This epistle is one of three pastoral epistles (along with 1 & 2 Timothy) it is addressed to Titus and describes the requirements and duties of church leaders.
Titus is a travelling companion of Paul but is not mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles but is mentioned in the letter to the Galatians where Paul wrote of journeying to Jerusalem with Barnabas with Titus, who was later ent to Corinth, where he reconciled the Christian community with Paul, who had founded the church there. Titus was later left on the island of Crete to organise the church there and then became its first bishop. We discover that he later met Paul in Nicopolis and later went to Dalmatia (now Croatia).
Paul’s authorship seems to be incontrovertible as it begins like the letters to Timothy, with his greeting. There has been some debate since. Titus and Timothy share similar phrases and subject matter; thus, it is believed they were written by the same author. There was no argument about authorship until the last one hundred and fifty years. One argument is that the pastoral epistles do not fit in the historical accounts of the Acts of the Apostles, but there is no evidence that Acts contains the complete history of Paul’s life, since his death is not recorded there.
The letter was written between AD 62 and 64. The letter’s theme is the link between faith and practice, belief and behavior. This truth is the basis for Paul’s criticism of false teaching, his instruction in Christian living, and standards he sets for church leaders. Paul had left Titus on the island of Crete to teach the newly formed church (Acts 14). Paul likely wrote Titus during a fourth missionary journey not recorded in the book of Acts. Writing from an unknown location, he instructed Titus in how to lead the churches on the island of Crete. The churches there had apparently been founded by Paul
It seems that the chronological order of the letters is 1 Timothy, Titus, and 2 Timothy. Paul’s final words come at the end of 2 Timothy. Titus was a gentile therefore aptly placed on Crete to lead the new church there. Timothy was part Jew and part Gentile.
We don’t know for sure how the church got started on the island of Crete, but on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, there were people from Crete that were there that were converted and it’s possible they took the gospel back to this little island.
We learn from 1:5 that Paul and Titus worked together in Crete. There they spread the gospel and churches were set up in various parts. Paul had to leave and Titus stayed, thus Paul sent this letter to instruct him and encourage him in this difficult work. It is suggested that, because it is not mentioned in Acts by Luke, it must have happened after that time.
According to 3:13 Paul wrote this letter and sent it by the hands of Zenas and Apollos. The letter was written primarily to Titus, but also to the Christians on the island. His letters were usually publicly read so Paul is careful to give his credentials and the truth of the gospel which is life changing.
False teachers were a problem in the church, and the letter is primarily focused on that issue. Elders are described in chapter 1 and Christian living in chapter 2 and 3. This false teaching would have been welcome in Crete, which was known in the ancient world for immorality. But Paul expected the gospel to produce real godliness in everyday life, even in Crete.
The content of the false teaching is not fully explained. There appears to be a significant Jewish element to the teaching. The opponents come from “the circumcision party.” They are interested in “Jewish myths” and perhaps ritual purity. Paul’s primary concern, however, is with the practical effect of the false teaching. They taught ritual purity, but they lived in a way that proved they did not know God.
