Okay, here's the reading of the
text, Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging
of the truth which is after godliness. In hope of eternal life, which
God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began, but hath
in due times manifested His Word through preaching which is committed
unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior, to Titus,
mine own son after the common faith, grace, mercy, and peace
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior." Now,
we're going to be looking principally at that part that said, the faith
of God's elect. Our study will center around
that. You probably already know that
this is one of three, what we call pastorial epistles, that
are to be found in the New Testament. The others, of course, are 1st
and 2nd Timothy, and they have that name pastorial epistle because
they are addressed directly and personally to men that were engaged
in the work of the ministry, who served under the tutelage
of the Apostle Paul. As for Titus, we learn a little
bit about him. Paul had left him in the island
of Crete, chapter 1 and verse 5. He had left him there when
Paul had to hasten on in order that Titus might oversee the
work, in order that he might set right the things that were
out of order or amiss, and also he put unto him the task of ordaining
elders and overseers of the churches. Now, these instructions are laid
out in verse 6 through verse 9 here in chapter 1. Paul had
dispatched the same Titus upon several other Aarons during the
course of their fellowship. But when Paul leaves the island
of Crete, He left behind this man, this brother, this minister,
by the name of Titus, that he might labor there in the gospel,
that he might try to put down the heresy that had entered in
or come in among them. Then Paul wrote this epistle
back to Titus with instruction and authority to act in matters
pertaining to the churches and to the ministry and the oversight
of the churches and the choosing of elders in them. Now there
were troublers in the assembly of two sorts. In this assembly
I think we find two sorts of enemies of the gospel are troublers
of the churches and the people of God. They are, number one,
the Jews in verse 10 of chapter 1. Paul calls them they of the
circumcision. There's no way to mistake them.
Paul labels them as unruly, as vain talkers, and as deceivers,
putting out Jewish fables. You have that in verse 14. They were a second sort that
troubled the church. and disturbed and would corrupt
the gospel. And that was the Cretans themselves. They who lived in that area. To whom one of their poets referred
to them as, quote, liars, evil beasts, and slow bellies. In chapter 1 and verse 12 of
the book of Titus, I think the last phrase is referring to them
as idle gluttons, calling them slow-bellied. John Gill reminds
us that this very same servant of the Lord and of Paul here,
Titus, is one and the same that we meet with in the second chapter
of the book of Galatians. That Titus was an out-and-out
Greek, and it was he that Paul refused to submit unto circumcision
as the Jews insisted. He refused to have Titus circumcised
even though he granted that unto Timothy. He did that that the
liberty of the gospel might not be corrupted and that the liberty
of the gospel might be maintained. Now with that behind us, in verses
1-4, They contain the opening inscription and salutation of
the apostle. It was common for him to give
a salutation in the opening of his epistle. Notice that the
epistle is from Paul, quote, a servant of God and apostle
of Jesus Christ. Then notice that the recipient
is Titus, whom he calls in verse 4, mine own son after the common
faith." Evidently, having been converted under the ministry
of the apostle Paul. Now, it is common for Paul, in
his epistles, to refer to himself as an apostle of Christ and of
God, a servant of Christ, a prisoner of Christ. Those kind of things
is the way that he described himself. But here in Titus, As
well as in 2 Timothy also, Paul refers to himself in a somewhat
different manner and salutation, for he writes that being a servant
of God and an apostle of Christ, and he says in both places that
that was toward this purpose, according to the faith of God's
elect. And in 2 Timothy 1 and 1 he said
that the apostleship which he had from Jesus Christ by the
will of God is, quote, according to the promise of life which
is in Christ Jesus. And in 2 Timothy 2, verse 9 and
verse 10, Paul tells young Timothy that all the things that he,
that is, that Paul had suffered, were endured for the sake of
the elect. He said that they also may obtain
the salvation which is in Jesus Christ with eternal glory. Now
