I want to spend a few weeks with you in this valuable little pastoral
letter from Paul to Titus. In the course of the last two years I have preached through the
first and second epistles to Timothy, and it is my desire to complete this little
triad, which is sometimes known as the
Pastoral Epistles.Titus is mentioned thirteen times in the NT. He is mentioned 9 times alone in 2 Corinthians[1],
where Paul refers to him as “my brother
Titus” (2:13) and “my partner and fellow worker” (8:23).
This letter was written between A.D. 62–64, during his
ministry to the Macedonian churches (see 2 Cor. 8 &9), from either Corinth
or Nicopolis (cf. 3:12). Most
likely, Titus served with Paul on both the second and third missionary
journeys. Titus, like Timothy (2 Tim.
1:2) had a special relationship with Paul.
Paul calls him ‘my true child
(lit. my legitimate son) in a common
faith’. In 2 Timothy 4:10 Paul
reports that Titus had gone to Dalmatia— a very beautiful part of modern
Croatia.
Chronologically, the letter to Titus predates the second
letter to Timothy. At this stage we find
Titus on the island of Crete, where Paul
left him behind to strengthen the work (1:5).At the close of this letter we
will see that Paul requests Titus to come to him at Nicopolis (in Achaia, a province in Greece. Artemas or Tychicus (3:12) will be sent to replace him and
to take over the ministry there. Paul,
the gifted apostle certainly was the spiritual director of the mission to the
gentiles, using young men to provide temporary leadership in places where
mature Christian leadership was lacking. Many of Paul’s young men were sent on
short assignments. The reason is clear. Christian leadership in new and
difficult places is daunting. The enemy’s resistance to the work of the gospel
of God is fiercest where Satan is been
driven out. This work is akin to a soldier fighting on the front lines. To keep
them from burning out they were withdrawn while others are sent in their place.
It is good for young men to be
tested in doing spiritual battle before they are assigned to
become elders and gatekeepers of a church.
So Crete is where Titus is now. Crete is the 5th largest island in
the Mediterranean Sea. It has a
surface area of 8,336 sq.km, 260 km’s long, and 60 km’s at its widest.
In Acts
27:7–9,12,13,21 we read that Paul had visited here briefly on his journey to Rome. He returned there for ministry and later left Titus to continue
the work in Crete, just as he left Timothy at Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3), while he went on to Macedonia. The letter was
probably written in response to a
letter or a report from Titus concerning matters in Crete.
With all that in mind we proceed to the opening words of this
epistle. Paul often writes in long sentences[2], adding clause upon clause, as he pours out his heart
on paper. The first four verses are written like this: 1 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, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised
before the ages began 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through
the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Saviour…”
We really need to get over the long sentence structure (forbidden
in English writing) and look deeper at what is moving Paul here to speak in this
way. One is under the impression that
this man is so overwhelmed by the thought of God and the ministry that he has
been given by God, that he finds it hard to find a full-stop! It really is a
mind-blowing opening statement when we take
cognizance of all that Paul says
here. Let’s take a look:
1.
Paul’s credentials: A
bond servant of God and an apostle of
Jesus Christ
“Paul a servant (doulos – bond
servant ; lit. a permanent slave) of
God”. The prophets of the Old
Testament frequently used this description of themselves in relation to
God. In the OT there were
2 kinds of slaves. Slavery in
Israel was a temporary institution. After a period of time, servants or slaves were
to be freed. It might be at the end of their payment of a debt; it might be at
the end of a seven-year Sabbath cycle; or it might be in the year of Jubilee. Slaves were not to be permanently held in
Israel. But there was a second kind of
slave, one who voluntarily and permanently committed himself to his master. He
was called a bond-servant. Paul
begins this letter by saying “I am a
bond-servant of God.” He is
committed to the permanent service of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“…and an apostle of Jesus Christ”. The term apostle
(apostolos) in itself is
essentially unspectacular. It means messenger boy. A messenger boy, though he
bears an important message has no an intrinsic authority. The authority that he
bears is the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was called to this service in Acts 9.
As we reflect upon the credentials of Paul we are struck by his
humility. Though he represents the King of kings, he takes no power and no glory
to himself. I am a bond slave and a
messenger boy. I say this as the Namibian church finds herself
in the horrible grip of many so
called apostles, so called men and women of God, so called prophets who live for their own glory and pockets and
who live
to boost their own egos and who draw men and women after themselves, but
portray none of the character credentials portrayed hereby the apostle Paul. Paul is a servant and he is an apostle. He is
nothing in himself and yet he has the greatest message for the whole world.
