Read Titus 1-3 at Bible Gateway.
It turns out the book of Titus forms its own complete chiastic structure (please see the teaching tools of scripture if you are unfamiliar with chiastic structures):
Titus 1:1-3:15 chiastic structure:
1a) Tit 1:1-4, Paul’s greeting to Titus: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father + Lord Jesus Christ;
1b) Tit 1:5-9, I left you in Crete to set in order what is lacking + appoint qualified elders in every city;
1c) Tit 1:10-16, Rebuke the insubordinate/ do not heed Jewish fables, commandments of men/ the unbelieving mind;
1) Tit 1:10-14, Rebuke the insubordinate/ do not heed Jewish fables + commandments of men;
2) Tit 1:15-16, The unbelieving mind + conscience defiled/ profess God but deny Him in works;
1d) Tit 2:1-7, Speak sound doctrine + proper behavior for old + young, men + women;
1e) Tit 2:8-13, Sound speech + bondservants obedient to masters + grace of God appeared to all men;
1) Tit 2:8, Show yourself of sound speech that an opponent may have nothing evil to say of you;
2) Tit 2:9-10, Exhort bondservants to be obedient to masters, not answering back;
3) Tit 2:11-13, For the grace of God for salvation has appeared to all men/ live righteously/ blessed hope;
central axis) Tit 2:14, Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed, and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works;
2e) Tit 2:15-3:7, Speak with authority + subject to rulers + love of God toward man appeared;
1) Tit 2:15, Speak these things with all authority and let no one despise you;
2) Tit 3:1-3, Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey … to speak evil of no one;
3) Tit 3:4-7, Love of God our Savior toward man appeared/ not by righteousness/ hope of eternal life;
2d) Tit 3:8, Affirm constantly + those who have believed in God should maintain good works;
2c) Tit 3:9-11, Reject the divisive/ avoid genealogies + striving re: Torah/ warped + sinning;
1) Tit 3:9-10, Avoid disputes + genealogies + strivings re: the Law/ reject the divisive;
2) Tit 3:11, For such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned;
2b) Tit 3:12-14, Come to me at Nicopolis + instructions to do with the church;
2a) Tit 3:15, Paul’s benediction to Titus: Grace be with you all. Amen.
Hi there,
Thanks for posting this chiasm, it is really helpful! Would you be kind enough to allow me to post it on a friends chiasm website if I referenced you in the link?
Would be very grateful but wanted to ask your permission first!
Thank you very much,
Dave Robson
Hello Dave, you are welcome. Yes you may post it. Thank you for the reference, and would you be so kind as to reply back with the link on your friend’s website when it is posted? Thank you!
Hi thank you very much. Sorry for the delay. Here is the link:
http://www.chiasmusxchange.com/2018/04/25/titus-1-3/
Thank you Dave. 🙂
Christine, Thank you for your post.
I am retired and back to school, doing research on the chiastic structure of Titus. I would be very interested in how you arrived at this particular chiasmus. Were you influenced by any particular scholars? Did you spontaneously see the structure without being influenced by the writing of others? What sources have informed your general understanding of chiasm?
Hi Sally. I first learned of Chiastic Structures from Tony Robinson of Restoration of Torah. Over ten years ago? Then I prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to the Chiastic Structures in His word. Since then I have been recording them in my Bible study notes. I have not gone to other scholars or books or websites; all the Structures on this blog and in my Scripture Revealed books at nothingnewpress.com have been from what the Holy Spirit has shown me in my Bible study notes. There are many that I have not yet gotten published here, but there are hundreds and hundreds published here.
http://alittleperspective.com/what-is-a-chiastic-structure/
I now have four chiastic structure books published, the Structures of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Revelation. I am working on Numbers. I have the structures of the Gospels and most Epistles done, and many from the Psalms and Prophets. The only book I have had trouble with is Proverbs, because there are soo so many overlapping structures in that book. I am saving that for last lol. I am publishing a new one on Saturday, the Chiastic Structure of Vezot Haberakhah from Deu 33:1-34:12. Let me know if this did not answer your question.