Paul Reminds Titus of what we should not do because of the Grace of God Given to Us
Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. KJV
Now Paul reminds Brother Titus and we true believers of every era and generation of what we should not be doing, with these words, "But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain." (Titus 3:9) (KJV). The English word 'avoid' is translated by the Greek word periistēmi which means basically the same as our English definition which is to keep away from: - avoid, shun, or stand aloof from. The English word 'genealogies' is translated by the Greek word genealogia which means tracing by generations ones ancestry. When Paul writes, 'foolish questions', he is referring to things of no benefit or usefulness in the matter of the Gospel of the Grace of God and whether or not a sinner is saved by hearing and believing the Gospel. These stupid useless questions about all sorts of silly nonsense only left people to wander away from what was then and is still now and forever will be and that is that human beings are sinners period and their only hope for restoration, redemption, and resurrection life is found in our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ.
Here is what Adam Clarke wrote concerning these 'foolish questions' and genealogies so often spoke of amongst the Jews, "In these the Jews particularly delighted; they abounded in the most frivolous questions; and, as they had little piety themselves, they were solicitous to show that they had descended from godly ancestors. Of their frivolous questions, and the answers given to them by the wisest and most reputable of their rabbins, the following is a specimen: - Rabbi Hillel was asked: Why have the Babylonians round heads? To which he answered: This is a difficult question, but I will tell the reason: Their heads are round because they have but little wit. Why are the eyes of the Tarmudians so soft? Because they inhabit a sandy country. Why have the Africans broad feet? Because they inhabit a marshy country. But ridiculous and trifling as these are, they are little in comparison to those solemnly proposed and most gravely answered by those who are called the schoolmen. These, with many thousands of others, of equal use to religion and common sense, may be found in their writings. See the Summa of Thomas Aquinas, passim. Might not the Spirit have these religious triflers in view, rather than the less ridiculous Jews?"
When Paul writes, 'and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain', he means specifically the Jewish Talmud which is the collection of ancient rabbinic writings on Jewish law and tradition (the Mishna and the Gemara) that constitute the basis of religious authority in Orthodox Judaism. The Apostle Paul knew very well what he spoke of here in regard to the many contentions and strivings that went on concerning the Talmud, for he was once one of those (as a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin) participating in much of the striving and contending. The English word 'contentions' is translated by the Greek word eris meaning a quarrel, that is, (by implication) wrangling: - contention, debate, strife, variance. The English word 'strivings' is translated by the Greek word machē meaning a battle, that is, (figuratively) controversy: - fighting, strive, striving. In other words, all the minutia found in the Jewish Talmud (put there by sinful Jewish Rabbi') created reasons for striving and contending about these useless and profitless man made rules, rituals, and regulations that had no Divine Authority or Power with them, but the Gospel of the Grace of God (which each one of us born again believers have received and are continuing to receive) has the Divine Power of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit with it to do what ever it is that the will of God decrees, declares, and determines to be done in His Name and for His Glory, therefore, the old Jewish traditions and minutia is obselete under the grace of God.
This is whay Paul declares them to be 'unprofitable', that is, useless and 'vain', that is, empty or without any value whatsoever. Here is what Matthew Henry wrote concerning the contentions and strivings about the law being worthless and vain, "There were those who were for the Mosaic rites and ceremonies, and would have them continued in the Church, though by the Gospel and the coming of Christ they were superseded and done away. Titus must give no countenance to these, but avoid and oppose them; for they are unprofitable and vain: this is to be referred to all those foolish questions and genealogies, as well as those strivings about the law. They are so far from instructing and building up in godliness, that they are hindrances of it rather: the Christian religion, and good works, which are to be maintained, will hereby be weakened and prejudiced, the peace of the Church disturbed, and the progress of the Gospel hindered. Observe, Ministers must not only teach things good and useful, but shun and oppose the contrary, what would corrupt the faith, and hinder godliness and good works; nor should people have itching ears, but love and embrace sound doctrine, which tends most to the use of edifying."
