Titus, Epistle to

The Epistle to Titus is one of the three pastoral epistles, addressed to Titus who had been left by Paul to organize the churches of Crete (Tit. 1:5). Written at approximately the same time as First Timothy, it shares similar concerns for sound doctrine and ordered church life. The letter specifies qualifications for elders (1:6-9), addresses the particular pastoral challenges of Cretan culture (1:10-16), provides instructions for various groups — older men, older women, younger women, young men, and slaves (2:1-10) — and grounds the call to godly living in the grace of God revealed in Christ.

Theologically, the letter contains one of the most concise statements of salvation by grace: "But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy" (Tit. 3:4-5). The phrase "God our Savior" applied both to the Father (1:3) and to Jesus Christ (1:4; 3:6) reflects the letter's high Christology.