Titus: Reasons for Writing

In my previous blog, we looked at how Paul introduced himself in his letter. Today, let’s briefly look at two reasons why Paul wrote the letter.

Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to build up the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness…
Titus 1:1

Reason Number One: To build up the faith of God’s elect

Reason Number Two: To build up their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness

When you put both reasons together, you get encouragement for both our heads and our hearts. My first reaction to these reasons is that I love knowledge. I love to memorize facts and to learn new subjects. When it comes to my walk with God, I love when I’m reading the Bible and I find a new fact that I’ve never noticed before. My love for knowledge explains why I was a fan of the show Lost. Especially in the first two seasons, my mind constantly analyzed the data from the show and connected the events as they unfolded.

Sometimes the Bible feels similar. As I read the Bible in different seasons of life, the Holy Spirit reveals different truths to me. The truths were there all along in black and white, but they didn’t mean as much to me personally.

I can also have knowledge of things that are not truthful. My mind is full of half-truths and rumors. But Paul writes to build up knowledge of the truth. What truth is this? The truth that what goes up must come down?

No, of course not. This truth is deeper than a textbook truth that leads to good grades; it’s the truth that leads to godliness. The truth God reveals to us in Scripture leads us to Himself. As we continue our study in Titus this summer, I pray that God will use His Scripture to reveal more than just facts to us but truth about His loving and holy self.