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
I am a Christian Writer of non-fiction primarily and a little fiction. My purpose for forming this site is to Edify Christians with my writing and reach the lost with the uncompromising Gospel of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Paul's Exhortations & Instructions to Brother Titus Volume 24
Paul Reminds Titus of what we should do because of the Grace of God Given to Us
Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. KJV Note: CEV=Contemporary English Version and MKJV=Modern King James Version
As the Apostle begins to conclude this letter to Brother Titus, he wants to now remind him and we true believers of every era and generation of what we should be doing and what we should not be doing because of our reception of this wonderful grace we have received from our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ and the grace we continually receive from Him as we sojourn down here on the earth as pilgrims away from our heavenly home, first what we should do as it is written, "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men." (Titus 3:8) (KJV). When Paul writes these words at the very beginning of this verse, 'This is a faithful saying', he means that Brother Titus and we can trust it to be the decided, determined, and direct will of Almighty God. The little English phrase 'affirm constantly' that follows shortly after is translated by the Greek word diabebaioomai meaning to confirm thoroughly (by words), that is, asseverate (state categorically): - affirm constantly. The very next statement of Paul is what he wills or directs Brother Titus to state categorically, that is, affirm constantly which is 'that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works', and by this he means that the grace of God that we have received should be empowering and energizing everyone who has believed in God to live lives radically different from when we did not know God personally through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The little English phrase 'might be careful' is translated by the Greek word phrontizō (used this one time only in the entire New Testament) meaning to exercise thought, that is, be anxious: - be careful. The little English phrase 'to maintain' is translated by the Greek word proistēmi meaning (as used here) to practice at all times. The English word 'good' is translated by the Greek word kalos meaning properly beautiful, but chiefly (figuratively) good (literally or morally), that is, valuable or virtuous (for appearance or use. The English word 'works' is translated by the Greek word ergon which means (as used here) by implication an act: - deed.
In other words, it means that we should be doing acts of charity to others, that is, giving to help others in need, but these acts of benevolence should begin within the household of believers in need as Paul wrote with these words to the Galatian Church, "We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord." (Galatians 6:10) (CEV). It also means that we should support with our finances and our prayers the faithful Pastors, Evangelist, Teachers, etc., who are giving out the truth of the Gospel and the entire Word of God as the Apsotle Paul declared to be true of himself to the Ephesian brethren when he was about to depart from them for the last time on earth, "But none of these things move me, neither do I count my life dear to myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus Christ, to testify fully the Gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that you all will see my face no more, among whom I went proclaiming the kingdom of God. Therefore I testify to you on this day that I am pure from the blood of all. For I did not keep back from declaring to you all the counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the Church of God which He has purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:24-28) (MKJV). When we the children of God are allowing the grace of God to have rule and reign in us, then the lives we live out in this world of woe everyday will cause no harm to other human beings, but instead will be a source of benefit to all as it is written by this same Apostle Paul to the Church @ Rome with these words, "Let love be your only debt! If you love others, you have done all that the Law demands. In the Law there are many commands, such as, 'Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not want what belongs to others.' But all of these are summed up in the command that says, 'Love others as much as you love yourself.' No one who loves others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands. You know what sort of times we live in, and so you should live properly. It is time to wake up. You know that the day when we will be saved is nearer now than when we first put our faith in the Lord. Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. So behave properly, as people do in the day. Don't go to wild parties or get drunk or be vulgar or indecent. Don't quarrel or be jealous. Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you won't try to satisfy your selfish desires." (Romans 13:8-14) (CEV).
