The fact that Paul, who knew the context of Isaiah 45:23, could

unreservedly and wittingly use this prophecy of One Who bore the name `Jesus'

(Phil. 2:10)* makes further proof unnecessary.  Our great God and Saviour is

Jesus Christ, and His appearing and His glory we await with expectant joy.

*

For an exhaustive examination of Philippians 2:4-11, see

the book The

Prize of the High Calling.

We have reviewed the opening salutation of Paul to Titus, a portion of

the epistle that might have been conventional, courteous, but little more.

We have discovered that it is a treasury of truth and felt rebuked at the

corresponding poverty of our own incursions into correspondence.

`To Titus, mine own son after the common faith'.

The word usually translated `own' in the New Testament is the Greek word

idios `peculiar', `belonging in a special sense to one, only'.  This, however

is not used by Paul when speaking of his `own' son Titus, he would be the

last to lay so exclusive a claim upon any fellow servant of the Lord.  The

word he used is gnesios, which primarily means legitimate, born in wedlock,

and then genuine and sincere.  The word occurs but four times in the

Scriptures, each reference being found in an epistle of Paul.

`To prove the sincerity of your love' (2 Cor. 8:8).

`I intreat thee also, true yoke-fellow' (Phil. 4:3).

Unto Timothy and to Titus `mine own son' (1 Tim. 1:2; Titus 1:4).

The context of 2 Corinthians 8:8 is one of testing and proving as over

against mere protesting and promising.  We feel sure that no one would ever

be addressed as a `true yoke -fellow' by such a man as Paul, who was not the

very soul of sincerity.  On six occasions Paul speaks of Timothy as his

`son', once of Titus, and once of Onesimus.  Of the latter, Paul says:

`I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds'

(Philem. 10).

To the Corinthians he wrote saying:

`In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel' (1 Cor. 4:15),

and in the next verse but one, he speaks of Timothy, as a beloved son, and

faithful in the Lord (1 Cor. 4:17).  While every `son' must be also a child,

every `child' need not necessarily be a son, so it is important to observe

that Paul uses the word teknon a child, a bairn, rather than huios, the son

in its full sense.  Teknon is derived from tikto `to bring forth' as in

Matthew 1:21.  The choice of this term suggests that the relationship between

Paul and Titus was one of affection rather than one of official relationship,

and, apparently, the highest form of service that the apostle could conceive,

was to serve `as a son with a father', a simile which he employed when

speaking of Timothy (Phil. 2:22).  What a joy it must have been for the two

young servants of the Lord to be called by such a one as Paul, genuine

sincere children in the faith!