Lessons #03 and 04
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Paul – his office and purpose (Titus 1:1-3)
1Paul, 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— 2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,
We have noted that Paul introduced himself as the writer of this epistle, but he described himself as a slave of God that we have noted has several implications. A slave is one that serves his master. So, if according to the information we have of a slave bearing the surname of his master often with his job title added, it appears then that Paul adds the title of his office in the next description of himself in the phrase and an apostle of Jesus Christ.
There is a problem of how to understand a Greek word (de) translated “and” in the NIV. It could be understood as providing an explanation, in which case it may be translated “that is.” This will mean that the phrase an apostle of Jesus Christ provides an explanation of what Paul means by describing himself as the slave of God. The Greek word may also be interpreted as a marker of an additive relation, but with the possible implication of some contrast hence means “and” or more fully “and at the same time” in our passage of Titus 1:1. Ultimately there is no significant difference between these two interpretations in our context since appending of the title of Paul’s office as an apostle is in a sense a further explanation of what it means for him to be a slave of God. Nonetheless, it is probably better to understand that when Paul wrote the phrase an apostle of Jesus Christ that his intention was to add his office as a slave of God. This will be similar to his description of himself as one who is called to occupy the office of an apostle in Romans 1:1:
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—
Apostle Peter followed the same approach when he described himself as a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ in 2 Peter 1:1:
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
The point is that Paul added the title of his office as a slave of God who in his mind is the Lord Jesus Christ, as we argued in our last study.
In any case, Paul described his office with the word “apostle” that is translated from a Greek word (apostolos) that basically means “a messenger” or “one sent.” In the Greek world, the word refers to a messenger with or without extraordinary status. The sense of the word as a messenger without extraordinary status appears in the NT in Jesus’ declaration in John 13:16:
I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
Here in John 13:16, the Greek word translated “apostle” in Titus 1:1 is translated “messenger.” The word is also used in the sense of an extraordinary messenger of God. Thus, it is in this sense that Jesus Christ is called an apostle in Hebrews 3:1:
Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.
Jesus is an apostle in the sense that the Father sent Him not only to testify to the truth but with the mission of making atonement for our sins. This usage of our Greek word to describe Jesus Christ as an apostle notwithstanding, the predominant usage of the Greek word in the NT is for a group of highly honored believers with a special function as God’s envoys. Even in this usage, the word “apostle” is indeed used both in restricted and general senses. In a restricted sense, the word is used to refer to the twelve disciples of Jesus whom He chose from among His disciples and designated them with that title, as we read in Luke 6:13:
When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:
The Holy Spirit through Peter indicates that for an apostle to be considered a member of the Twelve, the individual should meet two qualifications. He must have been with Jesus during His earthly ministry and must have also witnessed His bodily resurrection, as stated in Acts 1:21-22:
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."
Paul did not meet both qualifications so that he was not among the Twelve technically as that position was occupied by Matthias who, no doubt, was among the Twelve, as implied in the declaration given in Acts 6:2:
So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.
The Twelve here would have included Matthias since he was from the time of his selection regarded as one who replaced Judas Iscariot. In any event, the point is that the word “apostles” in the NT is used in an exclusive sense to refer to the Twelve.
The Twelve, however, are not the only ones described with the word “apostle” in the NT. There are others mentioned as apostles. Barnabas was described with that title in Acts 14:14:
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:
Another individual that was recognized as an apostle was James, the half-brother of Jesus. Paul included him among the other apostles in Galatians 1:19:
I saw none of the other apostles — only James, the Lord's brother.
James was not the only one that was mentioned as an apostle by Paul but also Andronicus and Junias in Romans 16:7:
Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
The sentence They are outstanding among the apostles is taken by some to mean the apostles knew them well. However, the most likely interpretation is that these men were counted as apostles and were well known. This is in keeping with the fact that there were others described as apostles outside of the Twelve. Paul was certainly an apostle of Jesus Christ in a class by himself because of his call directly by Jesus Christ after His resurrection although he grouped himself with the others he called apostles in 1 Thessalonians 2:6:
We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you,
The phrase apostles of Christ here refer to Paul and Silas. How do we know? It is because both came to Thessalonica to preach the gospel, as evident from Acts 16:40-17:1:
Acts 16:40:
After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.
