A Familiar Yet Unusual Greeting Pt. 3 - Titus 1:1-4

It has been a long while since I last posted on the book of Titus, but I am back at it tonight.  My hope in this post is to smoothly transition from the first verse, which ended the second part of this four-verse passage, into the third verse.  It is a monumental task.  However, I need to back my way into the first verse for a much-needed brief review not only for myself, but for all of you--- my faithful followers.  So, as we march half a step backwards, we recognize from my last post on the book of Titus that we saw an out of the ordinary combination, which ultimately revealed the unusual markings of a Pauline greeting.  This crazy combination consisted of the predestining beams of the elect of God merging with the beams of human responsibility that focused on man’s knowledge of the truth in accordance with godliness. 

In this last post, I argued that Paul wants us to see that the faith of our election stems from our acceptance of the knowledge of truth that is bound together by the firm chords of godliness.  Our acceptance of the knowledge of truth, which is firmly held by godliness, is the mere choice of human freedom.  We must accept it if we have any shot at reaching the status of the elect in God’s eyes.  However, God was, is, and has been working on the specific person’s heart from the initial moment of searching for Him to the initial greatness of finally finding salvation in Him alone.  The Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration starts with Him and ends with Him.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit is working in you, if you are one of the elect, as you ultimately count the costs of whether you will persevere in the faith as a potential disciple of Jesus Christ.  Not too difficult to see from the first verse, right?   

Now, we can efficiently chug our way into verse 2.  Verse 2 reads as follows, “in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began…”.  Wow!!!!!  Can you see where verse 2 is headed after the mega extraordinary happenings in verse 1?  Paul, at the beginning of verse 2, is relaying a very significant truth, because he does not intend to leave us stranded in the dust as selling ourselves short in JUST being among the elect of God.  The key word is just.  Remember when I iterated in the last part that Paul’s purpose for writing this letter was to encourage the elect of God as they continued to strive towards godliness.  Well, we have come upon the strengthening portion, the encouragement.  Paul’s encouragement is that the elect of God would see that their knowledge of the truth wrapped up in godliness is not a means to an eventual dead end.  It is a means to the end, in which hope bursts onto the scene--- the hope that is only found through the atoning self-sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ upon a hill called Calvary.  Nothing else will be able to offer you the hope of everlasting life.  Only Jesus can offer you this hope.  Paul’s encouragement is timely. 

We can now await eagerly with confident expectation that eternal life is ours, because of the precious blood of the Lamb.  But, how can we now for certain?  Can God be trustworthy?  For historical context sake Titus 1:12 reads, “One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’”  Then, Paul goes on to say in verse 13 that the testimony of this Cretan prophet is true.  We know that Paul is writing to Titus (v. 4) in order to strengthen and encourage the brethren of the Island of Crete.  So, we can clearly deduct from verse 12 that some Cretan believers would have a difficult time trusting anything anybody would say since they have lived to experience such constant untruthfulness in their society.  Should they then truly trust God when eternal life sounds too good to be true?  Let’s continue on in verse 2 as Paul reveals the answer.  It reads, “…. which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began..” 

Okidokie, so God does not lie and He promised eternal life before the ages began.   Sounds exactly what the Cretans needed and those of us who struggle in trusting the very words of God.  God does not lie.  There is not even a hint, a small iota of evil within His being.  He is completely impeccable.  He is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).  Can we trust Him even when our minds can’t literally fathom what He has in store for us?  Of course, He reminds us in Proverbs to trust Him with ALL our hearts and lean not on our own understanding.  If we fearlessly trust Him without abandon, our lives would reflect the magnitude of His glory at its height, which in turn strips any and all unbelief.  So, with that in mind, let’s trust in the very words of God as He shows us how to live our lives to the fullest in order to further His glory and kingdom like the Cretans needed to trust that God doesn’t lie for the sake of them believing that eternal life is really real. 

Now, before I close, I will briefly touch on verse three.  I have already provided you with a lot of information in this post and I do not want to bombard you with more information than you all can handle.  Thus, I will swiftly make my way through verse three.  Titus 1:3 says, “…… and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;...”.  In reality, this verse means exactly what you think it means.  He has manifested, at the proper time, in His word the only way to heaven, the only way to gain entrance into everlasting life, which is in the repentance of sins and the placement of Jesus as your only Lord and Savior.  He alone can save you.  So, this is the message that Paul has been entrusted with by the ultimate command of the Savior himself when He opened Paul’s eyes to the absolute beauty and spectacular wonders of the Gospel on the Damascus road in Acts 9.   And, we have been entrusted with this message as well.  I will close with this verse--- the calling of every Christian…..

Matthew 28:18-20 says, “And Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

Sola Deo Gloria!!!!!!       

