One of the concerns in the little book of Titus is being spiritually healthy. The Apostle Paul is writing to his associate Titus to help establish churches on the ancient island of Crete. Crete was an important Roman province established in 69 BC to be an outpost against pirates in the Mediterranean Sea. It was also the home of various shrines and temples (18 in all) dedicated to Asclepius the Roman god of healing. Asclepius was renowned through the Empire for his ability to restore health and heal. Interestingly the symbol or standard for Asclepius is still with us today with the 'Caduses' or the winged pole with two serpents which is the symbol for the American Medical Association and many doctors around the world, Archeologists have discovered a site in Crete dedicated to Asclepius with a stone inscription from a man named Diodoros who thanks Asclepius for a healing that came in a dream which was very common with Asclepius and he calls Asclepius his 'Saviour'. This is the same word we use when we call Jesus 'Saviour' today.
This is important for several reasons, especially in understanding the Book of Titus. Paul uses the title 'saviour' throughout the book. In Titus 1.3 Paul calls God our 'Saviour'. In 1.4 it is 'Christ Jesus our Saviour'. In Titus 2.10 slaves are encouraged to adorn the doctrine of 'God our Saviour'. Titus 2.13 looks forward to the coming of 'our great God and savior Jesus Christ'. Paul attributes his conversion to 'the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Saviour' in 3.4. Finally in 3.6 Paul attributes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to 'Jesus Christ our Saviour'. The title 'saviour' would have been very familiar to the Cretans with Asclepius. Paul, however, uses it to attribute true salvation and wholeness to God and Jesus Christ.
In modern church thinking 'salvation' is almost entirely about being rescued from the consequences of sin, death, and the judgment of God. This is primarily what we mean when we talk about 'being saved'. Although this is blessedly true, many people in the first century would have thought that salvation and having a saviour was about healing, health, and being made whole which is why Diodorus called Asclepius his saviour. Paul seems to pick up on this in Titus not only be his many references to God and Jesus being saviours, but also by his emphasis on spiritual health. Paul writes about the need for church elders to have a firm grasp on the Word...so that they may preach with HEALTHY teaching in 1.9 (so the word in the original Greek). Paul states that Titus is to reprove the Cretans in any false doctrine so that they may be HEALTHY in the Faith in 1.13. He also encourages Titus to speak the things which are suitable to HEALTHY teaching in 2.1 and HEALTHY speech in 2.8. Paul uses the same word in each of these examples (hugiaino in Greek) which was a common word meaning to be healthy or whole, Paul, however, takes this word into the realm of spiritual health and wholeness.
There is also an assumption in Titus that a sign of good spiritual health is doing good works. In 1.16 a sign of being spiritually unhealthy is that some claiming to know God are denying him which makes them 'unfit for any good work'. Titus is encouraged in 2.6 to be a 'model of good works'. Titus 2.14 states that God saved us so that we could be a people, 'zealous for good works'. The Cretan Church in 3.1 is exhorted ' to be ready for every good work' and to 'devote themselves to good works' and in 3.9 'to learn to devote themselves to good works'. These 'good works' do not accord us any right standing or earn any merit with God as 3.4-5 clearly state, but they are a loving response and a testimony to what Jesus has done when we were 'washed with water of regeneration and renewed by the Holy Spirit as 3.5 declares. In other words we are made spiritually clean and given new life.
Salvation for Paul is a many-sided Jewel. It is certainly about a 'rescue' from sin and its consequences, but Jesus has done much more in being our saviour and the Great Physician of our souls. His intention is to make us spiritually whole and strong so that we can be a blessing to each other and the world through our 'fruitfulness'(3.14) and 'good works' - a sure sign of being spiritually healthy!
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