Having introduced himself and the foundation for the letter Paul now addresses the recipient,
To Titus, my true child in a common faith…
Titus 1.4
We read of Titus a few times in the New Testament. He pops up in 2 Corinthians a couple of times (2.13, 8.23, 12.18) and in Galatians 2. He is suggested by tradition to be the brother of Luke, author of Luke and Acts.
Paul addresses him as my true child in a common faith. The same faith that Paul had, the same things that Paul believed in (1 Corinthians 15.1-11) was the same faith that Titus had. Paul describes their faith as common, and he means that this belongs ‘equally to several people‘. Often we think of common to mean cheap, regular, kind of boring, but the word Paul uses here is very similar to the word often translated as fellowship, or partnership.
Simply, Paul is reminding Titus of the truth that faith in Jesus is common in that it belongs equally to all who profess it. It is common too in that it brings a common salvation (Jude 1.3), and that was just as true for Paul, as it was for Titus, and as it is for you.
The same faith that Paul had was held by Titus, and this same faith is available for you too. Same object, same outworking, same conclusion. The common faith that believes in the birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and second coming of Jesus, the common faith that believes that He died for us whilst we were sinners to offer us reconciliation to God, this common faith in Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and will be the same tomorrow (Hebrews 13.8).
How encouraging this is for us, that we are joining those who went before us in professing faith in something so ancient, so established, something that belongs equally to us as much as it did to them, and will do to those who come after us.
Today, take a moment to think on this; have I truly accepted that my faith allows me to be part of something so much bigger, longer standing, and eternally reaching that myself?
James Travis 