The Pastoral Epistles (1-2 Timothy, Titus) Titus: Chapter 1 Summary

Strong Leadership

  • Greetings! It's time for another letter from Paul. This time, he's writing to his other friend and travelling companion, Titus.
  • Paul reminds Titus that he left him in Crete so that he could keep order there. Seems the people of Crete are in need of some leadership.
  • Titus was supposed to pick leaders in every city, and Paul lays out some guidelines. Elders should be "blameless." Good luck there. They also have to be married (only once) and have kids who are Christian, too.
  • Bishops also have to be upstanding guys. No one who's arrogant, mean, an alcoholic, or greedy need apply for the position. A bishop needs to have a level lead and be able to pass on what's true and right (namely, Paul's teachings).
  • You've gotta have strong leaders because there are lots of Christian naysayers out there who are rebelling against Paul's teachings (which are, in turn, Jesus's teachings).
  • These naysayers think that all Christians need to follow Jewish law and be circumcised. He's dealt with this before.
  • He tells Titus to take it to these guys and try to get them to stop following "Jewish myths" and turning away from the truth. It's time to bring the pain, Titus.