Random thoughts on Titus (pt 2)

I thought I may try something out that I’ve seen on some other blog sites with regard to films… they will watch a film and make comments on that film while watching on a blog and post that. So I thought I’d try the same thing with Titus, the book I read tonight for my time with God. This may be disastrous… but it may be FUN TOO! lol. If you would like to follow along, I will list the verse I am commenting on… but it is best to have a Bible in front of you or opened in a new tab in Firefox (and I know ALL my readers use Firefox… you had better!)… I’ll be using the English Standard Version (ESV)… the favorite of Mark Driscoll and John Piper, as well as my favorite English translation. In a previous post I blogged on Titus 1. Now, on to Titus 2!…

2:1 — SOUND DOCTRINE?! I would venture to say the majority of teachers/preachers have NO idea what this is. Spiritual discernment is at an incredible LOW in our world today. Why else are books by Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Rob Bell, and Rick Warren on the best sellers lists in “Christian Bookstores”? How is it that a Christian can claim to follow Christ and yet submit to the New Age cultish teachings of the Oprah, thinking somehow that they are able to coexist together? And what of entire denominations teaching that homosexuality is perfectly acceptable in God’s eyes… that “global climate change” is of more importance than a pre-born child’s life… that man’s free will is higher than that of God’s…? The “Church” today does NOT have nearly a high enough view of God or the Holy Bible… and has a FAR too high view of man.

For more on The Church of Oprah…

2:2 — For anyone who claims that it is acceptable for Christians to use any mind-altering drugs, even if it were legal… check this out! We should be SOBER-MINDED! Not high… not blacking out… but always in control of our bodies and our thoughts. SO how exactly does a yoga-inducing trance or using centering prayer to get to a higher spiritual plane work into all this? HINT: IT DOESN’T!

2:3-5 – There IS a role of the woman in a family unit. Not the ONLY role of the woman… but a role separate and distinct from the role of the man. A place in the home. Not that a woman CAN’T have a job outside of the home. Because she can. However, I think scripture is clear that the home should be primary… any sort of extra carreer should be secondary. There should be a training of younger women by older women to love husbands and their children. Furthermore… before Christ, man and women are equal. However, one cannot escape such phrases as “submissive to their own husbands.” This is NOT some man is superior to the woman. This is in the structure of the family unit that GOD created, there is an order of authority. In a military unit, does the Private have less value as a HUMAN BEING than a Captain? No. Before God, both are equally men in need of a Savior. However, when there is an order given, who submits to whom? Private submits to Captain. It is not a placing of higher value on the husband than the wife. I like how Voddie Bacham puts it: “When you have something with two heads, you have to either 1) KILL IT! or 2) Put it behind some glass and STARE at it!” So it is with marriage and the household.

2:6 — Young men… be self controlled. I don’t care what the world is doing… saying porn is okay, or getting drunk is just part of high school or college… Be self controlled. I don’t care how angry your wife or girlfriend makes you… or how pissed you get at your family at times… HAVE SELF CONTROL! (Trust me… I am saying this to ME as much as I am to any and all who read this… I get very hot-headed at times)

2:7-8 — Be an example for others. Even in speech… something I have been slipping at on occasion. Be a model of holiness for others. You can’t be perfect on your own accord… but still be a model in all you do, let that be your goal. And strive for it.

2:9 — As a slave for Christ, do I sometimes argue with him? Slaves are, as stated by Paul here, to be submissive and not to be argumentative with their master. I will sometimes, when I sin, scoff at God’s law. I will have the mindset that God doesn’t know what he’s talking about… that I know a better way. Even when scripture is CLEAR to not lust, or to be sober-minded, or to submit to higher authorities… I rebel, I argue, and I do not submit. Blah. Even now, the Holy Spirit likes to use the Bible to convict of sin. It isn’t always a fun process examining yourself against the Word… but it is worth it in the growth of sanctification.

2:11 — For the Arminian who looks at this and says that salvation is for EVERYONE… if you take THAT “literal” interpretation of this verse, then you would have to be a UNIVERSALIST… and claim that if salvation is truly brought to ALL PEOPLE… then EVERYONE is SAVED and none are in HELL/ the Lake of Fire. Still, from other passages (Mt 7:13-14, Jn 14:6, Rev 21:8, etc) we KNOW this to not be true. NOT EVERYONE will be saved from eternal damnation. I’ve said this before and I’ll type it here: The ONLY consistent Arminian is the Universalist. Because if Jesus really died for EVERYONE… then Jesus was the atonement for EVERYONE’S sin… then EVERYONE would have their sin atonemed for, and they would no longer be in their sin… and have NO reason to have to go to Hell… so it is Universalism. And what is Universalism? I’ll take HERESY for 500, Alex! But no… “all people’ instead refers to all kinda of people… Blacks, whites, Asians, Slavs, Hispanic, Indian, American Indian, etc. For more on this, check out Revelation 5:9-10

2:12 — Renounce ungodliness nad worldly passions… live self-controlled. Does this SAVE us? No. Does it add to salvation? NO! We are saved by grace through FAITH ALONE. Period. It is entirely of God. These works though are an out flowing of the person who has been born again, that work toward being conformed to the likeness of Christ.

