The next couple of lessons are all about the “fear of the Lord” and were written as one lesson until I realized there was way too much there to present all at once. Aurora

My husband is an electrician by trade and he is afraid of electricity. On his first day as an apprentice for his father’s electrical company, the journeyman tasked with teaching him the ropes didn’t tell him that the meter socket to the house they were wiring was “hot” and allowed him to stick his hand in the main power source. He’s lucky he lived with only a bruise across his chest where the journeyman hit him with a hammer to break the connection. Sometimes I’m surprised he returned to work the next day. I think he probably feared his father’s disapproval more than he fears electricity.

Due to this fear of electricity, my husband is known as one of the most cautious electricians out there and the guy you want to put an apprentice with because he’ll emphasize the safety protocols and “bring the kid back alive”. Fear has not stopped him from making a living, but it has kept him from “toasting” himself as often as some of his coworkers.

We often think of fear in negative terms, as a non-productive or even counter-productive force. In truth, fear may be very positive and productive. Lack of fear of electricity has cost a few electricians fingers, healthy hearts and even their lives. Certainly the fear of God is not characteristic of a pagan culture. Sadly, all too often a proper fear of God is not a prominent part of the Christian’s life either. Fear is viewed as harmful by our culture. We say children should have no fear of their parents. Citizens should have no fear of lawful authorities. Still, Peter told us to live out our lives in fear. Surely this kind of fear does not come naturally for us or for Peter, yet it compliments our faith and our hope in God.

“And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” 1 Peter 1:17-21

Peter assumed his readers are true believers and thus God is their Father. Those who are “in Christ” by faith in Him are the sons of God who will share in His rule over the earth (John 1:12-13; .Romans 8:15; Romans 8:23). To be a son of God, and thus to have God as our Father, involves much more than the assurance that we a place in the kingdom of God. It means God is our Father in the fullest sense of the term, the One Who “impartially judges according to each individual’s work.” We belong to God fully if we belong to Him at all. We cannot have God as our Father in a restricted way. Our Father is also the “Judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:25), which includes all men and is conducted without partiality. In judgment, God shows no favorites, dealing equitably with all men. The Jews of Christ’s day presumed otherwise, wrongly expecting God to judge them differently as His children. We should know better. Indeed, as His children, we have been given more, and our responsibility is greater.

My husband will tell you that no apprentice on his father’s electrical crew ever had more responsibility than the boss’ kid. I am not talking about privilege here, but about burden. My father-in-law insisted that his son, no matter that he was only 15, would be equal in responsibility to the other apprentices and then take on that much more because he was the boss’ kid. He cut no breaks because BJ was his son.  Similarly, we dare not presume upon our status as sons or upon God’s position as our “Father.” He judges every individual without partiality on the basis of his work. This judgment includes both the saved and the unsaved (Acts 17:30-31; Romans 3:6; 1 Corinthians 3:10-17; 1 Corinthians 4:5).

Setting forth the fact that our Father is also the Judge, Peter laid out the principle command of the passage:  Conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth.

Ready or not, here we are -- commanded to live in fear of our Father. Exactly what does it mean to live in fear? What did Peter expect us to understand by his command? There are many reasons why men should fear God. Peter would certainly call our attention to the fact that God is our judge, but let us not overlook that we should fear our earthly fathers out of respect for them (Leviticus 19:3), and not just because they have the ability to beat us. Very often, in both the Old and New Testaments, having “the fear of the Lord” is synonymous with being a true believer in God, while unbelievers are said to lack this fear (Romans 3:18, quoting Psalm 36:1, Genesis 20:11; Deuteronomy 5:29; Genesis 42:18; Acts 9:31).

We perhaps don’t understand “fear” in the Biblical sense. The fear of the Lord is an attitude of humility and the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 3:7; Proverbs 9:10; Job 28:28). The fear of the Lord causes one to turn from sin and obey God’s commandments (Leviticus 19:14; Leviticus 25:17; Deuteronomy 5:29; Deuteronomy 10:12-13; Proverbs 16:6).  Fear is the appropriate response to God’s power, majesty, holiness, and judgment (Psalm 90:11; Psalm 119:120; Isaiah 8:12-15).

In the New Testament, we see an ever-increasing fear of the Lord Jesus the more men come to understand Who He is. The disciples feared when they witnessed the stilling of the storm (Mark 4:41). When Jesus healed the paralytic, the crowds were filled with fear (Luke 5:24-26). People became fearful at the raising of the widow’s dead son (Luke 7:15-16; 8:37).

The fear of the Lord can be learned and promoted by obedience to God’s commands (Deuteronomy 4:10; Deuteronomy 14:22-23; Deuteronomy 17:18-20; Deuteronomy 31:10-13; Psalm 86:11).  The discipline of the Lord leads to fear (Deuteronomy 8:5-6, Hebrews 12:1-13). In the New Testament, the disciplining of Ananias and Sapphira produced a healthy fear in the church and outside (Acts 5:5). In Acts, the disciplining of the Jewish exorcists brought fear to those who lived in Ephesus (Acts 19:17).

The fear of the Lord is healthy and wholesome, leading to blessing and security. While it is our duty to fear God, it is also our delight  (Nehemiah 1:11). The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever (Psalm 19:9; Psalm 31:19; Psalm 147:11; Proverbs 14:26-27).  The fear of the Lord motivated the saints to avoid evil and also promoted that which is good (2 Corinthians 5:10-11; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:18-29). In Psalms we see the writer both praise the Lord’s character, wisdom and power while also affirming that He will judge the earth (Psalms 34:4-14; Psalm 96:9-13).

In sum, Peter taught in verse 17, borrowing heavily from the Old Testament, that we are to fear the God who is both our Father and our Judge. As sons of God, we may call upon Him for help to bring justice to the earth and even to punish the wicked, but when we do, we must remember that He also judges us. His standard for us is holiness; thus we must conduct ourselves with an awareness of our own weakness and vulnerability to sin. We must not expect God to overlook the sin in our own lives, for while its penalty has been paid at Calvary, God is at work to purify us to His glory. We should live our lives in this present age well aware that we are citizens of heaven and that our conduct must not only meet the requirements of earthly authorities, but also of our Father.

What is it about virtue that we distain?

“Holiness” is considered more of a contemptuous vice in our culture than a virtue. We are insulted if our peers call us “holy”. Even Christians are uncomfortable with holiness. We comfortably add God to our lives with little or no change necessary on our part. This is part of the message of the emerging church movement. You don’t need to be holy; just get saved.

This is far from the message of the true gospel. The Old Testament prophets, including John the Baptist and Jesus, called for a radical change for those who would trust and obey God. “REPENT!” was an indispensible word to gospel proclaimers in the 1^st Century. Repent means to change our thinking and our actions, to give up our heathen desires and practices because we are called to lives of holiness.

“Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-15

To be holy is the opposite of being “common” or “profane.” God is holy in that He is utterly different and distinct from His creation. His people must also be distinct, separate from the heathen attitudes and actions which characterized us as unbelievers.

The belief and behavior of holiness that Peter wrote of comes neither naturally (through our flesh) nor easily. Peter did not find it natural or easy either. While the concept of holiness is frequently taught in the Old Testament, Judaism (especially the scribes and Pharisees) distorted it until it became something entirely different. To many, the scribes and Pharisees, who certainly saw themselves as holy, were the epitome of holiness. How shocking Jesus’ words of indictment must have been to those who first heard them in Matthew 5:20!  True holiness was not what the scribes and Pharisees or Peter thought it was. The message Peter shared with us in his first epistle came to him with great difficulty; only after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus did Peter understand true holiness.

When God delivered Israel from their bondage in Egypt, He distinguished Himself from the “gods” of Egypt. From Pharaoh’s challenge through the sequence of plagues and Pharaoah’s hardening of heart, we see God showing the Egyptians that He alone was Lord. (Exodus 5:1-2; Exodus 7:2-5; Exodus 9:13-16; Exodus 8:20-23; Exodus 9:1-4; 9:25-26). Once the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, God gave them laws which governed the conduct of every Israelite and even the aliens who dwelt among them.

What laws, of all those given at Mount Sinai, would you expect to set the Israelites apart from all the nations as a holy people? I would have thought the Ten Commandments were given particularly for this purpose. Surprisingly, we do not find “holiness” directly linked with these commandments. The command, “Be ye holy, for I am holy,” is found several times in the Law of Moses but not in Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5. Rather, this command is found in the Book of Leviticus. Interestingly enough, it is found in that part of the Law many Christians feel is least relevant and applicable to the New Testament saint. This portion of the Law is often referred to as the “ceremonial law,” as opposed to the “moral law,” of the Ten Commandments. And yet this is the portion of Scripture Peter used to support his instruction in our text.

I believe this is by divine design. That which sets the true child of God apart from all others is their faith and trust in God, evidenced by obedience to His commands even when they do not seem to make sense. Not eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil did not make sense to Adam and Eve, but God required their obedience. Offering up Isaac as a sacrifice to God made no sense to Abraham, but he obeyed God by his willingness to do so. So too obedience to the distinctions God made between the “clean” and the “unclean” set Israel apart from all other peoples. In false religions, men create their own “gods” and their own rules, all according to their own desires. In Christianity, God makes the rules, and they are not according to our preferences or desires. But the Spirit of God enables us to obey them (Romans 7:7–8:4).

Jesus’ definition of holiness was one of the bones of contention between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders of His day. In His famous “sermon on the mount” (Matthew 5-7), Jesus drew the lines which distinguished His teaching from that of contemporary Judaism. He shocked the smugly self-righteous Jews by calling those “blessed” whom they regarded as accursed. He told the people that the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees would never get them to heaven. He distinguished their teaching of the law from His own, showing that they had a very legalistic view of the law, rather than an appreciation for its underlying principles. He warned of external religion which is big on appearances but lacking in heart. He spoke of wolves and false teachers, who claimed to know and serve Him but whom He had never known.

Neither Peter nor any of his fellow-disciples understood what Jesus meant when He “declared all things clean.” This was only grasped after our Lord’s death, burial, and ascension, and years after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. In Acts 10, Peter was about to be invited to the house of a Gentile—Cornelius. There was no way Peter would have gone apart from the revelation he received from God in a dream (Acts 10:10-16).  Peter soon would understand the significance and application of his vision. Messengers from Cornelius arrived and asked him to come with them to the home of their master. Peter complied, still puzzled at what God was teaching him. But when the Holy Spirit fell upon these Gentiles, just as He had upon the Jewish believers at Pentecost, he understood that the coming of our Lord was intended to cleanse both Jews and Gentiles from their sins. Those whom God had cleansed, no man should dare consider unclean.

Years later, Peter called the readers of his first epistle to a life of holiness, telling them why and how they should be holy.

Christians are called to be holy in obedience to the Word of God which commands holiness. This was not new to Peter at the time, nor should it be new to us. We are commanded to be holy. To do otherwise is to disobey God because we are called to be like God for we are the children of God. Unbelievers are not called to be holy and lack the ability to strive for holiness. Only God’s children can, by His grace and through His Spirit, approach holiness (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Matthew 5:43-48).

Now that we know why, for most of us, there is need to know how, since holiness is not something often practiced in today’s world. Holiness should exemplify all of our conduct. We cannot compartmentalize holiness to certain “religious” areas of our lives. Holiness is meant to affect everything we do. It is a lifestyle, not mere conformity to a list of rules. One way we do this is to set aside our former lusts. Holiness is the choice to march to the beat of a different drummer. Instead of living as our culture encourages us, we must live as God requires. If we are not to be conformed to this world (Romans 12:1-2), neither are we to be conformed to our former desires.

At first, it may sound strange to think of being shaped by our desires, but this is precisely what happens (Romans 1:21-25; Romans 6:16; Ephesians 4:17-24). Although God’s creation bears witness to His eternal power and divine nature (Romans 1:20), men have chosen to worship creation rather than the Creator. Because of this God has given men over to their lusts, and in the pursuit of these lusts, their minds are darkened and distorted. Men are not only mastered by their lusts, they are shaped to them. They become mere creatures of instinct and impulse.

Though the Christian has died to sin and been raised to newness of life in Him, he or she must also choose to serve Him and turn from their former lusts. We must no longer allow sin to master us (Romans 6:1-14). Like Paul, we must gain control over our fleshly desires, rather than be mastered by them (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

The alternative is to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1-2) and the members of our body as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:12-13). Our minds must be renewed by the Word of God (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:20-24). We must recognize that sin brings dullness of heart and mind, and that our former lusts are exceedingly deceitful, causing our thinking to become cloudy when we surrender to sin.

When we understand and apply this truth, we find a great deal of practical help. We are not nearly as likely to participate in those things we find detestable as those things in which we delight. Our problem becomes evident when our desires often do not conform to those things in which God delights. Conversely, we often desire the very things which displease God. When we find our delight in God and in the things which delight Him, then we will search His word to know more of His law rather than avoiding the Law of God and restricting its application to our lives.

Contrary to some popular teaching, we do not find in God the satisfaction of our natural thirsts and desires. Our former lusts cause us to be at enmity with God and slaves of sin and of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 Corinthians 12:2;). False teachers appeal to these lusts and desires (2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Peter 2:18-19).  Only when we have been born again do we begin to thirst for the things of God (1 Peter 2:1-3; 1 Peter 4:1-3; 2 Peter 1:4). Those who persist in pursuing their former desires are rebuked (James 4:1-3).  The most severe warning is given to those who would consider a return to their former pursuit of fleshly passions (2 Peter 2:19-22). Peter’s admonishes us to shun these former desires and to pursue and promote those desires God implants within us at the time of our conversion.

One means to holiness is to imitate God. This means we must first come to know God, and then, by His grace, seek to conduct ourselves in a manner that imitates Him. We must love what He loves and hate what He hates. We, like Him, are to be merciful, just, and kind. We become holy as we are shaped to His image. This is what sanctification is all about.