Acts 17:1:
When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
When Paul used the phrase apostles of Christ in 1 Thessalonians 2:6 in describing himself and Silas, he had in mind that Silas was sent by Christ as His special envoy as he was. Of course, it is possible that Silas was also an original disciple of Jesus as one who witnessed His bodily resurrection since he was one of the leaders in the early church, according to Acts 15:22:
Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers.
At any rate, the word “apostle” as Paul used in Titus 1:1 is not only to describe himself as a messenger of God with an extraordinary status and function but also to describe his office as a slave of God.
Paul recognized that he was a special messenger of God, that is, of the Lord Jesus Christ so that he described himself in Titus 1:1 as an apostle of Jesus Christ. The phrase an apostle of Jesus Christ is subject to two interpretations. It could be understood either to mean that Paul is an apostle that belongs to Jesus Christ or that he is sent by the Lord Jesus Christ. Because Paul has already identified himself as a slave that belongs to God, it is most likely that he meant the second interpretation, that is, that he was sent by Jesus Christ. This interpretation is in keeping with the apostle’s identification of himself in other epistles. For example, he identified himself as an apostle who was appointed or sent out by Jesus Christ in Galatians 1:1:
Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
Similarly, he identified himself as one who is an apostle because Jesus Christ commanded him to be that, as we read in 1 Timothy 1:1:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
Hence, we believe that when the apostle wrote the phrase an apostle of Jesus Christ in Titus 1:1 he meant that he is a special messenger sent out by Jesus Christ.
A special messenger or an envoy is usually dispatched with specific purpose or mission. Consequently, Paul indicates that he is sent forth by Jesus Christ with specific purpose or mission. This we know primarily because the apostle used a Greek preposition (kata) that has various usages. For example, it may be used as a marker of norm with the meaning “in accordance with”, as the apostle used it in Romans 8:28:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
It can be used as a marker of similarity so that it may be translated “just as, similar to, in accordance with”, as the apostle used it to describe the new creation in Christ Jesus in Ephesians 4:24:
and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
In our passage of Titus 1:1, although it is possible for the preposition to have the meaning “in accordance with” but it is used as a marker of purpose or goal hence it may be translated “for, to, for the purpose of.” This being the case, the apostle used it to describe the purpose of Jesus Christ sending him out or appointing him as a special messenger.
There are two related purposes of Christ commissioning Paul as an apostle. The first purpose is for the salvation of the elect. It is this purpose that is given in the phrase of Titus 1:1 for the faith of God’s elect or literally faith of elect of God since there is no definite article “the” before the word “faith” in the Greek that appears in the NIV and majority of our English versions, as reflect in a handful of English versions such as the GWT and the NJB that do not use the definite article. The phrase contains an important truth concerning the elect of God, which is that election in and of itself is not salvation although that guarantees salvation. To understand this truth, we need to examine two key words used in the phrase. A first key word is “faith” that is translated from a Greek word (pistis) that is rich in meaning and so it is used in a variety of ways in the NT. The word may mean proof or assurance, as the word is used by Apostle Paul when he preached in Athens, as recorded in Acts 17:31:
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
The verbal phrase given proof of this is literally having given faith. Few commentators understand the literal phrase to mean that God has given all men the opportunity to have faith but most commentators understand our Greek word translated “faith” to mean “assurance” or “proof” in this context. The Greek word translated “faith” can mean “firm commitment”, as it is used in Romans 1:8:
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
It is true that our Greek word is translated “faith” but it is not the fact that the Roman believers have faith in Christ that is the concern in Romans 1:8 since every believer has faith in Christ. Instead, it is the quality of their faith that the apostle is concerned with and so it is the “firm commitment” of these believers to the Lord Jesus Christ that is being reported all over the Roman world. The Greek word translated “faith” may refer to a religious movement, such as the Christian faith in Galatians 1:23:
They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
Here “faith” refers to the Christian movement although it is also possible to understand it as the good news or the gospel. The Greek word translated “faith” can mean “trust, confidence” in the sense of “believing”, in reference to deity, as it is used in believing in Christ for righteousness in Philippians 3:9:
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
It is in the sense of “trust, confidence”, that is, a state of believing on the basis of the reliability of the one trusted that it is used in 1 Thessalonians 1:8:
The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it,
In this passage of 1 Thessalonians, faith has the meaning of “trust” or “confidence”. Consequently, the United Bible Society Handbook suggests that the phrase your faith in God may be translated “how you have trusted in God” so that it is clearer that the word “faith” here means “trust” or “confidence.” The Greek word translated “faith” can also refer to Christian virtue, as in 1 Thessalonians 5:8:
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
Faith in this passage refers to a quality that one is to put on, hence it has the sense of Christian virtue or even true devotion to God. Another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” is “faithfulness” in the sense of being an individual that another could have confidence because the person is reliable. It is in this sense that the word is used in Titus 2:10:
and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
The expression to show that they can be fully trusted is literally demonstrating all good faith. It is true that our Greek word may literally be translated “faith” but the sense in Titus 2:10 is that of being dependable or trustworthy. The point of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul is that slaves who are believers should ensure they are trustworthy to their masters in order that their masters would find the Christian faith appealing as they observe and interact with their slaves. The Greek word translated “faith” may mean “pledge” as a solemn promise to be faithful and loyal, as it is used to describe what could happen to young widows who if they are included in the list of widows the church will support because they are totally devoted to the Lord’s service and so promised not to remarry but because of their sexual desires decide to marry, as we read in 1 Timothy 5:12:
Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge.
