To Titus, a true son
in our common faith:
Grace, mercy, and
peace form God the Father
And the Lord Jesus
Christ our Savior.
For this reason I
left you in Crete,
That you should set
in order the things
That are lacking, and
appointed elders in
Every city as I
commanded you––
Titus 1:4–5
There are
those who are opposed to an institutional Church as though it is not what God
intended for Christians. I will give this caveat: There are and have been
abuses in the Church. Does that mean that there should not be an institutional
Church? Is it wrong to have pastors, elders, deacons, and others who teach,
work at, and maintain a building in which to meet and hear God’s word
expounded? NO! Paul sent Titus to Crete to do just that and more, even to appoint
elders in every city, to teach that what is lacking in their daily living
and faith. We must come to understand God’s law, to understand the prophets, to
believe the Gospel: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not
believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And
how shall they hear without a preacher” (Romans 10:14). This understanding
that leads a person to believe is possible only when they hear the word of God
and then by that understanding apply the law of God in their daily lives. This
may mean that a cleansing is necessary for a person’s life, within the church,
i.e., having images of Jesus (so–called for we do not know His appearance),
statues of Saints, Apostles, even one of Mary, all need to be cleansed from our
homes, and our Churches: “You shall not make for yourself a carved
image––any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or hat is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to
them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations
of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and
keep My commandments”(Exodus 20:4–5). If, as one person just told me about
having a picture of “Jesus,” that it was innocent to have such a thing and it
aided her in her devotion to Jesus Christ. Is this not serving an image? YES!
STOP!
In Verse
two of this of the first chapter of Titus we are told that we have hope of
eternal life which is in God, that is this: God grants the reward of
immortality, and in the present gives grace to all, for some a common grace,
rain, sunshine, food, etc., and for His children a promise which He gave years
before that He would send a Savior and by this Savior save all who are of the
elect. This was manifested in Jesus Christ. This is what is to be taught in our
Churches; not some psychological babble that a person could get from even TV,
just so that they feel that they have a way to have a good life now, when the
good life is ahead in heaven and assured by the life, death, resurrection, and
ascension into heaven by Jesus Christ. This is the Wisdom of God which is
always with the Father, the One with the Father who rejoiced over the creation,
and joyful over men and promised to those, whoever they were, for we do not
know who are all the elected, that is why we preach, that is why we send
missionaries into the world, that is why we live daily the Gospel and we can as
did God, the Triune God, rejoice over the sons of men. God made this election
before the foundation of the world, before He poured out the water to form
seas, lakes, before He set aside space to hang the universe, and before He
established the earth, this was promised by God. In God there is no deceit––God
cannot lie (vs. 2), not only does God not lie, He does not wish to lie. God is
the God of Truth and as Truth He cannot have any deceit or lie in Him: “Certainly
not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You
may be justified in Your words, and my overcome when You are judged” (Romans
3:4). God alone is truthful, and every man a liar. Only God, alone has
immortality, not alone as when we are alone by ourselves, it is that there is
no other who can claim immortality for only God is immortal. God grants
immortality to His children and His children are those who believe upon His Son
Jesus Christ, the very Wisdom of God who became clothed in human flesh to die
for sin, to pay the debt of sin and that payment is extended, not offered for
God is not controlled by man’s will, rather extended to those chosen before the
foundation of the world: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be
conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many
brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called,
these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified”(Romans
8:29–30; cf. l1:2; Ephesians 4:4–5). God is not truthful, not because
others do not live Him or even believe in Him, no, He alone is immortal and
true by His nature. For anyone to acquire immortality; it is a gift: “For by
grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the
gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). It
is one thing to be true and have it by nature and of oneself, as does God, and
another thing to be subject to the power of the One who can bestow His gift,
the gift of immortality, the One who gave to you that what you now, that is if
you believe on His Son and allow this gift to work out from you that which God
has worked into you, faith, this faith that you now possess.
And He Himself gave some to be
Apostles,
some prophets,
some evangelist, and some pastors
and teachers, for the equipping
of the saints for the work
of the ministry, for the edifying
of the body
of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11–12
Let Your Life Testify Of Your Faith
Richard L. Crumb
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