Reflections on Titus 1:1–4
There are many unhealthy churches in our world. Some are controlling, others are more interested in your money than your spiritual growth, and others try to reach the world by becoming just like it.
But what does a healthy church actually look like?
According to Paul’s letter to Titus, one of the key marks of a healthy church is the godliness of its members. Christians should be living lives that look radically different from those of their non-Christian friends, colleagues and neighbours. Our lifestyles, priorities and ambitions should reflect the fact that we know Jesus.
If our lives look no different from those around us, perhaps our church is not as healthy as we think!
In Titus 1:1–4, Paul introduces three important marks of a healthy church.
1. A healthy church listens to the Apostles’ teaching
Paul describes himself as “a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ” (v. 1). His ministry was for the sake of God’s chosen people, so that they might know the truth about Jesus.
But notice where this knowledge of the truth leads: godliness.
Christianity is not based on myths or human opinions. It is based on the truth about Jesus Christ. We know the truth about God, the world, ourselves and the future. And knowing this truth should change the way we live.
The world believes many lies, but as Christians, we are called to live according to God’s truth. If we really believe what God has revealed about Jesus, it should make a difference to our priorities, our relationships and the way we raise our children.
We no longer have the apostles with us in person (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:12 & Ephesians 2:20), but we have their teaching preserved for us in the Scriptures. A healthy church is therefore committed to listening to the Bible rather than inventing its own message.
2. A healthy church proclaims the glorious gospel
Why does the truth about Jesus matter so much? Because it brings us the hope of eternal life!
Our world has no ultimate answer to death, but the gospel does. Paul reminds us that God, who never lies, promised eternal life before the ages began. At the right time, he revealed his purposes through the preaching of his Word (vv. 2–3).
God’s plan has always been to save people through Jesus Christ and give them eternal life. Jesus came into our world, died to save sinners, rose from the dead and will one day return.
But how do people come to know this glorious news?
Jesus came into history in the first century, but the people of Crete were living on an island far from where he ministered. They needed someone to tell them about him. Paul and others went and proclaimed the gospel.
That is why we preach the gospel to our friends, support mission work and plant churches in new areas. People need to hear the good news about Jesus!
A healthy church loves, teaches and proclaims the gospel entrusted to the apostles. We do not need a new gospel or a more fashionable message. We need the glorious good news of Jesus Christ.
3. A healthy church is a new family
Paul addresses Titus as “my true child in a common faith” (v. 4).
Paul and Titus may have come from very different backgrounds, but they shared something far more important: they had both experienced God’s grace and found peace with him through Jesus Christ.
They were now members of the same spiritual family.
That is what the gospel does. It brings people from different backgrounds together through a common faith in Jesus. The church is not simply a gathering of people who enjoy the same music, share the same interests or belong to the same social circles. It is a new family created by the grace of God.
A healthy church is therefore a community of people who share the same faith, love the same Saviour and are being transformed by the same gospel.
So, are we a healthy church?
As we begin our journey through Titus, we need to ask ourselves some important questions.
Are we listening to the teaching of the apostles in the Bible? Do we love and proclaim the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ? Are we living as a new family, united by a common faith?
And perhaps most importantly, are our lives becoming more godly?
A healthy church is not simply one with a good preacher, a large congregation or impressive programmes. It is a church where the truth about Jesus takes root and produces lives that are radically different from the world around us.
But this is not just a question for our church. It is a question for each of us personally. Are you spiritually healthy? Do you know the truth about Jesus, and is that truth changing the way you live?
Eternity is at stake. So don’t believe the lies of the world. Believe the truth revealed by the God who never lies.
That is how God builds a healthy church — a church that proclaims the glorious gospel, grows in godliness and points a watching world to Jesus.