There are so many great heroes of the faith found in scripture. Today I was impressed with Titus. He is one of those significant contributors to our faith that we often do not think about. As I was reading the letter to Titus, Paul says this in Titus 1:4.

“To Titus, my true child in a common faith.”

First, Titus is mentioned as one of Paul’s converts. We see in Gal. 2:1-3, that Titus was a Gentile, who was uncircumcised and Paul used him as an example of how God was at work among those who were not of Jewish heritage. He was a miracle of God’s grace.

Second, we see that Titus had a “common” faith with Paul. The word “common” is koinē. This is the same word used when we say koinē Greek, the language of the New Testament. It was used for the New Testament because it was a language common to the Roman Empire. Louw and Nida explain the significance of its usage here when they say,

“ Since the emphasis in Tt 1:4 is upon the fact that Paul and Titus have the same faith, one may also translate as ‘… the faith that you and I have’ or ‘… the faith we both believe in.’”

Since Paul and Titus had the same common Faith, a Faith that they both shared, the same can be said of us today. We share the same Faith that the early apostles and Christians had. This is an amazing truth to remember.

As a result of God’s miraculous work in Titus, he was used for some hard tasks in the early church. Some of those tasks include:

1) We see God using him to help correct the errors in the church at Corinth (2 Cor. 7:6-9). Can you think of a harder church to be open to for God’s service?

2) He was also selected to be the person to complete the collection for the poor in Jerusalem (2 Cor. 8:6).

3) He was given the task of addressing the needs of the church on the island of Crete. This church was,

“Beset by a rise in false teaching and declining morality, Titus was told by Paul to strengthen the churches by teaching sound doctrine and good works, and by appointing elders in every city (Titus 1:5).” (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

4) As Paul awaits his execution, he mentions that Titus is not with him because he was out doing mission work in Dalmatia (modern Turkey). Titus was out furthering the mission of the Church as Paul anticipated his death. He was a hard worker.

Titus always seems up for the tough task.  Whether he was addressing tough problems in the church, risking his safety in delivering the offering to Jerusalem, teaching and appointing elders in the church at Crete, or taking the Gospel to the mission field, He is a great model for us to follow. I want to be like Titus.

Father, thank you for the example of Titus. A Gentile that was miraculously changed by the Gospel. He turned out to be a man that was dependable, reliable, courageous, hard-working and compassionate. Help me to be like Titus as you use me for the advance of the Kingdom.

Following Jesus with you,