The clause because they have broken their first pledge is literally from the Greek because they reject their first faith. Clearly, the literal phrase first faith does not refer to the faith they exercised in Christ for salvation. Thus, faith within the context refers to the promise the young widows made prior to being included in the list of the widows the church is to support. Therefore, our Greek word means “pledge” and not “faith” in the context. The Greek word translated “faith” can refer to the content of what is to be believed, that is, that which is believed, hence “doctrine or belief or teaching.” It is in the sense of going astray from Christian teaching or belief that Apostle Paul used our word in 1 Timothy 6:10:
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
It is also in this sense of belief or teaching or doctrine that the word is used in Jude 3:
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
Faith here in Jude 3 could refer to Christian movement but it is best understood as body of doctrine containing the main tenets of Christian teaching.
We have noted the various meanings of the Greek word translated “faith” so the question is to understand how it is used in our passage of Titus 1:1. Some commentators take the Greek word translated “faith” to mean “doctrine” or “content of what Christians believe.” This is possible but unlikely since the apostle did not use a definite article before the Greek word translated “faith.” Having rejected this interpretation, there are two possibilities to the apostle’s use of the Greek word translated “faith.” It could refer to genuine devotion, that is, firm commitment to the Lord or it could refer to faith in the active sense of believing. Both interpretations are reflected in our English translations. Nonetheless, we believe that the apostle used it in the sense of active sense of believing as this will indicate that the apostle’s mission involves preaching of the word of God to the elect so they can believe and so be saved. There are two reasons for this interpretation. The apostle described devotion to the Lord later in the verse of Titus we are considering as part of his purpose in being sent out as a special messenger of Christ and so it is unlikely he meant “genuine devotion” in his first stated purpose. Furthermore, it is this interpretation that fits the apostle’s assertions with respect to the mission the Lord assigned him. In his defense before King Agrippa, he indicated that his mission as given by the Lord Jesus was to preach the gospel for the salvation of the Gentiles, as recorded in Acts 26:17–18:
17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
In writing to Timothy, the apostle indicated his reason for enduring hardship is to preach the gospel that will lead to the salvation of the elect in 2 Timothy 2:10:
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
The interpretation that we gave indicates that election in and of itself does not mean salvation but guarantees that that will take place.
Our interpretation that a first purpose of the Lord Jesus sending Paul as his special messenger is to bring about the salvation of the elect supports the point that election is not in and of itself salvation but guarantees it. To understand the truth that election is not in and of itself salvation but guarantees it, we consider the word “elect” in the phrase of Titus 1:1 for the faith of God’s elect or literally for faith of elect of God. The word “elect” is translated from a Greek word (eklektos) that pertains to being selected and so means “chosen.” It is an adjective that describes those whom God has chosen from the generality of mankind and drawn to Himself. Therefore, the word is used in the Septuagint to describe Israel in 1 Chronicles 16:13:
O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.
The Greek word translated “elect” pertains to being especially distinguished so that the meaning “elect” is appropriate. Thus, the word is used to describe the Messiah as God’s chosen One in Luke 23:35:
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”
It is as the Greek word pertains to being distinguished that it is used to describe angels that did not rebel with Satan in 1 Timothy 5:21:
I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
The Greek word translated “elect” may pertain to being considered best in the course of a selection and so means “choice, excellent, distinguished.” It is perhaps this meaning that is reflected in Romans 16:13:
Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
The standard Greek English lexicon of BDAG suggests that the phrase chosen in the Lord here may be understood as the outstanding Christian. It is in the sense of “excellent” that the word is used in the quotation from Isaiah 28:16 that is given in 1 Peter 2:6:
For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
Anyway, the Greek word translated “elect” in our passage has the sense of a group of people being chosen by God for a specific purpose, usually salvation.