whatever Paul endured, the beatings, the hunger, the shipwrecks, the
being run out of town, all of those things Paul said, I endure
in behalf or toward the salvation of the elect. that they too may
come to know and experience the great salvation." Thus, Paul
was not a universalist. Even though he says these things,
he was not a universalist. Paul held no expectation of a
converting of the whole world of all men and women, or of the
converting of even all souls in a single country. And I doubt
that Paul ever saw the conversion of all lost in a single city
wherever he went to minister. Paul acknowledged election and
acknowledged it strongly and frequently. And he did his work
of the ministry in accordance with God's election of grace. That God has an elect. That God has chosen some in Christ. that they are the recipients
of eternal life through Jesus Christ. And this Paul sees as
a leading function of the ministry why the gospel is to be preached
far and preached wide. It is the power of God unto salvation
to them that believe. Romans 1.16 Because in it is
revealed a righteousness of God that saves. Romans 1.17 Now we
have said that Paul was no universalist. Paul was actually a particularist
with regard to the atonement and its extent by the Lord, believing
as well as preaching and also writing on the doctrine of divine
election in his books. It is Paul who tells the Ephesians
that they were chosen in Christ from the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1, 3, and 4. And he
tells the disciples in Thessalonica by letter and epistle that God
had chosen them from the beginning to salvation. 2 Thessalonians
2, verse 13. He declared in Romans that both
election and reprobation runs through the descendants of Abraham. That they are some of both sorts
in the offspring of Abraham. You'll find that in Romans 11
and verse 7. He said, the election hath obtained
it, and the rest were blinded. And again declaring that nothing
can be laid to the charge of God's elect. That they are justified
and that nothing can be laid to their charge. That's in Romans
chapter 8 and verse 33. So let us declare the matter
by asking, what is election? What does Paul mean by the elect? Who are the elect? E-L-E-C-T. Now these questions are pertinent
under this particular text, as well as others, since Paul makes
his apostolic ministry and apostleship to be relevant to the election
of grace, the faith of God's elect, and vice versa. And since
he said that he is an apostle or a minister according to the
faith of God's elect and the acknowledging of the truth, it
gives us an opening to discuss the subject of divine election. What it is not. There are a lot
of erroneous ideas today. Men say, yes, I believe in election,
and then they explain some false way or false lie. Election is
not the sinner choosing Jesus Christ. Election is not the sinner
choosing Christ as their Savior. Nor is election God choosing
all without any exception. Nor does election occur when
one is saved. They are not then becoming the
elect. And it is not restricted unto
an office or a service, as some have said, that men are only
elected to an office or a service of God. And it is not confined
to the Jews For not all the Jews were spiritual elect, and some
of the Gentiles are as well." So, what election is, election,
the word eclektos, means to choose some out of a greater, or the
overall number. Election is a name and an act,
and numbers which God chose in Christ before the world, and
then and there ordained them unto eternal life. Let me think
that Elijah Cole, who has written a tremendously spiritual devotional
book called God's Sovereignty, well summed up the doctrine of
election as he wrote these words, and I quote, I cast the proposition
into six branches, unquote, and they are as follows. Number one,
some are elected, some are chosen to salvation in Christ. Number two, this election is
absolute. It is absolute, it is unchangeable,
it is fixed, it is settled, and that from the foundation of the
world. Number three, this election is
personal. That is, it is of individual
persons. Not just groups or nations, as
Jimmy Swaggart thinks. God, he said, chose the groups,
but not the individual. This election is personal. The individual. Number four,
election is from eternity. He chose you in Christ before
the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1, 3, and 4. Number
five, the elect were chosen not in themselves, but in Jesus Christ. They were not chosen with a view
to any goodness or merit or actions or foresight of things on their
part. They were chosen in Jesus Christ. Again, that's in Ephesians 1,
3, and 4. And number 6, the election is
