These verses contain the apostle's salutation, and the first part of this chapter; in which observe, 1. The person saluting, described by his name, PAUL; by his general office, A SERVANT OF GOD; by his special office, AN APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST; by the end of his office, to PREACH THE FAITH, and th... [ Continue Reading ]
Observe here, 1. The erection of. power in the person of Titus: I LEFT THEE IN CRETE TO ORDAIN ELDERS; "I, who am an apostle of Christ, and have received. commission from him thus to do, I LEFT THEE, thee who wert so dear to me, so useful to me; yet for the church's service did. deny myself, and par... [ Continue Reading ]
Here St. Paul gave Titus, as he had before done Timothy, the character of such persons as were to be admitted into the sacred function. The character is twofold, positive and negative; he shows them both what they should be, and what they should not be. The positive characters of. bishop, yea, of e... [ Continue Reading ]
A reason is here subjoined by our apostle, why Titus should take such special care to fill the church with able guides, namely, because there was. multitude of false teachers dispersed abroad, and scattered up and down everywhere, particularly the judaizing doctors, those of the circumcision, mentio... [ Continue Reading ]
The next argument St. Paul makes use of to excite Titus to take great care how he behaved himself at Crete, and what bishops he left there, is drawn from the quality and nature of the people in that island of Crete, where God's providence and the apostle's care had placed him: he tells him, that one... [ Continue Reading ]
Here our apostle intimates what those Jewish traditions and fables were, which those judaizing doctors and false teachers would intrude and impose upon persons at that time, namely, pretences that men were defiled by eating things unclean, by not observing their days, and keeping other ceremonial ri... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold here the dismal character of many hypocritical persons in the Jewish church. They professed the knowledge of God, the true God, but in their works, in their actions, they denied him, and so became abominable both to God and man, disobedient to the law, and averse to every good work. Here lea... [ Continue Reading ]