In his letter to Titus, the Apostle Paul reveals to us the Lord’s rules of engagement relative to His people, from the highest leaders to the “least among us.” In order to rule and reign with Him over His creation forever (Rev. 22:5) we must individually embrace those rules totally, regardless of our status within the Lord’s church. Read God’s Very Elect: Future Caretakers of the Universe. Key word–Caretakers.
In 1:1 Paul identifies himself as a “servant (slave) of God and an apostle (sent one) of Jesus Christ.” He states that God’s elect (true saints) all share THE (one true) faith (Eph. 4:5), which Paul calls “the common faith” (vs 4). Because we “live by our faith,” this eliminates Catholicism and Protestantism, along with her various denominations. Each of professing Christendom’s various cults, sects, etc. is founded upon its particular faith. I was once asked which faith I was from. In God’s church there are no faiths, denominations/etc. This pluralistic theology is an abomination to Him. God speaks of THE faith, not faiths.
THE (one and only) faith Paul is referring to is based solely on God’s Word (Rom. 10:19). As we study it in an honest search for His Truth (Word–Jn. 17:17), God awards us His faith which He exhibited in Jesus of Nazareth and which He will give to the true seeker in the same proportion. Otherwise, John 14:12 cannot be true. To do what Jesus did we must have at least the same amount of faith and the same amount of the Holy Spirit as He had. In Matthew 9:29 Jesus declares to us: “According to your faith, so be IT (WHAT WE HAVE FAITH FOR) done unto you.” This is God’s Law of faith, without which we cannot please Him (Heb. 11:6). Paul ends verse one by telling us that FAITH in His TRUTH (Word) results in GODLINESS on the part of the faithful one who obeys it. To “acknowledge” the Truth/Word means to “walk” (manifest/live) that Truth before the world. Jesus was “the Word made flesh.” We must also be the Word made flesh. Jesus did this to perfection because of the Holy Spirit’s power within Him. Therefore He could honestly proclaim that to see Him was to see the Father (Jn. 14:9). He died so that we can receive that same Spirit, have that same faith and manifest that same walk (Acts 1:4,5,8). That “walk” is not an option, it is a requirement (1 Jn. 2:6). God requires that when men see us, they see Him.
In 1:2 Paul speaks of the HOPE of salvation. This salvation was promised by God before He made the world. Notice that in this life we have the HOPE of eternal life (3:7/1 Pet. 1:13/Heb. 6:9,11). We are not saved in this life as we are erroneously promised by Satan’s false prophets. If we are now saved, why do we hope for what we supposedly already have? (Rom. 8:24). WE HOPE FOR IT BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE IT. In God’s eyes our salvation is as sure as if it had already happened. It will happen IF WE DO AS HE COMMANDS FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES. Hope combined with obedience leads to salvation upon the return of Jesus Christ. Read Hope and Salvation. Key word–Hope.
In 1:3 Paul emphasizes the fact that God sent preachers (prophets and apostles) into the world to “manifest His Word” through the preaching of His Word. They manifested His Word in their lives (their “walk”), meaning their words, thoughts and deeds. God had their preaching recorded for the sake of those who would truly seek Him in the future. Paul tells us that Jesus revealed His (one and only) Gospel directly to him through the Holy Spirit (Gal. 1:12). God used Paul to write most of the New Testament/Covenant. Can we not agree that if Paul wrote it, and if what he wrote came from Jesus Christ, that we must obey what he wrote? For example, Paul called God’s Law: “holy, just and good” (Rom. 7:12). This is the same Law that was supposedly “nailed to the cross.” By whom? Not God. This Law (Ten Commandments) commands the 7th day (Saturday) Sabbath. Who changed it to Sunday? Not God. Who commanded that there would be NO changes made in His Law? God. The picture is clear. Satan has blinded the eyes of the church to God’s clear picture–His Holy Word/Law/Truth/Faith/Light/Will. Satan’s grip on the church is such that, even when a bringer of Scriptural Light shines that Light on them, they reject it and dig themselves ever deeper into Satan’s darkness where God’s light cannot reach them. Never underestimate the power Satan holds over the Counterfeit (Catholic/Protestant) Church. Jesus forewarns us that a time will come when those in that citadel of sin will kill God’s true saints and believe that they are doing Him a favor (Jn. 16:2). This monstrous church is referred to in Revelation 17:1-5 as the “great whore,” also called” MYSTERY, BABYLON, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Using the power of a “beast” (government), the Counterfeit Church will rule the world. Led by the “false prophet,” this whore church, comprised of all religions, will persecute those who call upon God during the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. They will kill many who turn to the Lord during those future days of unbelievable horror.
In 1:5-9 Paul states that he has left Titus in Crete to minister to the churches there. These were people in various places who had responded to Paul’s preaching. He tells Titus to “set things in order” within those churches. There is only one “order”–God’s unchanging Word upon which the people’s (singular) faith was founded. Paul then tells Titus to ordain (select) elders for each church. He then reminds Titus of the moral qualifications needed for those who would be ordained as elders (overseers/deacons, etc.) in the churches. An elder must be above reproach, have one wife and faithful children who obey him. He must not be self-willed, not addicted to wine, gentle, not money-hungry. An elder must be hospitable, love the company of good men, have a serious nature, be just in dealing with others. An elder must be holy in every aspect of his life. He must love God’s Word and have total faith in it. An elder must teach that Word (“doctrine”) to the “gainsayers”–those who were speaking against God’s Truth.
Paul singles out the Jews who had been taught the Talmud instead of the Old Testament and the teachings of Christ. Titus was to rebuke them using God’s Word because they were subverting some in the churches. These false prophets were teaching “the commandments of men” which was drawing people away from God’s Truth. Everything they touched they defiled, including their conscious thoughts. These false prophets “claimed to know God, but in their works they denied Him.” Paul calls such people “defiled, faithless, abominable, disobedient reprobates.” If this was true of the leaders, the same was true of those who believed and obeyed them. Paul told Titus to rebuke such people sharply and point them to the true faith.
Nothing has changed relative to the qualifications of deacons, bishops, elders, etc. in God’s church today. Also, nothing has changed relative to the false prophets (pastors, evangelists, missionaries, teachers, etc.) and their followers who today are members of “the church.” In the following posting we will study what Paul told Titus relative to what is commonly referred to as the “laity.” As goes the leadership, so goes the congregation. As the Scriptures reveal, the results of this truth can be positive or negative. As this website points out repeatedly, the results are negative in the vast majority of the cases. Which is what Jesus prophesied in Matthew 7:13,14 and 24:14. L.J.
Leave a Reply