founded upon absolutely nothing but God's good pleasure, His
grace, and His sovereign purpose. There is no other reason outside
of God's good pleasure why some are chosen and others are not. Paul speaks of the election of
grace in Romans 11 and verse 5. Christ acknowledges election
during His ministry. when he speaks of those which
the Father hath given unto me." Several times we hear him say,
those the Father hath given unto me. Now, the question, what is
the ultimate intention of God in election? To what end has
God chosen a people in Jesus Christ? Now, is election simply
an empty honor that will bring no fruit? or happiness or joy? Is it an empty honor that in
the end will come to nothing and mean nothing? Is there no
benefit from being one of the elect of God? And the answer
is, God's aim in election is to display the greatness of His
grace in redeeming men from the fall and putting eternal life
in them causing them to worship Him in their life in spirit and
in truth while in this world, and bringing them to glorification
in heaven to the praise of the glory of His grace in the world
that is to come. Again, quoting Elisha Coates,
quote, the benefit which the elect were chosen unto, they
are made partakers of by their union in Christ." And that election
might realize its end. That election might bear its
fruit as God intended. There must be something done
for and something done in the elect of God by God. That done for us is the redemption,
the death, the blood shedding, the dying upon the cross of Christ
our Savior. That done in us is a spiritual
renewal, a divine quickening regeneration. Now coming again
to our text in Titus 1, and how Paul's apostleship was expressed
in accordance with the faith of God's elect. This teaches
us some things. A, it teaches us that some are
elect. There is such a thing as election. It teaches us, B, that there
is a faith that is unique and special, particular and limited
to the elect. And then, C, that faith is not
of themselves. It is wrought in them by an inward,
irresistible work of the Spirit and the grace of God. Now, in
this particular place, in Titus here, Paul is not speaking of
the faith once delivered unto the saints as he mentioned in
Jude verse 3. Or that which some of the priests
were obedient unto in Acts chapter 6 and verse 7. Or even that in
Galatians 1 And verse 23, when Paul said, it is heard, he that
once destroyed the faith now preacheth the faith which once
he destroyed. The Christian faith, the gospel,
the message of salvation by Jesus Christ. Paul does not have reference
to that in Titus 1 and 1. He has reference, rather, to
the personal faith to which the elect are brought when they believe
savingly on the Savior. They believe in Christ as their
Lord, Redeemer and Savior. They believe in Him as Sovereign
Lord. Now this is not what has sometimes
been called historical faith, such as those who believe that
there was such a man whose name was Jesus, who lived and who
died a man by the name of Jesus. Not that kind of faith. Nor is
it hypocritical faith, giving false assent to a profession
and consisting in outward show and outward works to be seen
of men, but not from the heart. The faith of God's elect espouses
and embraces God's method of saving sinners in and through
the blood and death of Christ our Lord. While at the same time,
as good old Dr. John Owen wrote, renouncing all
other ways as false and heretical. Only through Christ have we elect
the faith of God's elect. See a connection which Paul makes
in verse 1. that the faith of God's elect
does something. The faith of God's elect acknowledges
the truth which is after godliness. Tie those two things together.
According to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment
of the truth after godliness. Faith cannot be divorced from
truth and vice versa. They stand together. as Paul
shows, faith and the realization of the truth in verse 1. Faith
cannot embrace or remain in a lie. Faith feeds upon the truth. Faith grows in us by the truth
so that the elect have both faith and knowledge given unto them
in their conversion. And as soon as they have faith,
the faith of God's elect They also are brought into the realization
of the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. If you compare 1 Timothy
2 and verse 4, that all that are saved, listen, God would
have to come to the knowledge of the truth. It is His will
that He save many, all kinds in the world, people of all nations,
and that they come to the knowledge of the truth. Paul uses a word
here, that word is knowledge, that the Greek men say means
a full and complete, a comprehensive knowledge of the truth. This
is knowledge in the fuller sense, which is what is called saving
