Month: July 2011

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” (Titus 3:5)

One of the most blessed scriptures written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit were these words written to Titus by the apostle Paul. This statement follows Paul’s instructions about how we should treat our fellow man. We are to be gentle and meek towards them (3:2) because this is how God acted towards us in Christ. Paul reminds Titus that God showed us mercy when we were in a deplorable state, estranged from God and living in the pleasures of the flesh (3:3). In this cursed condition, God sent Christ to die for us. He was not drawn to us for any goodness that He saw in us. He did not choose us because we were diligent towards Him or our fellows.

In this unhappy state, God could have given us justice. He could have left us to suffer the consequences of our crimes and He would have been just in doing so. Instead, God gave us mercy. God showed kindness and love (3:4) and graciously regenerated our hearts in order that we might repent of our sins and place our faith in Him. This has always been God’s way of working with condemned sinners, and yet most are convinced that favor with God is obtained by doing good works that will somehow satisfy God for the sins we have committed.

There are many Bible passages that refute the idea that we are able to perform any type of work that meets the standard God requires. God has only one standard—absolute perfection. He requires us to be sinless not only in the deed but also in the motive for the deed. Every thought and every action must be in perfect harmony with the divine mind. There is neither time nor space to prove the inability of any person to meet this standard, but neither is it required. Our own experience is all the proof we need. If God wants perfection, then God will not get what He wants—at least not from us. However, the impossibility of our perfection does not change the fact that God has the right to demand it. Even though God is merciful as this passage states, there is no obligation upon God to give mercy, and much less to give it at the expense of His justice.

Titus 3:5 contains a key word in scripture. “Righteous” or “righteousness” appears hundreds of times in the Bible. It is a forensic word, which means it relates to the court of law. Man’s covenant relationship with God is maintained on the basis of His law. Since we are incapable of keeping God’s law perfectly, God satisfies the requirement Himself. He gets what He wants, perfect obedience, but not from us. The perfect obedience is Christ’s, and in grace God justifies us from our sins based on the merits of Christ’s perfect obedience (3:6-7).

The next time you read Titus 3:5, thank God from the depths of your heart that ”not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.” If not for this, our salvation is impossible!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  [14]  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:13-14)

On the July 4th weekend, we were blessed to celebrate two hundred thirty-five years of American independence. One of the greatest freedoms we enjoy is the right to worship God according to the faith of our choosing. One of the vital principles our founding fathers insisted upon was freedom from the state church that so often persecuted dissenters. Even though they were against the establishment of any particular church, they were very much in favor of giving allegiance to the God who is the Creator of heaven and earth. The first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence each contain a reference to God. In the first paragraph, He is “Nature’s God,” and in the second He is the “Creator” who has “endowed” us with “certain unalienable rights.” In the last paragraph, the signatories declared their “reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.”

There is no doubt the founders were in unanimity as to the identity of “Nature’s God,” the “Creator,” and “Divine Providence.” John Quincy Adams said, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” This means the founders were duly bound to the God who promised to one day rule the world with a perfect government. The founders were intent on producing the best government humanly possible. In their minds, combining the principles of Christianity with this government was the only way this could be achieved. Although they were against a state church, they by no means thought their government would survive without obeying the “Creator” any more than they thought they could survive the Revolution without “the protection of Divine Providence.”

It is very clear the men that so desperately wanted to declare independence from the tyranny of the British Crown were eager to declare their dependence upon God. The beginning of the last paragraph also includes an appeal to the “Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions.” Compare this to Paul’s statement in Titus 2:13-14. They expected the “glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,” who would come to judge the righteousness of their cause. They truly believed they were “zealous of good works,” which included rightly governing with a godly government. Some may think it wrong to apply these scriptures this way. However, we must remember the mindset of these men. They believed they existed to glorify God. There is no doubt they had various opinions about how to do this, but they were unified in their opinion that God would not excuse them if they did not build their government upon Christian principles.

Two hundred thirty-five years have passed since this courageous decision. So much time has passed, but the years have not dimmed the same basic need of all people no matter what type of government rules them. We will all stand before the “Supreme Judge of the world” to give account of our lives. I hope when you meet Him that you will be judged righteous in your actions. You will be if you have declared your dependence upon the Great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Unto the pure, all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” (Titus 1:15)

When reading the first chapter of Titus, we are struck by the caustic language Paul uses when describing false teachers. The first thought is how forceful the apostle is when speaking of those who would teach doctrines that subvert the truths of the gospel. In this passage, he commands Titus to “rebuke them sharply” (v. 13), which is very much uncharacteristic of the way these situations are handled in churches today. Niceties are usually the norm because calling someone out for false doctrine is considered uncharitable or even rude. Much error is tolerated because pastors are afraid of being offensive to those that may not be in agreement.