We become holy by obeying God’s Word. Peter instructed us to be holy “as obedient children” (1 Peter 1:14). The standards of holiness are set down by God in His Word. That is why Peter quoted from the Old Testament Law. We are to be obedient, and that obedience is directed toward His commands and standards as set down in His Word. In the days before we were Christians, we were ignorant, but now God’s Spirit dwells within us to enlighten our minds to understand His Word (1 Corinthians 2:6-16) and to empower us to obey it (Romans 8:1-4). Holiness is accomplished in our lives as the Spirit of God enables us to know God and to obey His commands, through His Word.

The call to holiness is a clear one and it is not for popular appeal. It is a call God has made of His people since the Exodus. Those who attempt to market the gospel and appeal to the masses would say God has called us to be happy. Those who read the Scriptures more carefully must acknowledge that God has called us to be holy in an ungodly world. It is holiness which sets us apart from the world and to God. It is holiness we are called to pursue and practice, to the glory of God and for our good (Matthew 5:13-16; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Will you heed the call? If you are a child of God, then act like one.

If ever there was an age without hope, we’re probably living in it. Nuclear war, environmental pollution, racism, drugs, crime, corruption, AIDS, a deepening economic crisis, the possibility of the election of a wholly unqualified and inexperienced president – no wonder so many people are taking antidepressants and children live as though there were no tomorrow. Some even choose suicide to avoid facing today. Scholars call Hebrews the book of faith, and 1Corinthians and 1John are the books of love. 1 Peter could be aptly called the book of hope. While suffering is the dominant theme of this epistle, hope is the prominent emphasis as it gives the Christian encouragement in the midst of the trials and tribulations of this life because it focuses our affection on the blessings which await us for all eternity.

Like faith, hope is a response to the goodness and grace of God, but it is also a responsibility we have toward God’s grace. After celebrating the faith that encourages us each step of this difficult world, Peter issued a command which we must carefully consider and then, by God’s grace and for His glory, obey it.

“Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13

Sadly, our “now generation” has become the “hopeless generation.” We don’t think of ourselves that way. We prefer to be known as the “seize the day” generation – spontaneous and ready for change, but in reality …. Prozac is a profitable pharmaceutical to invest in and drug-alcohol deaths are rising. Something not very pleasant seems to be afoot. Even the church seems to suffer under this malaise. Peter had looked toward the future and saw light, casting it in comparison to the past which had been dark and filled with ignorance. Now, he paused for a transition. With salvation in view, Peter called for us to think and conduct ourselves in a way that befits such a salvation. Our future hope impacts our conduct, most especially our relationships with our culture, our God, our fellow Christians and our Savior.

In the New Testament, doctrine and practice are inseparably intertwined. Doctrine defines the standard, means, outcome, basis and motivation of our conduct. The fact that Christian conduct is called for only after Christian doctrine has been taught reminds us we are “friends” of our Lord and not just slaves. Christian doctrine tells us what God is doing and explains why we should follow the divine imperatives for our conduct. So here, Peter tells us, take a deep breath and consider doctrine.

Peter used some interesting word pictures in verse 13.  The imagery of girding up one’s loins is unfamiliar to our culture. In Israel an ordinary person wore a long sleeveless shirt of linen or wool that reached to the ankles or knees. This was the basic garment. A mantle, somewhat like a robe or poncho, might be worn over this. This was set aside for work. The shirt was worn long for ceremonial occasions or when at relative rest, such as talking in the market, but for active service, such as work or war, it was tucked up into a belt at the waist to leave the legs free (1 Kings 18:46; Jer. 1:17; Luke 17:8; John 21:18; Acts 12:8). Thus Peter’s allusion pictures a mind prepared for active work. It was used in this context Exodus 12:11 when the Israelites were eating their first Passover meal. The idea of readiness for action is seen in virtually every other instance of the expression. Girding up one’s loins is that preparatory action which makes a person ready to take action and move about freely without hindrance. Failure to “gird one’s loins” seriously interfered with one’s maneuverability.

Peter told us we are to gird up the loins of our mind. Christians should think with no entangling doubts, fears, or reservations, prepared to act without hesitation. Our focus is to be on the hope of our Lord’s return, requiring a sense of expectancy and readiness so that day does not catch us unaware.

If girding one’s loins is the state of mind which causes one to be ready to act, keeping sober is the mental condition which enables one to act prudently and with a clear head. Peter later exhorted his readers to be clear-headed so they could pray effectively and be able to stand against the wiles of the devil who is out to destroy us.  Paul wrote to Timothy to encourage him to be sober minded (2 Timothy 4:1-5).  When the two expressions “gird up the loins of your mind” and “keep sober” are taken together, we see Peter dealing with two opposite extremes concerning the hope of the kingdom of God. Girding up the loins of the mind corrects a too casual attitude toward the return of our Lord and prevents us from being caught unaware and unprepared at the Lord’s second coming. The second instruction—”keep sober”—prevents the kind of mindless enthusiasm which has characterized too many professing Christians over the years. When my mother was a girl (1930s) there were a number of Christian groups who were so convinced the Lord was coming SOON, that they sold all their possessions and went to mountaintops to wait. Several “pastors” took it on the lamb with their money. This kind of thoughtless zeal should not characterize our awaiting for the coming of our Lord.

I’m told that the Greek of this verse calls for us to fix our hope completely on the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. “Faith,” “hope,” and “love” are often found closely linked to each other (Romans 5:1-5; 1 Corinthians 13:13; Galatians 5:5-6; Ephesians 1:15-21; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 5:8; 1 Timothy 6:11, 17). These three terms are interrelated; God is the source of all three. How does hope differ from faith and love? They all sound like church words. Faith is the source or means, hope is the goal, and love is the manifestation of our relationship with God in Christ. With respect to our salvation, we are saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8), for a living hope (1 Peter 1:3), manifested by love (John 13:35; Galatians 5:22; 1 Peter 1:22).

Hope is what we want but cannot see and what we will not have until sometime in the future. Though hope is what we desire but do not have, yet we trust, by faith, that we shall have it in the future. Love is the evidence of our faith and hope. Indeed, our hope includes those whom we love (1Thessalonians 2:19-20). Peter commanded us to fix our affection and desire on heavenly things as opposed to earthly things, which is what Jesus taught His disciples (Matthew 6;19-21, 33). When our affects are fixed upon heavenly things, we will endure the trials and difficulties of this life (Matthew 5:10-12; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18). When Peter resisted our Lord’s teaching on His coming suffering, our Lord dealt with “heavenly desires” versus “human desires” in Peter’s life (Matthew 16:21-28). Note that Jesus attributed Peter’s err concerning His own suffering to Satan and said he was being human (Matthew 16:23b). Peter, however, used the word “grace” to sum up the object of our affection. Peter was writing about the kingdom of God, or heaven (the word most often used). Few words are sweeter to the believer’s ear than this word “grace.” How often we are exhorted (and rightly so!) to exercise faith, particularly trusting in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Word! Surely Peter saw faith as absolutely vital, but he looked upon faith as something which began with God and not something merited by our behavior or essential “goodness”. Grace, the unmerited favor of God, is what provides us with faith which is proven and promoted by the trials and tests God sovereignly brings our way. Those whose faith is proven by suffering and trials are those who have fixed their hope completely on the grace to be brought by our Lord Jesus Christ at His second coming. If we have fixed our hope on the grace to come, then our present sufferings pale in light of the glory yet to come.

And it is with our eyes on the future hope of glory that we begin to walk the path of Christian conduct in this life. Surrounded by darkness, holding forth a light that invites attack, we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and ignore all the suffering the world throws our way. This is why Peter asked us to pause and consider, because this is the central statement of his letter.

I was recently writing a letter to a friend who is going through some hard times. I found myself writing about the good things that might come from this time and how if she just hangs on, things will get better. I might have written a different letter if I’d had 1Peter in mind when I wrote it.

Peter’s message to Pauline Christians who were mourning Paul’s execution and probably wondering about the validity of their faith was much more realistic. Peter wrote that as long as Christians live on planet Earth we will experience suffering. Everything is not going to be okay, in this life. We will have trials and tribulations; we can rejoice that we will leave these behind in eternity. What we suffer on this earth does not indicate our future in the kingdom of God. For this reason, we must live by faith and believe that what we now see is not what we will receive in eternity.

Thank God!

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” 1Peter 1:6-9

Peter did not hesitate to affirm that Christians should expect to suffer. He was not alone in this assertion  (James 1:2-4; John 15:20-21; Acts 14:21-22; 2 Timothy 3:10-12; Hebrews 10:32-35). The Scriptures clearly attest to suffering as an unpleasant experience. The Christian should not expect life to be warm and fuzzy. We live in a fallen world among men who hate the Son of God in Whom we have put our trust (Romans 8:18-25; John 15:20-21); we should expect suffering.

Peter told us that suffering is necessary. It’s important to read this verse in something other than the NIV because, I am told by someone with credentials to know, that the NIV rendering implies that suffering is just a possibility, while the underlying Greek indicates that it’s a requirement. It is, therefore, essential that we grasp the necessity of suffering.

My friend RV had a condition in one of his legs that the doctors said necessitated immediate surgery to prevent an aneurysm that could take his life. He had the surgery, but something went wrong, resulting in the loss of his right leg just above the knee. RV has lived these five years learning to get around with a prosthetic leg, hard for an active older man to do. Recently, he had the same doctor tell him he needed the same surgery on his remaining leg. RV sought a second opinion in another state and was told that not only did he not need surgery this time, but that he probably didn’t need surgery the first time. How easy it would be for RV to immediately respond, “My suffering was completely unnecessary! It could have been avoided.” Circumstantially, it would seem his suffering should never have occurred. In the sovereign will of God, it was purposed and, therefore, a divine necessity. RV at 74 and more than 50 years a Christian, knows that God’s plan does not include accidents or mistakes. Even the sins others commit against us are a part of God’s plan for our lives (Genesis 50:20). He says it gives him an interesting tale for historical reenactment (a hobby of his) and so, he’s found the bright side, and he says it’s given him the opportunity to witness to some people he may not have had the opportunity to talk to if he were still two-legged. He’s sure when God tells him what the divine plan was, it will all make sense and make it worth the challenges.

God is sovereign both in our salvation and in our suffering. No suffering occurs without purpose. God is aware of every tear we shed in sorrow (Psalm 56:8), and every affliction ultimately comes from Him (Job 1 and 2; Psalm 119:75). Peter told us suffering only comes to us when the sovereign God of the universe deems it necessary—for in Him “all things to work together for our good” (Romans 8:28). Rest assured there is no senseless suffering for any saint. Yes, I know that’s cold comfort when you’re suffering.

Earthly suffering is temporary, while heavenly glory is eternal. For Christians, suffering is limited to this life. Glory, where there will be no sorrow or suffering, lasts forever (Revelation 21:2-4; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

The unsaved find a different and very sad story. They appear to prosper in this life (even though they suffer here too), but they will suffer for all eternity away from the presence of God (Luke 16:19-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:27).

No one naturally wishes to hear that the ultimate purpose of man is not to be happy, fulfilled, or even saved, but to glorify God (1Peter 4:11; Ephesians 1:3-6; 1Corinthians 10:31; Romans 9:17). All suffering is ultimately for the glory of God and Peter clearly stated that the innocent suffering of Christians is definitely to the glory of God. Christians find this truth hard to accept. Satan and unbelievers are unable to believe or accept this truth at all. Satan could not imagine a man like Job could continue to trust in God if God caused him to suffer rather than to prosper. Satan found it easy to believe Job would worship God for blessing him. He found it impossible to believe that Job could bless God if he suffered (Job 1:9-11; 2:5).

God is glorified by the faith of those who trust in Him because of Who He is, not because of His blessings. According to Peter, suffering is closely related to faith; suffering exposes false faith and reveals true faith (Mark 4:5, 16-17;  John 6:60-66; Deuteronomy 8:2). The trials and tribulations of life prove not only the genuineness of our faith, but they strengthen and purify our faith (James 1:2-4; Hebrews 12:1-13). God wants our faith to grow; suffering is one of the best stimulants to that growth.

Peter likened the purification process by which God purifies and strengthens our faith to the process by which gold is purified and made precious. I live in Alaska, so have had opportunity to tour a gold mine and processing plant. One of our best friends is a placer miner. So I can vouch that Peter knew a thing or two about gold refinement. He first compared the gold purification process to the purification of our faith which suffering produces. He then contrasted the preciousness of our faith with the lesser value of highly refined gold. Gold is the asphalt, the pavement of heaven; purified faith is the basis for our praise in heaven. (Bet you never thought of it that way before).

Gold is purified by fire. The hotter the fire, the more impurities are burned off, resulting in more precious gold. Similarly, the “fiery trials” (1Peter 4:12) through which God puts His saints purifies our faith. When we stand in His presence in His kingdom, our faith will be found to be genuine and precious, resulting in praise, glory, and honor to Him.

It is easy to see why suffering righteously requires faith for the Christian. Our hope should be completely fixed on the grace that brought us to Jesus Christ (1Peter 1:13). We look forward to the coming of our Lord, but our present experience is one of suffering. This apparent contradiction requires that our faith and hope be based upon Scripture rather than circumstance. Our hope is based upon the promises of God, while at the moment we experience the painful reality of suffering.

Faith deals in the unseen (Hebrews 11:1; John 20:28-29). By faith, we trust in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, recognizing His work as the expression of God’s love to us. In response to His love, we love Him in return (Romans 5:3-8; 1 John 4:16-19). We live by faith and  we love by faith (Ephesians 3:17-19; (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is the basis for belief, necessary so we may rejoice. Peter expected us to rejoice in our salvation and in the midst of our sufferings. He wasn’t pointing to some second-class rejoicing, but rejoicing with “inexpressible joy.” Only a masochist would rejoice in suffering for suffering’s sake. We must rejoice because suffering proves and purifies our faith, thereby bringing glory to God.

