ACC ~ Titus 1 v1 - 4

1:1a | A Servant of God, an Apostle of Jesus Christ

APOSTOLIC DIGNITY ESTABLISHED. JEROME: When he says, “An apostle of Jesus Christ,” it seems to be as if he had said, “commanding officer of the praetorian guard of Augustus Caesar, master of the army for Tiberius Caesar.” Just as secular judges are seen as more noble in accordance with the kings whom they serve and are assigned a name from the dignity by which they are elevated, so by establishing his great dignity among Christians as an apostle, he has designated himself with the title of apostle of Christ, that he might strike awe into his readers by the authority of the name. Thereby he indicates that all who believe in Christ are to be in submission to him. COMMENTARY ON TITUS.

FATHER AND SON TOGETHER. THEODORET OF CYR: The opening of every one of his letters is distinguished by the divine apostle with this address. At one time it is “Paul a servant of Jesus Christ called to be an apostle.” At another “Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ.” At another “Paul a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ.” And suiting his benediction to his salutation he deduces it from the same source and links the title of the Son with God the Father, saying “grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” LETTERS 146.

1:1b | To Further the Faith of God’s Elect

ELECTED TO GUARDIANSHIP BY GRACE. CHRYSOSTOM: I think Paul’s meaning is this: I was entrusted with God’s elect, not for any achievements of mine. It was not from my toils and labors that I received this dignity. It was wholly the effect of the goodness of the One who entrusted it to me. Yet that this grace may not seem without reason, … he adds: “and the acknowledging of the truth that is after godliness.” For it was for this acknowledgment that I was entrusted. It was of his grace that all this was entrusted to me. God was the author of all this. HOMILIES ON TITUS 1.

1:2a | In Hope of Eternal Life

THE ETERNITY OF THE SON. HILARY OF POI-TIERS: Since the periods of time, therefore, come within the scope of our knowledge or speculations, we pass judgment upon them according to the understanding of human reasoning. In this way we believe ourselves justified in saying about anything: “It has not been before it is born.” The times that have already past always come before the origin of everything. Since in the things of God, that is, in the birth of God, everything is before the eternal time, then we cannot say of him: “Before he was born.” Nor can we say that he to whom the eternal promise was made before the eternal time has the “hope of life everlasting,” according to the statement of the apostle, which the God who does not lie has promised to him before the eternal time, nor can we say that at one time he had not been. We cannot assume that he whom we must confess as being before the eternal time has had his beginning after something. ON THE TRINITY 12.27.

WHETHER GOD EXISTED BEFORE TIME. AUGUSTINE: I confess that I do not know what ages passed before the human race was created, yet I am perfectly sure that no one creature is coeternal with the Creator. Curiously enough, the apostle uses the expression tempora aeterna in reference not to the future but to the past. Thus he says: “in the hope of eternal life which God, who does not lie, promised before the eternal times, he has in due times manifested, his word.” He seems to be saying that time stretches backward eternally; yet time is not coeternal with God, since not only did God exist “before eternal times” but he promised eternal life which he manifested in his own time, that is, in due time. Now, what he promised was his Word. For the Word is eternal life. But how did he make this promise, since it was made to those who certainly did not exist before the “eternal times”? The meaning, then, must be that what was to take place in its own time was already predestined and determined in his eternity and in his coeternal Word. THE CITY OF GOD 12.16.

1:2b | God Who Never Lies

NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE TO GOD EXCEPT TO LIE. CLEMENT OF ROME: Having then this hope [in the resurrection], let our souls be bound to him who is faithful in his promises and just in his judgments. He who has commanded us not to lie shall much more himself not lie; for nothing is impossible with God, except to lie. FIRST LETTER OF CLEMENT 27.

GOD HAS NO DOUBT ABOUT THE FUTURE. AMBROSE: But God can neither be in doubt, nor can he be deceived. For he only is in doubt who is ignorant of the future. One who has predicted one thing while something else has happened is deceived about the future. Not so with God. What is plainer than the fact that Scripture states the Father to have said one thing of the Son and that the same Scripture proves another thing to have taken place? The Son was beaten, he was mocked, was crucified and died. He suffered much worse things in the flesh than those servants who had been appointed before. Was the Father deceived? Was he ignorant of it? Was he unable to give help? The One who is the truth cannot make a mistake. It is written that “the ever-truthful God cannot lie.” How could he who knows all be ignorant? What could he not do, who could do all? OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH 5.17.215-16.

1:3a | The Preaching Entrusted to Me

BOLDNESS ESSENTIAL IN THE HERALD. CHRYSOSTOM: “Through the preaching,” that is, openly and with all boldness, for this is the meaning of “preaching.” For as a herald proclaims in the theater in the presence of all, so also we preach, adding nothing but declaring the things which we have heard. For the excellence of a herald consists in proclaiming to all what has really happened, not in adding or taking away anything. HOMILIES ON TITUS 1.

1:3b | By Command of God Our Savior

COMMANDS NOT LEFT TO OUR CHOICE. CHRYSOSTOM: If then it is a commandment, it is not at my disposal. I fulfill what is commanded. For of things to be done, some are in our power; others are not. For what he commands, that is not in our power; what he permits is left to our choice. … But commandments are not left to our choice, we must either perform them or be punished for not doing so. HOMILIES ON TITUS 1.

1:4 | Titus, My True Child in a Common Faith

THE COMMON FAITH. CHRYSOSTOM: After Paul had called Titus his own son and assumed the dignity of a father, hear how it is that he lessens and lowers that honor. He adds, “After the common faith”—that means: with respect to the faith I have no advantage over you. It is common to us both. You and I were together born by it. Why then does he call him son? Either wishing to express his affection for him, or his priority in the gospel, or to show that Titus had been enlightened by him. In a similar way he calls the faithful both children and brothers. They are brothers because they were born by the same faith. They are children, because it was by his hands. HOMILIES ON TITUS 1.

THIS SONSHIP IS BY CHOICE. CHRYSOSTOM: For in children by nature, the true and the spurious are determined by the father who begot and the mother who bore them. But it is not so in this case, but it depends on the disposition. For one who was a true son may become spurious, and a spurious son may become a true one. For it is not the force of nature but the power of choice on which it depends, whence it is subject to changes in time. HOMILIES ON TITUS 1.

DISTINGUISHING NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL SONS. THEODORET OF CYR: Natural generation does not operate by the assent of the one who is born, whereas the birth that comes from faith requires such assent. Although the one who preaches may sincerely believe, he who hears, unless he takes to himself what he learns with faith, cannot be called the son of the preacher. INTERPRETATION OF THE LETTER TO TITUS.