Notes On The Book Of Titus

In this letter from Paul to Titus, who is in Crete, Paul provides guidelines to Titus as to how the local church leadership and populace should conduct themselves.

Notes on the Book of Titus

• Qualifications for elders: possessing a good reputation, having one wife, and believing, well-behaved children. (1 Titus 1:6).
• Qualifications for overseers: possessing a good reputation, humble, patient, slow to anger, not a drunk, meek, not greedy, hospitable, godly, loving the good and self-controlled. (1 Titus 1:7-8). He must also be able to teach and be steadfast to the Word (1 Titus 1:9)
• "To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelievers, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works." (1 Titus 1:15-16 English Standard Version). This echoes Jesus' statement that people will be known by their fruits; when looking at a brother or sister we should look at their actions, not their words.
• "Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness." (1 Titus 2:2 ESV)
• "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine." (1 Titus 2:3 ESV). Older women are to instruct younger women in purity, domesticity and submissiveness. (1 Titus 2:4-5)
• Younger men are to be instructed in self-control. (1 Titus 2:6)
• Titus needs to be a role model through good works, teaching with integrity and dignity and soundness of doctrine. (1 Titus 2:7-8)
• Servants should be submissive and not argumentative nor thieves (I think Paul means thieves in terms of lazy employees who steal their employers times and don't earn their pay). (1 Titus 2:9)
• The church should be submissive to authorities and obedient, ready to do good works, not slandering, avoiding conflict, being gentle and polite to all. (1 Titus 3:1-2)
• "As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned." (1 Titus 3:10-11 ESV). This is something I try and make practice of in my life, if I feel like someone won't listen to reason then I try and distance myself from that person as there is no point in further argument.