Peter had already told his readers that salvation is the basis for our confidence and rejoicing. Salvation is the outcome of our faith and our suffering. Although we were saved once and forever when we accepted Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross, salvation is also a process – a past event, a present experience and a future hope. We are in the process of being birthed into the kingdom and birthing is a painful process.

Suffering is an inescapable part of the process by which God has ordained our salvation. Suffering strengthens and purifies our faith, and the outcome of our faith is our full and final salvation at the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Suffering does not save us; faith does, but suffering proves and strengthens our faith. For this reason, Peter said we can rejoice in the midst of suffering.

I previously covered quite a bit about 1 Peter in discussion with a Roman Catholic who insisted Peter was the first Pope and that the Roman Catholic Church was THE only church of God and any others were heretics. The emphasis was different in those writings and I think, having come to realize that Peter was writing to Paul’s churches because Paul had died, my reading of the letter has changed. This does not mean my theology has changed, but only that my view has matured.

I am not a big fan of situation comedies or stand-up comedians in general, but I really enjoyed the sit-com “Titus” and the ongoing work of its creator and star, Christopher Titus. Partially this is because he doesn’t do laugh tracks, so the audience response is genuine, but primarily, it’s because his underlying philosophy of life agrees with my own. Hey, wait a minute! Titus is not a Christian (far as I know), so what do I mean by that?

Titus grew up in a very dysfunctional home, as did I and my husband. There are stories we could swap with this man. Some time ago, I was told by one of the counselors at work (I work for a community mental health center; this was “staff” therapy and I was actually counseling him, not the other way around) that I have a healthy sense of forgiveness and humor concerning my family of origin. So does Titus, which is why, between the swear words (he’s considered “tame” on the blue scale, but I don’t let my kids watch him), I find a lot to laugh about. At some point in his life (maybe around the  time his schizophrenic mother committed suicide), he decided that he could either be a victim of all the nonsense endemic in his family or a victor and for him, being able to laugh at it was part of the answer. A credo of his is “We’re all sorry that (insert tragedy here) happened to you, but your past is behind you, so why don’t you climb down off that cross you’ve nailed yourself to, use the wood to build a bridge and get over it?” That sounds uncompassionate to those who choose to be victims, but to those of us who have chosen to be victors, that’s the difference between working at the community mental health center and being a client.

We call it “perspective”. It has nothing to do with what’s going on “out there” and everything to do with how we choose to look at what is going on “out there”. Our perspective informs the way we respond to our circumstances. In recent years, our culture has taken a very unhealthy turn, embracing a perspective which predisposes our collapse under life’s adverse circumstances rather than causing us to persevere through them. The essence of this new perspective may be summed up in the word “victim.” We are no longer responsible for our attitudes and actions when we have been wronged or abused—we are now “victims.” Whatever happened is no longer our fault nor are we responsible for the way we choose to respond.

The Scriptures make it very clear that Christians will be the recipients of unjust treatment because of our faith in Jesus Christ and the godly lives we are to live in a sinful world. While the Bible promises that we will experience innocent suffering for the cause of Christ, it nowhere speaks of our being “victims” in the contemporary sense of the word. Rather, the Bible forthrightly speaks of us as “victors.”

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice … “ 1 Peter 1:1-6

As I explained in the introduction, Peter was not writing to Jewish Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor, but to a broader audience of Pauline Christians in the same area that would have been majority Gentile.

Peter knew a lot about the temptation to stumble when faced with difficult times. He had denied Jesus three times on the night of His arrest. Jesus had later strengthened his faith by dealing with that betrayal directly. Peter was thus concerned with how the Asian Christians were going to handle Paul’s death and sought to strengthen them in their hour of potential weakness.

“… who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.” 1 Peter 1:1b-2

This, by the way, is a clearly Trinitarian passage, speaking of all three members of the Godhead as involved in the work of salvation. Most people concentrate on the foreknowledge issue and ignore the triunity of God in this passage.

Christians don’t really differ on whether God chose us, but we argue over the basis of that choice. Some of us feel that “foreknow” means only to know in advance while others insist this means that God chose us apart from anything we would or could do, based solely on His sovereign grace (Romans 9:10-18). We could argue about it and produce dueling Bible proof texts, but I think a lot of ink has been wasted in that argument between theological systems when the gospel should be what is central to us. Whether God knew or chose us in eternity past is an argument that often hinders our ability to reach unbelievers for Christ.

Peter told us that salvation is the work of God in which we are involved. We participate in salvation, but it is ultimately God’s work. Whatever role we play, we do so because He has quickened and enabled us.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:3

Peter praised God as the cause and the motivation for our salvation. God “caused us to be born again” out of “His great mercy.” Our salvation is not based on our worthiness nor our desirability, but His mercy which is the reason for our salvation. An object of mercy is pitiable while the one showing mercy is praiseworthy. So much for our egos!

Peter praised God for the purpose of our salvation. God has caused us to be “born again.” We have been born again “to a living hope”. Christ not only died for our sins but rose from the grave so that we too are assured of rising with Him. Christ’s resurrection is the assurance that we have a future, and that future is our hope. As Christians, our desire and our expectation should be in an inheritance of Christ’s atoning work. We know we will enter into God’s eternal blessings because of Jesus’ resurrection. All Old Testament saints died without entering into the promised blessings, but they were assured they would experience them after their death (Hebrews 11:13, 19-22). Our hope of future blessings rests in the finished work of our Lord which is imperishable, undefiled and cannot fade away.  What an assurance! The blessings which constitute our future hope are absolutely certain; they do not diminish over time. They are also being kept for us. We do not need to worry about something nullifying our hope. Our blessings are sure.

“… who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:5

Since our blessings cannot be devalued or lost, what could possibly keep us from enjoying the blessings of our future hope? Our blessings will not fail, but we might. Verse 5 assures us we are secure even as we stumble, protected by the power of God Who is our refuge and strength. Because He is all-powerful, nothing can cause us to lose what He has provided, promised and preserved (Romans 8:35-39). The power of God is provided for our protection, but God provides and requires faith as the means through which God’s power is apprehended. Peter was going to fail (he already had), but he could not fall completely. He was protected by the power of God for a salvation yet to be revealed.

This provides lessons for modern Christians as well.

Our salvation is secure. We can direct our praise and rejoicing toward God because our salvation is secured by His sovereign work of mercy and grace rather than human merit. Jesus warned Peter of his upcoming denial and Peter strongly protested. “I’ll follow You to the grave!” he assured Jesus less than 12 hours before his denial. Out of his failure, Peter came to understand that it was not his faithfulness that assured his entrance into the blessings of the kingdom, but God’s. The Father chose us in eternity past and the Spirit set us apart to salvation by causing us to trust or at least be willing to consider trust in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The shed blood of Jesus cleansed us from the guilt of our sin. The Trinity’s salvation is not based upon our good works, but motivated by God’s mercy directed toward our pitiable condition.

Although we experience some of the benefits and blessings of salvation from sin now in this present world, many of the benefits and blessings of our salvation are yet to be experienced in the future. Peter very clearly stated we have not obtained all of the benefits and blessings accomplished through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. Much of our salvation is still a matter of hope and faith, “ready to be revealed at the last time”. Some Christians believe all of the blessings are ours to experience now and that we fail to enjoy them due to our lack of faith in claiming them. Peter didn’t teach this. Our hope is future, and while certain, we must be patient until the coming of our Lord to fully enjoy all of it.

We human beings are not naturally inclined to believe or welcome something we have to wait for. When we’re suffering, we want the pain to stop NOW! Those who did not believe in Jesus challenged Him to “come down now” (Matthew 27:42-43) to prove He was the Messiah. Even to the end of His presence on earth, our Lord’s disciples were eager for His kingdom to come immediately (Acts 1:6). Yet salvation is the vantage point from which we must view suffering. It is no accident that Paul speaks first of our salvation certain and secure and then of our suffering. The believer must be equipped to endure the present suffering to which we are called in order to receive the future hope.

How unfortunate that many Christians look at their salvation from their circumstances instead of looking at their circumstances through their salvation. Faced with suffering, many Christians begin to doubt their salvation and the certainty of their future hope. Other Christians may even encourage such doubts. Some blame suffering on sin, as Job’s friends counseled him. It was not Job’s sin which was the cause of his suffering, but his righteousness. God did not seek his downfall, but his growth. Neither Job’s friends nor his wife were of any real comfort to him, for they did not point him God-ward. Peter wanted us to view our suffering from the standpoint of our security as saints, based upon God’s mercy, grace and power.

Peter taught that we are not “victims” but “victors” in our suffering. This is a hard thing for many of us to wrap our minds around because the “victim” mindset has become a predominant one in our society. So many of us keep our eyes on our past rather than letting it be behind us. Yes, we do need to deal with past issues that are still wrapped around our spiritual ankles, but we should be cutting it free and looking forward rather than standing mired in a past that we can’t change. We are responsible for who we chose to be. We must stop blaming our sin on the abuse of others or the genes our parents have passed on. Peter turns our eyes toward God and the shed blood of Jesus, in Whom we find forgiveness of sin. We were not saved merely to cope with life; we are called to be conquerors in Christ! We are overcomers, especially in the trials and tribulations of life. Let us believe and behave as if that were true, because it is!

The mindset Peter called for from every Christian was demonstrated by his fellow-apostle, Paul, who expressed his confidence in the Savior in the midst of suffering in his final letter, written just weeks or days before his death by execution:

“For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day (2 Timothy 1:12).”

Amen!

Imagine that you are among the leading Christians of the universal church in AD 64 and you’ve just heard that Paul has been executed in Rome. For the most part, whether you’re Peter working in Babylon (some say Rome) or Apollos traveling the roads of the Empire, you haven’t done much letter writing. Most evangelism and discipleship in the 1^st Century was done face-to-face. Paul was the only one with an active letter-writing ministry. Now that he’s dead – well, you’re concerned about how those churches that were established by him or his missionary team will receive this news. It seems important to provide stability in an unstable situation. Thus, Peter and perhaps Barnabas or Apollos or the two together, set pen to paper to shine a light in sudden darkness and assure the faithful that the Faith would continue.

The early churches accepted the letter we call 1 Peter as definitely written by Peter, the apostle to the Jews, and that acceptance was pretty well unchallenged for 1800 years. It, after all, bears his name and the scroll that it was originally written on probably bore his name. However, some modern scholars, starting in the 1880s at the Turginger School of Theology, have found reason to question the authorship and dating of this epistle. They questioned the very good Greek of 1 Peter as opposed to the very poor Greek of 2 Peter. They wondered why the apostle to the Jews would be writing to Gentile churches. They insisted the letter was written later than the 60s, preferring some time in the 2^nd Century AD. They did not like that the writer of 1 Peter based his theological arguments to a large extent on Paul’s epistles. They suggested that the letter was either written by a 2^nd Century Christian who assumed Peter’s name in a common fashion of the day or that it was an anonymous letter that was later given an apostolic name so that it could be accepted as canonical.

Against the anonymous letter theory, it might be noted that their own scholarship argues against it. If an anonymous letter containing Pauline theology had needed an apostolic author, it would more likely have picked up Paul’s name than Peter’s. Pseudonymous letters were not widely accepted among the churches in the 2^nd Century; the patristic writers were very clear in their rejection of pseudonymous writings at the same time the radical scholars say 1 Peter was written (2^nd Century). The record shows that the early Christians were unlikely to accept a letter if they didn’t have fairly solid certainty of its author. 1 Peter was rarely questioned for its authenticity until the Turbinger School’s radical scholars aimed for it. 1 Peter was considered canonical almost before the word was used by early Christians. The use of a different amanuensis for writing both letters would explain the differences in style and Greek competency. 1 Peter mentions Silvanus, who was a known companion of Paul. He might have been the scribe for 1 Peter or merely the mailman and Luke or some other Pauline companion acted as scribe. There are scholars who suggest that 2 Peter was scribed by Peter himself or perhaps Mark, Peter’s long-time ministry companion, whose Greek was notoriously poor.

As for Pauline theology in the letter, this shouldn’t surprise anyone. First, why is there an assumption that Peter disagreed with Paul theologically? I don’t think there’s any reason to assume that. Peter was a man of action, not deep thought. If he was going to write a letter to Paul’s churches demonstrating the continuity of Christianity following the death of their mentor, why wouldn’t he use some of Paul’s writing to demonstrate that continuity. And, why wouldn’t he also use Luke or Silvanus or some other Pauline companion to scribe the letter and give that worthy some leeway in order to encourage his audience in the continuation of Paul’s doctrines?

The Turbinger School was characterized by an attempt to undermine orthodox Christianity. Some of their scholarship was of great value, but some of it clearly ignored solid historical evidence in favor of smoky theories usually having to do with dating New Testament writing very late and calling it all a work of fiction. Presenting your opinion while ignoring evidence is not scholarship! Modern textual critics have found little evidence suggesting that 1 Peter was of 2^nd Century origin or written by anyone other than Peter.

The explanation for the problem is partially answered once the occasion for the letter is considered. If Peter wrote this letter primarily because Paul had recently died, then he wrote it to encourage the Christians of Asia Minor in the faith in light of coming persecution. Paul’s converts would have doubted the genuineness of their faith when they heard that he had been executed. Paul, after all, was not one of the original Twelve and false teachers had already been exploiting that. But if a letter from Peter—the very man Paul had rebuked at Antioch, then written the Galatians about—confirmed their faith and told them not to give up, this would be great encouragement. Peter would affirm both Paul’s doctrine and the Gentile mission, saying in effect, “Paul was a true apostle and you are true children of God. Don’t give up!” By using so much Pauline jargon in his letter, he would be creating a positive comparison for his audience. As Gentiles, the Christians of Asia Minor had no real reason to trust Peter, for Paul recorded virtually no positive statements about him in his epistles. Using Paul’s letters as a basis for his own would show that Peter was in agreement with Paul, thus proving continuity.

