📖 Biblical Definition
Titus was an uncircumcised Greek convert who became one of Paul's most dependable co-workers. Paul refused to circumcise Titus at the Jerusalem Council, making him a living proof that Gentile believers are not bound by the Mosaic law (Galatians 2:3). Paul sent Titus to Corinth to deliver the severe letter and to organize the collection for the Jerusalem saints — a mission requiring both pastoral sensitivity and administrative strength (2 Corinthians 8:6). Later Paul left Titus on the island of Crete to "put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town" (Titus 1:5). The epistle to Titus is a compact manual for church planting and pastoral leadership — covering elder qualifications, the refutation of false teachers, and the insistence that sound doctrine must produce godly living. Titus 2:11-14 is one of the clearest summaries of the gospel in the entire New Testament: the grace of God has appeared, training us to renounce ungodliness and live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives, while we await the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
A Gentile companion of Paul; the recipient of a pastoral epistle.
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TI'TUS, n. [L.] A Greek convert and faithful companion of the apostle Paul, appointed to establish church order in Crete, and the recipient of an epistle bearing his name.
📖 Key Scripture
• Titus 1:5 — "This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town."
• Titus 2:11-14 — "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness."
• Galatians 2:3 — "But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Titus is largely ignored; his epistle's teaching on church order and doctrine is dismissed as outdated.
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Like the other Pastoral Epistles, Titus is frequently denied Pauline authorship by liberal scholars, allowing its instructions on elder qualifications and sound doctrine to be dismissed as "post-apostolic institutionalization." The epistle's insistence that elders must be men of tested character (Titus 1:6-9) is considered too restrictive for the modern church, which increasingly selects leaders based on popularity, platform, or business acumen rather than biblical qualifications. Titus 2's instruction for older women to train younger women in domestic virtues is rejected as patriarchal, despite being grounded in Paul's theology of grace — it is precisely because grace trains us to live godly lives that these instructions matter.
Usage
• "Titus 2:11-14 is the gospel in four verses — grace appeared, grace trains, grace transforms, and grace promises the return of our great God and Savior."
• "Paul's refusal to circumcise Titus was not a minor procedural decision — it was a line drawn in the sand against legalism and for the sufficiency of faith in Christ."