Their Knowledge Of The Truth
“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, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.”
The Apostle Paul identifies himself to Titus in two ways. First, he is a “servant of God,” and second, he is “an apostle of Jesus Christ.”This identification is important because by it Paul tells Titus the reason for his service and calling. Both “servant” and “apostle” imply action. He serves and he is sent. He is sent with a message. Servants do the bidding of their masters. As an apostle, Paul delivers the message he has been given. He must fulfill his mandate or commission. His commission is connected to the office of apostle. Paul’s message has authority, not because Paul says it but because God gave it to him.
In Acts 9, Paul met the risen Lord Jesus Christ who called and gave him a commission. All of the apostles saw the risen Christ and received a commission from him. This is what qualifies someone to be an apostle. As a servant, he is bound to Christ. Paul often calls himself a bond-servant or slave. Paul cannot break this bond. He has been made a servant. The prophets in the Old Testament were similar. They were called by God to deliver God’s message. The response to the message was not their problem. They were simply to deliver it. They were not to change the message from God but simply speak it forth. They were not permitted to make the message more palatable or soften its edge. So Paul goes where he is sent and gives the message that God has entrusted to him.
Titus is one of Paul’s close colleagues and he acts with Paul’s approval. In this epistle, Paul has left Titus on the Island of Crete to establish the believers there. He was to appoint elders in every church (1:5–9), and he was to teach sound doctrine (2:1). He was to show himself a pattern of good works in teaching all age groups how to be to practically godly (2:1–15; 3:1, 8, 14). They were to live godly lives in light of the coming again of Jesus Christ (2:11–14). He was to do this with all authority (2:15).
In our verse, Paul explains the reason he is a servant and an apostle. First, it is for the sake of the elect. Paul anticipates his future service and exercise of his office on behalf of the elect as he shares the truth. This has a present application to those who are believers and future applications to those who would become believers. All that Paul is and does, he does with the elect in mind. In particular, Paul is concerned with the faith of the elect. This is why it is important for the message to be biblical and accurate. Faith is connected to the truth. It springs from it.
This is his second reason for being a servant and apostle. He is concerned with what the elect believe. He calls it “their knowledge of the truth.” It is not merely knowledge about some truth, but rather “the truth.” And it is not merely just a body of truth, but the truth that produces godliness. It is somewhat easy to put truth into your mind but not so easy to put truth into practice. Trust stored up for the sake of knowledge is not what Paul desires. He desires truth that works in a particular way. The Bible always connects the truth with a faith that works. It is not just any work either, but it is knowledge of the truth that produces godliness. Pauls’ letter to Titus is about sound doctrine, not merely the learning or hearing but the doing. Elders were to teach sound doctrine and deal with those who try to contradict it (1:9). Titus was not to be like the surrounding Cretans whom Paul called “liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons” (1:12). Rather, he was to teach what accords with sound doctrine. The word “sound” is the word for good health. Sound doctrine is a good, healthy doctrine. It has benefits.
When we memorize Scripture we put good doctrine into our minds and hearts. In this way, we train our minds and the Word affects our hearts. This is the knowledge of the truth penetrating the mind and overflowing into life. Third, it encourages others to do the same. Both Titus and Timothy were to be examples of godliness. They needed the truth as much as everyone else. The constant inflow of truth has a sanctifying effect upon the soul. If we store up or treasure God’s Word in our hearts, it helps in the fight against sin, and we all need that (Ps. 119:11).
Paul also recognizes that this knowledge of the truth, which works godliness, is not just for this life. It is for the life to come—“in hope of eternal life” (vs. 2). Godliness is a preparation for eternal life. Eternal life is not only about the quantity of life, but the quality of life. Paul told Timothy to “take hold of eternal life” (1 Tim. 6:12; also 18, 19). Live in the present as if you were living in glory. This is where faith works. The faith of the elect is linked to the knowledge of the truth that produces godliness connected to eternal life.
You will notice that Paul connects eternal life to “hope.” Hope is not uncertainty in Paul’s mind. It is a certainty. If we are in Christ, we have eternal life (John 3:16, 36; 5:24; 6:47; 10:28; 1 John 2:25; 5:11, 13). Jesus told us what eternal life was: “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Notice that eternal life is the knowledge of God and Christ. Paul told Titus that since we are “justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (3:7). Being justified by his grace (3:7) equates to coming to the knowledge of the truth (1:1), and both lead on to eternal life. Paul assures us that eternal life is absolutely certain because God never lies (1:2). God promised us eternal life “before the ages began,” Paul says. God cannot lie—it would be contrary to his character. Since the Cretans were “always liars” (1:12), by contrast, the truth-speaking God would bring immense assurance to the Cretan Christians. God does the same for us. We live in a world of lies and liars. The truth is at a premium. God told Jeremiah the same thing: “Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know me, declares the LORD. Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully; with his mouth, each speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart, he plans an ambush for him” (Jer. 9:5, 6, 8).
The truth is a beautiful thing. It is so important to learn the truth and know the truth. According to our Lord, “the truth shall set you a free” (John 8:32). Only those who know the truth are set free by the truth. The Lord goes on to say that the goal of being set free is that we might not sin: “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin…So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed’” (John 8:34, 36). This is what Paul is saying. Our knowing the truth, which has come to us by faith in Christ, works godliness. Godliness is practical righteousness or holiness. It is holiness on display and in action.
We live in an unstable world, but God is absolute and unchanging. He does not break his promises. He always keeps his Word. We can always rely on our God. We must make every effort to be learning, growing Christians. It is hard work, but it will help us be conformed to our Lord Jesus Christ. So, grow in grace and knowledge, and be like the Psalmist who said “I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil” (2 Pet. 3:18; Ps. 119:162).