Peter had a problem though. How could he become thoroughly acquainted with Paul’s letters within a brief time after Paul’s death? If Paul’s death served as the initial catalyst for this letter, there would be some urgency in getting it out. The solution would be to use an associate of Paul’s, perhaps the one who brought Peter the death announcement, as amanuensis.  Peter intentionally chose to write to Paul’s churches and to use one of Paul’s associates in composing the letter and either the same one or another to deliver it to those churches.

The confusion of modern day scholars might be because they stumble over Peter’s initial purpose in writing the letter – to assure Gentile churches of continuity of the faith by writing in a Pauline style.

The letter was probably written very close to AD 64. There would have been no reason for Peter to write to Pauline churches prior to Paul’s death and the theme of persecution fits well with the end of Nero’s reign. Peter sends greetings from the church “in Babylon”, which suggests Mesopotamian Babylon or Rome. The Eastern church did not claim any association with Peter for its church’s origins until much later and Peter’s activities (as well as Mark who appears to have been his assistant) appear to be associated with the West rather than East. Tradition says that Peter died at the hand of Nero in Rome AD 64-66, which means that Peter was likely in Rome when Paul died and wrote the letter soon after he heard of the execution. There’s no real evidence that early Christians called Rome “Babylon”, though some scholars suggest Peter might have used that code word to protect the Roman church in case the letter fell into wrong hands. I don’t know and my commentary refused to come down on a side. It is very evident that Peter meant to address his letter to Pontus, Galitia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. They were probably mostly Gentiles, but there may have been some Jews in the mix, which would explain the heavy use of the Old Testament by the author.

The theme of 1 Peter is “Experiencing God’s grace in the midst of suffering.” Borrowing heavily from Paul, he started the letter with several indicatives of the faith and then ended with several imperatives of the faith. Believers have a precious salvation that gives them hope and joy, as witnessed by the Old Testament prophets. Believers have been given a new way of life which required holiness as “obedient children” to the heavenly Father who are strangers in this world and genuine love toward genuine brothers. Believers are a chosen priesthood whose identify requires that they crave the word and come to Christ in worship by offering a spiritual sacrifice that is acceptable to God. This new identity, based on Jesus Whom the Jew rejected, makes us a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a people who belong to God. Some of Peter’s personality even leaked through in this section, as he admonished his readers rather than allowing the theology to speak for itself as Paul had done.

Then Peter articulated how God’s people should behave in relation to the world and each other. We must abstain from and live good lives before non-Christians. We must show respect to everyone, especially those in authority. The resulting attitude will silence those who speak against us. Our respect does not demand cowering, but as men who choose to show respect. Servants must submit to their masters good or evil, following Christ’s example, for Christ’s suffering brought salvation to all believers. Wives likewise must submit to their husbands following the example of the Old Testament saints, while husbands must honor their wives. Peter repeated his premise at the end – show respect to everyone.

He encouraged his audience to not just passively suffer for righteousness’ sake, but to actively be engaged in doing good in the midst of persecution. We must follow Christ’s example by avoiding our former lifestyle and looking forward to our heavenly hope. Christians must draw together as a community in order to better face their sufferings.

Peter clearly believed that the end of things was near and that Christians must make a concerted effort to minister to the world around us and show love and hospitality to each other. He urged the church to get on with its business despite persecution.

This is especially poignant if Paul had recently died. It would be so easy at that point to give up what they believed and “step to the side of the fan”. They could deny Christ and avoid persecution. Who would notice or care with Paul dead? No more admonishing letters from their mentor. But, here was a letter from Peter saying “Jesus is still on the throne. You know what you were meant to do. Don’t worry about persecution. Get on with what the Lord has given you to do.” This provided continuity at a critical time in the churches.

It might be noted that Cappadocia became a principle seat of Christianity during the next two centuries, holding out against intense persecution. Perhaps this letter from Peter, providing continuity from Paul, was a great source of that conviction during those difficult times.

Remember at the beginning I mentioned Apollos and Barnabas as possible writers during the post-Pauline phase of the church. We will study more about them when we turn to Hebrews. Many scholars believe that one or the other or both wrote Hebrews also to provide continuity after Paul’s death.

This is Paul’s final letter and to his closest companion over the years, Timothy. So rather than provide a lot of commentary, I have decided to let the letter speak for itself. Paul died by execution in the summer of AD 64, probably before Timothy reached him. Thus the ministry of the greatest Christian theologian ended. This is perhaps the most personal letter Paul ever wrote.

From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to further the promise of life in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my dear child. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!

I am thankful to God, whom I have served with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I remember you in my prayers as I do constantly night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I recall your sincere faith that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure is in you.

Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, a prisoner for his sake, but by God’s power accept your share of suffering for the gospel.

He is the one who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not based on our works but on his own purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made visible through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. He has broken the power of death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel! For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher. Because of this, in fact, I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one in whom my faith is set and I am convinced that he is able to protect what has been entrusted to me until that day. Hold to the standard of sound words that you heard from me and do so with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Protect that good thing entrusted to you, through the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

You know that everyone in the province of Asia deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my imprisonment. But when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day! And you know very well all the ways he served me in Ephesus. 

So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And entrust what you heard me say ⁱⁿ the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well. Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please the one who recruited him. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner unless he competes according to the rules. The farmer who works hard ought to have the first share of the crops. Think about what I am saying and the Lord will give you understanding of all this. 

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David; such is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship to the point of imprisonment as a criminal, but God’s message is not imprisoned! So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God, ^that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy:   If we died with him, we will also live with him.  If we endure, we will also reign with him.  If we deny him, he will also deny us.  If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself. 

Remind people of these things and solemnly charge them before the Lord not to wrangle over words. This is of no benefit; it just brings ruin on those who listen. Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately. But avoid profane chatter, because those occupied with it will stray further and further into ungodliness, and their message will spread its infection like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are in this group. They have strayed from the truth by saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are undermining some people’s faith. However, God’s solid foundation remains standing, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from evil.”

Now in a wealthy home there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also ones made of wood and of clay, and some are for honorable use, but others for ignoble use. So if someone cleanses himself of such behavior, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. But keep away from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace, in company with others who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But reject foolish and ignorant controversies, because you know they breed infighting. And the Lord’s slave must not engage in heated disputes but be kind toward all, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance and then knowledge of the truth and they will come to their senses and escape the devil’s trap where they are held captive to do his will. 

But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people  will be lovers of themselves,  lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God. They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these. For some of these insinuate themselves ^into households and captivate weak women who are overwhelmed with sins and led along by various passions. Such women are always seeking instruction, yet never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. And just as Jannes and Jambres ^opposed Moses, so these people – who have warped minds and are disqualified in the faith – also oppose the truth. But they will not go much further, for their foolishness will be obvious to everyone, just like it was with Jannes and Jambres.

“You, however, have followed my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, as well as the persecutions and sufferings that happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra. I endured these persecutions and the Lord delivered me from them all. Now in fact all who want to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves. You, however, must continue in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know who taught you and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.

I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: Preach the message, be ready whether it is convenient or not, reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and instruction. For there will be a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things.  And they will turn away from hearing the truth, but on the other hand they will turn aside to myths.  You, however, be self-controlled in all things, endure hardship, do an evangelist’s work, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time for me to depart is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith! Finally the crown of righteousness is reserved for me. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will award it to me in that day – and not to me only, but also to all who have set their affection on his appearing.

Make every effort to come to me soon. For Demas deserted me, since he loved the present age, and he went to Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is a great help to me in ministry. Now I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring with you the cloak I left in Troas with Carpas and the scrolls, especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him in keeping with his deeds. You be on guard against him too, because he vehemently opposed our words. At my first defense no one appeared in my support; instead they all deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed for all the Gentiles to hear. And so I was delivered from the lion’s mouth! The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever!  Amen.

Greetings to Prisca and Aquila and the family of Onesiphorus. Erastus stayed in Corinth. Trophimus I left ill in Miletus. Make every effort to come before winter. Greetings to you from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.” 

Paul advocated sound and healthy teaching throughout the pastoral epistles. Healthy teaching aligns with apostolic tradition as received by God’s special revelation through His inspired writers (Luke 1:2; Rom. 6:17; 1 Cor. 11:2; 15:1-4; 2 Thess. 2:15; 3:6; Heb. 2:3-4; 1 Pet. 2:21; 2 Pet. 3:15-17; Jude 3). At the heart is the gospel truth of the person and work of the Savior (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Tit. 2:11-14; 3:4-7). Paul emphasized this because only healthy teaching is profitable as the foundation for a healthy faith and productive Christian living. Anything else is futile and dangerous (1 Tim. 1:4; 1:6; 4:6-7; 6:3-5; 2 Tim. 1:13; 2:23; 4:3-4; Titus 1:9, 13; 2:1-2, 8).

Having stressed the profitability of teaching centered in the person and work of the Savior, Paul once again warned against the futility and worthlessness of the perverted and non-Biblical opinions of man. We will all come in contact with false teachers and their teachings. We must be able to defend the faith and give a reason for the hope within us, but we must not get involved in the wrong kind of discussions. Thus, Paul first warns against some of the various kinds of false teaching that Titus and all believers will face and then gives abbreviated directions for handling these false teachers themselves.

“But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, quarrels, and fights about the law, because they are useless and empty. Reject a divisive person after one or two warnings. You know that such a person is twisted by sin and is conscious of it himself.” Titus 3:9-11

Paul had been focused on the priority of the gospel message, that which is important and worthy of attention. He followed this with a listing of what should be avoided in Christian debate. No matter how brilliant or sophisticated or scholarly the proponents may appear, foolish controversies fail to seek the truth or heed the clear teachings of Scripture. These kinds of discussions become occupied with nonsense  like “how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.”  Jewish legendary and fictitious tales added to Old Testament history were common in Paul’s day (I would submit they are common today in some Christian circles). The Greek philosophers spent their time on their fine-spun problems. The Jewish Rabbis spent their time building up imaginary and deifying genealogies for the characters of the Old Testament. The Jewish scribes spent endless hours discussing what could and could not be done on the Sabbath, and what was and was not unclean. A man may think himself religious because he discusses religious questions. There are discussion groups that argue simply for the sake of arguing. It is much easier to discuss theological questions than it is to be kind, considerate and helpful at home, or efficient, diligent and honest at work. There is no virtue in sitting discussing deep theological questions when the simple tasks of the Christian life are waiting to be done. It is indeed true that such discussion can be nothing other than an evasion of Christian duties.

Obviously there is a place and need for Biblical inquiry and discussion regarding the truth and the meaning of Scripture, but if the goal is proving one’s point in an attempt to win an argument or prove one’s scholarship or protect one’s scholarship before one’s peers rather than Christ-like living, then we have missed the point and goal of the Bible (1 Tim. 1:3-7).

Paul’s instruction for dealing with the false teachers and those attracted to such teaching consisted of identifying their character and conduct and the manner in which they should be addressed. He identifies them as divisive, which is often used in the Bible to denote heresy. In Tit. 3:10 we see the church’s procedure for disciplining heretics, following Matt. 18:15 and 2 Jn. 10. They are to be warned at least twice, aimed at bringing spiritual understanding through Biblical instruction and the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Biblical admonition is vastly different from mere protest or reprimand, for the goal is correction through spiritual understanding and conviction. The former is little more than verbal disapproval; the latter works toward reclamation and restoration.

What happens if there is no response to the warnings? These heretics are to be rejected, avoided. The rebellious and disobedient person is to be treated as an outsider, as the Lord advised in Matthew 18:17. The ultimate goal is that such treatment will bring the person to his senses with the goal of repentance and restoration, but there is nevertheless a note of finality in the reason given.  A person who is impervious to loving and Biblical admonition reveals serious spiritual problems. They are twisted by their continual disobedience to God and apparently aware of their true spiritual condition. The heretic well knows that his persistent refusal to abandon his heretical views is wrong and stands condemned by his own better judgment.

We should remember this when talking with false teachers, cultists, heretics and philosophers (sometimes all in the same person). Often they are sincerely deceived by the teachings of their own sect and honestly do not understand what the Bible truly teaches. However, in discussion with such I have occasionally ran across people who shameless flaunt their heresy and spout their unBiblical teachings with a twinkle in their eye. We can do much to help deceived people find their way to the true gospel, but we must admit that we cannot reach the true heretic and, sad though it may make us, we should not waste our time trying. Sometime, painful though it may be, we must shake the dust of lies from our feet and move on to more fertile soil for the gospel of grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

During this political season, it is easy to become so engrossed in what’s going on out there that we forget that Christians are in this world, but we are not meant to be of it. Christians are citizens of a heavenly kingdom with Christ as our Lord. In that sense, we are not citizens of this world or any of its kingdoms. However, we are called of Christ to represent Him in the midst of an age that is temporary and a world system that opposes His plans and purposes. We live in the world, but we are not of it (John 15:19; 17:14, 19).  We are to conduct ourselves as ambassadors for Christ without being contaminated by the times and the world system whose god is Satan himself (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 1:17; 2:11-12; 2 Cor. 5:20).

Augustine wrote in The City of God, that there are two cities, the city of man and the city of God. The city of man, being the product of his pride and rebellion against God, reflects man’s dreams, earthly hopes, and values. This is an earthly city, temporal and fundamentally opposed to God and ultimately ruinous to man.

