Grace Energized Men: Guarding a Healthy Man In a Sick World
Titus 2:1-2
by Dr. John Barnett

Nothing is so precious as the faith we have in God, His Word, and Christ's work for us. That is why Paul sat to write the young church planting pastor named Titus, serving on the island of Crete. Paul's world was hostile to the truth of God; and Paul warned that days to come would increasingly be filled with false teachings about God, and false doctrines.

Paul stressed a growing wave of spiritual deception, false doctrines, and strong delusion that surrounded false teachers. Paul continued this theme and even went so far as to warn the elders at Ephesus that the wolves were at the doors and soon would be attacking the church as soon as Paul left (Acts 20). He warned Timothy and all pastors after him (II Timothy 1:14), to guard the teaching of truth, and even described the false doctrines that were taught as deadly and destructive as cancer or gangrene (II Timothy 2:16-18).

Jesus had also warned of the faith of believers being assaulted by these waves of false teaching and teachers (Matthew 24). Jude and Peter repeated this theme and point out inroads that false teaching and teachers had made already in Christ's church. Then at the end of the New Testament era, John writes that the false teachers were teaching (I, II John), and their teachings had deeply impacted the local churches as Christ's letters in Rev. 2-3 point out. For all of these reasons Paul writes, Christ's church is to be filled with...

Men Sound in "The" Faith

That is why our look at the 4th element of a grace-energized disciple of Christ as described in Titus 2 - men who are sound in faith, is so timely.

That leads us to this premise: Grace-energized Men are Sound in Faith as disciples of Christ. They are guarding a healthy faith in a sick world.

First, Paul says these men are to be "sound 1" which is the word hugiainō (ὑγιαινω), meaning "to be sound, well, in good health." The application is that those who teach God's Word protect their teachings from any error being mixed with truth. Paul is saying these men must believe and teach true doctrine, which is recorded in God's Word. These godly older men should know what they believe; and their doctrinal convictions and behavior should line up with God's Word.

This truth is emphasized by the next word, "faith" which in this verse has the definite article. It is not "faith" as in what is exercised, but "The Faith," which describes the content of Christian doctrine as revealed in the Scriptures.

Paul is in the midst of identifying the behavior that follows a proper understanding of God (or "sound doctrine"). When Paul gave these clear objectives for Titus as he taught the older men, it was to show them how to become a strong advertisement for God in a 'crooked and perverse' world (Phil. 2:15).

God's discipleship program for men was laid down for Christ's church right from the earliest days. It was focused upon guarding healthy faith-in a sin sick world. There is nothing more timely for us as we enter the end of days, because, as the end of the physical world approaches, so does earth's darkest spiritual hour 2.

Satan already knows from God's Word that God has plans to save "a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands..." (Revelation 7:9).

So, in to trying to thwart God's harvest of precious souls and to prevent the world from coming to Christ, Satan has deployed legions of liars. False sign posts - all pointing people away from Christ.

Falling Away from "The" Faith

Today, just as during the Tribulation years, there are only two types of people on the Earth - truth lovers and truth haters. Open now to 2 Thessalonians 2, and stand with me to see that dark hour.

Pray

Love of the truth as we see in 2nd Thessalonians 2, is the proof of salvation. Lost ones never receive a love of the truth so they never seek out and find Christ's offer of salvation.

Beware of Shipwrecked Faith

Remember that Paul uses this word to describe those who thrust away sound doctrine and try to sail on their own and without Christ's way, truth and life.

What can cause a soul to be shipwrecked? False teachers and belief in a false doctrine. That was one of Christ's constant warnings. But are these individuals saved, or lost? Paul refers to them in such a way we must conclude that they are saved, so we know that they can't lose their salvation. One pastor clearly explains:

Paul warns that false teaching can shipwreck your soul as well. That is why God wants men who are sound in the faith as teachers and leaders.

This is not new to our generation. False teachers have been a part of the landscape from the start. In fact, things were so bad one hundred years ago, that the greatest Bible teachers of that generation banded together to put up the flag of truth. They sat down and declared what were the non-negotiables of God's Word or what they called...

The Fundamentals of "The Faith"

At the end of days, truth is under attack and lies will abound. Believers who are not grounded in healthy doctrine will suffer shipwreck, tossed about on the rocks of doubt and despair, wasting their lives and feeling hopeless.

That is why Jesus said watch out for false teachers and counterfeit religion. When faced with a similar situation at the turn of the century, evangelicals produced a work called the Fundamentals in 1909-1915. The writers read like a Who's Who of Christianity of the day: R.A. Torrey [of Biola], B.B. Warfield [of Westminster Seminary], J.C. Ryle [devotional writer], G. Campbell Morgan [an expositor pastor], C.I. Scofield [of the study Bible], James M. Gray [MBI], A.T. Pierson [devotional writer]and so on.

These men distilled down the fundamental beliefs that distinguish a true believer from a false or counterfeit one. They boiled down all theology into seven essentials. They then presented and explained these seven doctrines in a multi-volume set of books called "The Fundamentals". Here is a summary of their work into seven essentials that if not guarded can lead one towards shipwreck.

1. Inspiration: The Inspiration and Reliable Historicity of the Bible.
2. Creation: The error of Evolutionism and Darwinism.
3. Doctrine: The naming of the cults errors [Jehovah Witness, Mormonism, Christian Science, Spiritism, etc.].
4. Depravity: The reality of sin.
5. Substitution: Biblical salvation by faith through the grace of God.
6. Imputation: The errors of Roman Catholicism.
7. Christology: The Deity, the substitutionary, vicarious death Christ on the cross, His resurrection, and the personal visible Return of Christ.

