Hope of Eternal Life

Titus 1:1-4
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, November 09, 2014
Copyright © 2014, P. G. Mathew

This is the first in a series of sermons on the pastoral epistles of Paul. In this church, we believe in the absolute authority of the Bible. It alone is truth, for it is the written word of God. It teaches us what to believe and how we should live in the midst of a crooked and depraved generation.

Jesus believed in the authority of the Scripture. As Paul writes, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Peter explains, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:20–21).

The pastoral epistles of Paul consist of three books: Titus, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. They are different from the prison epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon), which Paul wrote from prison. It is believed that after Paul was set free from prison to pursue his evangelistic work, he went to the island of Crete with Titus to preach. Eventually he left Titus on Crete to complete certain tasks while he traveled on to other places in the region, like Nicopolis and Dalmatia.

Crete is a large mountainous island in the Mediterranean. It is two hundred and fifty kilometers long and fifty to eleven kilometers wide. Paul left Titus in Crete to bring order in the new churches by appointing elders, stopping heretics, and teaching biblical doctrine, that is, the apostolic doctrine, so that the people could live godly lives. Paul also wrote this epistle to Titus to strengthen the authority of his young co-worker. It was written between 63 and 65 AD.

Titus was a Gentile Christian. His name appears twelve times in the New Testament.

 

Paul, a Slave and an Apostle

Paul begins by saying that he is a “servant [slave] of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ” (Titus 1:1). Paul was a Jew born in Tarsus in Cilicia. He was a Roman citizen, as was his father, and educated by the famous rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem, as he told the crowd in Jerusalem: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today” (Acts 22:3).

Paul was at the top of his class, as he told the Galatians, “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Gal. 1:14). Paul was a Pharisee and a persecutor of Christianity.

But when Jesus appeared to him, he saved him and appointed him to be his apostle. Paul became the most productive apostle. He writes, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10).

Paul was in Jerusalem when the Jews stoned Stephen to death. In fact, he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. But here in this epistle, Paul calls himself a “slave of God,” an expression only found in this place in the New Testament. Elsewhere he calls himself a slave of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:1). In other words, Paul was owned by God, redeemed by the blood of Christ.

This is true of all believers in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 6:20 Paul writes, “You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” Peter says, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Pet. 1:18–19).

A slave is to hear and do the will of his owner always. A slave of God looks to God alone for provision, protection, and direction. Only slaves of God the Father and Christ Jesus enjoy true freedom. So we read, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. . . . But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (Rom. 6:18, 22).

Every Christian is a slave of the triune God by virtue of creation as well as redemption. Every unbeliever is a slave of the devil. As such, he can only sin, and he sins always. No one is autonomous, free to do his own thing. The idea of autonomy is a lie. All believers in Christ are God’s slaves who do the will of God with great delight. They are his adopted children and enjoy true maximum freedom. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Yet Paul was also an apostle of Jesus Christ. He spoke for Christ and wrote the infallible word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was called and commissioned by Christ himself to be his ambassador, having been given the power of attorney to act in Christ’s name. So we read, “[Jesus} called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. . . . [He told them,] ‘He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me’” (Matt. 10:1, 40). In Paul’s letters, Christ is speaking to the church.

 

 

The Goal: The Hope of Eternal Life

What was the goal of Paul’s apostolic commission? It was that through his preaching of the gospel of Christ, the elect of God would come to repent and trust in Jesus to have eternal life and be saved from the wrath of God. For we read, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. . . . The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 3:23; 6:23).

There is no salvation in anyone else. Jesus Christ is the Savior, and in him is eternal life. That is why today we must repent and believe in Jesus Christ and be saved.

How do we know someone is an elect of God? Paul writes, “Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of the elect of God and for the full knowledge of truth, which leads to godliness, based on the hope of eternal life” (Titus 1:1–2). When God sends a person to preach the gospel, God’s elect will repent and believe, and will live holy lives all of life, persevering to the end.

The elect of God are sinners chosen by God from eternity past to be saved. Jesus spoke about the eternal covenant of redemption in John 17: “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world [given in eternity]. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word” (v. 6); “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours” (v. 9); “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world” (v. 24). Eternal life is the beatific vision. It is seeing God, being with God, forever. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

What can we say about election? Paul writes, “For those God foreknew [in eternity] he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called [in time]; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Rom. 8:29–30). This tells us what God did in eternity and in time and will do in eternity future. Paul also writes, “Therefore, as God’s [elect] chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Col. 3:12). Acts 13:48 begins, “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord.” How do we honor the word of the Lord? By repentance and faith. When we honor the word of the Lord, we are honoring God because it is his word that is coming to us. Then we read, “and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.” The elect will believe.