                

 

                

A Familiar Yet Unusual Greeting Pt. 2 - Titus 1:1-4

In this post, we will dive in and begin to chew on the last words in verse 1.  Titus 1:1 reads as, "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect, and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness."  Now, the last part of this series revolved around expounding the familiarity of a Pauline greeting, while, in this post, we will center our attention around expounding the unusual.  The unusual piece of this Pauline epistle, though, begins with for the sake of God's elect.  This statement, for all intents and purposes, actually answers the question of why Paul became an apostle.  Paul became an apostle for the purpose of encouraging and building up the faith of God's elect in the midst of guiding them in the way of truth, which in the end accords with godliness.  That is the basis of the last part of verse 1.  But, as you read on past verse 1, you realize that the sentence continues on.  For now though, I am going to make the end of verse 1 the cut off point.  However, as I move onto my next post, I may have to refer back to verse 1, so I am forewarning you.

Now, the word "elect" is mentioned at least eight times in Scripture and the words "chosen by God" is definitely mentioned far more times.  With these two facts, I really need to ask the question: what is God's elect?  Well, Warren Wiersbe has a view.  Wiersbe says this, "'God's elect' are those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:1-5)." (1)  Makes sense.  If you have trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior, then yes, you are one of His elect.  How about Calvin?  John Calvin says this in regards to salvation, "By 'the elect' he means not only those who were at that time alive, but all that had been from the beginning of the world." (2)  Right on!  I agree with both.  In looking back at the purpose of Paul's apostleship, the elect of God are those that God has chosen, at one point in time, to be built up in the faith by Paul's encouraging words.  Paul, chosen by God, became an apostle in order to strengthen the faith of those whom God has chosen ever since the beginning of time.  

Then, how do we reconcile Paul's words to the elect, who were long dead before Paul was even born like Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, etc.?  The answer is found in Psalm 119:89.  It says, "Forever, O Lord, your Word is firmly fixed in the heavens."  The Word of God has been firmly fixed in the heavens, the Word of God is firmly fixed in the heavens, and the Word of God will be firmly fixed in the heavens from now until eternity.  All of God's elect definitely know how to be strengthened continually with God's words that were written by Paul.  No matter if you are talking about Abraham or the old lady, who is a firm believer, across the street.  Each has the opportunity to be built up with Paul's words (Abraham in heaven and the old lady on earth).  So, the faith of God's elect has a lot to do with the familiarity of Paul as an apostle. 

Now, what makes this greeting written by Paul more unusual than it already is is the fact that their is a possibility within this verse of the merging display of two doctrines?  Let me explain.  If any of you know me, you understand that I am a big proponent of the doctrine of predestination.  Well, I once was, because of this verse.  Predestination is one of those doctrines where God's sovereignty supersedes (trumps) human free will.  You were once dead.  What does a dead person do?  It cannot move, because it is lifeless.  Nothing is capable of bringing the dead person alive unless something supernatural happens.  This is where God comes in.  Thus, the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit creates an awakening within the once dead person to life.  He can move, walk, breath, stand, shout for God's glory, and is not chained (enslaved) to the old way of life.  Got it.  Well, those are the underlying seeds that make up the doctrine of predestination.

However, Titus 1:1 makes a counter argument along with predestination.  The "elect of God" marks the initiation of predestination.  God has chosen us out of death to life.  We were once dead, and He is the only one who could have possibly made us free.  We definitely do not deserve a choice in the matter.  But, here is where the counter argument begins to fashion into a definitive place.  It lies in the words, "and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness."  Do you remember when we looked at the introduction to Titus and I said the main theme was good works?  This portion of Paul's greeting not only introduces us to the main theme of the book of Titus, but it creatively merges predestination and free will as an unknown mystery that only God can fathom.  How does it merge? We looked at the predestination side of things.  Now, let's ascertain the free will portion.  Is God going to force you to love Him?  No, he created man to make viable choices.  Is one of those choices salvation?  Let's see. 

As I mentioned before, Paul iterates why he is an apostle.  He is an apostle for the purpose of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness.  So, Paul wants them to understand the truth.  Paul is engaging us by yearning for us to understand the vitality of being filled with an overflowing measure of truth.  He wants God's elect to increase in their understanding of truth.  But, this truth accords with godliness.  Now, this is where the meshing takes place.  Right here.  Do you know if you want to be a Christian right off the bat?  Some do.  Well, I have a friend, at the moment, who is talking to an unsaved person.  This unsaved person has been asking my friend for information about God and Christianity for about a month or so.  He still has not made a decision to follow Christ.  Why is that?  The Christian life from the outside looking in is scary.  We know what it is like because we have tasted and seen the beauty of what the Christian life gives to us.  It is a difficult pursuit, but very rewarding nonetheless.  

