The Faith of the Elect: Truth and Godliness

Text Titus 1:1b Time 10/03/10 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We have begun to look at the Letter of Paul to Titus. We began last week with the opening words Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ and we talked about Paul and his wonderful conversion and about being a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul was such in a very special way but there is a sense in which all believers are to be not only servants of God but also apostles of Jesus Christ – those sent out in his name.

Now this week I want us to look at more of what Paul has to say about himself, as it is found in these opening verses. He is not simply Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ but he is those things (1, 2) for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness.

Paul is not a servant of God or an apostle of Jesus Christ just in some general sense. He has a sense of being those things with a definite purpose in view. This appears to be the power of that little word for. Little words like that can sometimes be quite important, especially in Paul's writings. There is an end in view in his servanthood and apostleship, a purpose. Everything Paul is and does has a purpose – a goal, an aim. He wasn't interested in being an apostle simply for the kudos. As he explains elsewhere it was hardly a glamorous or desirable role. No, everything is geared to this one end - for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness.

As believers we are in danger often of being unfocused. We can be so taken up with the fact that God has saved us and the benefits that brings that we forget that there is work still to be done. We too need to learn to be focused like Paul was. We need to be clear on our aims and goals and get rid of fuzzy and vague thinking that simply says "I serve God and want to go out in his name somehow". We must do this rather with a specific purpose.

So let's consider Paul's two aims and learn from him

1. Learn to focus on the faith of God's elect and be a promoter of faith

Paul is a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ firstly for the faith of God's elect. The elect are the chosen ones, God's people, of course. Some people object to this idea even though the Bible teaches it very plainly. I think that part of the problem is the way people think about it.
For many it seems like that scene in the first Toy Story movie. Woody and Buzz, the protagonists, end up in one of those fairground claw or grab machines. All the prizes are identical green alien dolls with large eyes. Buzz asks “Who's in charge here?” The aliens look up and point and say “the Claw!”. “The Claw is our master” says one. “The Claw chooses who will go and who will stay” says another. Sid, the nasty boy, then comes to the machine and puts in money. Inside one of the aliens says “The claw. It moves.” Sid works the lever and the claw comes down choosing one of the alien dolls. He says “I have been chosen! Farewell, my friends. I go on to a better place” and up he is pulled.
Now election is nothing like that! There is nothing random or mechanical about it. Rather, before the world began God chose a people for himself in Jesus Christ. It was in love that he predestined certain ones to belong to him, to belong to his own special people. This fact is revealed to us in order to magnify the love of God. Isn't it an amazing thing to think that God had me in mind before the beginning of time, that he loved me before the world ever began? What a privilege it is to be one of his chosen ones.

Augustus Toplady wrote of being “Chosen of Thee ere time began” so that “I choose Thee in return!”

Josiah Conder wrote “'Tis not that I did choose Thee for, Lord, that could not be. This heart would still refuse Thee hadst Thou not chosen me.”

John Kent's hymn is well known

Sovereign grace o’er sin abounding! Ransomed souls, the tidings swell

’Tis a deep that knows no sounding; Who its breadth or length can tell?

On its glories, Let my soul for ever dwell.

What from Christ that soul can sever, Bound by everlasting bands?

Once in Him, in Him for ever; Thus the eternal covenant stands.

None shall take Thee From the Strength of Israel’s hands.

Heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus, Long ere time its race begun;

To His name eternal praises; O what wonders love has done!

One with Jesus, By eternal union one.

On such love, my soul, still ponder, Love so great, so rich, so free;

Say, while lost in holy wonder, Why, O Lord, such love to me?

Hallelujah! Grace shall reign eternally.

Paul talks about election here to emphasise the sovereignty of God. It is like Acts 13:48 where it says When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

That brings us to the matter of how we know who are the elect? Clearly the elect are those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. This seems to be the way Paul is using the word faith here – not “the faith”, the things to believe, but the act of faith, "trusting". Putting your faith in Christ is evidence that you are chosen. Those who continue to refuse to trust in Christ show that they never were elect. It is by being joined to Christ in faith that we find forgiveness.

