To Titus, mine own son after the common faith. Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. Titus 1:4
If you will read Acts 15, you will find the first mention of Titus, although you don’t find his name in the chapter. It’s a critical chapter in our Bibles, as the early Christian leaders held their first great conference to determine the first great question to come before them. Some of the legalistic Christians in Jerusalem had heard about the Gospel being preached in places such as Antioch, and declared that these people could not be true believers because they did not keep the law of Moses. So, Paul and Barnabas made their way to Jerusalem, along with other leaders, to take part in the great debate. The legalizers presented their case, insisting that no one could become a Christian without being circumcised. Peter challenged this claim, and turned the floor over to Paul and Barnabas, who refuted the legalizers by relating their experiences in Antioch and on their missionary journey. And they presented an exhibit to the council, a Gentile, a full blooded uncircumcised Greek man named Titus (Galatians 2:1-10). Titus is also of great significance to us today, as we consider him as the exhibit of God’s grace to the Gentiles.
Titus must have been an impressive man, someone whose appearance and godly deportment would have made an impression on that Jerusalem council. He was a man in whom Paul had a great deal of confidence, as we find in the letter Paul wrote to him. He had sent Titus to Crete to address certain conditions that required attention among the Assemblies there. Titus was capable of handling that, as he had helped Paul with many things up to that point. But it is at the Jerusalem council where Titus stands as our representative. Never downplay the importance of that council, perhaps the single most important gathering of leaders in the history of all of Christianity. The powerful legalizers had made great strides in their campaign to bring Christianity into conformity with Judaism. Others, including Peter, knew that the keeping of the law was not necessary to salvation. And Paul and Barnabas had experience the powerful effect of the Gospel among the Gentiles in their missionary journeys. When they presented with Titus as Exhibit A, the legalizers could not refute the proof. The council concluded with its great declaration that united the Christian leaders, the reality that the believing Gentiles and believing Jews share a common faith.
With all of his credentials as a Gentile who had no Jewish background, Titus stands in sharp contrast to Paul, who could describe himself as circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee (Philippians 3:5). And yet, these two great men with their vastly different backgrounds, shared a common faith. For that matter, so do we. For by grace are we saved through faith (just as Paul and Titus were), and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8,9).
There is a common faith. Its adherents are all those who are saved, regardless of their backgrounds. We stand with Titus in that common faith. – Jim MacIntosh