Someone recently asked me what we are currently studying in our sermons at Faith Church. I was about to say “Titus” when I realized that although this answer was correct, it could also be a little confusing. We have not been studying Titus himself but rather the Book of Titus, that is, the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to his ministry protege named Titus. There are some details that we learn about Titus in this letter, such as the fact that Paul left him to minister in Crete – a ministry that likely took place after the events of the Book of Acts. We also see references to Titus in other parts of the New Testament that give us more insight into this leader in the early church. Thus, I thought a fun supplement to the sermon series on the Book of Titus would be a blog post on the person of Titus and exploring the other references to him in the New Testament.

Titus in Galatians
The first reference to Titus, both in terms of the order of the Bible and also in terms of historical chronology, is found in the Book of Galatians. This is likely the first letter the Apostle Paul wrote and at least 15 years prior to writing the letter to Titus. Paul’s relationship with Titus is even older than this letter, as Paul notes in Galatians 2:1-3 about bringing Titus along with Barnabas on a visit to Jerusalem he had made a few years before the writing of Galatians. (While debated among scholars, this is likely the same visit we read about in Acts 11, which does not mention Titus.) This detail points to Titus being one of earliest ministry partners of Paul and likely the longest partner of Paul. Their ministry partnership preceded that of Paul’s with Timothy and outlast Paul’s partnership with Barnabas. 

We don’t have any details in terms of how old Titus was or how they met (though the reference to Titus as a son in faith in Titus 1:4 may indicate that Paul was there when Titus became a Christian), but we discover in Galatians 2:1-3 that Titus was Greek, not Jewish. His ethnic identity is more than a trivial detail, however, as it was a potential flash point because of debates at the time concerning what was expected of Gentiles (non-Jewish people) who become Christians. This is a key issue addressed and discussed in the Book of Galatians. Paul notes that neither he nor others forced Titus to be circumcised, showing that a believer in Jesus did not need to become Jewish but could retain a Gentile identity. (Interestingly enough, we discover in Acts 16 that Timothy received circumcision, but this seems likely due to the fact that Timothy had a Jewish mother so he could be seen as a Jew rather than a Gentile.) 

Titus in 2 Corinthians
The majority of references to Titus in the New Testament appear in 2 Corinthians, which is probably about a decade after Galatians and a decade before the Book of Titus. Paul’s words about Titus in this book show him to be well-respected by Paul and also by the Corinthians. In the background of this letter is a dispute and conflict between Paul and the Corinthian church, and we see that Titus served as something of an intermediary between them (he may even have carried some of the letters Paul and the Corinthians exchanged). 

He visited Paul and comforted him with his presence but also with his words about the Corinthians’ care and concern for Paul (2 Corinthians 7:6-7). Titus was also encouraged by the Corinthians in his time with them (7:13) and seems to have a genuine care for the Corinthians (8:16). Part of his work with the Corinthians was encouraging them to participate in the collection that Paul was making to help the church in Jerusalem – an important task that Titus did not seem to resent at all but was eager to do (8:6, 16-17). Paul also notes that he had sent Titus to see them, showing his trust in him, and that Titus acted in integrity in his time with them (2 Corinthians 13:18). Overall, the references to Titus’s work in this letter reflect the label that Paul gives him as a “partner and fellow worker” (8:23). 

Titus in 2 Timothy

The only other reference to Titus outside of the Book of Titus is 2 Timothy 4:10. This book is likely written after Titus and the last letter written by Paul. In Paul’s closing remarks, he asks Timothy to join him because he is alone now as various figures have left him. One of those figures is Titus, who Paul says has gone to Dalmatia. This place is in modern-day Croatia and is a place that Paul seems to have ministered in years earlier, as it was in the Roman province of Illyricum. We don’t know why exactly Titus traveled there, but it seems likely for a similar reason that Crescens, another ministry colleague of Paul’s, went to Galatia, another place that Paul had ministered. Perhaps Titus was sent to Dalmatia to do something similar to what he had done in Crete in terms of solidifying the church that was there. While we don’t know exactly why Titus went to Dalmatia, this note shows us that Titus’s ministry and connection to Paul continued after his ministry in Crete. While others would abandon Paul and the ministry (like Demas who is also referred to in 2 Timothy 4:10), this note points to Titus remaining faithful to the ministry and to his mentor to the very end.

Titus in Total
These other references to Titus may help us understand his role in Crete even more. We don’t know how old he was, but we should not imagine him to be too young since he has been with Paul from the beginning of his ministry. In addition, he was not new to ministry but was actually well-seasoned, having been involved in some dicey ministry settings in the past. His experience may have been why Paul entrusted him with the ministry in Crete. In addition, he would seem well-suited to minister in Crete in light of his Greek ethnicity (so he would understand the culture better than someone from a Jewish background) and experience dealing with false teachers radiating from Jewish circles. He had a proven track record and had earned Paul’s trust through his conduct and teaching; yet Paul still thought it important to remind him of the need to reflect good behaviors and good beliefs (Titus 2:7). 

May we learn not just from the words that Paul wrote to him by looking at the Book of Titus but also through the model of faithfulness in ministry we see in the other references in the New Testament to Titus. 

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