Now Paul's whole life was given over to bringing the elect to faith and encouraging those who believed to make their election sure. He had no more idea of exactly who was elect before hand than we do. There was that time in Corinth when God assured him that he had many people in the city but Paul was only able to find out who they were by preaching the gospel and seeing the response they made. Once they professed faith he did all he could to help them to go on from faith to faith. This was how he served God then. This is what he went out to do – to preach Jesus Christ and faith in him and to help believers sustain their faith in Christ.

Not of all of us are called to give ourselves to such work full time or specifically as preachers but we are all to do what we can to encourage faith in him. At home mothers and fathers are to teach their children the truth. In our dealings with the wider family and with friends and neighbours we seek to bear witness to Christ and urge faith in him. We don't know who are the elect but we seek them out by pointing people to Christ. Those who respond in faith we have good reason to believe are elect. Those who do not are not necessarily not elect but if they persist in unbelief then we will have to assume that is their position. Those who profess faith we endeavour to encourage in that faith as best we can.

What are we doing to promote the faith of God's elect? We need to examine our lives and see what there is.

2. Learn to focus on the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness and promote that knowledge

Paul adds and the (full) knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. He is a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness.

This phrase a knowledge of the truth comes up in each of the three pastoral letters.

1 Timothy 2:4 refers to God as one who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 2:25 says that the man of God must gently instruct those who oppose him in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.

Here in Titus it is for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness.

This second statement is in some ways just another way of saying what he has already said. for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness are really parallel phrases. However, the two bring out quite different things. What is it for one of God's elect to come to faith? It is for that person to come to a knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. To be a Christian, to have faith is to know the truth.

Philosophers often distinguish between beliefs and knowledge. Usually the distinction is that you can believe something whether it is true or not. On the other hand, to actually know something it categorically cannot be false. A person believes that a particular bridge is safe enough to support them, and attempts to cross; unfortunately, the bridge collapses under their weight. It could be said that they believed that the bridge was safe, but that this belief was mistaken. It would not be accurate to say that they knew that the bridge was safe, because plainly it was not. By contrast, if the bridge actually supported their weight then they might be justified in subsequently holding that he both believed and knew the bridge had been safe enough for his passage at that time.

The Aristotelian definition of truth states: To say of something which is that it is not, or to say of something which is not that it is, is false. However, to say of something which is that it is, or of something which is not that it is not, is true.

Many today have a different idea of truth. There is your truth and my truth, they say, but no objective truth. That very statement makes no sense, of course, if everything really is relative. The fact is that there is such a thing as objective truth and to be a Christian is to know the truth and that truth leads to godliness.

It was Paul's great desire to bring people out of the ignorance that they are in by nature and that he had once been in himself and for them to know the truth, a truth that would lead them to godliness. Unbelievers are in ignorance and do not know how to be godly. Believers know the truth and the door to godliness is open to them.

It is important to get the order right. Paul does not say that he was a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the godliness that leads to the truth. Some have suggested that the way to the truth is by this route. The fact is that without knowing the truth godliness cannot be found. The two go together. If you really have the truth it will lead you to godliness. If there is no godliness then it cannot be the truth. G K Chesterton's Father Brown says in one place that heresy always does lead to immorality – if it is heretical enough! There is truth in that – believe the wrong thing and in the end you will be ungodly, believe the truth and it will lead to godliness.

The word for godliness or piety is one found only in the pastoral letters (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus). It is in contrast to the ungodliness all around that Paul emphasises it.

True faith then is not ignorant or superstitious. It is a knowing faith. True knowledge is not a mere head knowledge. It is a knowledge that brings about a change in our behaviour so that we walk in the way of godliness.

Being a Christian begins with election and leads to faith and knowledge of the truth. Such faith and knowledge produce godliness in the individual. It is like a golden chain. Without election there can be no faith or knowledge of the truth. Without faith and knowledge there can be no godliness. One leads to another. For the most part we deal with that middle part – faith and knowledge of the truth. We cannot peer into the secret of election and the only way for there to be godliness is by beginning with faith. We must do all we can to promote these.

This is what we should be seeking to promote then faith in God's elect and a knowledge of the truth that will promote piety or godliness. We need to examine our lives and see what there is.