How then does the Greek word translated “elect” support our assertion that election is not in and of itself salvation but guarantees it, you may ask? It is because the word is used in two different ways despite the claim of some that the word is used only one way in the Scripture. It is used to describe those who have not yet been saved but are certain to be saved in the passage we cited previously, that is, 2 Timothy 2:10:
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
The apostle implies in 2 Timothy 2:10 that the elect he described had not yet obtained salvation. Furthermore, the word is used to describe those who are already saved in Colossians 3:12:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
If our Greek word translated “elect” is used to describe those who are not yet saved but are certain to be saved and for those who are saved, then we are correct in asserting that election is not in and of itself salvation but guarantees it. Add to this argument, is the fact that the Scripture indicates that when the gospel is preached only the elect responds, as we can gather from Acts 13:48:
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
The word “appointed” is translated from a perfect tense of a Greek participle of a Greek word (tassō) that means “to be put in specific position.” The implication of this word is that there is a class of those who in the past were appointed or put in a position of receiving eternal life. Their position was secured in the past but that did not mean they already have eternal life but at the time of faith in Christ then they possess eternal life. The fact is that there are those who are assured salvation because God chose them ahead of time to receive eternal life with the guarantee that they will. This we can confirm by the processes of how God accomplished His plan for the elect as stated in Romans 8:29–30:
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Those that are eventually justified and glorified were those who were chosen beforehand. We make this assertion based on the word “foreknew” of verse 29. It is translated from a Greek word (proginōskō) that may mean “to know beforehand” but the meaning in verse 29 is “to choose beforehand.” Those who are chosen beforehand are the elect. Thus, the word “elect” is used for those who have been chosen by God prior to their salvation and after their salvation. In any event, the first purpose the Lord Jesus Christ sent Paul as his special messenger is to preach the gospel that will enable the elect to come to faith in Him.
The second purpose Apostle Paul gave for Jesus Christ sending or commissioning him as His special messenger is for the spiritual growth of those who are saved. This purpose is given in the last clause in the NIV of Titus 1:1 the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness although literally the Greek reads and knowledge of truth the for piety. On a surface reading, it may appear that the Greek phrase is not concerned with spiritual growth but it is. For spiritual growth requires first and foremost knowledge of God’s word. It is for this reason, for example, we have the instruction to grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ in 2 Peter 3:18:
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Knowledge of Christ as given in the word of God leads to a lifestyle that reflects spiritual progress or growth. Therefore, the knowledge of God’s word and the lifestyle that is reflected by such knowledge are given in the clause the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness of the NIV of Titus 1:1 we are considering.
The apostle indicates that he has the responsibility of making believers to understand clearly and distinctively the truth. You see the word “knowledge” is translated from a Greek word (epignōsis) that means “knowledge, recognition” as it is used by the apostle in Romans 1:28:
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
In our context, the word has the sense of personal recognition so means coming to understand something clearly and distinctly with result that such an understanding will affect the one who has it. There is a specific object that the apostle states to be the target of this understanding. It is the truth.
What is this truth the apostle indicates he was commissioned to help believers grasp? To answer this question, we need to examine the word “truth” as used in the Greek NT. The word “truth” is translated from a Greek word (alētheia) with a range of meanings. It may mean the quality of being in accord with what is true hence means “truthfulness, dependability, uprightness in thought and deed”, as it is used for God in Romans 3:7:
Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?”
It is in this sense of being in accord with what is truth that the apostle used it in his appeal to the Corinthians not to let his boasting about them turn out to be empty so that he would be put to shame in 2 Corinthians 7:14:
I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well.
The verbal phrase has proved to be true is more literally has become truth. The Greek word may mean “reality” as opposed to mere appearance, as it is used in Colossians 1:6:
that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.
“Truth” here has the sense of “reality” as opposed to mere appearance. It is for this reason that the translators of the TEV rendered the phrase in all its truth of the NIV as, as it really is. The Greek word that is translated “truth” may mean the content of what is truth and so means “truth.” It is in this sense that the apostle used it to encourage the Ephesians not to be involved with falsehood as they interacted with each other in Ephesians 4:25:
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
The command speak truthfully is literally speak truth. The word is used then especially of the content of Christianity as the ultimate truth. It is in this sense the apostle used it in connection with the gospel in Colossians 1:5:
the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel.
