 1 Corinthians 4:1 reads, Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Christ-like living is fully living your life in Christ. It is daily choosing to live like Him.
What we come to see is that these principles were also regarding specific groups of people.
Who was Paul talking about?
The easy answer is all believers, but Paul breaks “all” into more specifics.
First, we read about church leaders. Chapter One pretty much focuses on Pastors/elders. Appointing them and what is expected of them, their character, and their purpose.
Next, we see that Chapter Two focuses on all believers! Those believers are then broken down into even more specific groups:
- Men: Young and Old
- Women: Young and Old
- Slaves
As we move into Chapter Three, we see Paul wrapping things up with final remarks and covering anything he might have left out.
You can see that Paul was very specific in pointing out what principles needed to be addressed and that it was for everyone. There are so many ways we can incorporate the book of Titus into our everyday lives. Stick with me as we break things down even more in the days to come.