Do you ever doubt you are qualified to serve as a pastor in Christ’s church? We are right to ask with Paul, “Who is equal to such a task?” and to echo with him that we are not competent in ourselves to accomplish anything for God. But that should not lead us to self-doubt. In his long opening sentence to Titus, Paul reveals God’s will and working, marvels at the grace of preaching, and encourages Titus—and us—to rely on God and serve him confidently.
ΠΡΟΣ ΤΙΤΟΝ
1.1 Παῦλος δοῦλος θεοῦ, ἀπόστολος δὲ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ πίστιν ἐκλεκτῶν θεοῦ καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας τῆς κατʼ εὐσέβειαν 2 ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι ζωῆς αἰωνίου, ἣν ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ ἀψευδὴς θεὸς πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων 3 ἐφανέρωσεν δὲ καιροῖς ἰδίοις, τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐν κηρύγματι ὃ ἐπιστεύθην ἐγὼ κατʼ ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ, 4 Τίτῳ γνησίῳ τέκνῳ κατὰ κοινὴν πίστιν· χάρις καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν.
Translation: Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect people and for the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, (which are/is) based on the hope of eternal life, which God, who is without any deceit, promised before time began. His word he revealed at appropriate times, through preaching, with which even I have been entrusted, by the command of our Savior who is God. To Titus, a true child in a common faith: Grace and peace (to you) from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
In Greek, this is one long sentence. The parts are clear and beautiful. How they fit together is not always clear (especially v. 3) We have to slow down and ponder how the pieces fit together. As we do, the main message comes into focus: God works through messengers of the Word to produce saving faith and godly living in his people. Wow!
The use of the prepositions κατά and ἐπί help make this point. Paul is a slave who belongs to God and an apostle who belongs to Jesus Christ. He has these roles κατὰ πίστιν ἐκλεκτῶν θεοῦ and (κατὰ) ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας. With the accusative κατά can mean “in line with” or “in accordance with.” It can also connote goal or purpose, which fits the context here. The goal or purpose of Paul’s ministry is the faith of the elect and their knowledge of the truth.
Paul adds another κατά phrase after “knowledge of the truth”—τῆς κατʼ εὐσέβειαν. When Paul proclaims the gospel, their knowledge of the truth has godliness as its goal or purpose. Knowledge of the truth leads to godliness. Godliness is a heart-and-life issue, but it is evident in the attitudes, words, and actions of believers. The Lord’s people worship with humble and repentant hearts. They confess their sins. They believe the gospel. They rejoice and sing. They pray. They fight the fight of faith. They turn from evil towards good. They encourage. They love. They witness. They sacrifice. They suffer. They give. They hope. (This list is not exhaustive; God’s people are richly adorned.)
Paul includes another prepositional phrase: ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι ζωῆς αἰωνίου. The faith of God’s people, their knowledge of the truth, and the adornments in their lives are based on the hope of eternal life. The lives of God’s people spring from hope. They know the eternal God has promised eternal blessings. They believe him and long for life with him. They live their lives in the direction of eternity, filled with certainty and optimism.
As pastors, we do well to notice and give thanks for the faith, knowledge, godliness, and hope that are evident in the people we serve. As we give thanks for what we see in them, we also give thanks that God is accomplishing such great things in sinners, through sinners like us.
Paul marveled that the grace of proclaiming the eternal gospel was entrusted to such a person as he—the worst of sinners. In the same way, we marvel that our God and Savior has entrusted the public proclamation of the gospel, at this time and in these places, to us.
Paul the apostle, Titus the 1st-century shepherd in Crete, and you, the end-times pastor in your current calling—all of this is κατʼ ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ.
What a wonder of warmth God created between Paul, a Jew, and Titus, a Gentile. In Jesus Christ, they were beloved family members in a common faith in the Lord. Paul was Titus’s spiritual father. He encouraged his son in the faith to serve with confidence, hope, and joy in the Lord.
We also have a blessed relationship with each other. We are brothers in the faith, with a living hope, in a living Savior. We are serving for the glory of our God and Savior, by his command, with the goal of being a blessing to God’s chosen people. So let’s encourage each other in this holy ministry, and let’s continue to pray for each other.
Grace and peace are yours, brothers, ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν.
Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, sometimes I focus on the apparent lack of faith, knowledge, and godliness among your people. Open my eyes to see your gracious working in the lives of your holy people. Thank you for the grace of serving your people. Make me a humble, faithful, and persistent proclaimer of your word. Be with the more than 1,370 pastors in our church body. Encourage each of them by your word to carry out their ministries faithfully. Use them to bless the people they serve. Fill them with your grace and peace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
P.S. For further reading, we recommend Pres. emeritus David Valleskey’s recent book, The Splendid Task of the Ministry: A Pastoral Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles (NPH, 2023).