The other city is built “with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). This is the city of God with God’s values, plan of salvation, and it will endure forever. At the center of this city is the cross or the person and work of Christ Who died for our sin. This city can change the people of the city of man and add stability to their society because of the new life and values that are part of the city of God. The citizens of the city of God have new life as part of an unseen spiritual world for their sights are set on eternal values.  Augustine did not mean that the city of man is destitute of all civil righteousness and justice. Pagans have built great civilizations, thanks to the virtues they inherited as those created in the image of God. Christians should be actively involved in the city of man, building and maintaining it, working alongside of those headed to destruction. We just should have no illusions about building an earthly utopia. Our calling is to march through the crumbling empires of the world, spreading the gospel (paraphrased from Edwin Lutzer)

The city of man is so evident today in America as our society is built on the cult of self-absorption at the center of man’s fallen nature. The church always faces the temptation of fighting a legitimate battle in the wrong way. We always are tempted to fight the world with the weapons of the world. We always are tempted to use a sword of steel instead of the sword of the Spirit. That temptation grows greater even today. The so-called cultural wars of our time are really a spiritual war. Our problems are not fundamentally abortion, pornography and homosexual values. The roots of our cultural decay are primarily spiritual. Our greatest challenges are theological, not political or cultural.

Today, it is tempting to wrap the cross of Christ in the flag, equating the American dream with God’s dream for this nation. We have attached a myriad of agendas to the cross of Christ, often abandoning or obscuring the one message that the world needs to hear at this critical period of history.  Yes, we must fight social evils, using whatever means we have to clean up our contaminated culture, but our efforts will be futile unless we go to the source of our defilement.

The various exhortations of the first two chapters of Titus largely concern relationships within the church, the body of Christ, highlighting how we might be viewed by outsiders. With chapter 3:1-8, however, the apostle focused on the believer’s behavior in the world as a good citizen and neighbor. We are called to be salt and light in this world (Matt. 5:13-16).  Paul gave us, through Titus, practical ways in which to do that.

“Remind them to subject themselves to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work. to slander no one, to be non-fighting (peaceable), to be gentle, showing all courtesy (considerateness) to all people (literal translation).” Titus 3:1

Titus was to remind the Cretans of certain duties that would naturally commend the gospel to those in the world around them.

There is a God-ordained place for human government in human affairs (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-7;1 Pet. 2:13). Christians are to support good government and aid the work of government officials as keepers of the law and order. It is sometimes difficult to be faithful to these duties because sinful men living in Satan’s world system often became corrupt and unjust, which is not part of God’s purpose for government. It is easy for Christians to fall into the pattern of the world and malign government, complaining and rebelling or finding ways around government’s authority. The Cretans were notoriously turbulent and quarrelsome and impatient of all authority. Thus, Paul provided specific instructions to Titus in how to remind the Cretans of their duties to authority.

The practical outworking of obedience would include things like paying taxes, being orderly in behavior, displaying honesty in business, and in general, obeying the laws of the land. Submission to government and being a good citizen does not stop with simple obedience. It should also include being “ready for every good work.” The context does not limit this to good works in the Christian community. The believer has a responsibility in the world around him to be a good influence in the community.

“They must not slander anyone, but be peaceable, gentle, showing complete courtesy to all people.” Titus 3:2

This does not mean that Christians are to refrain from all critique of government. It means that we are not to malign, slander, or speak injuriously of others. In view of the degenerate moral behavior of many in our government in recent years, especially at the level of our highest office, it has become more and more difficult to refrain from abusive comments. We are right to hate the sin, even to become angry at the sinfulness that undermines the fiber of our society, but it is wrong for us to express this in ways that demonstrate hatefulness against the person and disrespect for the office. God hates our sin, but in the coming of Christ, He showed His kindness and love toward us as sinners. This demonstration of God’s love and kindness must temper our comments and attitudes toward others. This does not mean that a good Christian citizen will not be ready to stand for the principles he believes in and give reasons for the hope that is in him (1 Pet. 3:15), but he is willing to allow others to hold their opinions.  Those who are contentious and quarrelsome with their neighbors not only make poor citizens but poor testimonies for the Savior.

“For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another.” Titus 3:3

Remember what we used to be before coming to Christ?  This should be a strong motive for obedience to God and more understanding (courteous) toward the unbeliever, but often it isn’t. We tend to become pharisaical, looking down on those whose lifestyle is not like ours. We must remember that, but for the grace of God, we would still be in the same predicament as the unbelieving world – foolish, disobedience, deceived, enslaved to our passions, spending our lives in evil and hate toward others. It is only the cross that makes a difference in our lives. Unless one’s religious life is based on faith in the person and work of the Savior, no religion can save us from what we are as sinners. This realization must temper our attitudes toward the unbelieving world. We shouldn’t expect them to be different from what we ourselves were before God saved us.  

“But when the kindness of God our Savior appeared and his love for mankind, He saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7

The only cure for the darkness that has engulfed the world and once engulfed us is Jesus. Unless the Christian community understands this, we will fight the moral degeneration of our culture with the weapons of the world, trying to use  Christianity as a tool for moral change without taking people to the foot of the cross and faith in Christ.

That’s like trying to build a house without a foundation!

David Brainerd was an outstanding missionary to the American Indians. Summarizing his ministry among them and message to them, he said, “I never got away from Jesus and him crucified in my preaching. I found that once these people were gripped by the great evangelical meaning of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, I did not have to give them any instructions about changing their behavior.”

We find in Titus 2:11-14 (repeated in 3:4-7) two of the great theological passages of the New Testament. That sometimes seems odd to people who know Titus as a book of practical application, but when we get down to the brass tacks, what is it that is central to Christianity – our lifestyles or the person and work of Christ and the Holy Spirit? In this letter, you find both the practical and the theological co-mingled. When the Son of God became a man, He made the grace and love of God visible in a fresh, totally compelling way that has an inherent capacity to instruct us to live self-controlled, upright and Godly lives in today’s world.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.” Titus 2:11

Christ is the grace of God personified, the epitome of God’s grace. Human striving could never accomplish what Jesus did based upon the unmerited favor of God, for He provided a free redemption based solely on faith alone in Christ alone (Rev. 21:6; 22:17; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:4-5). The results of God’s grace delivered us from sin. The Holy Spirit prompted Paul to affirm the universal availability of salvation through Christ to all who would respond to the grace of God in faith. This is a controversial subject among Christian sects. The saving effect of grace depends on one’s personal response in faith as brought out in the last statement of 1 Timothy 4:10, “who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.” This truth establishes that we must evangelize all men, stressing that the ethical or life-changing truths of the gospel apply equally to all people regardless of their station in life (Rom. 1:16; Gal. 3:28).

“It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” Titus 2:12

This present age (1^st Century through to the 21^st – or whenever Christ comes back) is totally opposed to the very nature, values, and purposes of God, but an understanding of God’s salvation past, present, and future instructs Christians in a different direction with life-changing results. We must seek training and train others rigorously in the ways of the Lord. The grace of God calls us to do no less, for spiritual maturity matches the character of God. We should reject godless ways and worldly desires and ‘live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.”

There is plenty in this world that seeks to cast doubt on God’s existence, deny His essential attributes, explain away His providence and governance of the world, and soft-soap His influence on men. “Worldly desires” stand opposed to the will of God. (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 17:15-17; 2 Cor. 4:4).  Promoted by Satan and conformed to his ideals, aims, methods and character, this world system stands in opposition to the Word of God, God’s grace, and the purposes of the Savior. Used by Satan to seduce men from God and contaminate our lives with sin, this world system seeks to eliminate dependency and trust in God and to negate the impact of the church on mankind. Therefore, we must cast off this world system and embrace Godly behavior, described as “self-controlled, upright and Godly.”

Few people in our age practice self-control and most of us would consider it to be an insult if someone called us “holy” or “upright”. We think they mean “uptight”, don’t we? Yet God wants us to model this sort of behavior ““in this present age.” Spiritually and psychologically, we live in evil times (Gal 1:4). Wise men and philosophers are blind to God and ignorant of Him; scornful of the crucified Christ (1 Co 1:20-25). God recognizes the folly of this age (1 Co 3:19) as lost humanity scrabbles around on the floor looking for a spiritual flashlight while insisting they can see just fine.

The exciting news from the Bible is that God invaded this present age and turned on the lights (Eph 6:12). Jesus rescued us (Gal 1:4), not by removing us from the world but by calling us to share in a divine transformation. Believers actually taste “the powers of the coming age” (Hebrews 6:5), for God is at work now to transform us into Jesus’ likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18), and He will do so fully at the resurrection (1 John 3:2-3). Our calling is to “live godly lives in this present age” (Tit 2:12), refusing to be “conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2). Instead of conforming, we must open our lives to God, permitting Him to reshape our attitudes and perspective. We thus learn to live by God’s principles rather than by the subtly distorted principles that infuse human society. In this way, we experience God’s blessings now and in the age to come (Mark 10:29-30; Luke 18:30; 1 Timothy 6:19).

“[A]s we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:13

We presently live in a temporary world that will one day evaporate in the glory of God like dew in the morning sun. Having established that, Paul moved onto that next age. This is strong motivation for Godly living. The world we live in right now may look dismal, but we look forward to a blessed hope in Jesus’ return to the human plain of existence, ushering in a time of great blessing for the church.

There’s controversy in this section of Titus because Paul described Jesus as “the great God and Savior, Jesus Christ….”  Some understand this passage to mean two persons, the Father (“the great God”) and His Son, (Jesus Christ our Savior). According to scholars, the Greek doesn’t support any such separation. Various arguments attempt to get around this clear affirmation of the deity of Christ, but this verse is very precise and is a clear example of the grammatical rule called Granville Sharp.  It would seem that Paul was calling Jesus God in this passage. Greek scholars say that only a presupposition that Jesus is not God would cause anyone reading this in the Greek to arrive at the conclusion that Paul is speaking of God and Jesus as separate here.

“He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good.” Titus 2:14

Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself to buy us out of slavery to sin. For the 1st century reader living in the culture of that day, this statement brought to mind the picture of being bought out of slavery into freedom by the ransom price paid. Christ’s death not only freed us from the penalty of sin, but from its power and rule over our lives as our task master.

Jesus gave Himself for us in order to set us free and prepare us for His kingdom. Sin makes us guilty and unclean before a holy God. The blood-wrought cleansing (1 John 1:7) enables men to be restored to fellowship with God as “a people that are his very own.” Since we have been redeemed by His blood (1 Peter 1:18-21), Christ yearns that we voluntarily yield ourselves wholly to Him. Such surrender is man’s only reasonable response to divine mercy (Roman 12:1, 2).  Through the redemptive work of Jesus, including the conquer of Satan’s kingdom, we become qualified to be the special possession of God (Col. 2:12-15).

Jesus enables us to live productively in a fallen world characterized by rebellion and self-will. The ultimate goal to bring us into a right and special relationship with God as His very own special people who manifest this relationship by the character of their redeemed lives, demonstrated by our seal for good works.

“So communicate these things with the sort of exhortation or rebuke that carries full authority.” Titus 2:15

All Christians, like Titus, have a responsibility to lead and teach in the church with all authority. Christians are to express the will of God as contained in the Word of God. Titus’ authority came partially from his association with Paul, an apostle, but modern-day Christians derive our authority from the Bible as God’s Word. The authority does not rest with the messenger, but in the message (Col. 2:16-23).

I am told that the Greek in this sentence makes the words “communicate”, “exhortation” and “rebuke” into strong commands, imperative responsibilities.  For us today, these are responsibilities that must characterize the ministries of the leadership of all local churches if they are going to be faithful to the Word. Christians need to be sensitive to the requirements in any given situation, but the eyes of the sinner must be opened to his sin. The mind of the misguided must be led to realize its mistake. The Christian message is not an opiate to send men to sleep; it offers no comfortable assurance that everything will be all right. It is the blinding light which shows men themselves as they are and God as He is. Christians must seek to impress upon those willing to hear that God’s standard of holiness is not optional; it is not a cafeteria where we pick and choose what we want.

Obviously, neither Titus nor any Christian leader can control the feelings and actions of others. Paul anticipated opposition to his delegate’s authority in this situation. Titus was to insist on his authority, not allowing others to ignore or supersede him, while behaving in a commendable manner. Authority and exemplary behavior are inseparable for Christian.  Truthfully, the authority of a Christian leader or teacher does not rest in ourselves, but in the truth of God’s holy Word. Our authority rests in the nature of our message, not in any intrinsic value of our own.

Christian leaders must always remember -- The truth is above us; we are not above the truth.

From leaders and the conduct of potential leaders, Paul turned his attention to a group we don’t think about much in our modern-day world. We don’t have a lot of slaves in America today, so we tend to think we can skip over this section when we read Titus, but let us consider this section to be directed at anyone who works for a living under some sort of supervisor or boss. Does that not change the dynamic?

“Slaves are to be subject to their own masters in everything, to do what is wanted and not talk back, not to pilfer, but showing all good faith, in order to do credit to the teaching of God our Savior in everything.” Titus 2:9-10

Perhaps no place better demonstrates the New Testament’s different perspective on life than what it teaches regarding slaves. Life, regardless of circumstances, should be lived in submission to God and for His eternal purposes. Paul provided three purpose clauses (that, so that, in order to) in one short passage, connecting Christian behavior to Biblical principles that transcend life circumstances and highlight our responsibility to be a witness as an ambassador for Christ.

Living in the world we live in today, it is often hard for us to imagine that slaves were an integral part of a 1^st century household and often highly valued as family members. So, it is natural that Paul would mention them. Some are bothered that he didn’t condemn the practice of slavery. I know people who claim their primary reason for not believing the Bible is its treatment of slavery. I think they’re being disingenuous, but that’s another topic. Slavery as practiced in Europe and the United States up until abolition was an evil system because it robbed people of their dignity and freedom. Slavery in the 1^st Century seems to have been a valued and important institution. I think my acquaintances misunderstand what the Bible actually teaches about slavery.