That is, I say, mind blowing. One of the great temptations for preachers
is that they forget these godly models, Paul and John the Baptist, men who know their place and yet know that they have a
message unequalled to any other.
2.
Paul’s Calling
Here is what Paul’s
servant and apostolic ministry is all about : the proclamation of saving faith, sanctifying truth and a sure hope:
“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, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never
lies, promised before the ages began, and at the proper time manifested in His word through the preaching with which I have
been entrusted by the commandment of God our Saviour.”
(i)
“...for the sake of the faith
of God’s elect”. Paul serves God by being a
messenger of the gospel of Jesus. Those who hear are the eklektōn Theou - the elect of God. They are the
ones who have been given the gift of faith by God and they are the ones who are
able to express their faith. Let’s say this again differently. Paul’s apostolic
preaching and the response to that preaching is not the source of his hearers’
faith. It is a means. The source of his
hearers’ faith is God. God's choice/ election of them is the root of
their response to God in faith. Paul is simply the messenger boy, the vessel
which God uses. And so Paul's purpose in
ministry is to preach the Word of God in the full assurance that there will be
a harvest of those that are called by God to believe- to have faith in Him. But
that is not where the sentence ends. That is not where Paul’s calling ends.
(ii)
He goes on to say that he is a servant and an apostle for
the knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness. Paul’s calling from God includes not only the fact that He is used to
call out the elect of God, but that they may grow in the knowledge of God’s truth as it is revealed in the OT Scriptures, and finally by the
appearing of Christ – the final Word of God (Hebr. 1:1-3). To put it
simply, Paul is saying here, “my ministry,
which is by way of this calling and commission which I have received, is aimed
at producing a sanctifying knowledge in the people of God.” Paul is not content to see mere converts for
God. He wants to see converts transformed for godly living. He wants to see evangelism plus discipleship. The
gospel truth as it is in Jesus must accord with godliness. This is not the last
time in this book that Paul will insist upon the connection between sound
theology and godly living. And to
what end? This is where the next phrase comes in.
(iii)
“…in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the
ages began…” The end of all things, our faith, and our sanctification
is this: …the hope of eternal life. This is the ultimate motivation for Paul's
work. Eternal life! God’s people are
saved for eternity. This is not just wishful thinking. Notice how
Paul roots this particular thought in the character of God… in hope of eternal life which God, who never
lies, promised before the ages began… . God never lies. What He promises He will do!
So in his opening verses Paul describes his servant ministry as an apostle in terms
of bringing the full-orbed message of
the work of salvation that begins with
faith, and which continues in living out
that faith in this life through sanctified (or godly) living and which ends after
our death with eternal life… and thus
his summary statement which follows: “and
at the proper time manifested in His word through the preaching with which I have
been entrusted by the commandment of God our Saviour.” A mind-blowing
perspective!
That, in a nutshell is
the work of Paul the servant apostle.
And that is essentially the work of the
ministry which we are called to imitate. The reason why this ministry at Eastside Baptist Church exists
is to
(i) bring God’s elect to saving faith. We do this by faithful gospel
centred preaching
(ii) help
them to grow in the knowledge of the
truth which leads to godly living
while they live. We do this through expository preaching and
discipleship classes
(iii) keeping their
eyes on the hope of their eternal reward. We preach and pray in such
a way that we can say with John Wesley that our people die well and in full
assurance of the hope of heaven. Wesley knew that the secret to dying well was
living well.[3]
Are you praying for our common ministry to have this effect
in our community? Are you praying for your preachers to be servant like
messenger boys of the Word of Jesus? Are you praying that they will do their
work fully in preaching the gospel so
that the elect may hear? And once they are converted that they may grow in the
knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness? Are you praying that we as
Christ’s sheep will keep our eyes on our eternal hope and not just on our little,
limited earthly retirement? Remember that life is a vapour, and soon you will appear
before Jesus, and if you have trusted Him in this life you will be received
into eternal dwellings.
A closing Word
"To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace
and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour…”
Titus is a wonderful example of all that we have seen here.
Having grown up in a gentile - pagan environment, he heard the gospel from Paul.
He now shares a common faith with Paul.
He has received grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He is one of God’s elect who truly hears, and therefore
by faith in Jesus he is converted. Under faithful, diligent teaching and by the
knowledge of the truth he grows in grace and godliness and very soon he becomes
a useful co- worker with Paul.
The Christian life begins with grace and peace, but the
Christian life ends with grace and peace, as well. Expect to see Titus in
heaven.
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