If Paul and the other apostles were too afraid of being offensive, imagine how the gospel would have been affected. If he had not been very clear about justification by faith alone, how would we understand this indispensable doctrine? If he had allowed subversion of the gospel of grace, how would we come to salvation in Christ? The past two thousand years of church history have seen these doctrines attacked incessantly giving rise to the largest pseudo-Christian church in the world, Roman Catholicism. If heresies concerning these doctrines were not confronted at the inception of the church and then recorded in scripture, there would be no checks on their perversions.

Similarly, the apostle John was blistering in his refutation of teachers that denied the incarnation of Christ. His favorite terms were “liars,” “antichrists,” and “children of the devil.” He taught there are only two spirits operable in the world. Either a teacher is led by the Holy Spirit or he is led by Satan. He leaves no room for other possibilities. Therefore, a preacher or church that says Jesus Christ is not Jehovah God manifested in the flesh, is teaching the doctrine of devils. It is certainly unpopular to say Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and other cults are satanic, but this is exactly what scripture says. In fact, both Paul and John would agree that any group that subverts any part of the gospel is satanic.

Is it too harsh to make such declarations? Consider the alternative. Jesus’ words to the Jews that refused to believe He was Jehovah God are these: “If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). “I am he,” are words that refer to the oneness of Jesus with the Father and His full equality in all of the attributes of Almighty God. “Die in your sins” means eternal death in the fires of hell. The alternative to calling out false teachers and exposing their heresies is to allow them to lead people into the pit of hell. Paul said, “Their mouths must be stopped” (Titus 1:11).

The gospel includes the truth of the deity of Christ and the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Paul told the Corinthians it is the gospel by which we are saved. Faith in the true gospel is the only hope for a world of lost and dying sinners. No, Paul was not afraid of being offensive with the truth. He knew the awful consequences if he was not!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (Titus 1:9)

In the first few verses of Titus chapter 1, the apostle Paul lists some of the qualifications for the office of pastor. As an independent Baptist church, we believe there are only two scriptural offices for the church. These are the offices of pastor and deacon. Men that are chosen for these positions must meet the strict biblical requirements outlined in the epistles of 1st Timothy and Titus.

In the first part of Paul’s letter to Titus, the emphasis is on the pastor. There are requirements concerning his family, his personal character, and also his heart for God’s people. These qualifications are condensed into three verses, and then the rest of letter is an admonition for the teaching of strong doctrine. The disparity between the short amount of space given to this part of his qualifications compared to the bulk of the letter being dedicated to the teaching of doctrine does not diminish this aspect of the office. The personal character of the man chosen to lead God’s people is crucial to his effectiveness as a minister. He must be above reproach or else his message falls on deaf ears. Many men that could have been used greatly by God have failed because their families and/or their morality have disqualified them.

It remains, however, that there is much material in this letter devoted to the teaching of doctrine. The pastor’s main duty is to feed the flock of God. He may be a wonderful man personally and very well liked, but if his knowledge of the word is deficient, he will not be able to feed God’s people spiritually. Neither will he be able to protect them from the constant attacks of heresy that threaten them on a daily basis. There are many wolves that would devour the flock and the pastor must be able to defend his people against these heretics. Several times in the letter, Paul makes this point. The pastor must be able to identify heretics and defend against them.

Another point that should be evident from the letter is that any doctrine of any kind is not automatically acceptable. There is a difference between truth and error. Truth always strengthens the people; error always destroys. Doctrine cannot be dismissed as unimportant. False doctrine and its teachers must be exposed (1:10-16). The pulpit ministry of Berean is never timid about naming names when necessary. The popular saying among many evangelicals is “unity at all costs.” We are opposed to this. We believe “defend the truth at all costs.” We seek accord with other Christians only on the basis of doctrinal unity. Unity on any other basis is dangerous to the gospel and to the health of God’s people.

We believe and whole heartedly practice Paul’s command to Titus. The bishop (pastor) must hold fast to the word, maintaining sound doctrine that will encourage the saints and will convince those that resist the truth. Anything less is blight on the pastoral office.

Pastor V. Mark Smith