Titus, Part OnePrimjer

Spiritual family relationships

“To Titus, my true child in a common faith” (Titus 1:4).

After his long introduction, Paul finally mentions the addressee of his letter. It is Titus, a fellow believer. In Galatians 2:3, we read that this man was a Greek who had come to faith in Jesus. He was a partner and fellow worker of Paul, and in the second letter to the Corinthians, we read how Titus visited this church and brought a report to Paul. In the letter we are studying now, Paul writes that he left Titus in Crete to finish certain things and appoint church leaders in every town.

But Titus was not just Paul’s colleague. He calls him “my true child in a common faith.” Titus came to faith through Paul’s preaching and was mentored by him; therefore, Paul felt like his father even though they did not share blood. This explains the loving and encouraging tone of Paul’s letter.

At the end of his letter, Paul tells Titus to “greet those who love us in the faith.” It’s not only these two men who feel connected by their shared faith. They have a large “spiritual family” of people who believe in Jesus Christ.

Do you have a spiritual father or mother? Or are you a mentor to someone else who is not mature in the faith yet?