When deciding whether or not they should follow Christ, three potential disciples at the end of Luke 9 were eager to follow Christ (the full story is Luke 9:57-62).  But, when you read the passage, it literally seems like Jesus was dissuading them from following him.  Why is that?  Because the Christian life is filled with magnificent difficulties.  Also, in Luke 14:28, Jesus explains to potential disciples that they should first count the costs of persevering in faith as disciples of Christ rather than simply making a hasty, insecure decision to follow Him.  You should first count the costs, and then make a decision.  Will you or will you not follow Him?  So, you need to make somewhat of a potential choice.  This is not because God is not sovereign.  It is because Paul wants the elect of God to see that their election stems from their acceptance of the knowledge of truth, which is held together by the chords of godliness.  Will you make that step once you see that you are able to persevere in godliness? 

Because, if you do persevere in godliness, the truth, that was at stake, becomes yours, because of the blood of the Lamb that was slain.  And, you become one of the elect that holds fast to the truth, stands for truth, and devises ways to make that truth known to all the world.  You yearn to know, to associate yourself with the truth in order that others might see the godliness portraying out of you.  It is truly amazing.  So, with that said,  I can say for certainty that free will and predestination, though conceivably mysterious, somehow mesh together to form a beautiful array of God's sovereignty and human freedom that bursts onto the scene.  However, God's sovereignty will always have the upper hand because he initiates the regeneration, which makes me wonder all the more of how human freedom plays a role in this God created doctrine.  

Sola Deo Gloria!!!!      

                    

A Familiar Yet Unusual Greeting Pt. 1 - Titus 1:1-4

For every Pauline epistle, a simple same old greeting bursts onto the forefront of the scene.  Is this the case with Titus?  Does the book of Titus cooperate with the strange familiarity of a Pauline greeting?  Yes, but with a different twist.  Let's dive headfirst into the verse and see what it consists of.  Titus 1:1 says, 'Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect, and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness."  Now, I do not want to start receiving hate mail.  I did not write the Bible.  Why is God's elect, (scary word - predestination) so boldly written in the first verse of Titus?  To be honest with you, I do not know. We will get to that in my next post. :) However, in this post, I am going to shed light on the first 11 words, which are as quoted, "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ.".    

Now, the first word clearly shows us who authored this book.  We know God is the only influence behind all of Scripture, but Paul wrote it with his own pen (if you are ever concerned with the authenticity of Scripture, read 2 Peter 1:19-21.  Your fears will vanish :).  In verse 4, it tells us that Paul is writing the letter to Titus (Titus 1:4).  We will get there soon enough, but what is most interesting about these first 11 words is the word "servant".  Paul is a servant of God.  The Greek, most of you almost already know the significance of the Greek word servant, translates "servant" as doulos.  This one word carries an entire sermon in itself.  It carries the vast implications of being a "slave" to God, a bond-servant.  A bond-servant wholly devoted to the King of kings.  Romans 6:16 sheds further light on this word, "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?"  You are either a slave of God (to righteousness) or a slave to sin.

Let's look deeper into Scripture.  1 Corinthians 7:22-24 says, "For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord.  Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.  You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.  So brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain in God."  So, if you are called as a slave of Christ, you are a freed man or woman.  Slavery, back in the days of the Romans, was much different than the slavery we are used to in regards to typical American nineteenth century slavery.  Slaves, in the Roman days, were given much more freedom.  In my ESV Study Bible, it says this, "Slaves generally were permitted to work for pay and to save enough to buy their freedom..... The released slave, once freed, was officially designated a 'freedman' and frequently continued to work for his former master." (1)   Now, the astounding mega fact about being a slave to Christ is that in 1 Corinthians 7:23 it says that we have been bought with a price.  We have been bought with a high price.

The price tag requires a perfect blood sacrifice.  In this state, we are chained to the ground held by the death grip of the enemy himself.  We are filing off the slave ships about to be sold.  As the auction begins, a marred figure beaten to a pulp comes up to you and quickly relays to the auctioneer that he wants you.  The man buys you, turns the corner, and hugs you with his bloody, torn up body.  He then says, "I love you" and instantly your chains fall off.  What is your response?  What is your reaction to the man who bought you?  You would want to serve this man for the rest of your life, right.  He bought you.  You had no right to even be freed at all, but He gave up His right to life in order to free you.  

