Titus 3 - 2011.05.28

FAITH WORKS

“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

Someone has said the devil is an extremist; if he cannot push us to one extreme, he will attempt to push us to the other. This suggestion is illustrated in our reaction to the issue of faith vs. works. Where scripture promotes a synthesis, many seem to encourage divorce.

Early in my experience as a believer we were encouraged to choose a “life verse.” Mine became Titus 3:5-6—”Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.” (To which might be added verse 7, “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”) This is one among many passages in the new testament which happily emphasizes the glorious truth that our salvation does not rest upon anything that we must “do,” but solely upon the mercy of God. Typically, however, we are reminded that though we are not dependent upon “good works” in order to be saved, we are saved “unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (See Eph. 2:10)

God’s grace is designed for our assurance of salvation, but it is not issued as a license to sin, though many seem to interpret it that way. Before conversion we were powerless to do “good works,” suited to salvation from sin. Through the prophet Isaiah the Holy Spirit declared, “…we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away [Isa. 64:6].” The best efforts of the natural man are no match for the problem sin represents to a holy God. However after salvation we are indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit and both equipped for and called to a life characterized by “good works.”

Good works include personal, social, moral and spiritual actions as defined and directed by the scriptures. God has something to say about all these areas and it becomes our responsibility to search the scriptures to see what His will is in every area and to pray and work toward their development in our lives until they become our habit of behavior. Our text asserts that they are to be affirmed “constantly,” and practiced diligently.

The Savior Himself said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven [Mt. 5:16].” While some may argue for a dispensational perspective that puts this exhortation under law and not under grace, the epistles verify its application to New Testament believers. We have already noted Ephesians 2:10, which is crystal clear, and our nugget for today is another.

The Spirit instructs us in another familiar passage, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works [II Tim. 3:16-17].” In other words, the whole purpose of scripture, divinely inspired, is to equip and motivate us to good works. Titus 2:14 incorporates good works in the very fabric of God’s redemptive plan, declaring that our Savior Jesus Christ “…gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” To aim for less is to ignore the word of God, and to teach otherwise is heresy.

Sadly, the attitude of some professing Christians seems to be, “I am saved by faith alone, so it doesn’t matter how I live.” The truth is, the faith that justifies becomes the dynamic of a life lived to the glory of God. Anything less than that aspiration in the life of a professing Christian brings his salvation into question. In short, the faith that saves works!

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All His wonderful passion and purity;
Oh, thou Spirit divine,
All my nature refine,
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.

For living a ‘good’ life,

"Pastor" Frasier

Titus 2 - 2011.05.21

“ADORNING” DOCTRINE

“But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine…that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. —Titus 2:1,10b

The apostle Paul rendered an indictment of Israel’s hypocrisy in his epistle to the Romans, charging, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you,” and in the process declared, “He is not a Jew, which is one outwardly…but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly…whose praise is not of men, but of God [See Rom. 2:17-29].” He was berating them for a lack of correspondence between profession and performance.

Writing to Titus he made a similar accusation of certain in the church, as we noted last week, saying, “They profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him.” This consideration sets the stage for today’s emphasis, which follows what seems at first reading a curious thought. It seems as though he is urging Titus to teach sound doctrine, (v.1) but immediately he addresses behavioral issues in various categories of believers: old men, aged women, young women and young men—even slaves (servants.)

The message is clear: without sound conduct, sound doctrine becomes irrelevant. When our behavior fails to “adorn” what we profess, when our conduct contradicts our theology, our deeds discredit our doctrine and the unregenerate world around us has little reason to take what we say seriously. And, such inconsistent behavior threatens to undermine the cause of Christ. When this happens Christianity falls to the level of religion rather than a relationship with Christ.

Christianity as a religion is as bankrupt as paganism. It is only insofar as Christ has become our life and our lives radiate His character that Christian faith becomes more than another competitor in the religious marketplace. True doctrine, in other words, is not static and academic, but dynamic and life changing.

The Savior said “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father [John 14:9].” Later, addressing the Father in prayer He remarked, “Now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world [John 17:11],” and a bit later, “As thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world [Jn. 17:18].” The latter emphasis was reiterated directly to the disciples by the Savior after His resurrection: “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath set Me, even so send I you [Jn. 20:21].” The inference is that the character of God will be as evident in the lives of believers as it was in the life of the Son of God.