knowledge by many, for they know the saving revelation of Jesus
Christ. Thus, one major element of saving
faith is knowledge. Abraham believed God and it was
put to his account for righteousness. God made a revelation. God revealed
something to Abraham. Abraham believed what God said
and that was put to his account for righteousness. Faith is not,
like many describe, A jump off in the dark. That's how some
describe faith. It's just a leap in the dark
content with ignorance and all of that kind of thing. When faith
is genuine, when faith is the faith of God's elect, there is
then a positive recognition of the truth of God. And that faith
accepts as true whatever God has said. are inspired in His
Word. And especially, does faith receive
as true what the Word of God says about some things. Number one, the faith of God's
elect accepts the sinfulness and the depravity of the race
of mankind. The faith of God's elect accepts
the fact that men are depraved. They are corrupt. They are woefully
the slaves and the servants of sin. Secondly, the faith of God's
elect accepts the so great salvation in Jesus Christ. It is not a
stumbling block. It is a joy. It is a delight. And faith races to that means
of justification and salvation in Jesus Christ. And thirdly,
the faith of God's elect realizes and acknowledges the attributes
and the greatness of God Almighty. It recognizes how great is our
God and His attributes are peculiar to Him and are exercised toward
the pitiful children of man. And it is a great saying that
the Apostle Peter made in his exhortation. In 2 Peter 3 and
verse 18, he said this, in grace and in knowledge of our God. Grow in grace, but yes, grow
also in knowledge. Back in Titus chapter 1 and verse
2 and the last statement where Paul said that the faith of God's
elect and the realization of the truth are according to godliness
and piety. That the faith of God's elect
and knowledge of the truth influences the heart of them unto piety. Paul says something about this
in 1 Timothy 6 and verse 3. Of the wholesome words of our
Lord Jesus Christ and the doctrine which is according to godliness.
So you see the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the
truth do not feed licentiousness and the flesh. Free grace does
not lead to living in sin. Free grace teaches us how to
live godly and righteously. Coming to the second verse of
our text, after we notice in our version, there is no period
here until all the way down to the end of verse 4. These thoughts
flow from Paul saying that this apostolic ministry was according
to the faith of God's elect and knowledge and tended to godliness. And now he adds something else. In hope of eternal life, Paul
preached Christ. Some were given the faith of
God's elect. Then they lived in hope. Some see in the Greek here, Paul
saying in verse 2, on the basis of hope, according to the faith
of God's elect, the acknowledging of the truth, and living unto
godliness on the basis of hope. That is, having the faith of
God's elect, and then comes hope. And such hope in Scripture is
connected with salvation and eternal life, but it is never
used in the sense of wishing. Oh, wishing for this. or wishing
for that. Seeking or wishing for many may
wish for something and use the word hope. I hope it rains tomorrow. I hope it don't rain tomorrow.
Rather, hope in this sense is an expected anticipation. I hope to preach next Sunday
on Saved by Hope if the Lord leads from Romans chapter 8.
But it is the expectation, the anticipated expectation. It is the assured confidence. It is the expected fulfillment
of what God has promised. Notice the object of hope and
expectation. What is the realm of this expectation? Upon what is it fixed? Is it a long and prosperous life
that we hope for? Is it to have honor while we
live in the world? Is it that we might have many
friends and be well liked in our life? Is it that we might
have good health in all the days of our life? Nay, this hope is
upon the basis of eternal life, everlasting life, not just or
only everlasting existence. For the lost and the fallen angels
will have an everlasting existence. But does any ask, do they not
even as living believers have already everlasting life? John 3.16. Or in John 3.36, He
that believeth whom the Son hath everlasting life. It is not John's faith. We are
now the sons of God, 1 John 3 and verse 2. How is it then that
there is a hope on the basis of eternal life in those who
have the faith of God's elect? Peter writes in his first epistle,
chapter 1, verse 7-9, of a faith when time shall realize or a
time rather, when faith shall realize or obtain its end. You ought to look at that passage.
