A. The writer(s), the place, and the time: The apostle Paul wrote this book to Titus (1:1, 4) from Nicopolis around A.D. 65, after being released from his first imprisonment in Rome and passing through Crete (1:5; 3:12).
B. The subject: the maintenance of the order of the church.
C. The background: [During Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, the churches were subject to testing. During this time of testing, certain churches proved not to be so orderly. Thus, after his release from prison, Paul visited various places, including the city of Ephesus and the island of Crete. Realizing the situation of the churches, Paul became burdened to write an epistle to Titus telling him how to maintain the proper order of a local assembly. This was the background and also the reason for the writing of this book.]
D. The central thought: [To have an orderly life, we need to take care of four units: the church, the family, the social system, and the government. If we care for these units properly, we shall have an orderly life in every way. When Paul was writing the book of Titus, he had within him a concern for these four units. Unbelievers, of course, care only for family, society, and government. Even the philosophers and thoughtful people throughout the centuries have considered only these three units among mankind. But among us in the Lord’s recovery the most important unit is the church. For us, the church is first. We give the church preeminence in our consideration, for the church is the house of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth. Furthermore, the church is the great mystery of godliness, God manifested in the flesh. Paul covered the matter of the church first in this Epistle, and we follow him to give the church the first place among the four basic units covered in this book.]
[Next to the church, the family is the most important unit in society. Without a proper family life, how could we have a healthy society or country? A nation is constituted of families as the basic factors. We fully realize that without a proper family life it is difficult to have an orderly church life. But we also realize that without a proper church life it is difficult to have a normal and proper family life. We are here for the church and also for the family. Furthermore, we care for society. We respect others, we honor our neighbors, and we care for the existing social system. We are not here as social reformers, and it is not our intention to change the social system. In the Lord’s recovery we are here to present to others healthy teachings concerning the all-inclusive Christ and the church as the Body of Christ.]
E. The general sketch: [When Paul was writing the Epistle of Titus, there were certain basic concepts within him. These concepts were the factors, the elements, of the composition of this book. In writing chapter one of Titus, Paul was deeply concerned for the church. Hence, in this chapter he takes care of the proper order in the church and speaks of establishing the eldership for the administration of a local church, of the termination of the various isms, and of holding to the healthy teaching of the apostles. Paul goes on in chapter two to speak of an orderly human life, which is primarily related to the family life. Then...he speaks of society, or of the social system. In 3:1-8 Paul speaks of the rulers, that is, the government.]
F. The sections: 1) introduction (1:1-4), 2) establishing the authority in the church (1:5-9), 3) dealing with the influence of Judaism and Gnosticism (1:10-16), 4) bringing the saints of different ages into an orderly life (2:1-8), 5) charging the slaves to behave well in the social system of slavery (2:9-15), 6) charging the saints to keep a good relationship with the government (3:1-8), 7) dealing with a factious one (3:9-11), and 8) conclusion (3:12-15).