Encounter the Truth

Jonathan Griffiths: For us who believe, they are a timely reminder, a regrounding in the basics. And for those who are new to Christian things or just exploring the faith, if that's you, this is a crisp introduction to the essentials of Christian truth.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths, and today we're beginning a new series. It's called Transformed by Truth. And Jonathan, if you were to say here's one passage of the Bible, here's one place that you need to go to to understand the basics of the Christian truth, where would you take us?

Jonathan Griffiths: Well, I think these opening verses of Paul's letter to Titus would be pretty strong contestants for that. The Apostle Paul is a wonderfully crisp and concise teacher, and here in these verses and in this letter, he's setting out some of the basics and the essentials of the Christian faith. And if you're just starting out to explore these things or you're wanting to be regrounded, this is a great place to be, and we're glad that you're joining us today.

Guest (Male): We are. We're going to be in the book of Titus, as you just heard, kind of near the back of the New Testament. So grab a Bible and meet us there as we look at the first four verses of Titus. Here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: It's always fascinating to see how different people in different times and different places and different cultures introduce themselves. It's quite a study that, actually. An introduction gives you quite a lot of insight into a person and to where they're coming from.

In the United States, for instance, it might be more common for someone when introducing themselves to say, "Hi, I'm John Smith. Who are you?" Or if they're particularly bright and confident and breezy, they might just put out their hand in non-COVID times, put out their hand for a handshake and just say, "John Smith, good to meet you."

In England, I've noticed it might be more common when meeting someone new just to say, "How do you do?" which one learns is not actually a question inviting an answer. "Oh, I'm fine, thank you very much. Let me tell you about my week this week." It's more often a way of politely avoiding too much further conversation at that point in time.

Here in Ottawa, I've noticed in some circles, particularly among politicians and diplomats—and some of you work in those circles—it's more common actually to begin an exchange with the presentation of a card of introduction, a business card. And I've got a little growing collection of those, fascinating with some wonderful titles of emissaries from different lands all around the world. It's fascinating to see how people introduce themselves, and we do well to pay close attention to those introductions if we want to know and understand the people whom we meet.

Today, we embark on a new series in a new Bible book, Paul's letter to Titus and the young church at Crete. Evidently, Paul had planted this island church during one of his missionary journeys, and he left his ministry associate, Titus, there to continue the work of grounding and establishing that church. And now he's writing to Titus and with him to the believers there at Crete to give some further instruction as to what it means to be the people of God gathered as the Church of God.

Even though Paul was well known to Titus—he calls him his child in the faith in verse four of the opening chapter—even so, Paul begins with a personal introduction, one weighty with significance. And that's where we're going to focus our attention in these opening verses today. Notice with me how the passage begins. This is Titus, chapter 1 and verse 1.

Paul writes, "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 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; to Titus, my true child in a common faith: grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior."

How does Paul introduce himself? How does he want to be known? What defines his identity and what drives him in his ministry? Well, he is a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. Just as some of the diplomats in our city have titles defined by their mission—Ambassador, High Commissioner, and all the like—Paul's identity is defined not by his personal accomplishments or aspirations, but by the Master whom he serves and the work he has been given to do.

An apostle, you may know, is someone who has been commissioned and sent by Jesus. And Paul knows why it is that he has been sent. It is to facilitate, it is to enable the faith of God's elect, the people God has set apart for salvation. He has been sent that they might have knowledge of the truth. Now, that's who Paul is. That is what Paul is all about. His apostolic mission, it is about faith, it is about truth, and he wants Titus and the young believers at Crete to really know the truth, to be grounded in the truth, to be growing in the truth.

But you know, Paul doesn't stop there in his words of introduction. He's not content simply to remind Titus of his apostolic mission. He now takes the opportunity to remind Titus and this church of the contours of apostolic truth, the core elements of his message. And that's where Paul is taking us now. That's what he has on the front of his business card, his card of introduction. And you know, we might actually wonder why.

Why does he need to do this right at the start of this particular letter? Presumably, Titus already knew the apostolic message. Presumably, the Christians at Crete had already heard it themselves. They were already on board with the gospel, after all. But you know, Paul has the good sense and wisdom to know that believers need to hear the basics, need to hear the core elements of the message again and again and again. They needed it all those years ago at Crete, living as they did in the midst of a toxic culture and a very hard spiritual environment.

And we need it in our day, living as we do in a culture that buffets our faith day by day. And so for us who believe, these words of introduction, they are a timely reminder, a regrounding in the basics. And for those who are new to Christian things or just exploring the faith, if that's you, this is a crisp introduction to the essentials of Christian truth. What do we learn? What do we see here about the truth that lies at the very heart of the mission of the Apostle Paul?

Well, we see first that this truth, apostolic truth, it accords with godliness. It goes along with godliness. Notice it again with me at the end of verse one: "the knowledge of the truth," that's what he's interested in, "which accords with godliness." The message that drives and fires Paul is a message that is not simply for the head or even for the heart. It is a message that is going to transform lives. It is a message that is going to lead to godliness.