Here is what Alexander MacLaren had to say about this verse of Scripture, "Here, then, we have the Apostle's last will and testament, so to speak, left to all the Churches, that 'they which believe in God might be careful to maintain good works.' According to that, the hall-mark of a Christian is conduct - 'good works.' But we must beware of narrowing the meaning of that expression, as is too often done, so as to include in it mainly certain conventional forms of charity or beneficence, like 'slumming' or tract-distributing, or Sunday- school teaching, and the like. These and such as these are, no doubt, one form of good works, but by no means the whole, and their having all but monopolized the name is one reason why many Christian people fail to apprehend the full significance of New Testament teaching on the subject. These acts are but as a creek in a great sea. Paul tells us what he takes to be included in the designation, when he bids the Philippians think on 'whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honourable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,' and having thought on them, do them. I have omitted one word in that quotation, for Paul speaks also of 'whatsoever things are lovely.' Loveliness is an essential quality of the highest kind of good works. Many of us know that the Greeks, wise beyond many who have clearer light but duller eyes, used the same word to express goodness and beauty. The Apostle uses that pregnant word in our text, and we should well ponder the teaching given by that word. For it tells Christians that they are to take heed to make their goodness lovely, not to 'graft grace on a crab-stock,' nor to present a frowning goodness to the world. It is not enough that they who believe in God should be careful to exhibit conduct which commends itself to every man's conscience as right and pure. They should also commend themselves as being fair with a more than earthly beauty, and lustrous with a more than earthly radiance. There are many Christian people who spoil the effect of high-principled, self-sacrificing conduct by forgetting that beautifulness is an essential part of the highest goodness. Sour grapes are not the grapes that are intended to be grown on the true vine. But now, will you notice, as a further light upon Paul's notion of how to go about growing these grapes, what goes before? 'These things. I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which believe in God might be careful to maintain good works.' What are 'these things'? They are a brief summary of what we call 'the Gospel'; the evangelical teaching that 'the kindness and love of God our Saviour' had 'appeared,' and that 'He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost... that.. 'we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.' In effect Paul says to Titus: 'Now keep on insisting upon that.' The word translated 'affirm constantly' is a very strong one. It means a forcible and continually repeated enunciation, and the plain English of Paul’s injunction to Titus is: Keep on preaching the Gospel as the surest way to produce disciples full of good works. People say to us: 'Come down to daily life and conduct; never mind your dogmas.' If you leave out what these critics mean by dogma, and try to make daily life beautiful without it, you may as well hold your tongue. And the men who forget to 'affirm' these things 'constantly,' and preach morals without Gospel, are like Builders who begin to build on the second story, whose baseless castles in the air are sure to come down in ruins. The true way to produce moral conduct is to bring into clear prominence evangelical truth. But notice again, it is 'those which believe in God who will be careful to maintain good works.' That is to say, faith is the productive cause of good works, and good works are, as I said,' the hall-mark of faith.' If a man believes, then he will do 'good works.' The converse must also be true. If a man does not do good works, what, then, about his belief? 'Show me thy faith without thy works' - that is an impossible demand. The only way to show faith is by our works, and so all attempts to rend them apart, either in theory or in practice, are as absurd as it would be to take a piece of cloth, and try to tear away the inside from the outside. 'Faith' is the underside, 'good works' is the upper, and the web is one. Faith is the principle of works; works are the manifestation and making visible of faith. So now turn for a moment to another point.
