Dr. Harry Ironside was a great Christian leader in the first half of this century. On one occasion, he was involved with a Salvation Army meeting in San Francisco.
Dr. Ironside shared his testimony with the gathering then returned to his seat on the platform. Soon after sitting down, a note was handed to Dr. Ironside. A well-known atheist (that is someone who doesn’t believe in God) was in the crowd and he had written a brief note on his business card, then had someone hand it to Ironside.
The atheist challenged Ironside to a public debate and offered to pay all expenses. Ironside then returned to the podium and publicly accepted the debate on the following conditions: that the atheist would bring one man and one woman who had both fallen into some type of vice that had caused them to experience great loss and cost them favor within society, but who were now back in the graces of their respective families and society at large because of the positive changes and transformation caused by their newfound belief in atheism.
Ironside then acknowledged that he would have 100 such people whose lives have been radically changed by their commitment to Jesus Christ. Upon hearing these conditions the atheist waved his hand in polite surrender and exited the building.
For a Christian, a solid commitment to God means everything. Without it, salvation would be impossible. Apart from commitment to God, deliverance from sin would fall short. And without a solid commitment to God, serving God and being effective in ministry would be useless.
Review
When Paul wrote to Titus, he revealed to him five absolute core commitments to God that must be carried out by the man who stands up and calls himself a pastor of any church. Without these five commitments, no pastor, no church member will see fruitful results.
1. A commitment to God’s Authority – Titus 1:1: “Paul, a bond-servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ.”
Paul knew that once he said “yes” to Jesus, he was no longer his own. He belonged to another. His life as a sinner who could do whatever he thought was best was over. He now would do whatever God thought was best and all he was expected to do was to obey.
Paul saw himself first as God’s bond-servant or doulos; that is he was God’s slave. And once he understood this, then he recognized that God had also chosen him to be his apostle or missionary (i.e. one sent from God).
The point is this: Before Paul understood his God-given position as an apostle, he first had to realize his overall relationship to God – he was the Lord’s slave!
Remember this for those of you who have a position in the church: To effectively carry out your position under the authority of God without going awry, you must see yourself as a slave to God. That is, you must always view yourself accountable to Him and those whom He has set over you. Then and only then will you faithfully exercise your God-given calling.
2. A Commitment to God’s Mission Plan – vv. 1b-2a: “for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life”
God has a mission plan for each of His saints. It is a simple plan. It is a plan that must be pursued at all cost. Sometimes Satan will throw our way various forms of distractions. We must be on the alert. We must not deviate from the plan. So much is counting on us in staying faithful and loyal to the cause.
What is God’s mission for us? It involves reaching out to the lost and bringing them to Christ; reaching in to the saints for the purpose of building them up in the faith; and reaching for those who are hurting and discourage so as to restore them to wholeness and spiritual health.
Now we come to the third and necessary commitment for every believer –
3. A Commitment To The Truth – 1:2b-3a: “which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His Word”
What is the truth Paul is referring to? “Even His Word!”
No ministry in or outside of the church that is in anyway rooted or grounded in God will be of any use or seasoned with any effectiveness in terms of having God’s personal and divine approval unless it is a ministry that is committed to operating under the guidance of the Holy Scriptures.
You see, we cannot understand our commitment to God’s Authority and Mission Plan, unless we understand our commitment to the truth and message of the Scriptures. For it is out of the scriptures we come to understand our place under God’s authority and the plan of God for our lives.
God has revealed to us His will in His Word and we can trust what He says in all sixty-six books of the bible because “God cannot lie.” We read the same thing elsewhere in 1 Samuel 15:29, “the glory of Israel, will not lie.”
God is the absolute source and measure of all truth, therefore it is impossible for Him to lie (Heb. 6:18). This is opposite of the devil who from his own nature speaks lies (John 8:44).
Now what did God “promise long ages ago?” Well first, it is important to note that the phrase, “long ages ago” does not refer to ancient human history. It really means “before time began.”
You see, the plan of God to save sinners did not occur after the Fall of Adam, but it occurred before the creation of man. Here is what was promised long before man was created. The only ones in existence at the time were the members of the Godhead. The Father therefore promised the Son a redeemed humanity who would serve and glorify Him forever. The Son accepted this gift from the Father and took on willingly the role of being the sacrifice for the sins of this chosen group of people, also known as the elect, so that redemption would be possible and the salvation of the Father’s chosen ones would be made sure.