This connection between gospel and godliness, between truth and transformation, this is one of the key connections and central themes of Titus. It is probably actually the central theme of the letter. It's here at the opening, it's repeated throughout, and Paul actually returns to it at the end. Just notice with me how Paul comes back to reinforce it. Chapter 3 and verse 8, here's an instruction to Titus, verse 8 of chapter 3: "The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works." Those who have believed, they need to devote themselves to good works.

Chapter 3 and verse 14: "And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works." Paul believes that the Christians in Crete understand the message of the gospel. I think he has a pretty high level of confidence in that. But here is the burden on his heart for them. He wants them to understand that the truth of the gospel always leads to life change. He wants them to understand that knowing the truth up here must lead to growth in godliness in life. You see, he sees a danger that they may be orthodox in most elements of their theology, but they might then fail to see how that theological truth needs to impact their daily lives and their character.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths, and a message called Knowing the Truth. It's part of our series that we're just beginning called Transformed by Truth. Today, taking a look at the first four verses of the book of Titus. And we're going to get back to this message in just a moment. Do hope that you will stay with us. If you ever join us late, you have to leave early, or you just want to go back and listen to part of a program that you missed, you can always do that by coming to our website. It's encounterthetruth.org. You can stream the program or download an MP3. You can also listen if you have the Encounter the Truth app. Simply go to your favorite app store and look for Encounter the Truth, and that's a great way to listen on the go, whenever it fits your schedule. All right, let's get back to the message. Once again, here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: Now, as we consider that connection between gospel and godliness, between truth and transformation, I think we see, don't we, right away that there is a challenge for us here. We see how timely this little letter is for us. There is a message here that you and I need to heed, and we need to take on board. You see, I think it's possible to get hold of the idea of gospel grace, the idea that we are saved by faith and not by works, and that's gloriously true, by the way. That's absolutely true.

But I think it's possible to grab hold of that idea and to reach the conclusion very quickly that it therefore doesn't matter too much how I live my life. If I confess faith in Jesus, if I hold to gospel Christianity, then that's all that matters, my profession of faith, and I'm okay. I may be living a complete double life. I may be indulging in all kinds of ungodliness. I may be going absolutely nowhere in my development of Christian character. I may be totally stagnant in my discipleship or even moving backwards year by year. But I'm okay, because I've assented to Christian truth. I know the truth.

And here's what Paul wants to say to us, here's what he wants to say to you. The truth that you say you believe, it is truth, by its very nature, it is truth which accords with godliness. It goes along with godliness. It leads to godliness. It results in godliness. That is the very nature of apostolic truth. Gospel, it can't be separated from godliness. Truth, it can't be separated from transformation of life.

Now, the Christians at Crete, they especially needed to hear that because they were living in a pretty toxic culture and a pretty toxic kind of environment. Evidently, Crete had a pretty bad reputation in the ancient world. Just notice what Paul reports down in verse 12 of chapter 1. Quite striking, isn't it? One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." And then Paul adds on the editorial comment, "This testimony is true." Those are pretty hard words, aren't they? And Paul, he doesn't soften the blow. That pretty much sums up Crete, says Paul. This testimony, it's true.

I was born and grew up in the city of Toronto, and I gather that Toronto back in the Victorian era, Toronto used to be known as "Toronto the Good." It had a wholesome reputation as a city in years gone by. Well, Crete in the ancient world, it could have been known as "Crete the Bad," "Crete the Corrupt," "Crete the Ugly." And living in a toxic culture of lies, of evil, beastly behavior, laziness, gluttony, living in that environment, some who professed Christ were fitting in just a little too well. Seeming to imagine that it was okay to say one thing and do another.

But look at Paul's verdict down in verse 16 on that kind of thing. "They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work." It's dangerous, that kind of thing, that disconnect between gospel and godliness, between truth and transformation. Friends, I think one of the great myths about Christianity that we need to break down, we need to agree to get rid of it in our Christian culture—one of the great myths that gets traction in circles even such as our own, I fear—it is the myth that it doesn't matter at the end of the day how we behave.

Doesn't matter too much about our character. Doesn't matter too much about our godliness or lack thereof. All that matters is that we know the truth and trust in Jesus. And Paul says no. The true gospel is designed to transform us. The truth of the gospel, it actually demands repentance and demands change. And if we actually know it, and if we actually believe it, if we have really accepted it, it's going to change us. That's the nature of the truth. Apostolic truth is the truth that accords with godliness.

The parallels here are very far from exact, okay, but try this on for size. Imagine you decided you wanted to get in shape, lose a pound or two. You buy into some kind of a dieting program, a book or an app. You study the particular regime, whatever it is that's in fashion at the particular time. You learn all the guidelines and all the rules. You become absolutely convinced of its merits. You join the social media group for this plan. You effuse about it to all your friends.