The salvation of your soul. Receiving the end of your faith,
even the salvation of your soul. Had they not salvation already? And he connected it in 1 Peter
7, the last part in verse 6. to the appearing of Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior. This has been called by some,
final salvation. That time when faith shall be
sight, when faith shall obtain its end, when hope shall be realized
fully and completely, said Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse
19. If in this life only we have
hope, We are of all men most miserable. If in this life only
we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. And yet they, with the faith
of God's elect, already have salvation and eternal life. Their souls are saved. They are
already inclined and influenced unto godliness, yet it is when
they are absent from the body, that they are present with the
Lord. 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 8. And verse 9 says, Paul said,
death is gain. In Philippians 1 and verse 21. And in verse 23, that to depart
and be with Christ is far better. This quote I found in Robert
Leighton's commentary on the book of 1 Peter 9, and I quote,
Although the soul that believes is put in present possession
of eternal life as far as it is capable here, yet it desires
a full enjoyment which it cannot attain without removing hints. He also, Paul, in Romans 6 and
verse 22, making much the same statement. So let's notice in
Titus 1 and verse 2 what Paul says about this eternal life,
which is the expectation and hope of those who have the faith
of God's elect. What Thomas Taylor called a relative
pronoun, the word which. Which. eternal life, the hope
which is kindled in those that have the faith of God's elect,
is according to the promise of God. It is the same which the
prophets declared and the Scriptures spoke of and God promised over
and over. But Paul has two things to commend
the promise that God has made of eternal life. Number one,
from the stability of the One who promised. And number two,
from the ancientness of the promise, or the antiquity of the promise. As to the first, the stability
of it, the promise is, neither a prophet nor an angel, the promiser
is the unlying God. The promiser is God, who by reason
of His holy Righteous nature. It is impossible for him to lie. Hebrews 6.18 also says the same
thing. The one who cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2.13. And the one who
is able to perform what he promised, as Abraham believed in Romans
4.21. not of His Word, not of His promise,
nothing that God has said shall fail and come to nothing. Now, as to the second, this has
been a long-standing promise, notice, which though long ago
It is in fulfillment and will be in fulfillment. It was never
in doubt that it would come to pass. It was never in doubt,
for it was the immutable promise of the Almighty God. Compare
the experience of Abraham. Something was promised to Abraham
of old. It was manifested in time through
preaching, which was committed to Paul, he said, as an apostle
of Christ in preaching the Word of the Gospel. Compare 2 Timothy
1, verse 9 and 10. He gave us grace in Christ before
the foundation of the world, but now has been manifested in
these last times in the Gospel. What was promised and ordained
by God was in due time It is in due season, manifested and
fulfilled. It is brought to pass. Let's
hasten ourselves to a close in connection with 1 Thessalonians
1, 4 and 5 and Acts 13 and verse 48 to establish the connection
in both of those places between election and faith, or if you
will, faith and election. It is said, in Acts 13 and 48,
that as many of those Gentiles as were ordained to eternal life
believed. Here they were. And as many of
them, not all, but as many as were ordained to eternal life
believed. Also, in 1 Thessalonians 1, 4
and 5, Paul said, our gospel did not come to you in word only. But it came unto thee, elect,
in power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians
1 verse 4 and 5, whereby Paul was doubly assured that some
were the elect of God, in that among the Thessalonians, number
1, the gospel did not remain mere words when it came among
them, To them, it became the power of God unto salvation. Romans 1.16. They were enabled
to see the good news of the gospel. They were enabled to see Christ
in the gospel that was preached unto them. And the gospel became
the gospel of their salvation. Ephesians 1 and verse 13. But there's a second thing here
that Paul says. Christian graces which they exhibited
in Thessalonica. Not only did the gospel come
to them in word demonstration of the Spirit and in power, but
many Christian graces sprouted up out of that divine work of
God in them. Thus, the renewed soul, the soul
that's quickened by the Spirit of God, will spy out Christ. even in a room full of impostors. If the room is full of impostors,
the faith of God's elect will see, will fasten on, will spy
out Christ among all of the impostors. Why is that? It is because they
have the faith of God's elect. It is a peculiar faith. It is
a unique faith. It is they whom God will save
and bring everlasting felicity. The faith of God's elect. Now, you're going to say, or
someone's going to say, all men have faith. All men have faith. It's just down there. It's hid.
It's covered. It's dormant. Paul said, all
men have not faith. The faith of God's elect is the
genuine faith. It is the faith that saves. It
is the faith that marks one as an elect and a child of God to
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as a Savior, believe that He
died, believe that in Him is salvation and everlasting life,
believe that He is the Son of God, believe that the Word is
true. This is part of the faith of
God's elect, and may we not forget it.