Titus 1:3-4 - Unity

Titus 1:3-4 (ESV)

and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;

To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

In verse 3 God is called “our savior” and in verse four Christ Jesus is called “our savior.” Which is it? There are two explanations of this. First is that this supports the truth that Jesus is God for the savior is called God in verse 3. That is possible but not likely, since the term “God” seems to be used exclusively for the Father in Titus. The second explanation is that it shows the intimacy of the Trinity. What one member of the Godhead does, the entire godhead is involved in. This makes more sense to me and does not undermine the deity of Jesus. The Bible Knowledge Commentary observes that “Paul uses the term Savior in Titus’ letter interchangeably for the first two Members of the Godhead.”

The intimacy of the Godhead speaks to the intimacy expected in the Body of Christ. Verse four begins with a reference to Titus as a “true child in a common faith.” He then talks about grace and peace that is sourced in the Father and the Son. An intimate Godhead demands a united Church. A united Body requires godly leadership, sound doctrine, and a humble, servant’s hearts. That is the focus of the rest of Titus. Often church splits and church conflicts are rooted in one of those three areas. Poor leadership, fuzzy theology, a lack of humility and an unwillingness to serve rather than be served result in divided churches. Divided churches fail to model Christ to our broken world. Grace and peace sourced in the Father and the Son go a long way toward resolving conflict. May we show the grace to others that God has shown to us, and rest in his peace.