The Apostle's command here implies a principle, that Christian work should always, and will always, if the faith is genuine, be in advance of all other sorts of good work. That is implied in one of the words used here which means literally' be foremost, stand in the front,' and I see no reason why the literal meaning should not be retained here. If it is retained, we have the thought implied - if you are a Christian man you should be ahead of the world in your goodness. You should lead, and not follow, or keep step with those who are not Christians. The Church's morality on the wide scale and individual practice on the narrow, ought to be, and will be, if we are true to the Gospel, far in advance of the ordinary opinion and practice of the day in which we Bye. If we are Christians, we are meant to be leaders, and that means that we shall often, like other leaders, have to endure a great deal of obloquy (state of disgrace resulting from public abuse) and calumny (a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions) from the people whom we are trying to lead, and who are loitering behind us. The Christian Church, as the Apostle James says, is meant to be a 'kind of first fruits of God’s creatures,' ripe before the others, riper than the others always. Does the Christian Church lead the conscience of England to-day? Does it even try to do it? Does it recognise that its function is not to re-echo the morality of the street or of the newspaper, but to peal out the morality of Jesus Christ? Is it enough that Christian people should be as good, as charitable, as beneficent, as much interested in social questions as others, or should have the better, the purer, and the happier lives of the community for their great aim, as much as other people have them? Would it be enough to say 'the electric light is about as bright as a tallow candle?' Is it enough to say, 'Christian people keep abreast of the world’s morality?' Let them go in advance, and if they go very far ahead sometimes, none the worse; the laggards will perhaps come up. But at all events, whether they do or not, 'I will that these things thou affirm constantly, in order that they which believe in God may take the lead in good works.' And now there is a last point to be noted, and that is the Apostle's warning that, although thus the belief of the Gospel, and the faith which springs from the belief, are the spring of good work, yet these will not become ours unless we are careful to stand in front. What does that carefulness mean? The word implies two things, and the first of them may be put in the shape of an exhortation - bring your brains to bear on these truths that are being thus 'constantly affirmed.' Bring them into your hearts through your minds, that they may filter into and shape the life. I believe that one main reason why the morality of the Christian Church is not much further in advance of the morality of the world than it is, is because the individual members of the Church do not bring their minds into contact with the great truths of the Gospel in such a fashion as they should. Christian practice is thin and poor and inconsistent, because Christian meditation on the Gospel and on the Lord of the Gospel, is shallow and infrequent. The truths that are to be 'affirmed' are the fuel that feeds the fire, and if there are no coals put on, the fire will very soon die down-And so there must be 'carefulness,' which means the occupation of the mind with the truths that produce holiness of life. And there must be another thing, there must be a definite and direct and continuous effort to increase our faith. I have been saying that faith is the underside of all noble conduct; and in the measure in which it is strengthened, in that measure accurately will our 'good works' increase. Suppose Manchester had had two pipes from Thirlmere instead of one, during recent droughts, should we have been in such straits for water? There was plenty in the lake, but we could not get it into our houses because we had not piping enough. There is plenty of power in our Gospel and in our God to make us rich in 'good works.' What is lacking is that we have not that connection, which is made by faith, through which the fulness of God will flow into our lives. If they want to grow crops in Eastern lands they have little to do but to sow the seed and to irrigate. Christ has sown the seed in His Gospel. We have to look after the irrigation, and the crops will come of themselves. So our main effort should be to keep ourselves in touch with that great Lord, and to increase the faith by which we make all His power our very own."
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. KJV Note: CEV=Contemporary English Version and MKJV=Modern King James Version
As the Apostle begins to conclude this letter to Brother Titus, he wants to now remind him and we true believers of every era and generation of what we should be doing and what we should not be doing because of our reception of this wonderful grace we have received from our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ and the grace we continually receive from Him as we sojourn down here on the earth as pilgrims away from our heavenly home, first what we should do as it is written, "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men." (Titus 3:8) (KJV). When Paul writes these words at the very beginning of this verse, 'This is a faithful saying', he means that Brother Titus and we can trust it to be the decided, determined, and direct will of Almighty God. The little English phrase 'affirm constantly' that follows shortly after is translated by the Greek word diabebaioomai meaning to confirm thoroughly (by words), that is, asseverate (state categorically): - affirm constantly. The very next statement of Paul is what he wills or directs Brother Titus to state categorically, that is, affirm constantly which is 'that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works', and by this he means that the grace of God that we have received should be empowering and energizing everyone who has believed in God to live lives radically different from when we did not know God personally through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The little English phrase 'might be careful' is translated by the Greek word phrontizō (used this one time only in the entire New Testament) meaning to exercise thought, that is, be anxious: - be careful. The little English phrase 'to maintain' is translated by the Greek word proistēmi meaning (as used here) to practice at all times. The English word 'good' is translated by the Greek word kalos meaning properly beautiful, but chiefly (figuratively) good (literally or morally), that is, valuable or virtuous (for appearance or use. The English word 'works' is translated by the Greek word ergon which means (as used here) by implication an act: - deed.
