Titus: Outline and Introduction

Titus is basically Paul's letter explaining how Timothy should preach and lead a church. The basic outline of the book is as follows:

Introduction - 1:1-4
Requirements for church leaders - 1:5-9
Warning about people Titus should watch out for - 1:10-16
How to teach to any demographic - 2:1-15
Older men - 2:1-2
Older women - 2:3
Younger women - 2:4-5
Younger men - 2:6-8
Slaves - 2:9-10
Basic message of any teaching - 2:11-15
What to teach everyone - 3:1-8
What to avoid and tell others to avoid - 3:9-11
Personal business - 3:12-15

In the Introduction, Paul explains his life purpose. He is an apostle of Jesus and a servant of God so that God's people would, through faith, understand the truth. His goal is for people to know truth. The result of people knowing this truth is that they become godly--knowledge of the truth leads to, or is in accord with, godliness. Paul sees it as a natural progression, not a two-step process or unrelated goals. Once believers know the truth about God and Jesus and themselves, a changed heart and a changed life flow naturally from that knowledge.
The faith and knowledge both have the same foundation: hope of eternal life. God promised eternal life "before the beginning of time", and all throughout the Old Testament the Jews' faith and knowledge of the truth rested on this hope. But Paul points out that, for us, this hope is no longer some distant idea hovering somewhere in the future like a desert mirage. Rather, our hope is certain and our faith is sure, because God "manifested [eternal life] in his word". This is somewhat of a double entendre: the Word is John's name for Jesus, God's human manifestation of eternal life; Paul also refers to the word of his (Paul's) preaching about Jesus. Bottom line: our hope is secure because we have seen and heard the manifestation, the very essence, of eternal life, that is, the life and work of Jesus.
Paul points out that God's word, Jesus/the gospel, is manifested by preaching. The job of preaching God's word is not to be treated flippantly; Paul says God has entrusted him with this task and commanded him to carry it out. The preaching is in itself a manifestation of eternal life: it is both the call to and the living out of the abundant, infinite, Kingdom life to which God is calling His people.
Paul then turns to Titus, addressing him as his true child by virtue of their common faith. Paul reminds Titus of his spiritual heritage and calls him to follow in Paul's mission, which was just stated in the previous verses. We would do well to be reminded of this as Titus was. We too have been called to preach the message of eternal life through Jesus. Let us not take our job lightly or lose sight of the goal: that God's people, through faith, will have knowledge of the truth and they will live godly lives as a result.