Brothers and sisters, the reality is Christ has freed us from enslavement to sin.  We were once enslaved to the utter repugnance of sin itself.  But, we are now freed slaves of "God" under His direct authority.  He bought us, and now we serve Him faithfully through the act of obedience leading to sanctification.  Do we serve Him as robots?  No, of course not, which leads us onto the word "apostle".  Paul is a servant, yet He is an apostle.  An apostle of Jesus Christ was a title directly given as authoritative in order for Paul to emphasize that he has divine authority.  Divine authority has been given to him in order to carry out what is needed.  Since we are not apostles, are we left in the dust without divine authority?  Again, no, we are not.  Have you ever heard of the gifts of the Spirit?  Each person is apportioned with a gift (1 Corinthians 12:11).  This gift is to be used in order to build up the body of Christ, and it is the gift given to you by God to use authoritatively when called upon.  Though throughout 1 Corinthians 12-14, God shows you when, how, when, why, and where you are supposed to use your particular gift, but the main basis of having authority through Christ with your gift still stands firm.  

Next time, we will dig further into verse 1, which will evidently lead into the next two verses.  

Sola Deo Gloria!!!!!          

1- ESV Study Bible Footnote for 1 Corinthians 7:21 verse, pg. 2201.      

Introduction to Titus

This is it.  Ready, set, action....... the book of Titus is underway.  Before I introduce the essential points of this book though, I will display for you all a simple posting plan I created solely for this book.  I hope and I hope, with the intensity of my schedule, to post at least three times a week on this book.  Maybe more.  The maybe more is all speculation, but my thinking in this is that God deserves His due glory.  How can I, Josh, magnify His name as the highest name of all?  The answer is strictly simple, but requires much needed discipline.  I can magnify God's name more by continuing to blog about Him more consistently.  Consistency is the key.  I am the type of guy, who posts on this blog sporadically.  Granted, I have stepped up tremendously as of late, and the 30 day blog challenge has hopefully solved a piece of the inconsistency puzzle.  However, my direct motivation for posting should come from God alone, because He alone is worthy of all praise, and I believe my motivation is coming from Him.  Now, with all that said, we will begin Titus by establishing a solid foothold on the key components of this book.  

Matthew Henry refers to Titus as a letter that is vastly similar to Paul's letters to Timothy.  I gotta agree with that notion.  First, Timothy and Titus were both Gentile converts under Paul, and secondly, Timothy and Titus were effective leaders as pastors.  The latter portion is clearly evident within the book of Titus, which is a given in that Paul instructs Titus to effectively lead his flock by teaching them sound doctrine (Titus 2:1).  Also, Paul explains to Titus why he left him alone in Crete (Titus 1:5).  The purpose was for Titus to appoint elders in each district (church), so that the churches in Crete would establish themselves in the midst of an immoral city (Titus 1:12-13).  This was rather significant, because the churches in Crete desperately needed qualified leaders (Titus 1:6-9), like Titus and Timothy, to step up like real men and shepherd churches as if their lives depended on it.  To live within a city mucked up with countless tendencies toward sin, the Cretan Christians were in dire need of qualified, responsible elders in the church to lead them and hold them accountable when the going proved difficult.  Because of this, Paul kept Titus in Crete to create order within the Cretan churches.  

Most of all though, the major theme of this book is good works .  Paul advocates Titus to teach these things with all authority, because Christ is purifying for himself within Crete a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14-15).  These people, the Cretan congregates, that are held accountable by the elders appointed by Titus in Chapter 1 will help spur these people onward towards good works.  To be capable of preaching the Gospel in the slums of the Cretan marketplace or to help someone out who is in massive trouble financially.  This is the Christian call.  Works does not save, but it is the ultimate calling of the Christian.  As Paul says emphatically in Chapter 3 to sift out any salvation by works proponents, he dynamically tells Titus with all passion to remind the Cretan people that they are saved not because of works done by them, but according to God's own mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).  This is definitely the focal point of the book.  

And, to think that Paul has stressed works enough within the book, he emphasizes it twice more.  In verse 8 of Chapter 3, Paul urges the Cretans to devote themselves to good works, since these things are profitable and excellent (Titus 3:8).  He also mentions it in the closing as he stresses the theme even more to Titus in order to get his point across (Titus 3:14).  So, with all due respect, the emphasis of good works in the book of Titus is lengthily drawn out, but so important for our lives today.  This is most definitey an excellent way to begin a new month as we strive to become more and more like Christ.  I believe this is going to be an elegant journey as we travel through this glorious book.  May God be with us.   

Sola Deo Gloria!!!!!! 

                

Titus: Here We Come

I had a change of heart.  The consensus chimed in overwhelmingly in favor of the book of Titus over Philemon.  So, I will save the book of Philemon for after Titus.  Many factors played important roles, which made me choose Titus over Philemon.  I received a book from my uncle with a commentary on Titus, I prayed and received specific direction to begin Titus, and your votes played an important role as well.  Therefore, I will introduce the book of Titus on either Tuesday or Wednesday with a relatively simple posting plan.  Also, I will be expositing the book, so expect me to finish the book by the end of this summer at the latest.  

Sola Deo Gloria!!!!!