In other words, it means that we should be doing acts of charity to others, that is, giving to help others in need, but these acts of benevolence should begin within the household of believers in need as Paul wrote with these words to the Galatian Church, "We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord." (Galatians 6:10) (CEV). It also means that we should support with our finances and our prayers the faithful Pastors, Evangelist, Teachers, etc., who are giving out the truth of the Gospel and the entire Word of God as the Apsotle Paul declared to be true of himself to the Ephesian brethren when he was about to depart from them for the last time on earth, "But none of these things move me, neither do I count my life dear to myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus Christ, to testify fully the Gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that you all will see my face no more, among whom I went proclaiming the kingdom of God. Therefore I testify to you on this day that I am pure from the blood of all. For I did not keep back from declaring to you all the counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the Church of God which He has purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:24-28) (MKJV). When we the children of God are allowing the grace of God to have rule and reign in us, then the lives we live out in this world of woe everyday will cause no harm to other human beings, but instead will be a source of benefit to all as it is written by this same Apostle Paul to the Church @ Rome with these words, "Let love be your only debt! If you love others, you have done all that the Law demands. In the Law there are many commands, such as, 'Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not want what belongs to others.' But all of these are summed up in the command that says, 'Love others as much as you love yourself.' No one who loves others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands. You know what sort of times we live in, and so you should live properly. It is time to wake up. You know that the day when we will be saved is nearer now than when we first put our faith in the Lord. Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. So behave properly, as people do in the day. Don't go to wild parties or get drunk or be vulgar or indecent. Don't quarrel or be jealous. Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you won't try to satisfy your selfish desires." (Romans 13:8-14) (CEV).
Here is what Alexander MacLaren had to say about this verse of Scripture, "Here, then, we have the Apostle's last will and testament, so to speak, left to all the Churches, that 'they which believe in God might be careful to maintain good works.' According to that, the hall-mark of a Christian is conduct - 'good works.' But we must beware of narrowing the meaning of that expression, as is too often done, so as to include in it mainly certain conventional forms of charity or beneficence, like 'slumming' or tract-distributing, or Sunday- school teaching, and the like. These and such as these are, no doubt, one form of good works, but by no means the whole, and their having all but monopolized the name is one reason why many Christian people fail to apprehend the full significance of New Testament teaching on the subject. These acts are but as a creek in a great sea. Paul tells us what he takes to be included in the designation, when he bids the Philippians think on 'whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honourable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,' and having thought on them, do them. I have omitted one word in that quotation, for Paul speaks also of 'whatsoever things are lovely.' Loveliness is an essential quality of the highest kind of good works. Many of us know that the Greeks, wise beyond many who have clearer light but duller eyes, used the same word to express goodness and beauty. The Apostle uses that pregnant word in our text, and we should well ponder the teaching given by that word. For it tells Christians that they are to take heed to make their goodness lovely, not to 'graft grace on a crab-stock,' nor to present a frowning goodness to the world. It is not enough that they who believe in God should be careful to exhibit conduct which commends itself to every man's conscience as right and pure. They should also commend themselves as being fair with a more than earthly beauty, and lustrous with a more than earthly radiance. There are many Christian people who spoil the effect of high-principled, self-sacrificing conduct by forgetting that beautifulness is an essential part of the highest goodness. Sour grapes are not the grapes that are intended to be grown on the true vine. But now, will you notice, as a further light upon Paul's notion of how to go about growing these grapes, what goes before? 'These things. I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which believe in God might be careful to maintain good works.' What are 'these things'? They are a brief summary of what we call 'the Gospel'; the evangelical teaching that 'the kindness and love of God our Saviour' had 'appeared,' and that 'He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost... that.. 'we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.' In effect Paul says to Titus: 'Now keep on insisting upon that.' The word translated 'affirm constantly' is a very strong one. It means a forcible and continually repeated enunciation, and the plain English of Paul’s injunction to Titus is: Keep on preaching the Gospel as the surest way to produce disciples full of good works. People say to us: 'Come down to daily life and conduct; never mind your dogmas.' If you leave out what these critics mean by dogma, and try to make daily life beautiful without it, you may as well hold your tongue. And the men who forget to 'affirm' these things 'constantly,' and preach morals without Gospel, are like Builders who begin to build on the second story, whose baseless castles in the air are sure to come down in ruins. The true way to produce moral conduct is to bring into clear prominence evangelical truth. But notice again, it is 'those which believe in God who will be careful to maintain good works.' That is to say, faith is the productive cause of good works, and good works are, as I said,' the hall-mark of faith.' If a man believes, then he will do 'good works.' The converse must also be true. If a man does not do good works, what, then, about his belief? 'Show me thy faith without thy works' - that is an impossible demand. The only way to show faith is by our works, and so all attempts to rend them apart, either in theory or in practice, are as absurd as it would be to take a piece of cloth, and try to tear away the inside from the outside. 'Faith' is the underside, 'good works' is the upper, and the web is one. Faith is the principle of works; works are the manifestation and making visible of faith. So now turn for a moment to another point.
