For the Sake of Their Faith
Notes
Transcript
Brief Review
Brief Review
Paul write this letter to Titus, a partner in the gospel, to offer him encouragement in his pastoral work in Crete.
Titus endured ongoing opposition from the circumcision party, and Paul’s advice centered on the need for Titus to complete what he started.
Identifying and appointing elders was Paul’s answer the the turmoil that the churches on Crete were experiencing as a result of the corrupt teaching of the false teachers.
The elders’ qualifications are characterized by the righteousness of Christ and their teaching was to be characterized by the same.
The Leadership of Paul (1-4)
The Leadership of Paul (1-4)
His philosophy of his apostleship
His philosophy of his apostleship
a servant of God
Paul identifies himself this way in Romans and Philippians as well.
By referring to himself as a servant of God, Paul endorses the leadership philosophy of Jesus:
and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,
an apostle of Jesus Christ
The authority of Jesus is from where Paul possesses his authority of the churches as an apostle.
The goals of his apostleship
The goals of his apostleship
for the sake of the faith of God’s elect
to encourage the development and maturity of their faith
that God’s people are elect (chosen by God) is not an exclusively Pauline idea:
Jesus taught it:
For many are called, but few are chosen.”
And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Peter taught it
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
John taught it
They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
The Old Testament refers to Israel in this way
It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God.
Question: What does the elect status of God’s people and Paul’s concern that the faith of the elect progress make clear about faith?
[for the sake of] their knowledge of the truth which accords with godliness
truth modifies knowledge.... This true knowledge is referencing a body of of knowledge
the word knowledge is often used in connection with an identifiable collection or body of doctrine.
correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.
This body of doctrine must refer to the gospel in its fullest sense.
which accords with godliness
The term godliness denotes an everyday way of living that displays a concern to please God.
Question: What expectations of the gospel and those who believe it does Paul express in his description of believing the gospel or possessing “knowledge of the truth”?
Question: What is Paul’s doctrine of sanctification based on his flow of thought in verse 1?
The basis of his apostleship goals
The basis of his apostleship goals
in hope of eternal life
Paul is noting that the faith and knowledge of the truth of people are based on the hope of eternal life.
since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,
Paul identifies the hope laid up for you in heaven (hope of eternal life) as the basis of his audience’s faith and love they have for all the saints.
In Titus 1, Paul identifies the hope of eternal life as the basis, or that which undergirds believers’ faith and knowledge of the truth. In other words, a certainty of eternal life with God is foundational to possessing faith in God and the promises He has made in the gospel.
which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
the hope of eternal life is based upon God’s promise.
Question: Is there a difference between certainty and hope? How do the promises of God impact the ideas of hope and certainty?
Question: What are the differences between hope based on the promises of God and the hope the world promotes? What do these differences teach us about possessing and living with the hope that is based upon the promises of God?
The promises of God in whom there is no falsehood makes clear that He is completely trustworthy, and His character is unimpeachable. We can therefore conclude:
the hope of eternal life is rooted in the character of God
the hope of eternal life will be realized by those who possess faith in God and His gospel
It should also be noted that Paul’s use of the term, God who never lies, would have been in stark contrast to the lying character of the Cretans, which is a reminder that our hope must be ultimately in God and His promises and not in man.
One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,
God’s original intention before creation was for His people to enjoy eternal life.
The work of his apostleship
The work of his apostleship
at the proper time
Paul is reaffirming his confidence in the sovereignty of God with regard to historical events. (See Gal 4:4 and Rom 5:6)
manifested His word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted
Paul declares that God has revealed His message, that is, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God has chosen to make the gospel known to people through its proclamation.
Question: What about the Gospel prevents us from concluding that manifesting gospel through sinful people proclaiming it is a bad idea?
Question: What does the word “entrusted” convey about Paul’s preaching ministry?
to Titus, my true child in a common faith
Paul expresses affection for Titus in this reference at the least, but this could also suggest that Titus was one of Paul’s own converts.