You say how it has revolutionized your thinking, how amazed you are by it, how you believe that it's going to now change everything for you. But your friends notice over the weeks and months that go by while you're effusing about this plan that it looks like the extra pounds haven't actually gone anywhere. Maybe one or two have even been added. And when they quiz you about this miraculous plan, it turns out that you've become fully versed in the theory of it. You've joined all the groups, set up the app, put the reminders on your phone, but you have in no way changed your diet or your behavior.

For you, this new dieting plan, it is all theory, no action. And of course, for something that is meant to change your life, that kind of commitment at the end of the day, it proves empty. It proves meaningless. It proves worthless. It proves to be, frankly, absurd. Now, on some level, inexact parallels, okay, but on some level, the same is true, isn't it, when it comes to the Christian faith, to the apostolic truth. If we say we've signed up but it hasn't in any way impacted our living, we are missing something, friends. At some point, it's pretty absurd.

At some point, our profession of faith proves empty. Now, we're not saved by what we do. Absolutely not. Our salvation does not in any way hang upon our performance. We're saved by faith, faith alone. But the gospel that saves us is meant to transform us, and by the Spirit of God, the truth is powerful to transform us. And so let me just ask you, let me ask you the question, you take it away and think about it. Have you taken this seriously in your own walk with Christ, in your own discipleship?

Has this sunk into your mind and your heart, that this truth that you believe, it is meant to change you, to make you more like Jesus as each day goes by? Do you see some evidence of it happening over time in your own life? Are others noticing anything in the way of life change? Are there areas, perhaps on the other hand, where this change is just not happening? You know it's not happening, and perhaps it is time to get serious about bringing your life and your character and your behavior in line with the truth that you've believed, the faith that you profess.

For those looking on, for those considering the faith and wanting to get to the heart of true Christianity, if that's you and I hope there are a number, let me encourage you: find people who not only carry the name of Christ, but who show by their lives that they are being transformed by Christ. They're not going to be perfect, of course they're not, but who show that their lives are being changed. Look for people like that and find out about their faith. There are plenty of people around who claim some kind of Christian commitment, but the true faith, the faith that's worth investigating, the faith that's worth emulating, it is the faith that accords with godliness.

Guest (Male): Jonathan Griffiths here on Encounter the Truth, and part of a message called Knowing the Truth. It's the first message in our series called Transformed by Truth. And if you want to make sure that you never miss a broadcast in this series, of course you can be listening to the radio, but you can also listen online at our website. That's encounterthetruth.org. There you can stream the program or download an MP3 for free. You can also listen if you have the Encounter the Truth app. That's a great way to listen on the go, really on demand whenever it fits your schedule.

If you don't have the app yet, simply go to your app store and look for Encounter the Truth. Once you get the app, not only can you listen, but you can connect with other aspects of the ministry, or you can do all that through the website. Again, it's encounterthetruth.org. Well, Encounter the Truth is listener-supported. If you're a regular listener, you know what that means. We depend on your generosity to keep Jonathan's teaching on this station. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to send you a copy of Jonathan's newest book. It's called Strangers and Exiles, taking a look at the story in the life of Abraham. And Jonathan, what do you hope that will take away from reading this book?

Jonathan Griffiths: Well, there's so much to take away. It's such a rich study, and the story of Abraham and the person of Abraham occupies such an important place in the salvation plan of God. The more I studied it, actually, that section of Genesis, the more I studied Abraham's life, the more I found there for our Christian discipleship, which was so key. A few things: I think there is a real emphasis within the story of Abraham on the faithfulness of God through all the ups and downs of history and through all the ups and downs of the life of His people.

We see God's steady faithfulness and His determination to work out His purposes, no matter what's happening in the story of His people. And I think that's so important for us to take hold of, that the unchanging God is faithful and will fulfill His plans and His purposes. But then on the level of discipleship, you know, Abraham is far from perfect. We see his sin and his failure and sometimes his slowness to believe and his slowness to obey. That's all there in 3D, and the Bible doesn't hold back in telling us the truth about that.

But we see that the Lord is willing to use him and work in his life nonetheless. The Lord's grace just permeates the story. And then the third thing we see is that the story of Abraham and the promises made to Abraham by God point us forward well beyond Abraham himself to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the fullness of the gospel. And it's so wonderful to see how the salvation plan of God is traced through the storyline of the Bible. Studying that and seeing that actually increases our confidence in the coherence of the wider plan of God and the whole word of God. And I think that's immensely enriching for us to see.

Guest (Male): Well, you're going to see that as you receive a copy of Jonathan's book, Strangers and Exiles. It is our thank you gift to you as you financially support Encounter the Truth this month. You can give a gift online at encounterthetruth.org or call us at 1-833-99-TRUTH. That's 1-833-998-7884. And again, the website is encounterthetruth.org. You can also write us at Encounter the Truth, 2176 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K2E 0A1. Or in the US at Encounter the Truth, 215 North Arlington Heights Road, number 102, Arlington Heights, Illinois, 60004. For Jonathan Griffiths and our producer Mark Bretta, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll join us next time.