The Apostle's command here implies a principle, that Christian work should always, and will always, if the faith is genuine, be in advance of all other sorts of good work. That is implied in one of the words used here which means literally' be foremost, stand in the front,' and I see no reason why the literal meaning should not be retained here. If it is retained, we have the thought implied - if you are a Christian man you should be ahead of the world in your goodness. You should lead, and not follow, or keep step with those who are not Christians. The Church's morality on the wide scale and individual practice on the narrow, ought to be, and will be, if we are true to the Gospel, far in advance of the ordinary opinion and practice of the day in which we Bye. If we are Christians, we are meant to be leaders, and that means that we shall often, like other leaders, have to endure a great deal of obloquy (state of disgrace resulting from public abuse) and calumny (a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions) from the people whom we are trying to lead, and who are loitering behind us. The Christian Church, as the Apostle James says, is meant to be a 'kind of first fruits of God’s creatures,' ripe before the others, riper than the others always. Does the Christian Church lead the conscience of England to-day? Does it even try to do it? Does it recognise that its function is not to re-echo the morality of the street or of the newspaper, but to peal out the morality of Jesus Christ? Is it enough that Christian people should be as good, as charitable, as beneficent, as much interested in social questions as others, or should have the better, the purer, and the happier lives of the community for their great aim, as much as other people have them? Would it be enough to say 'the electric light is about as bright as a tallow candle?' Is it enough to say, 'Christian people keep abreast of the world’s morality?' Let them go in advance, and if they go very far ahead sometimes, none the worse; the laggards will perhaps come up. But at all events, whether they do or not, 'I will that these things thou affirm constantly, in order that they which believe in God may take the lead in good works.' And now there is a last point to be noted, and that is the Apostle's warning that, although thus the belief of the Gospel, and the faith which springs from the belief, are the spring of good work, yet these will not become ours unless we are careful to stand in front. What does that carefulness mean? The word implies two things, and the first of them may be put in the shape of an exhortation - bring your brains to bear on these truths that are being thus 'constantly affirmed.' Bring them into your hearts through your minds, that they may filter into and shape the life. I believe that one main reason why the morality of the Christian Church is not much further in advance of the morality of the world than it is, is because the individual members of the Church do not bring their minds into contact with the great truths of the Gospel in such a fashion as they should. Christian practice is thin and poor and inconsistent, because Christian meditation on the Gospel and on the Lord of the Gospel, is shallow and infrequent. The truths that are to be 'affirmed' are the fuel that feeds the fire, and if there are no coals put on, the fire will very soon die down-And so there must be 'carefulness,' which means the occupation of the mind with the truths that produce holiness of life. And there must be another thing, there must be a definite and direct and continuous effort to increase our faith. I have been saying that faith is the underside of all noble conduct; and in the measure in which it is strengthened, in that measure accurately will our 'good works' increase. Suppose Manchester had had two pipes from Thirlmere instead of one, during recent droughts, should we have been in such straits for water? There was plenty in the lake, but we could not get it into our houses because we had not piping enough. There is plenty of power in our Gospel and in our God to make us rich in 'good works.' What is lacking is that we have not that connection, which is made by faith, through which the fulness of God will flow into our lives. If they want to grow crops in Eastern lands they have little to do but to sow the seed and to irrigate. Christ has sown the seed in His Gospel. We have to look after the irrigation, and the crops will come of themselves. So our main effort should be to keep ourselves in touch with that great Lord, and to increase the faith by which we make all His power our very own."