Jesus reminded the Father of His promise in John 17:24: "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”
Earlier Jesus also affirmed this promise from the Father when He said, “All that the Father gives to Me shall come to Me” (John 6:37). Therefore, sometime in eternity past before man was created, God the Father made a promise to God the Son to give to Him a redeem group of people. The Son accepted this gift from the Father and participated in the actual gathering of this gift by willingly becoming the sinless sacrifice for the sins of the elect (i.e. the Father’s gift to the Son).
One glorious time in the future when the Father’s gift to the Son is complete and thus the Father’s promise to the Son has been fulfilled, and Jesus receives the Father’s gift and all the saved are glorified and made in the image of Christ and serve and praise Him forever, the Son, in one great gesture of divine love to the Father, will give to Him the promise gift back.
Here is how Paul described it: 28When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all – 1 Cor. 15:28.
“When all things” – all of the redeemed humanity plus the title deed to the new earth; “to Him” – i.e. Christ. “Then the Son Himself will be subjected to the One” (i.e. the Father), who subjected all things to Him (i.e. the Son), “so that God may be all in all” (so that the Father, Son and Spirit will rule as one, enjoying the gift [redeemed humanity] first given to the Son by the Father as an expression of the Father’s love to the Son; then received by the Son and given back to the Father, as an expression of the Son’s love to the Father).
Here is the point: Long before man was put on this planet, the Father promised the Son a redeemed group of people who would be His bride. That would be you and me. We are the Father’s gift to the Son. Did you get that? Every person who comes to Jesus is the Father’s gift to the Son.
When the final person is saved and the bride of Christ is complete, the Son will offer back to the Father the gift the Father had promised the Son. All this giving from the Father to the Son, from the Son back to the Father are all acts of love between Father and Son and Son and Father. And we are caught in the middle as the gift that keeps on giving. Tell me just how wonderful is that? And tell me just how important are you and I in the eyes of the Father and Son? Amazing!
In my mind, I am staggered and astonished to consider that those of us who are the redeemed are caught between the Father and Son as the gift they give to one another as a sign of their eternal covenant made to one another.
“At the proper time,” that is, when God was in the process of revealing His eternal promise to others, and as the bible was being written so as to record this eternal covenant – together with all of its related truths – “was manifested, even His Word.”
The only way we could have ever known of such a covenant between God the Father and God the Son is through the Holy Scriptures – God’s message of truth. And the only way we would have ever known – now watch this – THE ETERNAL PURPOSE OF OUR REDEMPTON – is only through the written revelation of the Word of Truth.
You see, God did not merely saved you because He felt sorry for you. He saved you because you are part of His promise (covenant) and gift to the Son. Now the Father won’t ever give to the Son a gift that does not have eternal significance. He won’t give to the Son a gift that is junk or second hand! If the Father gives a gift, it will be priceless. That’s what we are as a redeemed group of people. We are priceless, not because of what we were, but because of who we are – people redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus (1 Pet. 1:19; Acts 20:28).
So in other words, apart from Jesus, we would be a pathetic gift. But after Jesus got a hold of us, saved us, sanctifying us, and one day glorify us into the perfect image of Himself, we become at that moment – God the Father’s perfect and awesome love gift to the Son. Now if none of this makes the back of the hairs on your neck stand – God help you!
This is why it is so important that we proclaim the essence of why it is stated in the bible that “God so loved the World, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Read this passage thinking of the eternal covenant between the Father and Son and you will never think of John 3:16 the same again.
We got to be people who are committed to the truth found in God’s Word. The word of truth is the only seed that gives eternal life (1 Pet. 1:23). All the truth needed to build believers up in their faith is found in the Word (1 Pet. 2:1-2). All the truth needed to teach, warn, discipline, build up and save people is found in the message of the Bible (John 17:17; Acts 20:32).
You want to add great spiritual things to your life, don’t go looking elsewhere. It is all there in God’s Word. All you have to do on your part is to be committed to the truth!
There are two more great commitments that Paul openly shares with Titus. Later, we will look closely at number four.