While the New Testament never condemns or teaches revolution against slavery, it also never condones it. It lays down principles for both slaves and slave owners that, if followed, would abolish slavery, as it actually did in the early Christian era and has continued to do so in much of the world, reflected in the foundational beliefs of many English and American abolitionists. The sacredness of human life and the dignity of all men were practically unknown in ancient society. By proclaiming the love of Christ and the worth of all men as created in the image of God, the evils of slavery became more and more evident. No effect of early Christianity was more pronounced than the elevation of labor to a nobler plane than it has ever occupied under pagan influences. Nothing degrades labor more than a system of slavery. Wherever the gospel was accepted the foundations of slavery began to be undermined. While there is little or nothing of express condemnation of slavery in the words of Jesus Christ, it is plain that a gospel which declares that God “has made of one blood all nations” (Acts 17:26) and that there is before the Highest no distinction of “bond or free” (in the Church, Galatians 3:28), works logically to the final extinction of slavery.

Jesus and Paul did not fight slavery and its many inequalities, because in the New Testament Christ has called us to a greater task—the task of calling men from the slavery of sin into a relationship with God through the message of the Cross. The primary Christian task is not to change the world system to make it more moral or socially correct, as important as that may be. Our primary task is to evangelize people, to make disciples and teach them to obey all the things Jesus commanded. We are called to recognize that man’s only real hope for complete justice is the return of Christ when the God of peace will crush Satan under our feet (Rom. 16:20). If, in bringing people individually to their Savior, we happen to end societal evils like slavery, that is to be a side benefit, not our main focus.

Being moral or changing social wrongs does not save people (give them eternal life) nor does it make us Christian people. Thus, this is not the focus of the gospel. Moral behavior and working to help injustices in our society should indeed be one of the products of being a Christian, but it neither gives us eternal life nor does it make us a Christian. In the final analysis, what does it matter if we make life more just and moral and comfortable for people if they end up eternally separated from God? Would that not be eliminating temporary slavery and exchanging it for eternal slavery?

Moreover, there were practical considerations with regard to slavery in the 1^st Century. Slaves comprised half of the population of the Roman Empire. Three-fourths of the population of Athens was slaves. If Christianity totally disallowed slavery, the gospel could not have spread as it did in the first few centuries of Church era. Once the gospel did spread, the seeds were sown for the eventual dissolution of slavery. By reforming the heart, Christianity, in time, reformed the social order!

Rather than attack a central institution of his society, Paul gave Biblical principles to enable slaves to live their lives under God’s sovereign care so that they could witness to the power of the gospel.

“Slaves are to be subject to their own masters in everything, to do what is wanted.” Titus 2:9

The word translated “slaves” (doulos) is the same term Paul used to identify himself in verse 1. Though sometimes translated “servant,” this word refers to one who was the property of another and not to one who simply served others as a freeman. The instruction is that “slaves are to be in subjection to their own masters.” Legally, all slaves in that day were already under the yoke of their masters. Paul’s emphasis here is on the attitude behind a slave’s submission. Slaves, like women, were to submit themselves voluntarily to the higher authority as they would submit to service to God (Col. 3:21-24).

Although Paul did not address masters in Titus, he did address them in 1 Timothy 6:1-2 distinguishing between slaves who had believing masters and those who did not. Believing masters had obligations to their slaves as well.

Submission was meant to be an unlimited behavior, encompassing every area of life. We must not understand this as an absolute that overrules God’s authority, however. If called on to lie, commit adultery, steal, murder, etc., the believing slave must refuse to cooperate in a manner that demonstrates his integrity. I once read a story of a Christian servant in India who was asked to deliver a verbal message which he knew was untrue. He refused. Though his master was very angry at the time, he later said this incident had taught him that he could always trust this servant in weighty matters.

 “…to do what is wanted and not talk back, not to pilfer, but showing all good faith. … in order to do credit to the teaching of God our Savior in everything” Titus 2:2b-10

Paul gave specific instruction to slaves to do as their masters requested, without an insolent spirit or thieving to line their own pockets, but showing complete good faith.  He then gave the reason for this behavior. Such an attitude contrasts with the conduct of most slaves and “does credit” to the teachings of God (Jesus our Savior) in everything.

All that is said concerning slaves in the 1^st century could be applied to workmen in the 21^st century. For Christians to function effectively in the world for Christ, we must submit to the authority of those God has placed above us. How we submit to authority speaks volumes to the unbelievers with whom we interact. This is true in marriages as well as in the workplace. Yet, so often in our modern times, we Christians buy into the line that we should not submit to manmade authority when it is clear in the Bible that we should.

A beautiful picture may be enhanced by just the right framing. Similarly, Christians make Christian teaching attractive if we showcase its power and truth in our lives. The gospel can transform lives even of those in the lowest social order, thus adorning God’s truth.

In seeking to function as ambassadors of Christ who proclaim the message of our Savior, we have an awesome responsibility to make the truth of Christ attractive by lives that truly reflect the saving power of the message.

How sad when we dishonor the teaching of God our Savior by living in ways that fail to communicate the power of the message!

In the months before his execution by the Nazis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: “I fear that Christians who stand with only one leg upon earth, also stand with only one leg in heaven.” Bonhoeffer agonized over Christians who had disengaged themselves from the world to the extent that they could watch the atrocities of the Nazi regime as if the Christian message or individual Christian responsibility had no bearing upon earthly affairs.

Bonhoeffer knew that the Christian faith intends full engagement in the world. Certainly the origin of our new life in Christ is otherworldly; Christian values are not those of the world and Christian hope takes us beyond this world. Yet God has called Christians to live in this world. Christians must reach out to the world with the gospel. Engagement of this kind requires Christian credibility and participation in the life of the world.

If our lifestyle fails to reflect the character of God, then we neutralize our testimony. The remainder of Paul’s letter to Titus places moral obligations on all believers regardless of our age or station in life. The opening statement of chapter 2, “But as for you,” is somewhat emphatic in the Greek text and sets forth a contrast between Titus and his responsibilities and the beliefs and behavior of the previously-discussed false teachers. They were so engrossed in sickly doctrines that they were already having negative results on the moral conduct of the Cretan Christians, especially in the homes. This contrast highlights the important responsibility God has given us to carefully communicate His Word in view of the many false teachers who stand opposed to the truth.

“But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with sound teaching.” Titus 2:1

Sound or healthy teaching agrees with the message of the Savior. He came to die for the penalty of sin and give eternal life as a free gift; He also came to overcome Satan’s rule and sin’s reign in the lives of those who put their trust in Him (Rom. 5:17, 6:1; Heb. 2:14-15; Eph. 2:1-10; 1 John 3:5). A sinful lifestyle is not only evil, but it stands in opposition to the person and work of Christ.

The message of Jesus and the new life we have in Him becomes the foundation for a Christian’s behavior or lifestyle in this fallen world. True changes, those that take place from within, simply do not occur without an intimate relationship with God through faith in the truth of the message of Christ. That message should lead to a life that is consistent with Christian doctrine. Anything else is contradictory to the message (Rom. 6:1-4).

“Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.” Titus 2:2

Older men should naturally model Christian truth to the younger men. It is not surprising that the qualities listed here are some of those previously listed for the office of elder (1:6-9); these senior men, because of their maturity, would normally be the ones chosen for the office of elder. Age is never a guarantee of spiritual and emotional maturity. True spiritual maturity comes through growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ, but older men should be models of maturity and involved in mentoring other men in the Lord.  Older men, Paul wrote, should be temperate and self-controlled, dignified and worthy of respect. Their faith should be solid, loving and steady.

“Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good. In this way they will train the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, fulfilling their duties at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the message of God may not be discredited.  Titus 2:3-5

Similarly, older women should be good role models for young women, particularly in the home. If false teachers were overturning entire families, then it would appear that they were teaching things that were undermining God’s roles for husbands and wives, probably by targeting the women. We think radical feminism is something new in our own age, but it is not. Paul called for high standards among the women. Particularly, the older women were told not to gossip or drink heavily, vices that were common in the Greco-Roman society Paul was addressing. Instead of this cultural norm, they were to teach the younger women what was good. Paul was concerned that these younger women have God’s ordained perspective through  Biblical wisdom regarding the home and their roles since this is so important to the well being of the whole Christian family (to include husbands, wives, and children), on society as a whole, and on the testimony of the Christian community to the world.

This was and is not a matter of cultural norms or practices, but of Biblical wisdom or God’s ordained plan. Some of what is said here fits with cultural practices, but this is not the basis for the duties called for in this passage. This is clear in other passages where more detail is given on the Christian home and the roles and duties of both husbands and wives (Eph. 5:23f). The duties described are based on God’s creative purposes and order as is evident in 1 Timothy 2:13-15 and 1 Corinthians 11:8-10. Women are to love their husbands for a right relationship between a husband and wife is the first responsibility and priority of any home. It is foundational to parenting. The home is where children develop a proper view of men and women, love, marriage, respect for others, and even God’s love as they see it modeled in their parents. Thus, Paul linked it with parenting.

The twin qualities of self-control and purity are basic to a woman’s capacity to be devoted to husband and children alike. In this context of love for the husband, “self-controlled and pure” may mean “virtuous and chaste.” Self-control is a quality needed by all Christians in all areas of life, but in this context, the focus is more a self-control that promotes sexual purity as suggested by the Greek.

Perhaps no passage gives us a better picture of the domesticity that God has in mind than the “excellent wife” portrayed in Proverbs 31:10-31. We should note that the picture given in Proverbs 31 is of a woman whose ministry extends beyond her own household, though the home is the center and focus of her life and takes precedence over all else.

To the quality of domesticity, Paul added the adjective “kind.” This Greek word looks at the concept of goodness from the standpoint of what is useful or profitable and is often the term chosen when moral and intrinsic goodness is meant. The demands of a household require unsparing self-giving and may tempt a woman to be irritable and harsh in her demands on members of her household. She must cultivate the virtue of benevolence, heartily doing what is good and beneficial to others, especially those of her household.

Paul concluded his instructions to the younger wives with, “being subject to their own husbands, so that the message of God may not be discredited.” He didn’t go into the detail that he did in Ephesians 5, perhaps dealing with specific problems found in the church there. Titus was perhaps expected to elaborate and expand on the skeleton of details given here. The idea of submission is a voluntary response of the wife’s heart that flows out of her greater submission to God’s ordained plan for the home. Nowhere are husbands told to demand this submission. Rather he is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. Indeed, he is to love and care for her as if she were his own body, nourishing and cherishing her as such (Eph. 5:25-31). In the New Testament, headship is not a dictatorship or being the boss. Rather, if done Biblically (Luke 22:24-30), it is a loving leadership that takes on the disposition of being a servant and one that assumes responsibility for the relationship.

The requirement to love her husband does not eliminate her duty to yield to his headship. In declaring the spiritual equality of the woman before God (Gal 3:28), Christianity immeasurably elevated our status among the women of the world but did not abolish our functional position as the complement and support of our husbands as the head of the home. The emphasis on a woman’s own husband puts a quality of privacy on this.  It focuses on the special relationship and private bond that is to exist between a husband and a wife and reminds us of why marital infidelity is so contrary to marriage. A man and his wife are to become as one. This is not just a trite metaphor, but a command for unity like no other human relationship affords.

Finally, Paul concluded these seven spiritual duties with a purpose clause, “so that the message of God may not be discredited.” Paul was deeply concerned that our lives as Christians never discredit the truths of the word of God to the world. Rather, our lifestyle must be consistent with the eternal and holy principles of Scripture (cf. vss. 8 and 10).

“Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled, showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss, because he has nothing evil to say about us.” Titus 2:6-8

Turning to instructions for the younger men, Paul repeated the “likewise.” While the roles of Christian men and women vary, certain spiritual qualities should be found in all believers. Titus is commanded to “encourage” the younger men in self-control, to be sober minded. He was not encouraged to counsel younger women personally, but Paul did instruct him to minister one-on-one with the younger men, focusing on self-control. Young men are inclined toward impetuous behavior, so a focus on self-control would cultivate balance and self-restraint in daily practice as the believer submits to the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 22-23).

Paul blended his instructions to the younger men with instructions to Titus himself because the Christian teacher and leader is to be a model of good works in every sphere of life. This is similar to Paul’s exhortations to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12, “Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity.” With the words, “in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and a sound message that cannot be criticized,” there is a further appeal to Titus, directed toward the character of his teaching. Without sound teaching you cannot have godly behavior and Spirit-produced good works. How often do we see church leaders exhorting and preaching about good works and changed lifestyles but without a balanced diet of sound doctrine that teaches and promotes spiritual health by a walk in the Spirit and a life in the Word. Their exhortations often lead to manipulation and coercion in order to see things happen in their congregations.

Titus was also to communicate “a sound message that cannot be criticized.” A sound message cannot be legitimately criticized. This doesn’t negate all criticism, especially by false teachers, but we can proclaim a message that is so true to the text of Scripture that it cannot be justly criticized. The result is that those who do will be ultimately put to shame or embarrassed because their arguments are rebuked by the plain truth of the message which refutes their false claims.

It is undeniable that the world is watching Christians because we affirm our God’s message that His is the only pathway to spiritual wholeness. This is a message resented by the world, so they watch and see if we stumble.  We cannot live our lives in the estimation of the world because the world makes up fairy tales about what God demands of His followers. However, our everyday lives are our testimony to the validity of what we believe. We must align our conduct to that which God has required of His followers and make no apologies when the world doesn’t think those standards are high enough to meet their unrealistic expectations. When we walk with God as He requires us to walk, we need not be ashamed in anything. It is when we follow our own lead and try to fit our walk to the world’s expectations, ignoring God’s clear instructions, that we find ourselves greatly embarrassed. We are not of the world, but we are called to live in it. We should remember this as we live Christian lives in a modern and watching world.

