titus.

I've been reading through Titus for my Pastoral Epistles class and it's been more and more encouraging each time I read it. Both the background and the individual truths of the book are insightful.

My knowledge of Paul's journeys goes hazy after Acts. However I've learned that when Paul ended up in prison at the end of the book, he actually eventually got out. He went on more travels and was later recaptured during a more intense persecution when Nero took power, and eventually killed. However during that time, He visited the island of Crete and left Titus (a young man who he had led to Christ on his 2nd missionary journey) on the island to build up the churches that were started. The epistle to Titus was written to encourage and instruct Titus (and therefore indirectly give Titus public affirmation and a stamp of Pauline approval) in order to build up those churches so they would have an effective evangelistic presence in an unbelieving world.

There is so much to take away from this epistle, but I'll just mention one thing briefly. Paul opens up the epistle with a remarkable statement (after his usual introduction about how he is an apostle and such).

"Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness,"

I love it! Knowledge of the truth is effectual. What is the effect? Godliness. At times we can be frustrated with fellow believers that lack drive and obedience. We can tell them over and over "WHAT" to do... but the "what" isn't effectual. That's why sermons that simply pull Christian principles from the text and repackage them into a step by step, how-to message (the "what") doesn't lead to godliness. In fact that promotes moralism, which is a false truth. Sinners don't need to hear doable do's. They need to hear the rich truth of WHO God is and WHO we really are... They need to hear that the "do's" are not doable. They need to hear that God is just, holy, omnipotent, sovereign, and wrathful. That Christ did the "do's" to perfection. That Christ took on himself EVERY sin and also took on the full wrath of the just, holy, omnipotent God. That Christ "finished" the work. That Christ conquered death. That we take on the perfect record of "do's" with a faith in the finished work of Christ and the submission to Him as our sovereign King. That He IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
This is effectual. This leads to a supernatural heart change that grows crops of spiritual fruit.