Sadly, that has not been the case over time. The two major emphases in the Savior’s teaching are love and unity. As we have noted more than once, He said, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one for another [Jn. 13:35]. And He prayed, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father art in Me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent Me [Jn. 17:21, my italics].”

Sadly, these doctrines are not demonstrated in the professing church as a whole; sadder still, they are not even significantly evident in many a local congregation of “believers.” To say nothing of sin in the ordinary sense, the doctrine that should lay the foundation for love and unity is often the catalyst for strife and division. This, of course, is the adversary’s genius. The divine objective (part of our “sound doctrine”) is to “gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him… [Eph. 1:10].” Hence it has become the devil’s strategy to divide what God would unite, making it appear that he has successfully frustrated the divine goal, and thus discrediting the testimony of Christ.

Ultimately, of course, God will accomplish His objective by His own means. But for now the church’s position is greatly weakened by the disparity between our doctrine and our demonstration. Scripture still pleads for these to be brought into correspondence with one another. There is no immediate large scale solution available. (Ecumenism is an attempt to achieve unity at the expense of doctrine, which is another evil.) Scripture still urges believers to “adorn the doctrine of God.” For now it can only be realized in individual lives committed to Christ and infused with the Holy Spirit, then embraced and displayed among those groups of believers, few in number perhaps, who share the same commitment to Christ.

“Examine yourselves.” And let it be remembered that anything less fails to adorn the doctrine of God and discredit the Truth.

For the glory of God,

"Pastor" Frasier

Titus 1 - 2011.05.14

ABOMINABLE “SNOWMEN”

“Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” —Titus 1:15-16

There is no task on earth more demanding than the gospel ministry. Its influence effects the destiny of the souls of men, and its standards are defined by God. Thus the apostle Paul took great pains to counsel young men for the ministry. We noted it in passing in our remarks in the studies in Timothy and it confronts us again in this epistle to Titus. Following his introduction the apostle defines essential standards for the gospel ministry (v.5-9) then issues a warning about men in ministry so disqualified for the office that he says “[their] mouths must be stopped.” One cannot but wonder what he would say about many a “minister” in this day and age!

The Holy Spirit has capitalized on the situation to convey truth which, if heeded, will pay great spiritual dividends in the church. If ignored, it will ultimately leave the “sheep” to the “wolf” and scatter the flock. (See John 10:12-13)

From the perspective of our “nugget” for today, consider first the declaration: “They profess that they know God,” but their motive in so doing is for their own gain (v.11). Then note their designation by the Holy Spirit: they are “defiled and unbelieving.” The inference is strong, if not absolute, that these are unconverted men who for selfish reasons have adopted the ministry as their vocation. If there were some in Paul’s day, there are many in ours.

The degradation of these “hirelings” is defined as extending to “mind and conscience.” They neither think according to the truth of God, nor do they live it. Both head and heart are involved, and the results are tragic: “whole houses” (v.11,) entire families, are caught in the brambles of their false teaching and ungodly example. Today we may say whole churches are the victims of those who for hire will say what best serves their own interests rather than the truth of God.

Finally, there is the demonstration, already alluded to, that justifies the accusation: “in works they deny Him.” That is to say, these false teachers not only distort the truth of God in their teaching, they degrade it in their behavior. These correspond in this dispensation to those the apostle condemned in the former when he said, “The name of God is blasphemed among [unbelievers] through you, as it is written [Rom. 2:24].”

It is true, of course, that we are not saved by our “works.” But it is equally true that we are saved “unto good works,” and those works are defined by the word of God. It is the measuring instrument of our conduct, and our conduct defines our character. This, by the way, applies to every professing Christian, not only to the church’s leadership. As Emerson put it long ago, “What you do speaks so loud I cannot hear what you say,” proving that sometimes, indeed, “the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light [Luke 16:8].” Wise men will read our lives more keenly than they will read our lips, but that kind of wisdom is often wanting in many a congregation, threatening them with misdirection in both doctrine and practice when “hirelings” are in the pulpit.

Now someone will doubtless say, that is all well, but of what value is it to readers of this article? To this our response is threefold. First, there may be among my readers some whose churches are in search for a pastor. Schools can make preachers; only God can produce pastors, in the true sense of the word. Take heed to the warning in this nugget, and give careful attention to the divinely disclosed standards for spiritual leadership delineated in verses 5-9.