A curious side effect of the 1960s counter-culture revolution is an innate tendency as a nation to question authority. For most of the last four decades, many of us have wondered if qualifications for certain jobs really need to be as specific as they are or could they be tweaked to make them better. Perhaps someone with fewer qualifications and more “creative” thinking would re-invent a new way of thinking about that. This is not a new problem. Paul dealt with it in the 1^st Century and he felt so strongly about the need for qualifications in leaders that he wrote to both Timothy and Titus about the qualification of church authorities.

“For there are many rebellious people, idle-talkers, and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections.” Titus 1:10

This section, introduced with “for”, is a continuation statement giving the reason why elders need to possess the doctrinal qualifications described in verse 9. It’s not just an arbitrary job description. The presence of false teachers (always a problem for the church in any age and place) requires leaders who have the ability to expound and defend the faith. This reminds us that exposure of false teachers belongs to the leadership of the church as the shepherds who protect the sheep from the wolves who come in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:28). This protection is done, of course, through sound Biblical exposition. Too often today church leaders are too involved with administrative duties and seeking to keep the flock entertained to actually produce sound apologetics.

Heresy, of course, involves the teaching of false doctrine, but false teaching always extends itself into the behavior of its adherents. It will always have a negative impact on the lifestyle of those infected “for as a person thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverb 23:7). As these false teachers stand in opposition to the truth, so they will lead lives that are “detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed” (1:16).

Paul did not tell us whether the false teachers were Christians, but described them as rebellious and detestable deceivers. It is often assumed they were unbelievers, but that is not necessarily the case. To assume their unbelief is to miss the application this passage can have for believers who fall way from grace into some form of legalism which they seek to impose upon the body of Christ. This a problem that the church faced from the beginning as evidenced in Acts 15, Galatians, Colossians, and Hebrews. We know these false teachers were identified as Christians, so let’s look at this passage in light of that.

Paul warned Titus not to be lulled to sleep by lack of apparent opposition, “for there are many rebellious people” who stand opposed to the truth. The problem we face is no small matter for there are numerous opponents to the grace of God in Christ. One of the tell-tale signs of a false teacher is his/her rebellious spirit of independence from the truth of Scripture as the final authority. Such teachers often possess a defiant attitude toward the authority of God’s Word or to the authority of God’s servants. We should beware the teacher who will not put themselves under authority. Another symptom of false teaching is idle chatter, fruitless debates that avoid the discussion of spiritual deliverance through Jesus Christ. This is why elders/overseers must hold fast to the faithful message in accord with the apostolic tradition of Scripture. Rather than talk about the gospel that alone has the power to change lives, false teachers concentrate on fictitious tales or legends added to Old Testament history (tales about Adam, Moses, Elijah, and other Old Testament saints) and legalistic and ascetic rules that are futile for dealing with the flesh (Colossians 2:16-23).  False teachers craftily (Ephesians 4:14) deceive the minds of others as well as themselves (2 Tim. 3:13). They are masters at impressive oration, but they have nothing of true biblical content or substance to say. It was just so much hot air. These false teachers sadly excelled in talking, not in doing. They could tell others what to do, but they did not do it themselves. Note especially Titus 1:16. The great tragedy was that they deceived people by their false doctrines. They claimed to be teaching truth while peddling error. Tragically, they were themselves deceived by Satan, even as they deceived others, “teaching things they ought not to teach” (Titus 1:11)

“Especially those with Jewish connections” gives us a clue as to the identity of the false teachers troubling the Cretan churches. By source and by nature, the false teaching was a legalistic system of  works which sought to add something to the grace work of God in Christ.  Literally, the Greek text says, “especially those of the circumcision” (peritome). This noun is found 36 times, 31 of which are in Paul’s epistles. It can mean: the right of circumcision itself (John 7:22), the fact of being circumcised (Phil. 3:5), or it may be a synonym for the Jews and even for Jewish Christians because they practiced circumcision as a religious rite (e.g. Acts 10:45; 11:2; Gal. 2:9-13; Tit. 1:10).

Paul’s use of the term circumcision to refer to the Jews calls attention to the kind of issues that were at the heart of the false teaching facing the Cretans—some form of Judaistic religious works added to faith in Christ for salvation and or sanctification in addition to Jewish myths.

What do we bring to God when we come to Him for the salvation He offers us in Christ? Only our sin—period!! There is absolutely nothing else we can bring to attain salvation in the sense of eternal life or the capacity to be changed. When you come to Christ, you do not come to give, but to receive. You do not come to try your best, you come to trust. You do not come just to be helped, but to be rescued. You do not come to be made better (although that does happen), you come to be made alive! You do not come to Christ to make a promise; you come to depend on His promise. It is the faithfulness of God and not your own that gives the gift of grace.

“[W]ho must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught. A certain one of them, in fact, one of their own prophets, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” Titus 1:11-12

Titus and the neophyte elders, like the elders of any congregation in any time or location, have a moral necessity to hold firmly to the faith message, to refuse the false teachers an opportunity to teach in the church and silence them by the logical refutation of their views, making further dissemination impossible.”

You know that saying – “Follow the money”?  While money is not the root of all evil, the love of money is. A crucial character quality, the mark of a true shepherd of God’s people, is purity of motives regarding money and all other forms of self-centered agendas like position, power, praise and possessions (1 Thess. 2:1). This has always been an evil that has threatened godly leadership whether political or spiritual. Israel’s leaders did not serve their flock. Their first error was to put their own interests above those of the people. Israel’s kings had added to their wealth at the expense of the common people, viewing the flock as a source of wealth to be exploited rather than a trust to be protected.

Significantly, Paul viewed ministry as a trust from God to be guarded with great care and exhorted others to follow his example (1 Cor. 4:1-2; 9:17; 1 Tim. 1:18; 6:20; 2 Tim. 2:2; Tit. 1:7). Teachers of the Word have a right to be paid a fare wage for their ministry, but they must be careful of their motives (1 Cor. 9:4; Gal. 6:6; 1 Tim. 5:17-18), that they minister for the glory of God,  love for God and love for His flock.

Likely the idle talk of the false teachers was presented under the guise of teachings that were important for the spiritual well-being of the various homes or house churches where they sought a following. They undoubtedly made the claim they were teaching Scripture, but it was way off the mark. It is clearly amazing what some people think they are getting out of the Scripture! They take the Bible, spiritualize it, take verses totally out of context, and import their own ideas, rejectioning the clear explanations found in the Bible. False teachers always either misuse the Bible (as taking verses out of context) or add to it (some rule or religious duty done for merit) or take away from it (like denying the sufficiency of Christ).

Because of the brevity of the statement, it is uncertain whether the term “families” refer to house churches or to some of the families in the church. If it is a reference to house churches, it would refer to the disastrous influence of the false teachers who were given the opportunity to teach (2 John 7-11). If the reference is to various families, then it could refer to the effect of the false teaching upon homes and the family circle, particularly if promoted by the fathers as the head of the household. Either way, the word whole here suggests that the influence of this doctrine was thorough and disasterous.

“Such testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply that they may be healthy in the faith and not pay attention to Jewish myths and commands of people who reject the truth.” Titus 1:13-14

Paul sought for the Cretans to be health in the faith, meaning the body of revealed apostolic truth we now find complete in the Bible. Spiritual health is always impaired when anyone feeds their soul on unhealthy or diseased doctrine, regardless of the source. Being sound in the faith is the primary goal which becomes the root for changed and godly lives.  Paul recommended paying not attention to Jewish myths as a continuous pattern of life. The legends of the Old Testament that were characteristic of the false teachers have no place in Christian theology.

The false teachers tried to add to the gospel of grace with various legalistic and ascetic rules. These legalistic rules or commands of men, evidently Jewish-Gnostic observant which the false teachers sought to make binding on Christians (1Timothy 4:3-6) were futile for dealing with man’s sin and the flesh (Col. 2:16-23). We know these commands consisted of Old Testament regulations that were no longer valid for Christians, like circumcision or observance of the Passover.  They might have been New Testament practices like baptism or the Lord’s supper presented as a means of salvation or sanctification rather than as pictures and testimonies of the work of Christ resulting in changes within the believer’s heart. There may have been a whole host of rituals that are not spelled out in Scripture and are now lost to antiquity. Many groups have their lists of do’s and don’ts—especially the don’ts—the nasty nine or the dirty dozen pushed by rigid, grim-faced, exacting, kill-joy legalists. Paul linked these commands to the rejection of truth.

“All is pure to those who are pure. But to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and conscience are corrupted. They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.” Titus 1:15-16

With Jewish, perhaps Gnostic, influences in Crete, these false teachers were seeking to load people down with religious and ascentic rules that concerned food, drink, feasts, and Sabbath days. Like the Pharisees, these teachers were externalists, seeking to judge others by appearances when they themselves were corrupt and unbelieving. The real problem was what was on the inside. When a person either rejects the truth of salvation by grace as an unbeliever or, because of other forces (pressure from Judaizers or legalists or one’s past background, etc.), seeks to add works into the picture for sanctification or to maintain salvation, their thought processes become defiled and polluted, impacting their conscience, which influences faith and actions, which become defiled as well.

Paul referred to the conscience six time in the pastorals (1 Tim. 1:5, 19; 3:9; 4:2; 2 Tim. 1:3; Tit. 1:15).  The Greek word for “conscience” makes it, in essence, a court of appeal, the place of our standards and norms, our sense of right and wrong as to doctrine and behavior. Since this is our place of moral awareness, it is useless if not good and cleansed. In 1 Timothy the apostle taught us that the goal of our instruction (communication of sound teaching) is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a non-hypocritical faith. A good conscience is first morally fit and right and capable of functioning properly. It is the opposite of a conscience that has been seared and callused (1 Tim. 4:2) or defiled by a belief system of dead works (Hebrew 9:14).

A good conscience, the opposite of one that is defiled or seared, is founded on a set of Biblical standards and norms having nothing to do with ceremonial rules and human commands. Ordered by the grace principles of the Word (Heb. 5:14; 9:14), a good conscious is sensitive to its own sin, always willing to confess to God in order to clear one’s guilt (Acts 24:16; 1 Tim. 3:9). It judges and approves only those thoughts, goals, written words and deeds of the heart which are in harmony with the principles of grace found in Biblical instruction (i.e., love as demonstrated in good works or Christ-like service and character).

True purity lies in a heart that has been cleansed and regenerated through personal trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ rather than observing external rites and regulations (Hebrews 9:13-14). This leads to moral rightness and the capacity to discern what is truly good and evil (Heb. 5:14). The heretics’ obsession with external purity grew out of a failure to rest in the sufficiency of the finished work of Christ; thus they cut themselves off from the One who could cleanse and empower them to live the Christ-exchanged life.

Paul said these false teachers professed to know the truth, which does not mean that the false teachers were necessarily unbelievers. One of the problems facing the church from the beginning was that those who had come to Christ, later sought to add the rules and regulations of Judaism to the message of grace. Paul dealt with this problem in the letter to the Galatians. Thus, to “profess to know God” could mean simply to know Him as Savior (1 Thess. 1:8), but it could also be a profession to know him in a deeper and more intimate way through observing the rules and regulations they were seeking to impose on others.

Things have not changed. We see the same thing today. Some claim a deeper level of experience or knowledge of God because they keep certain taboos or because they speak in tongues, insisting that anyone who wants to be truly spiritual must do the same.

Their practice, Paul insisted, denies Christ. The false teachers, even if truly saved, had slipped back into works or legalism and fallen from the grace way of life or the previous grace relationship he had experienced with the Lord when he first accepted Christ. When a believer lives in the light, power, and freedom of God’s grace, he or she has the power to deny ungodliness as a part of his or her life (Titus 2:12). When one turns ones back on grace, to a certain degree, this leads to a life that denies Jesus by deeds that give little or no evidence of fellowship or a Spirit-empowered walk with God. One of the results of turning our backs on the concept of grace—even as believers—is that it leaves us under the control of our life-dominating patterns of the flesh. Adding any system of works for salvation or sanctification means the benefits of our new position in Christ are rendered inoperative as long as such a spirit of legalism exists. It amounts to a revision of the gospel as we have fallen from the grace way of life into the futility of a life lived under the power of the flesh (Gal. 5:1-5; 16-26).

Paul called the false teachers “detestable” which carries the idea of “disgusting”. God’s perspective toward teachers who turn away from grace into legalism is that they are killers on the loose and you can’t identify them by sight alone. On the contrary, a lot of false teachers carry Bibles and appear to be clean-living, nice-looking, law-abiding citizens. Most of them spend a lot of time in churches, some in places of religious leadership. Many are so respected in the community, their neighbors would never guess they are living next door to killers.

What do they kill? Freedom, spontaneity, creativity, joy, and productivity. They kill with their words, pens and looks. They kill with their attitudes far more often than with their behavior. This danger lurks in every church and Christian organization, every school, media ministry and missionary group – and amazingly, they get away with it on a daily basis without being confronted or exposed. Strangely, the same ministries that would not tolerate heresy for 10 minutes will step aside and allow these killers all the space they need to maneuver and manipulate others in the most insidious manner imaginable. Their judgmental spirits remain unjudged. Their bullying tactics continue unchecked. Their narrow-mindedness is either explained away or quickly defended. The bondage that results would be criminal were it not so subtle and wrapped in such spiritual-sounding jargon.

Crete is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean, located an almost equal distance from Europe, Asia, and Africa. Crete actually comprises an area of 3,200 square miles in an elongated form—160 miles E to W and 6 to 35 miles from N to S. A mighty civilization once flourished there and during the 2^nd millennium BC, Crete was the center of the Minoan civilization. By New Testament times, however, the moral condition of its inhabitants was tragic. Know for rage and lies, the Cretans were also famous for drunkenness. Trust me, I grew up in a frontier town and can speak from experience that Titus had his work cut out for him. Which is why Paul told him to invest in good leadership.