The phrase the word of truth, the gospel is literally the word of truth of the gospel. The rendering of the NIV is quite good because of the Greek syntax of this phrase. In fact, to communicate fully the idea of the Greek construction we could translate the Greek phrase as the word of truth, that is, the gospel; in this way, it is clearer that the word of truth is a reference to the gospel message. The apostle used the Greek word to refer to the Christian message that includes doctrine and the gospel message in Galatians 5:7:
You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?
Truth here in Galatians 5:7 refers to the Christian message the apostle delivered to the Galatians that includes the gospel message, the doctrine of justification by faith, and the doctrine that the filling of the Spirit is by faith. The apostle used the Greek word rendered “truth” as a reference to the body of accepted Christian doctrines that the church is the custodian in 1 Timothy 3:15:
if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
Anyway, we have noted the range of meanings of the Greek word translated “truth” in Titus 1:1 and so the question is to determine in what sense it is used in our passage. It is primarily the sense of the “truth” content of Christian faith, that is, its doctrines as the ultimate reality from God. The apostle has taught these doctrines of the Christian faith throughout his epistles. In fact, some of these doctrines are set out in this epistle as we will notice at the appropriate time in our study of this epistle.
Knowledge of the Christian doctrines should impact the believer that understands them. It is this impact that is given in the last sentence that leads to godliness of Titus 1:1 of the NIV. This sentence is an interpretative one since the Greek literally reads for piety or in according to piety. This is because we have the same Greek preposition (kata) that we previously indicated means “for” that introduced the apostle’s purpose for being commissioned by the Lord. The Greek preposition could be read to mean that the truth is for the purpose of piety so that the translation of the NIV is proper or it can be taken that the truth communicated is in keeping with piety as reflected in the NET that reads in keeping with godliness. While this later interpretation makes sense, it is probably the meaning that states result or purpose that the apostle had in mind since the teaching of the word of God should result in piety, as implied in 2 Peter 1:3:
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter implies that godly life as the term is used is that brought about by knowledge of God. That aside, according to the NIV, the truth understood has a result as in the last sentence that leads to godliness of Titus 1:1.
The word “godliness” of the NIV or many of our English versions fails to convey the full meaning of the Greek word used. The word “godliness” is translated from a Greek word (eusebeia) that is used in the Greek world for piety towards the gods. In the NT and in the Septuagint, the word means “awesome respect accorded to God,” “devoutness”, “piety” or “godliness.” It is in the sense of behavior reflecting correct religious beliefs and attitudes that the word is used in 1 Timothy 2:2:
for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
The sense of “devoutness” is intended in the usage of the Greek word in 2 Timothy 3:5:
having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
The verbal phrase having a form of godliness may be read as be devout only in appearance as suggested in the standard Greek English lexicon of BADG. In any event, the Greek word translated “godliness” in Titus 1:1 may mean “piety” or “religion” but it is indeed used in a sense that encompasses both worship of God and proper conduct arising out of such worship. Thus, when a believer has the correct understanding of God’s truth that should reflect in his obedience to God’s word and so in his lifestyle.
In any case, Apostle Paul is clear that his mission is first to preach the gospel that will lead to the salvation of the elect and thereafter to teach doctrines that are necessary to mature believers spiritually and so they worship God in the sense of respecting Him by doing what He commands. The apostle’s mission is certainly that of the church. However, our local churches have lost sight of these functions of the church. Some focus on preaching the gospel to unbelievers but do nothing to help believers to grow spiritually. Few others attempt to teach believers but do not stress the importance of the preaching of the gospel so that the elect would be saved. The correct approach is that local churches should push for the preaching of the gospel and then teach those who respond. We should observe the sequence of the apostle’s mission. There is first preaching of the gospel, then teaching of truth that leads to the appropriate lifestyle that is in keeping with the Christian faith. Unfortunately, most of our local churches have not understood this sequence so that they emphasize doing good works by new converts before teaching them the word of God. Many Christians focus on doing good without knowledge of the word of God, that is not the Bible sequence. You learn first before you do. Therefore, you should desire to learn the word of God and be serious about applying it so that you will have a lifestyle that is in keeping with what God wants as given in the Scripture.
01/20/17