Titus 1:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

NIV: To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

NASB: To Titus, my true son in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

CSB: To Titus, my true son in our common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

NLT: I am writing to Titus, my true son in the faith that we share. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace.

KJV: To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

NKJV: To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

Verse 4 transitions from a focus on Paul to the recipient: "Titus, my true child in a common faith." Three attributes are noted. First, Titus was a "true child" to Paul. This likely indicates that Titus had been converted by Paul. Second, they shared a faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. They both lived with the belief that Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Third, their faith was not only "shared," but "common." This term is significant. Paul again stresses the unity of Christians, despite the fact that Paul was Jewish, and Titus was a Gentile. The entire letter emphasizes the problems associated with Judaizers—those who taught Christians were to live according to Jewish laws. Paul clearly noted in the introduction that he and Titus shared a common faith. They were a spiritual family, regardless of the divisions historically seen between Jews and Gentiles. They were family as a result of the person and work of Jesus the Messiah.

The reference to grace and peace is common in Paul's letter introductions. "Grace and peace" emphasizes Paul's blessing to Titus, while these two terms stood in parallel to God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. "Savior" ends both verses 3 and 4, with "God our Savior" in verse 3 and "Christ Jesus our Savior" in verse 4. Jesus was clearly presented as equal to God the Father and part of the triune Godhead.

Titus 1:1–4 introduces the letter from Paul to Titus, who was left on Crete in order to oversee the churches there. Paul refers to himself as a “bond-servant,” or “slave” of Jesus Christ. He makes it clear that Titus and Paul share a common faith, and a common Savior.

Chapter 1 introduces the letter from Paul to Titus. Paul describes the requirements for being appointed a church leader, such as an elder or pastor. The text then transitions into a description of how to “rebuke” false teachers. These are the requirements Paul expects Titus to follow when selecting leaders for the local churches of Crete.

Chapter 1 focuses on the character traits of a church leader, contrasted to the immoral culture of Crete. Specific instructions are given for elders, and a means for dealing with false teachers. Chapter 2 explains the ideal traits of church members, especially in their acts towards each other. Chapter 3 will focus on the relationship between Christians and their surrounding culture.

The book of Titus is a letter written by the apostle Paul, to a Christian leader on the island of Crete. This is one of Paul’s three Pastoral Epistles, where he offers instructions to younger believers caring for large groups of others. Paul uses the book of Titus to emphasize the importance of selecting church elders carefully. Many of the topics discussed in Titus are mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament. Though the details of this message are specifically for Titus, and the believers of Crete, they offer insight useful for churches today.