The legion-demon man was an elect of God. So Jesus sought him and saved him (Luke 19:10). Every elect will hear the gospel and by the power of the Spirit confess, “Jesus is Lord”— Jesus who died, who rose again, who is given all authority in heaven and on earth, and who is coming again to judge the living and the dead.

The elect trust in Christ based on their knowledge of the truth of the apostolic gospel. And those who hear the truth of the gospel but refuse to believe prove themselves to be not chosen by God. Paul says about such people, “[They are] always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. . . . Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned” (2 Tim. 3:7; Titus 3:10–11).

The elect will certainly believe the gospel truth about the person and work of Jesus. Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” even as Jesus, who is the truth, was standing before him. Truth is God’s very word.

Paul says, “Let God be true and every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4). Do you think we will hear truth from politicians? No. And, sadly, even ministers lie. Most of them do not preach the gospel; they merely entertain. We do not do that in this church; we are dealing with life and death issues.

Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Peter declared, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). His name is Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins (Matt. 1:21).

The elect of God come to faith in the gospel because the Holy Spirit regenerates them and they receive the gifts of repentance and saving faith (Acts 3:16). They are effectually called. They have the mind of Christ. The true church is the pillar and foundation of the truth, not of ceremonies. A true church, above all, is the church where the gospel is preached. It declares truth so that people can understand and believe it. Paul received apostleship for the faith of the elect of God and the knowledge of the truth.

Paul stated the essential truth of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve” (vv. 3–5). There is no pluralism; that is, there is no other equally valid truth other than the gospel truth. It alone is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. All other religions are impotent to save because they do not have a God/man Savior who died on the cross and was raised from the dead.

The Scripture alone is God’s infallible revelation to man, and Jesus alone is the Savior of the elect of the world. This Jesus demands faith in him by believing the truth of the gospel preached by God-called and commissioned ministers of the gospel. Christianity is not irrationalism, emotionalism, or subjectivism. Christianity is not a leap in the dark. It is a reasonable faith that demands a new heart and a renewed mind. Paul says, “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:22–24).

We preach truth. Paul received apostleship for the faith of the elect of God and the knowledge of the truth. Faith is in the knowledge of the truth, not in some irrational, emotional nothingness. So we read, “However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:9–10). As we listen to biblical preaching, the Holy Spirit works in our hearts, makes us understand the gospel, and causes us to trust in Jesus Christ alone to be saved.

This knowledge of the truth produces godliness in the elect believer. Jesus Christ is the incarnation of godliness (1 Tim. 3:16a). Therefore, a disciple of Jesus will live a godly life. Paul received apostleship for the faith of the elect of God and the knowledge of the truth “leading to godliness.” If you are living an ungodly life, you are not an elect of God.

Jesus Christ was godliness incarnate. So we read, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission [Gk., eulabeias, godliness]” (Heb. 5:7). Paul writes, “Through him and for his name’s sake we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience of faith” (Rom. 1:5). If we believe, we will obey. Obedience is based on the gospel.

In Hebrews 12:14 we read, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” It is the sine qua non, the essential condition, for us to see God. If we do not strive for holiness, consider Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:23: “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

In Titus 2:11–12 Paul tells us, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” Peter writes, “As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God” (1 Pet. 4:2). He also says, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Pet. 3:11–12). John declares, “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). Paul also admonishes,

 

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? [What is the answer? Nothing!] Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? [Nothing!] What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? [Nothing!] What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor. 6:14–18)

 

We are to live holy lives. Godliness means separation from the world. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). Alêtheia (truth) must produce eusebeia (godliness). The truth of the gospel must produce godliness. An ungodly Christian is a fake. He is a child of the devil. A person can be in the church all his life; it doesn’t make him a child of God. He is non-elect.

An ungodly church is a synagogue of Satan. Godly life is the proof that one’s faith is based on the knowledge of the truth of the gospel and that he is God’s elect. It is not a mystery. Peter tells us to make our calling and election sure. We do so by asking: Am I living a holy life? The question is not, am I perfect, but am I living a holy life?

Our holy life in this world assures us of the full enjoyment of eternal life in the future. The elect who are effectually called and justified shall most certainly be glorified when Jesus comes again. Most assuredly, we can die in peace. Surely, we enjoy eternal life now, yet not in its fullness. We now hope for our future glorification. Our destiny is glory. Paul writes, “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30). He also says, “What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory” (Rom. 9:23).

Unbelievers are dead in their sins, without hope and without God. They are objects of wrath prepared for destruction. But we have been given eternal life. We are saved, being saved, and shall be saved. So we are waiting for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Tit. 2:13).