“The reason I left you in Crete was to set in order the remaining matters and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.” Titus 1:5

Paul and Titus had previously visited the Island of Crete, preached the gospel and successfully established house churches in various cities. The Christians there needed biblical mentoring in the faith as babes in Christ, so Paul, being compelled to ministry elsewhere, left Titus to accomplish this vital task. All Christians need to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus (2 Pet. 3:18), but it was especially needed because of the moral conditions that formed the background of these Cretan believers. Titus continued this work because to leave them as they were would be like giving birth to a child, carrying for it a while, and then abandoning it on someone’s doorstep. The work to be done among the churches was not reformation but the continual process of transformation. Titus was responsible to carry out the mandate of promoting the process of edification as described in Ephesians 4:11-16, building up the body quantitatively (training and motivation for evangelism), qualitatively (spiritual growth of believers) and organically (the development of leaders and the use of the spiritual gifts of all those in the churches).

While the churches in Crete were deficient in a number of areas, the next statement, “and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed you,” describes the first and most basic deficiency that needed to be dealt with, namely, the appointment of elders. This is very revealing and instructive. It shows us that a local church or congregation of believers is defective if it lacks qualified elders. Take that, pastor-driven churches! God has chosen the office of elders and their function of shepherding the flock in order to continue the process of spiritual growth. “Elders” (presbuteros in Greek) is the official designation of those who are to lead the local congregation of believers and is synonymous with “overseers” (episkopos). It stresses the dignity of the office while ‘overseer’ stresses the function, but both terms refer to the same office, evident in Acts 20 where both terms are used of the same people. In Acts 20:17 Paul sends for those who are called the “elders of the church,” but then in verse 28 they are identified as “overseers” who were to “shepherd” (pastor) the church at Ephesus.

Was Titus to appoint elders himself or was he to do this with the help of the people who knew the possible candidates better than Titus? I think the latter because of the ordination of the deacons in Acts. It does not seem that Paul gave Titus dictatorial power to appoint ministers. Paul and Barnabas ordained elders (Acts 14:23) who had been chosen by the people. I think Titus did the same, keeping in mind the proper qualifications. The Cretan churches may have been ready to appoint elders, but Titus was there to make sure they were not negligent or careless in the qualifications of those selected. Because of the moral degradation of Crete, Paul’s authority was especially needed in this task. In our own time, the way our society has so rapidly degenerated in the 30 years makes clear that meeting these qualification is equally important for the Christian church today. None were appointed while Paul was present, which suggests that none were ready for leadership at that time. They needed further mentoring to prepare spiritually for leadership. This is also desperately needed today. Churches need a plan for training men for leadership in the church.

Those men who are to serve in the office of elder must be so qualified that the flock will be willing and benefited by following their leadership. The qualities listed below (also in 1 Timothy 3) are marks of spiritual maturity, evidences of the work of the Holy Spirit and the Word in a man’s life. They ensure his ability to carry out the functions of the office, but they also serve as marks of God’s selection of that man for this office (Acts 20:28). Truthfully, only the Holy Spirit should appoint a man to this office. The responsibility of the flock and the individual himself is to recognize God’s selection. The office of elder is to be an emergent leadership that naturally arises through the work of God; elders are not simply leaders elected or appointed by men. This is why evaluations based on the following qualificationsare so important.

“An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who cannot be charged with dissipation or rebellion. For the overseer must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain. Instead he must be hospitable, devoted to what is good, sensible, upright, devout, and self-controlled. He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching and correct those who speak against it.” Titus 1:6-9

Paul laid down principles for the character and lifestyle of elders, as well as their doctrinal stance. An elder is to be a model of Christian maturity, so that no one can legitimately accuse him of conduct unbefitting a Christian. Fortunately, Paul defined “blameless”, but we don’t particularly like his definition. What exactly does it mean to be the husband of one wife? Nowadays we view that differently than a few generations ago. A few generations ago, a divorced man had better have some pretty good reasons for divorcing his wife and even better reasons for remarrying. Today, well, do we really still need that rule and couldn’t we fudge a little bit on it?

There are many facets to this argument related to the phrase “one-woman man”. There are no simple, absolute answers. We can assume Paul meant to prohibit divorced and remarried men from serving as elders, but Paul did not explicitly write “he cannot have been previously married” or “he cannot have been divorced.” What Paul wrote was that he must be a one-wife husband or a one-woman type of man. Paul was clearly concerned with one’s character when a man is being considered for this high office; Paul was not calling into review such a person’s pre-conversion life. If God forgives sin and cleanses and restores lost sinners, if a believer is made new in Christ, then shouldn’t the church stand for that? I know that emotions run high on this issue; I have no desire to stir up hard feelings with those who may differ with the views presented here. I only hope each reader will be challenged to consider prayerfully the meaning of this phrase.

The next phrase is somewhat problematic as well ... “with faithful children who cannot be charged with dissipation or rebellion.” Oh, boy! So does this mean the elder must have Christian children who never do anything wrong? A man’s inability to train and govern his children naturally brings into question his ability to train and lead the flock of God. However, while parents can keep their children under control through loving discipline and may prayerfully seek to bring them to Christ, becoming believers is, in the final analysis, something only the Spirit of God can accomplish. How long are elders to be held responsible for their children’s behavior? “Having children” seems to view sons and daughters in relation to an elder’s household and, therefore, still under his roof as dependents. The instruction, therefore, restricts the elder’s accountability to children who are not yet adults. It is reasonable to think that the attitudes and behavior of children still within the household provide an indication of the faithfulness of an elder in parenting, but the ultimate purpose of parenting is to produce adults. Our best efforts are no guarantee that our children will choose to take a Christian path as adults. Some children will occasionally refuse the best of parental leadership and will turn from their godly heritage later in life. Therefore, if it is known that a man applied himself diligently to bringing up his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, what one of his children does after leaving home should not become a reason to keep him from leadership or a reason to remove him from this role.

Paul then balanced negative and positive attributes of potential leaders. The Christian life under the power of the Holy Spirit is not simply a matter of negatives, but of the positive, fruitful ministry to others. We all know arrogant, self-centered Christians who bring their desire to please themselves into the church. Such a person can neutralize the unity and effectiveness of a congregation. Oddly enough, these “my way” kind of guys almost always seek to be deacons or elders. They shouldn’t be given the opportunity!

Wow! Is there going to be anyone left to choose elders from if we can’t consider men who have lost their tempers? We live in an angry age and shouldn’t we be angry about some of the things we see in the world? This issue is not the presence of anger. There are times when we ought to be angry (Eph. 4:26). This describes the man who has a “short fuse”, which is certainly related to being self-willed. Anger is sinful when the wrong reasons, rises too quickly, and/or explodes in uncontrollable behavior. We are not simply to count to ten and then let it fly. A man who is prone to anger is a walking time bomb just waiting to explode.

I love controversial subjects, like whether a drinking man can be an elder. Let me first say that because of the family dynamics in both my own upbringing and that of my husband, I choose not to drink alcohol ever. So what I write is not personal choice, but trying to deal honestly with the Bible.

The Greek word here is paroinos (drunkard), meaning “addicted to wine, given to drink, a heavy drinker.” It refers to one who sits long at his wine and becomes intoxicated and under its control rather than that of the Spirit (Ephesian 5:18). This is not the place due to time and space to deal with the issue of whether or not Christians should drink alcoholic beverages, but a few observations are in order. Paul did not forbid the use of wine or teach total abstinence (1 Tim. 5:23). He warned about the misuse of a believer’s freedom in such matters. There are times when it is good not to eat meat or drink wine, or do anything that might cause another believer to stumble (Rom. 14:21; 1 Cor. 8:9-13). There are times when other principles demand that believers forgo their liberty like the laws of love, self control, and profitability (1 Cor. 6:23; 10:23; Rom. 13:9-10; 14:15, 19, 21; 15:1). When Scripture speaks on the issue of drinking wine or strong drink, it often comes in the form of a warning (Proverbs 20:1; 23:19-21, 29-30; Isaiah 5:22; Romans 13:13; Ephesians 5:18). Being addicted to wine is just one of the many escape mechanisms people use to deal with their problems, unhappiness or pain. Overeating is just as sinful as overdrinking and is probably the great American sin. Some Christians who would never take a drop of wine overeat with incredible regularity. When you point a finger at a sinner, best note that you’ve got three of them aimed at your own chest.

Similarly, accusations of violence can be self-indicting. There are many questions to be considered. Paul himself would have been disqualified as an elder if one took his pre-conversion violence into account. On the other hand, I’ve met people who would never ball a fist in anger who hit with words and do more damage with their tongues than has ever been done with their fists. I would note that Paul included violence right after saying they shouldn’t be addicted to wine. There is a natural and obvious connection. The reality of life is many Christians are saved out of pagan cultures whose lifestyle is totally contrary to Christ-like behavior. My hometown was a frontier community where alcohol was considered a food group. That shows in some of our church congregation. Spiritual growth and transformation usually require time. Old habits of thinking, acting and responding to life often die hard. Thus, Scripture calls upon the Christian to put off the old way of life and to put on the new (Ephesians 4:17;Colossians 3:1-14).

Our group of those qualified to be elders is shrinking rapidly and is about to take an ENORMOUS hit! Paul wrote that elders should not be “greedy for gain.” The false teachers had sought material gain through adopting certain forms of teaching. In general Christians should refrain from engaging in any kind of business that would discredit the name of Christ or put false priorities for personal business ahead of the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:19-33). In 1 Timothy 3, Paul taugh that elders, as examples for others, are “to be free from the love of money.” Making money and having money is not evil; it is the love of it that leads to trouble and plunges people into all kinds of ruin and destruction (1 Tim. 6:9-10). Men who love money are always more concerned with laying up treasures on earth than in laying up treasures in heaven and working for the kingdom of God.

Immediately after the negative qualifications, Paul moved to six positive qualities needed in the life of an elder/overseer. As mentioned, the Christian life is about effectively putting off the negative aspects through positive replacement with that which is nothing less the character of Jesus (Roman 13:14).

Hospitality as Christian behavior is mentioned in Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:21 Timothy 3:2; 1 Peter 4:9 as well as here. Showing hospitality is not just a Christian responsibility, but an act of Christian love. The elder/overseer is one who willingly opens his home to the needy whether strangers or members of the body of Christ. Cultures vary and societies change, but there are always ample needs and opportunity for the body of Christ to demonstrate hospitality.

Elders are to be those who are “devoted to that which is good or beneficial, whether in men, deeds, or things.” Again we see how the motif of good works in this epistle manifests itself. The motivation and means for desiring and doing good come from the Scripture and from the ministry of the Spirit through spiritual growth.

Good sense is something that affects values, attitudes and pursuits and it brings self-control through the Spirit. Paul probably thought of being sensible as knowing and living the Word of God. This would be evidenced by “uprightness”, the adherence to God’s standards of right in all dealings of life, especially with people. An elder/overseer must be one whose conduct conforms to the righteous directives of God’s truth. “Devout” (Greek hosios, devout, poise, pleasing to God” is a rare New Testament word that means “unpolluted”. “Self-control” refers to the strength needed to hold our passions in restraint. This is one of the qualities of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and is to be the result of the Spirit-controlled walk. Self-control is really the self-life under the control of the Holy Spirit and fortified through a Word-filled life. 

In view of the false teachers mentioned in verse 10 and the hostile world in which the believer lives, we must hold fast to the faithful message as one who stands as a protector of the sheep against the wolves that would ravage them (Acts 20:28-29). We must study, know, live by the Bible as God’s faithful message to His people and defend it against the many attacks that have and will be waged against the Bible as God’s special revelation to man. While holding fast to the Word provides an atmosphere vital to being faithful to the needed qualifications, Paul provided a reason. As overseers, elders must be able to perform two duties – exhort and refute.

Exhortation is “healthy teaching that points us to the truth. Unfortunately, such teaching is often surrounded by error, both in Paul’s day and the 21^st Century. Therefore, it is also necessary to correct what others say against such healthy teaching. The elder must “refute” false teachings by exposing their error and trying to convince the false teachers and disciples that they are wrong. Effective presentation of the truth is a powerful antidote to error.

“Who speak against it” calls attention to the reality that there are always those to speak against and stand opposed to the sound teaching of Scripture. The church needs leaders who are able to teach and able to defend the truth of what they teach. Too often, we have surrendered by default because we simply do not know what or why we believe. The apostle Peter wrote that we should be always “ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15).

I think dark days lie ahead for the believing church because Christianity is no longer providing the consensus for our society. We are living in a time when humanistic thinking has arriving at its natural conclusions regarding morals, education and law. If we are to withstand this onslaught, we must be convinced that we have a message from God that “shines in the dark places.” In my parents’ day, most people were born into a culture where the Bible was at least respected, if not believed and practiced. Even those who did not accept the Bible acknowledged that whether the Bible was the Word of God mattered, because truth mattered. Truth, it was believed, was not something that arises within us, but something that has to be discovered by rational debate and evidence (Thomas Payne). Most of that is lost today and has been in the process of erosion for 30-odd years. Almost no one asks whether a belief is true; the question is whether it is “meaningful” to me. Amid a blizzard of conflicting claims, with millions of people actively avoiding sorting true from false, facts become fiction. We have gone from the belief that everyone has a right to his own opinion, to the absurd notion that every opinion is equally “right.” Spirituality is a private matter; beliefs are accepted or rejected to suit one’s fancy. When the Bible, rooted in the soil of history and logic, is either rejected or reinterpreted to fit any belief, everyone is on his own to guess at the answer for ultimate questions. There is no umpire to judge various belief systems. The game of life is played with every participant creating his own rules. As a result, the Christian church is floundering, looking for an answer to today’s spiritual and moral malaise. When we tell people we must return to the Bible, we often are pitied as either naïve or insane or hopelessly out of touch with the times.

“Everything is relative” and “do what seems right to you” are the kind of sick doctrine the church and every Christian must be able to refute with sound doctrine while resting in the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit. We must once more remember that our faith rests on solid and demonstrable historical evidence.