2:13 — As Christians, you can be sure that Christ will keep you in his fold… that he will keep you and you WILL persevere to the end and one day (either in Heaven or on Earth for his second coming) see Christ in all his glory.

2:14 — Christ redeems us– the Church for lawlessness. We are no longer slaves to sin, but to Christ. And the ongoing process of sanctification is that which purifies us (though we are already redeemed before sanctification happens). The Church is his people and his people will, because they have been elected by Christ, show a desire for good works. Not an “oh I have to do this or else I’m not saved!” but an “I do this because I am saved and I wish to be more like Christ!”

2:15 — Commands to both exhort and rebuke with authority. Wow. And I thought the modern church should only EXHORT these days… ’cause it is just “mean” to rebuke ANYONE… ::rolls eyes::

Titus 3 coming soon…

-Ryan

Random thoughts on Titus (pt 1)

I thought I may try something out that I’ve seen on some other blog sites with regard to films… they will watch a film and make comments on that film while watching on a blog and post that. So I thought I’d try the same thing with Titus, the book I read tonight for my time with God. This may be disastrous… but it may be FUN TOO! lol.

If you would like to follow along, I will list the verse I am commenting on… but it is best to have a Bible in front of you or opened in a new tab in Firefox (and I know ALL my readers use Firefox… you had better!)… I’ll be using the English Standard Version (ESV)… the favorite of Mark Driscoll and John Piper, as well as my favorite English translation.

Here we a go…..

1:1 — Oh… look at the purpose for which the book was written: for “the faith of GOD’S ELECT”! HA! Take that you Arminians / anti-Calvinists. That type of address is not unique to Titus either… check out 1 Peter, 2 John, Jude, Romans… and the other letters were mostly written to THE CHURCH… Christians… those who are saved.
— On another note… this verse also mentions that this letter is for Christians to in “their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness.” Truth matters. Theology and doctrine DO matter. This is a fact sadly ignored by many who proclaim themselves as Christian… they often prefer to just give everyone a big hug as long as they think Jesus is cool… despite various heresies that can still run ramped with such a claim (JW, Mormonism, Oneness, etc).

1:2 — the reminder that God’s promises are sure… that those who repent and put their trust in the savior ARE assured of salvation, they WILL be kept “in the fold” so to speak, because this hope of eternal life has been promised by God… and God is a God of truth… he cannot lie.

1:7-9 — I am more than a bit convicted right now reading the qualifications for a bishop…. and how I fall short in more than one area. I often deal with being quick-tempered, and greatly need to improve in the areas of self-control and discipline. I am not quick enough to try and give people the benefit of the doubt, and often fly off the handle easily… especially at Kacey. And in reference to the self-control… this appears in different areas… dealing with sin for one. Also though, in more general areas that show I don’t have the best fruit when it comes to control. Example? I often over-eat. I eat really fast and I eat too much, causing myself to feel bloated and generally sick. This happens ESPECIALLY when it comes to PIZZA… I pack it away and then I am sorry I do. I would say “I can’t help myself,” but that is a lie. I can… I just often do not exercise the self control I should.

1:9 — A bishop/overseer must give sound doctrine and rebuke those who contradict it?! Wow. Honestly until now, I had NO idea this verse was even in the Bible! How much it is needed for the heresies that plague the Church today. Not only to teach good doctrine is the command… but to rebuke those who contradict it, spreading false doctrine. This is practically never done today… for if you do, you are labeled as someone who is just causing trouble. We can’t interrupt the status quo… how DARE us notice and point out heresy that happens to be on the best sellers list of the local Family Christian store… or on the Top 20 list of Christian Rock. ::sigh:: the state of the American Church is growing worse guys… pray for her.

1:10-11 — those who cause trouble from a BIBLICAL standpoint… that is, they teach false teachings and deceive believers… they must be SILENCED. I wonder if the Church had done this in the past few hundred years, what would the state of various errors / heresies be… what about Mormons? Jehovah’s Witnesses? Oneness Pentecostals? Emergent Church? Seeker-Sensitivity? If the Church had lovingly silenced the heretical teachings of these groups before they spread alongside of Christianity, would they even be as alive today?

1:15 — This verse, I find, is overused and even to excuse sin to some degree… the person will claim they see an action as pure when it truthfully is not. However I guess this has to do with the eating of certain foods… you CAN’T use this as an excuse to look at blatant porn or something of that nature.

1:16 — Many claim Christ, but this does NOT mean they are genuinely saved. What is a way to tell? Fruit. Their works. Are they growing in holiness? Can WE say definitively whether or not the person IS saved, just by works? No. Fruit IS evidence to be sure. However I know I do not produce the best fruit 24/7 and do sin from time to time. Not continuously as the unbeliever, but I do stumble. If someone gauged me from my fruit, the outcome would not be perfect. Far from it. So can we look at fruit? Yes. Just because someone sins and has some bad fruit does NOT mean he is not saved. But if ALL the fruit is rotten, the person needs to be approached by a fellow believer so that he may offer repentance from that sin.

Wow… This is going to take a bit longer than I thought. But maybe doing this in increments is best… you are more likely to actually READ it if it is shorter. Anyway, I will continue this soon.

-Ryan