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Paul's Exhortations & Instructions to Brother Titus Volume 23
Paul Reminds Titus of why the Grace of God was Given to Us
Titus 3:6-7 Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. KJV Note: CEV=Contemporary English Version
Immediately after Paul reminds Brother Titus what the grace of God did to us and for us, he now reminds him and we true believers today and of every era and generation why we received this marvellous, miraculous, and merciful grace of God with these words, "Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;" (Titus 3:6) (KJV). This wonderful grace of God came to every redeemed, reborn, and regenerated sinner by One only and that being by our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. Not only is Jesus Christ God, but He is also Savior, meaning that the Creator of humanity is also the Savior of humanity and He is the judge of humanity. This grace of God Paul declares here was shed on us abundantly and the English word 'shed' is translated by the Greek word ekcheō meaning (to pour); to pour forth; figuratively to bestow: - gush out, shed forth, spill. The English word 'abundantly' is translated by the Greek word plousiōs meaning copiously: - abundantly, richly. In other words, every sinner when he or she is converted has this grace of God poured out upon them as though they were standing under a waterfall or huge shower being washed clean of the dirt that is on them and in our case, the dirt is our sins of the flesh and of the spirit that are all washed clean by this pouring out of grace through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Here is what Matthew Henry had to say about this verse, "Here is the procuring cause of all, namely, Christ: Through Jesus Christ our Saviour. He it is who purchased the Spirit and His saving gifts and graces. All come through Him, and through Him as a Saviour, whose undertaking and work it is to bring to grace and glory; He is our righteousness and peace, and our head, from whom we have all spiritual life and influences. He is made of God to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Let us praise God for Him above all; let us go to the Father by Him, and improve Him to all sanctifying and saving purposes. Have we grace? Let us thank Him with the Father and Spirit for it: account all things but loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Him, and grow and increase therein more and more." Now Titus and we are reminded of why our Lord Jesus pours out this spectacular grace upon us and that being first and foremost to make us right in God the Father's sight and to make us His forever, just as a son or daughter born into an earthly family is a member and part of that family forever, so to are we redeemed sinners a part forever of God's family in heaven, as it is written here, "That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:7) (KJV).
The little English phrase 'being justified' is translated by the Greek word dikaioō meaning to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent. Here is the way Paul wrote this truth to the Church @ Rome in two (2) places, First, "All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, He freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered His life's blood, so that by faith in Him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past He was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when He accepts people who have faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:23-25) (CEV), and Second, "By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God." (Romans 5:1) (CEV). In other words, it is Christ grace that declares us innocent in heaven before the throne of God the Father and therefore, God the Father now sees us exactly as He sees Jesus Christ and that is pure and perfect and free from sin (even though we still have sin on us and in us). Why is it then that the remainder of sinful humanity go on resisting, refusing, and rejecting our Lord Jesus Christ and this bountiful, that is freely given grace?
It is because the enemy of God (the devil) is at work continually on the earth to keep sinners from hearing and believing the Gospel of Christ, as Paul wrote with these words to the Church @ Corinth, "If there is anything hidden about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost. The god who rules this world (the devil) has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like." (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) (CEV). The purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ pouring out this grace upon us so abundantly or richly is that we be made 'heirs' and this English word is translated by the Greek word klēronomos meaning (in its original sense of partitioning, that is, [reflexively] getting by apportionment); a sharer by lot, that is, an inheritor (literally or figuratively); by implication a possessor: - heir. In other words, the purpose of this grace is to make us legitimate sons and daughters of God the Father, no longer illegitimate sinners, but now we are heirs to the eternal life that is God and now is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord, just as Paul wrote to the Church @ Rome with these words, "Only those people who are led by God's Spirit are His children. God's Spirit doesn't make us slaves who are afraid of Him. Instead, we become His children and call Him our Father. God's Spirit makes us sure that we are His children. His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with Him." (Romans 8:14-17) (CEV).
