Titus 1:1–4 (ESV)
Greeting
1 Paul,
a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never
lies, promised before the ages began 3 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;
4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Titus has a lot of sections that are similar to Timothy, especially his criteria for serving as a pastor or deacon… which will come later. Today is the greeting to the his letter to Titus. The Lutheran Study Bible states: “Paul opens his Letter to Titus and the churches on Crete with a greeting that asserts his authority, recaps God’s plan for salvation, and notes his personal bond with Titus. Most of his greeting revolves around the Gospel, because this is so central to Paul’s life that he can hardly speak (or write) without mentioning it. God saves us from
sin and condemnation and makes us fit for His kingdom. The only logical response to such love, grace, and generosity is, like Paul, to overflow with His praises and share this joyous news with others. Through Jesus Christ, the Father rescues us from our shortcomings
yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”
I pray: I praise You, O God, for giving me grace and peace in Christ Jesus, my Savior! Make me a sincere and faithful
child in the communion of saints. Amen.[1]