We who live in the start of the 21st Century are facing a crisis in the Church: Biblical illiteracy and incomplete Biblical discipleship 4. That makes it imperative that we see that there is a critical need to preserve...

Healthy Doctrine in Christ's Church

Do you remember the story about the frog that landed in a pan of water and stayed until it boiled? If the water in the pan had been hot, the frog would have noticed and immediately hopped out. But the water felt cool at first, and the frog sensed no danger. As the water warmed, the frog just relaxed and conformed to the gradual change. Finally, when the water was dangerously hot, the muscles of the frog were subdued by the rising heat, and grew too sluggish to act. By the time the water boiled, the frog was dead.

The longer I live, the more alarmed I get at the growing trend of Biblical illiteracy and the lack of Biblical discipleship in today's church. Just as the decline in church attendance, Bible reading, and even Bible carrying can been seen in each new generation - the corresponding decline in even knowing the Bible (Biblical illiteracy), and obeying God's Word (Biblical discipleship) is showing up in the woefully powerless lives of so many believers.

Recently some findings that point to Biblical illiteracy and ineffective discipleship were published. This is what, Christian researcher and author George Barna reported as he surveyed people who considered themselves to be "Christians":

1. Less than half of all adults can name the four gospels.
2. A majority of professing Christians struggle to identify more than two or three of the disciples.
3. 60% of Americans cannot name even five of the Ten Commandments.
4. 82% of Americans believe "God helps those who help themselves" is a Bible verse.
5. 12% of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.
6. Over 50% of graduating High School Seniors thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife.
7. 60% of Americans reject the existence of literal angel named Satan.
8. 40% of Americans believe that when Jesus Christ was on earth He committed sins.
9. 50% believe that anyone who is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life will earn a place in Heaven.
10. 40% believe that the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths.
11. 70% of those identifying themselves as born again Christians said they do not believe in moral absolutes.
12. Only 10% of Christians base their moral decision-making on the principles taught in the Bible.
13. Finally, 54% believe truth can be discovered only through logic, human reasoning and personal experience.

These statistics indicate a gradual change of temperature over time. In general, Biblical illiteracy is a growing trend and the discipleship that is being offered in churches is ineffective.

What was the solution? Paul told Titus as he tells us today: each believer needs to be discipled into becoming a discipler. What is discipleship?

New Testament Discipleship

1. New Testament Discipleship is a life-long process by which we become servants and friends of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:14,15); and we find others along the way that either lead us closer to God, or whom we lead closer to Him (Titus 2:1-8).
2. New Testament Discipleship is always presented as having stages. Jesus trained the 12 for a number of years before they were qualified and released by Him to carry on His work; Paul spent years in preparation also (Galatians 1:15-18) being taught by the Lord and then being in his hometown; finally John even describes three levels of spiritual maturity (I John 2:13-14).
3. New Testament Discipleship focuses upon obedience to God's Word, not just head knowledge (John 15:14).
4. New Testament Discipleship can only start with a genuine relationship with God and always grows into a vital relationship with others (Matthew 22:37-40); discipleship must be both vertical and horizontal (II Timothy 2:2; Titus 2:1-8).
5. New Testament Discipleship recognizes that one is to be qualified as a teacher and the other is a student, but both must be mutually submitted to one another, both must be on the journey - learning to walk as Jesus walked (Phil. 3:17).
6. New Testament Discipleship recognizes that learning involves transparency, safety, confidentiality, content, environment, experiences and relationships (I John 1:7). An effective discipleship process is built upon strong foundational biblical principles (I Tim. 4:6).
7. Discipleship creates an environment where no one stands alone, struggles alone, serves alone, develops alone, seeks alone, or grows up alone (I Cor. 12:12).

Paul details in Titus 2 the behavior that follows a proper understanding of God (or "sound doctrine"). When Paul gave these clear objectives for Titus as he taught the older men, it was to show them how to become a strong advertisement for God in a 'crooked and perverse' world (Phil. 2:15).

God's discipleship program for men was laid down for Christ's church right from the earliest days. It was focused upon guarding healthy faith-in a sin sick world.

There is nothing more timely for us as we enter the end of days, because, as the end of the physical world approaches, so does earth's darkest spiritual hour. Be sure that you are in that life-long process of discipleship; look for the evidence of your progress (I Timothy 4:15); obey God; share your life with others as you walk with them and Christ through life.

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1 Sound translates a participle form of the verb hugiainō, which has the basic meaning of "being well and healthy" and is the term from which we derive "hygiene." Paul uses a form of this word nine times in the pastoral epistles, five of those times in Titus, and always in relation to personal righteousness and spiritual well-being. He repeatedly emphasizes that sound doctrine (1 Tim. 1:10; 2 Tim. 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1) eventuates in sound faith and sound speaking (1 Tim. 6:3; 2 Tim. 1:13; Titus 1:13; 2:2, 8). Healthy doctrine produces healthy spiritual living. (MacArthur, John: Titus. Chicago : Moody Press, 1996, S. 90)
2 050612AM WNS-21.
3 MacArthur, John F., The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (Chicago: Moody Press) 1983.
4 COREnet: a newsletter from CORE Discipleship Ministry

Friday, February 01, 2008