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” That is eternal life. Then he concludes, “Therefore encourage each other with these words.” The Bible alone gives us encouragement.

Paul says we shall be changed, “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52).

In eternity past, God chose us for eternal life. Faith based on the gospel points us to the hope of eternal life. Paul states, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1–2). A Christian alone has hope—the sure, certain hope of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in glory to glorify us. So we read, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Rom. 5:5). The Holy Spirit gives us hope.

John writes, “This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11). Have you believed in Jesus Christ? You must, because no one else can give you eternal life. This life is found only in God’s Son. Have you repented and trusted in Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ is also our hope. In 1 Timothy, Paul writes, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope” (1 Tim. 1:1). Colossians 1:27 tells us, “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Christ is our life and Christ is our hope. And he does not disappoint us at all. He is the hope of glory. This promise of future eternal life is in Christ Jesus.

Our hope of eternal life is not a dead hope. Peter says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3). Ours is a living hope. God the Father himself promised us eternal life. He promised it in eternity before the creation of the world, and he cannot lie.

By nature, we lie. Having been a pastor for many years, I have had people look straight into my eyes and lie to me. So if we tell the truth it is because God helps us. God promised to give us eternal life, and he cannot lie, as we read in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” Paul writes, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” the Father (2 Cor. 1:20). Paul also says, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Tim. 6:12). Eternal life has a future aspect. So let us all fight the good fight of faith, that we may take hold of the eternal life to which we were called when we made our good confession that “Jesus Christ is Lord.”

God the Father himself promised this eternal life. When did he do that? In eternity. To whom did he promise? The elect of God. Who are the elect of God? Those whom God loved with special love. God the Father promised this eternal life in eternity before the creation of the world, before the Fall. And what he promises he fulfills. The devil is a liar and the father of all lies. Whenever we lie, the devil is influencing us. We must tell our children: “Tell truth because lie is from the devil, and don’t give place to the devil. Don’t lie; tell the truth.”

Man lies. In fact, Cretans regarded lying as socially acceptable. Paul wrote about the Cretans, “Even one of their prophets has said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons’” (Titus 1:12). Cretans were liars. (PGM) They lied all the time. But, thank God, God is truth and he will not lie. What he promises in the Bible, he fulfills. So if we want to pray, we should pray this way: “Lord, you promised. Please do it for me.”

God alone always keeps his promises perfectly. John tells us, “This is what God promised us, even eternal life” (1 John 2:25). Paul speaks about this also in Galatians 4:4–5: “In the fullness of time, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law.”

So Titus is saying that what God promised before the creation of the world, he has fulfilled, he has made manifest, he has revealed in the fullness of time. What did he make manifest? His word (i.e., the word of God in the apostolic gospel preaching).

When did he do this? When the eternal Word became flesh in Jesus Christ. John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Jesus Christ is God. He also says, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:4, 14). Why did Christ become flesh? So that he may live a righteous life and die on the cross for our sins that he may give us eternal life.

Elsewhere John writes, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life [Jesus Christ]. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us” (1 John 1:1–2). That is what Paul is saying in Titus.

He speaks of this elsewhere: “[God] has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:9–10). That is why when we hear the gospel, if we are elect, we will repent and trust in the gospel, and receive life and immortality. Thank God, Jesus Christ has brought us life and immortality to light by his life and death on the cross!

Consider Peter’s words: “[Jesus Christ was chosen as our Savior] before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:20–21). The gospel is the gospel of Jesus Christ. No one else can save us. No one else destroyed death. No one else can give us eternal life. There is no gospel apart from the person and saving work of Jesus, God’s eternal Word. All other religions are impotent. They cannot save anyone. Only Christ, the eternal Word who became flesh, can do so. He lived and died for our sins. He said, “I give them eternal life.” Believe that; it is the truth.

The preaching of the gospel centers on Jesus Christ. It is not psychology, philosophy, or sociology. Those cannot save you. Jesus alone saves. So the gospel centers on Christ—his person and his work.

The preacher in his preaching lifts up Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God incarnate, crucified and risen from the dead so that everyone who looks to him in faith may be saved. That is preaching. So we read, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14–15). Paul writes, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). The question is, do you believe in this Jesus to whom all authority in heaven and earth is given?

Paul always portrayed the person and work of Christ. To the Galatians he wrote, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified” (Gal. 3:1). He was speaking about his preaching. Then we have to ask: Who was Jesus? Why was he crucified? And we should get answers to those questions.

In 1 Timothy 1:15–16 Paul declares, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance [by everyone]: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”

The gospel declares that God’s eternal Son was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. The Father did this. Isaac the son of Abraham was spared; the Son of God was not.

