The role of Titus was an apostolic servant of God Almighty. People who didn't recognize God's truth and power in his words would hardly pay much attention to any other authority, particularly Cretans. But those who sought their place in the Kingdom as loyal servants were required to show earthly respect to earthly rulers. Paul uses terms to describe the whole gamut of such earthly authority: those who were appointed to power, those who held power by virtue of privilege or competence, and those who exercised authority on behalf of someone else. We are saved to good works, and Paul reminds Titus we as believers spend time dreaming up ways to be a blessing to others.
In the case of Cretans, it would be quite an accomplishment if they could simply refrain from harming others. They should learn to control their tongues and their hands and not follow their Cretan instincts. Instead, they should be inclined to humility and patience with the rest of humanity. All the more so when we consider, including Paul himself, where we all came from -- we surely infuriated a lot of folks by our selfish and ill considered choices. We all deserve eternity in Hell.
Our Savior on the Cross showed what an awful price sin carries, and God's willingness to cover that price. It can't be bought by what any of us could do with our own human power. The whole thing rests on the initiative of God to wash away our reliance on our human abilities and our pitiful intellect. Our lives are rebuilt so that we put the mind in a servant role behind the Spirit. Just having His personal Presence inside our lives is more precious than we can say. But along with all this is also a right standing before God Almighty, and a welcome as His own children, inheritors of Eternity.
This teaching creates an eternal commitment to obeying the Lord. Never let those Cretan believers forget it, because without this they simply cannot maintain personal holiness. Even without spiritual birth, living this way is simply the best life any human could have. Obviously all that Jewish obsession with human pedigree, nit-picking over Talmudic legal interpretations, and debate by every Jew in every part of the world cannot accomplish a thing compared to one new convert with a sincere desire to please God. When any man starts down that Judaizer path, give him two chances to learn better, then treat him as a non-believer. His insistence on that stuff is all the proof anyone needs.
Paul closes with a few personal and administrative notes. First, he plans to send one or another assistant to relieve Titus from his duties in Crete. When either of them arrive, Paul wants Titus to join him in Nicopolis. We see it was Zenas and Apollos who carried this letter to Titus, and Paul asks they not be detained, but supplied and sent on quickly. This would also be a good example of how to respond appropriately to urgent needs. That's a fruit of the Spirit, too.
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By Ed Hurst
02 July 2011
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