Second, some of our readers are involved in ministry. Listen to God’s charge, and renew your efforts to walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him, so that you may adorn the doctrine you preach with practice that illustrates and proves it.

Thirdly, let every Christian observe that God does not intend to have first class and second class members in the body of Christ. The standards demanded for those in ministry are intended for all who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. All are called to be witnesses for Christ, and what we are in practice should reinforce, not contradict the faith we profess.

“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold, all things are become new.”

[II Cor. 5:17]

For the adorning of the doctrine of God,

"Pastor" Frasier

2 Timothy 4 - 2011.05.07

FAITHFUL MINISTRY

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” — II Tim. 4:1-2

Our nugget for today has to do with the gospel ministry as the Spirit inspired apostle and seasoned pastor mentors his younger companion in this high calling. The seriousness and solemnity of the matter is evident in the first verse, where Paul holds himself accountable to the Father and the Son for the counsel he is giving. Every gospel minister will do well to maintain a continual awareness of this profound truth. No true minister of the word of God assumes the role on his own initiative, but must accept it as a calling from God. Someone suggested years ago that a man should not become a minister of the gospel if he could be content doing anything else. The charge to Timothy affords significant evidence of what this ministry involves.

“Preach the word.” The primary responsibility of the gospel minister is the communication of the Word of God to the people of God. In His last recorded encounter with the apostle Peter, the Lord Jesus laid the foundation for this exhortation. Three times He charged Peter, “Feed My sheep.” The only fodder God has given for feeding His flock is His inspired word, and it is the preacher’s task to convey it to them. Ministers are not called to be psychiatrists, marriage counsellors, entertainers, or baby sitters; they are called to feed the sheep, to communicate the word of the Lord so that the redeemed may “grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ.” (See Eph. 4:11-15)

The task is relentless, and not always easy. Thus the Holy Spirit says, “Be instant,” i.e., be faithful to the task “whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable, whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it be welcome or unwelcome.” (Amplified paraphrase.) The faithful gospel minister will “sow by all waters,” and in all seasons, under all circumstances. We are advised that “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap [Eccl. 11:4].” The minister is to disregard the climate and keep his eye on the Lord and his heart committed to his high calling. If he does, he will reap God’s blessing “in due season.”

“Reprove, rebuke, exhort…” Here, in brief, is the substance of the ministry. To reprove is “to show people in what way their lives are wrong.” (Amp.) This is not designed to make the shepherd popular with the sheep; it is intended to protect them from their own natural inclination to folly. The resource for this, of course, is not the preacher’s opinion, but that word of God which is a lamp for our feet and a light to mark the path of wisdom and security.

To rebuke is to speak with authority commanding correction. The word used here in the original is used only twice in the epistles, but is used often with respect to the ministry of the Lord Jesus in the gospels. He “rebuked” evil spirits, and the wind. He even rebuked the disciples, which is perhaps the best illustration for our purpose. When the Savior was rejected by a certain “village of the Samaritans,” the disciples suggested that they “command fire to come down from heaven and consume them.” Christ’s response was to turn and rebuke them and say ”Ye know not what what manner of spirit ye are of. For the son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” (Cf. Luke 9:51-56) The rebuke is aimed at correcting what is wrong, and this must ever be the pastor’s goal.

To exhort is “to urge” onward in spiritual growth. Or, to encourage in the right direction.

Given the fallible nature of even the best of men, this is an unending task to be undertaken with “all longsuffering and doctrine.” Longsuffering suggests patience, self-restraint and perseverance. The shepherd is not called to beat the sheep, but to lead them as he feeds them. Doctrine suggests both content and technique. Doctrine, in scripture, is truth drawn from the word of God and teaching, a synonym, is the method of its communication. It involves instruction, which is more than just “telling.” I once had a mentor who sought to teach me how to make a straight saw cut across a board. When he told me, I didn’t get it. Then he said, “watch me.” When he showed me, I began to catch on. The patient communication of doctrine to the people of God will involve the pastor in showing the way by example. Thus the Savior said on one occasion to those who doubted Him, “I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.” (Cf. John 10:24-25) That is an illustration of “longsuffering and doctrine.”

Now you may be tempted to ask, of what value is this to me? If you are involved in ministry, it affords valuable instruction as to the nature of your responsibility. And if you are under a minister, it will afford some insight into what to expect and what to pray for in your leaders. “Do all to the glory of God.”

For our good here and hereafter,

"Pastor" Frasier