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
Titus 3:6-7 Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. KJV Note: CEV=Contemporary English Version
Immediately after Paul reminds Brother Titus what the grace of God did to us and for us, he now reminds him and we true believers today and of every era and generation why we received this marvellous, miraculous, and merciful grace of God with these words, "Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;" (Titus 3:6) (KJV). This wonderful grace of God came to every redeemed, reborn, and regenerated sinner by One only and that being by our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. Not only is Jesus Christ God, but He is also Savior, meaning that the Creator of humanity is also the Savior of humanity and He is the judge of humanity. This grace of God Paul declares here was shed on us abundantly and the English word 'shed' is translated by the Greek word ekcheō meaning (to pour); to pour forth; figuratively to bestow: - gush out, shed forth, spill. The English word 'abundantly' is translated by the Greek word plousiōs meaning copiously: - abundantly, richly. In other words, every sinner when he or she is converted has this grace of God poured out upon them as though they were standing under a waterfall or huge shower being washed clean of the dirt that is on them and in our case, the dirt is our sins of the flesh and of the spirit that are all washed clean by this pouring out of grace through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Here is what Matthew Henry had to say about this verse, "Here is the procuring cause of all, namely, Christ: Through Jesus Christ our Saviour. He it is who purchased the Spirit and His saving gifts and graces. All come through Him, and through Him as a Saviour, whose undertaking and work it is to bring to grace and glory; He is our righteousness and peace, and our head, from whom we have all spiritual life and influences. He is made of God to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Let us praise God for Him above all; let us go to the Father by Him, and improve Him to all sanctifying and saving purposes. Have we grace? Let us thank Him with the Father and Spirit for it: account all things but loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Him, and grow and increase therein more and more." Now Titus and we are reminded of why our Lord Jesus pours out this spectacular grace upon us and that being first and foremost to make us right in God the Father's sight and to make us His forever, just as a son or daughter born into an earthly family is a member and part of that family forever, so to are we redeemed sinners a part forever of God's family in heaven, as it is written here, "That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:7) (KJV).
The little English phrase 'being justified' is translated by the Greek word dikaioō meaning to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent. Here is the way Paul wrote this truth to the Church @ Rome in two (2) places, First, "All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, He freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered His life's blood, so that by faith in Him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past He was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when He accepts people who have faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:23-25) (CEV), and Second, "By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God." (Romans 5:1) (CEV). In other words, it is Christ grace that declares us innocent in heaven before the throne of God the Father and therefore, God the Father now sees us exactly as He sees Jesus Christ and that is pure and perfect and free from sin (even though we still have sin on us and in us). Why is it then that the remainder of sinful humanity go on resisting, refusing, and rejecting our Lord Jesus Christ and this bountiful, that is freely given grace?
It is because the enemy of God (the devil) is at work continually on the earth to keep sinners from hearing and believing the Gospel of Christ, as Paul wrote with these words to the Church @ Corinth, "If there is anything hidden about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost. The god who rules this world (the devil) has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like." (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) (CEV). The purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ pouring out this grace upon us so abundantly or richly is that we be made 'heirs' and this English word is translated by the Greek word klēronomos meaning (in its original sense of partitioning, that is, [reflexively] getting by apportionment); a sharer by lot, that is, an inheritor (literally or figuratively); by implication a possessor: - heir. In other words, the purpose of this grace is to make us legitimate sons and daughters of God the Father, no longer illegitimate sinners, but now we are heirs to the eternal life that is God and now is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord, just as Paul wrote to the Church @ Rome with these words, "Only those people who are led by God's Spirit are His children. God's Spirit doesn't make us slaves who are afraid of Him. Instead, we become His children and call Him our Father. God's Spirit makes us sure that we are His children. His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with Him." (Romans 8:14-17) (CEV).
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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