Tehillah Bible Study:?Titus Overview
Pre-study Question:
What do you want to get out of Tehillah in particular the Bible studies?
Background/Context:
1. Where is Titus situated in the Bible and the salvation time line?
2. Who wrote Titus and what gives him authority?
Here's a tip guys... whenever asked who the human author of a book of the New Testament is, go with Paul- He's kind of like c) in a multiple choice quiz. Paul wrote the Letter to Ttitus, as well as the other 12 epistles in the New Testament. Of these, 6 of the Epistles have had their authorship by Paul questioned; the general consensus though remains that Paul wrote this letter. For me, v1 seems to be a fairly strong indicator that Paul did write Titus...
Paul's authority comes from the highest power available- As an 'apostle of Jesus Christ'(v1.), Paul uses the word 'apostle' in its narrowest sense to denote his position as one of the seminal figures in the Early Church as a missionary and leader. That this office came from Jesus (Acts9:15) provides the foundation/basis for Paul's authority, and ultimately should decide similar positions in our own church.
3. When was Titus written?
The Letter to Titus is regarded as being written in between 1and 2 Timothy- This came at a time when Paul had Crete after setting up the church/es there. Tentatively, this puts the Letter of Titus
written between 62-67AD http://bible.org/seriespage/introduction-letter-titus
4. Who are Titus and the Cretans?
From the Bible, we learn that Titus was a gentile (Gal 2:3), and one of Paul's closest workers. From Titus 1:4, the relationship between Paul and Titus seems similar to the relationship between a father and son, likely because of Paul's role in bring Titus to Christ.
The Cretans were the inhabitants of the island of Crete( Duh...), the center of the Minoan civilisation. It is likely that Spain's bullfighting tradition also originated in Crete, its antecedent found in a Minoan festival that involved young Cretans somersaulting onto the back of a Bull (useful for Trival pursuit). By Paul's time, the Cretans were already known to have less than admirable qualities (Titus 1:12), to which Titus was to continue tending to the needs of the Cretan church planted there by Paul.
5. What kind of book is Titus and?what is?the purpose of the book?
Together with 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul's Letter to Titus have collectively become known as the 'Pastoral Epistles'. Despite Paul addressing Titus individually during the opening address, the Letter to Titus really sets out the importance of Doctrine within the Church, and how this should accordingly affect the church members. In this respect, Titus contains important advice on how our own church should look today.
Read Titus 1:1 – 3:15
Titus 1:1-3:15:
6. What is the main message of Titus as a whole and in topics?
What may be an apparently boring duty to memorise the Bible in agonising detail, is shown in the Letter to Titus to be central to the gift of Gods Grace to Mankind. V14 states that Jesus Christ `gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness himself and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do good.`
For a Christian to show no ouward change in their behavior after having been admitted the Grace of God denies the purifying nature this gift is supposed to have upon us. While this in no way endorses a view that we are saved through our own good efforts and actions, if a person who proclaims their `Christianity` shows no outward renunciation of their old worldly ways, it is hard to see whether they really have accepted Christ into their life.
The emphasis on doctrine in Titus that is indispensable to the process of purification brought on by God`s Grace. While every man/woman is gifted with the ability to discern right from wrong (Rom 2:14-16), no one always has the right answer, all the time. Furthermore, the particular problem dealt in Titus of people teaching incorrect doctrine has the ability to undo entire communities, particularly when the source of incorrect doctrine is an elder in the Church. To sum up, Titus helps us understand how sound knowledge of the Bible is necessary in leading godly lives, having the promise of salvation through His Grace.
7. What similarities are there from the Cretans and the Corinthians?
Both the Cretans and the Corinthians at the time of Paul writing his
letters to each respective congregation were young churches. at first
notice, a big similarity between the two churches is the problems they have
with their preaching. While the Corinthians were more impressed with the
lopgic and charisma of their speakers than whether the content was
centered on Jesus and the cross, the Cretans seem to have simply just
been preached wrong doctrine.
Titus 1:1-4:
8. What is the importance of?this?passage?
3 main points to that I want to emphasize in the passage here;
1. The connection between faith and knowledge; V1 clearly lays out Paul's objective to 'further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth'. It's important to realise that an important part in the process of becoming of strong Christian involves equal parts introspection on the relationship between you and Jesus, and a sound knowledge of Biblical knowledge. Acknowledging Christ as Lord is a personal conviction based on an individual faith in His promise of salvation. To rely on Jesus daily requires and even develops a a deepening trust between you and Him. At the same time, no one has within themselves all the answers, to which God has provided the Bible to guide us through this life- being 'godly' does not call for an attitude ignorant of the advice God has already provided in the Bible!
2. The eternity of God's promise; V2-3 talks about God's eternal design to have us saved through Jesus Christ- it wasn't something thrown together at the last minute, a contingency plan for a scenario that might never happen... God's intention and actions have always been to lead us to eternal life through the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.
3.Grace and peace!; Before finishing off the introduction, Paul acknowledges where everything stems from- the Grace of God that we have all been saved by, and the peace which arises of knowing that our place in eternity has been secured by Jesus.
Further Questions:
9. Is Titus still applicable for modern Christians? If so how is it still applicable?
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