Titus 1:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;

NIV: and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,

NASB: but at the proper time revealed His word in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior;

CSB: In his own time he has revealed his word in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior:

NLT: And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.

KJV: But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;

NKJV: but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;

Paul sees his current time as the "proper" (appropriate) time during which God had revealed new information. This is a reference to the good news—or gospel—of Jesus Christ, the Messiah who rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–11). Paul was a preacher as well as an apostle and he "proclaimed" the good news as part of his work as an apostle (Titus 1:1). God had "entrusted" this message to Paul, beginning with Paul's experience with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).

This mission to preach was not optional. The end of the verse notes Paul's work was "by the command of God our Savior." In this phrase, we see that Paul served in obedience to God's command, just as the Jewish people were to live in obedience to the commands of the Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy). Paul also called God "our Savior" to indicate he was writing to Titus as a brother in the Lord, even though Titus was a Gentile.

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 1:48:04 PM