This gospel, Paul says, was a trust given to the apostles, including Paul. What does that mean? They were to preach the gospel faithfully, without adding to it, subtracting from it, or perverting it. That is what we do in this church. This gospel centers on God/man Jesus Christ.

An apostle and a pastor must be a pious and learned man. Paul says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). He should not only preach the gospel but also oppose all errors. So Paul writes, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Gal. 1:6–8). That is what we must say to those preachers who do not preach the gospel: You are cursed, eternally condemned. Paul also declared, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Cor. 11:13–15). “Their end” means going to hell. So it is serious business to be faithful in the proclamation of the gospel. We cannot add to it, subtract from it, or pervert it.

At Miletus Paul spoke to the elders of the church of Ephesus. We can assume Timothy was among them:

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:28–32)

We have a responsibility to preach the gospel and guard the deposit of the gospel entrusted to us. Paul instructs, “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us” (2 Tim. 1:13–14). This is the great deposit. This is truth. We must guard it, read it, study it, do it, memorize it, meditate upon it, oppose errors to it, and declare it to our parents, friends, and everyone else.

Every pastor called and sent by Christ must preach the gospel and guard it against all errors. He is entrusted by Christ with the gospel deposit, and he must give an account to him on the last day. I must tell you with great sorrow that most churches have abandoned the preaching of this apostolic gospel. Jesus appointed Paul as his apostle to preach this gospel. He was also made an apostle by the command of God the Father. Paul did not appoint himself, neither was he appointed by a church. He spoke about this to the Galatian church: “Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead” (Gal. 1:1).

Paul was commanded by the Father and the Son to preach the gospel. He could not refuse this commission. How could he? He was a slave of God. He had no choice in this matter. He was chosen from all eternity to preach the gospel, as was Moses and Jeremiah. Even I did not have a choice. I tried to run away, but who can run away from God? And I stand here to speak to you.

Paul said, “Woe unto me if I preach not the gospel!” (see 1 Cor. 9:16–17). God chose us to eternal life in eternity, and he saved us in history, in time. Verse 3 says God is our Savior. Verse 4 says Jesus Christ is our Savior. God saves us through his Son Jesus Christ.¹

Therefore, our thanksgiving to God expresses itself in bearing witness to God’s love for sinners. God and his Son command us also to share the gospel, for it alone is the power of God unto salvation. It alone is the medicine for all human misery.

In verse 4 Paul, the slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, says he is writing this letter to Titus, his true son in the common faith—common to the Jews and to the Gentiles.

Paul had many spiritual children. Elsewhere he says that Timothy was his true son (1 Tim. 1:2). Here we read him calling Titus his true son. In Philemon 10 he says that Onesimus was his son, his very heart. He wrote that he was the spiritual father of the Corinthians (1 Cor. 4:15), saying, “You may have many guardians but only one father.”

Do you have any spiritual children as a result of your sharing the gospel? Can you say to anyone, “You are my spiritual son”? Have you brought your children, parents, and friends to Christ the Savior? Share the gospel in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. God will use you. He uses human beings like us. Open your mouth. We read in Acts 2:4, “They all were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke.” Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. May God help us to be filled with the gospel and filled with the Holy Spirit so that without shame we will share the gospel. Why should I be ashamed of the gospel? It alone is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes!

Titus was Paul’s true son, one born of the Spirit, one who lived a holy life. Thus, he was unlike Demas, and would persevere to the very end. He was one who clearly understood the cost of discipleship.

Both Paul the Jew and Titus the Gentile had the same faith in Jesus Christ. There is no difference between Gentile and Jewish believers in regard to the content of their faith. So we read, “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all” (Col. 3:11). We also read, “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 3:6).

Thank God for his grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus, reaching every believer every day. Grace is unmerited favor. We merited eternal death and we received eternal life. We were enemies of God; now, in Jesus Christ, we have peace with God, peace with others, and the peace of God fills our hearts. God is propitious toward us because of the propitiatory death of Jesus Christ. So we read, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). The death of Christ in our behalf is the reason for our peace. In Hebrews 4:16 we read, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

We enjoy grace, mercy, and peace forever. We have no more worry. By Christ’s death, he defeated all our enemies. If God is for us, who can be against us? So Paul writes this: “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Rom. 8:33–35). This is a challenge to all the enemies of us. Then he concludes, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39).

May God help all his elect sinners to believe the truth of the gospel and have the hope of eternal life. Brothers and sisters, rejoice, if you have trusted in Jesus and if you possess eternal life.

 

¹ “God our Savior” is found in Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4; “Jesus our Savior” is found in Titus 1:4; 2:13; 3:6.