Paul begins his letter to Titus in much the same way he begins all of his letters, with a greeting that borders on doxology. As in his greeting in 1 Timothy as well as 2 Timothy, there is some deep theology here if we have eyes to see it.

You can see the greeting in this epistle in Titus 1:1-4:

Even though beginning his letters with a greeting is typical Pauline fashion, the greeting to Titus differs in several ways from his greetings in 1 and 2 Timothy. Only here in Titus and in Romans does Paul give extensive details about his apostleship. It seems that most of the rest of his letters were written to churches and people who knew and accepted his apostleship as valid. But the church Titus worked with and the Roman church were newer Christians, and Paul was new to them. He writes this to establish his authority.

First off, Paul introduces himself, and states that he is a slave to God. Most of the time, he states he is a slave to Christ Jesus, so the difference here is noteworthy. This speaks to Paul’s high view of Christ, equating him with God. And Paul is his slave, a servant, even a bondservant. Paul knows that he is not writing this from his own purpose. He is simply a tool in the hands of God, to be used however needed.

Next Paul states his purpose. In most of his other letters, he gives his authority as an apostle, but he has already indicated that with his description of himself. He moves on to his purpose. He understands God to have called him to ministry in order to bring faith to God’s elect, those who have accepted the gospel message of salvation by grace through faith. Paul’s mission is to instruct them in the faith.

He is also to bring them to a knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. This is discipleship. As believers, Paul’s readers, as well as believers today, must gain a knowledge from the Word of God that creates within us an understanding of truth, the truth that can set us free (John 8:32). This is critical, since a portion of this letter gives consideration to several false teachers who do not understand the truth, just as in his letters to Timothy. This phrase helps us to see that the truth, active in our lives, produces proper behavior. It produces fruit.

This, along with Paul’s entire purpose, rests in the hope of eternal life. This is Paul’s hope, his longing, and he wants to make sure that Titus understands that from the very start. As Titus grows in his leadership abilities, he will come to see this as his hope as well.

All of this is based upon God’s character. God does not lie. Paul’s hope is rested solidly upon God’s unchanging nature as Truth. He has been that way sing the beginning of time, from Creation. This literally is “before the time of the ages.” God promised his plan and established his hope in the Garden, in Genesis 3:15. Even then, he knew what would need to happen to redeem us, and acted to set things in motion.

However, all this happens in his own timing. He appointed a specific time (Galatians 4:4-5) for salvation to appear through Christ, and then to have the message delivered through the apostleship of Paul and his preaching. Paul did not choose to preach this message. In fact, he resisted until Christ challenged his thinking on the Road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). Paul sees this call as a sacred trust given by God.

At this point, Paul identifies the recipient of his letter: Titus. He calls him his “true son in our common faith.” This is the same phrase Paul used to describe Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:2.

Finally, Paul wraps up his introductory remarks with a comment that is almost doxological. “Grace and peace” are found in most of his greetings, and mirror the opening of 1 Timothy as well. This grace and peace comes from God. In verse 3, Paul just stated that salvation is from God. Here in verse 4, he calls Christ “our Savior.” Once again, this reflects Paul’s view that Christ is indeed God, and sees the work of the two, along with the Holy Spirit, as inseparable.

Right off the bat, Paul has made several things very clear about who God is, about his call on Paul’s life, and Paul’s mission and purpose as a result of that call. That’s a lot of information to pack into a simple greeting. But Paul minces no words, and communicates very clearly the message God has called him to share.

If Paul saw the message as important enough to pack theology into a simple greeting, we should choose our words carefully as well. Too often, I offer a careless word or flippant remark. The example here is that we should use every single opportunity to communicate the truth of God to those around us. The message is that urgent.

Question: How intentional are you in your words? Do you pack as much meaning into a simple greeting as Paul does? Do you think we should? You can leave a comment by clicking here.