Titus 1:4 4To Titus, my true child in a common faith, grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Paul calls Titus his true son in our common faith. The relationship between them is like father to son. Titus may have been converted under Paul’s ministry. Paul mentored him in their common faith. This spiritual kinship provided Paul authority and Titus confirmation in their mission to proclaim the gospel. Paul sent Titus on several important missions, such as to Corinth. Titus is mentioned eight times in 2 Corinthians. He was instrumental in taking up the offering for the saints in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8:18-23). He was with Paul during the Jerusalem council, which met to decide how to bring Gentiles into the church (Acts 15:2). When Paul was later imprisoned in Rome, he sent Titus to Dalmatia (2 Timothy 4:10). By claiming Titus as his son, Paul helps Titus have more legitimacy and authority in the eyes of the Cretan church. The common faith refers to the true interpretation of the gospel that was being distorted by the false teachers in Crete.
Paul’s typical greeting is also loaded with theology and meaning. Grace is the source and peace the outcome of the gospel Paul preached. Grace (“I hope thing are going well”) was the normal Greek greeting, and peace (“May you be experiencing the blessings provided by God”) was the typical Jewish greeting. These blessings come from God the Father, the source of all things, and Christ Jesus, the source of salvation. Mentioning Christ as Savior prepares for the reminder of the gospel Paul will give in 2:11-14 and 3:4-7.
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