Who Was Titus?

Although Titus has a book of the Bible named after him, he never appears by name in the book of Acts. Yet when we piece together the references to him elsewhere in the New Testament, we discover that he was one of the Apostle Paul’s most trusted and useful fellow workers. Titus was a gentile convert, a traveling companion of Paul, a reliable messenger in difficult circumstances, and eventually a church leader entrusted with considerable responsibility.

A Gentile Convert

We first meet Titus in Galatians 2. Paul tells us that he went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas “taking Titus along with me” (Gal. 2:1). This was an important moment in the early church, when Christians were wrestling with the question of whether gentile believers needed to observe the Jewish law. Titus himself was Greek, and Paul makes a point of telling us that Titus “was not forced to be circumcised” (Gal. 2:3).

Titus was therefore living evidence of an important gospel truth: A gentile did not need to become Jewish in order to become a Christian. Titus belonged to Christ by faith and was a full member of His people. Nothing needed to be added to the gospel of grace.

Paul’s Trusted Companion

We next encounter Titus in 2 Corinthians, where we discover just how much Paul trusted him. The relationship between Paul and the Corinthian church had become painfully strained. There had been opposition to Paul, difficult correspondence, and a visit that had caused considerable sorrow. In the middle of all this, Titus acted as Paul’s representative.

Paul was desperately keen to discover how the Corinthians had responded. When he arrived at Troas and could not find Titus there, he says, “My spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there” (2 Cor. 2:13). Eventually they met in Macedonia, where Titus brought good news about the Corinthians’ response, and Paul was enormously relieved. God, he says, “comforts the downcast,” and “comforted us by the coming of Titus” (2 Cor. 7:6).

So, Paul trusted him with difficult people and delicate situations. Titus was evidently capable of combining firmness with affection. Indeed, Paul says that Titus’ own affection for the Corinthians had increased as a result of his visit (2 Cor. 7:15). He was not simply an Apostolic delivery boy, carrying messages from one place to another. He cared about the people to whom he ministered.

Paul also trusted Titus with money. He was involved in organizing the collection that Paul was gathering from gentile churches to help needy Christians in Jerusalem. This was a sensitive task involving significant sums of money, and Paul was extremely careful about how it was administered. Titus was one of the men he trusted to help oversee it. Paul gives him a wonderful commendation: “As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit” (2 Cor. 8:23).

Church Leader

Later, Titus was given an even greater responsibility. Paul left him on the island of Crete. The churches there needed strengthening and organizing, and Titus was told to “put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5). Paul calls him “my true child in a common faith” (Titus 1:4). Titus had come a long way since accompanying Paul to Jerusalem as an uncircumcised Greek believer. He was now a mature Christian leader whom the Apostle could trust to establish churches and appoint their leaders. Because of his role on Crete, overseeing overseers, so to speak, many in the early church and beyond have referred to him as the bishop of Crete, or even the archbishop, while others have been happier to describe him as an evangelist or Apostolic delegate.

The last glimpse we have of Titus comes near the end of Paul’s life. Writing from prison, Paul says simply, “Titus has gone to Dalmatia” (2 Tim. 4:10), an area on the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea. We are not told what Titus was doing there. Most people see this as a fitting final picture of him: still travelling, still serving, still engaged in the work of spreading and strengthening the gospel.

Conclusion

Titus wasn’t one of the great headline figures of the New Testament. Yet Paul’s scattered descriptions tell us what sort of man he was considered to be. He was a brother, a partner, a fellow worker, and a true son in the faith. He could be trusted with theological controversy, troubled churches, financial responsibility, and the appointment of leaders.

The church has always needed people like that: Christians who know the gospel, love Christ’s people, and can be trusted to get difficult things done. His life reminds us that some of the most valuable servants of Christ are not those whose names attract the most attention, but those whom others can confidently trust with the work of the gospel. Most of all, as Paul told Titus himself, they “must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught” (Titus 1:9).

To learn more about Paul’s letter to Titus, see 3 Things You Should Know About Titus.