The Pulpit Commentary — Titus — Section 6

the type of Old Testament &ervice, Moses and the prophets being pre-eminently cmlled the "servants of God;" (3) his ministry in the service of a royal Master (Matt. xviii. 23-.'32), who makes him a member of his household, a pillt,r of his temple, a sharer of his throne (Rev. iii. :zl). 2. He i,s an apostle of Jesus Christ. This is a more exacl definition of his office. (1) He had his commission and his doctrine from him. (2) He had all the signs and proofs of an apostle in him, for he had received power to work miracles as well as to declare Divine truth. (3) It is, therefore, vain and deceptive for any to assume the name who cannot show the signs of an apostle. II. THE EKD OF THE APOSTOLIC OFFICE. " For the faith of God's elect, and the full knowledge of the truth which is after godliness." It was designed for the furtherance of the faith and knowledge of believers. 1. The apostle felt that he was appointed to prea<:h the doctrine offaith, and to be the instrument of bringing men to the obedience of faith. (Rom. i. 5 ; x. 17.) (1) Therefore all claims to apostolic authority by men who have abandoned the faith, or overlaid it with error and superstition, are to be rejected by the Church of God. (2) All true faith rests on the Divine foreordination; for it is " the faith of God's elect." Election is, therefore, not to be regarded as eq ui- valent to faitl,, much less 11s its consequence (Eph. i. 4); for it is its true cause. The Father is the Elector, as the Son is the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit the Sanctifier. 2. The apostolic oifice was designed likewise to impart the full knowledge of the truth which is after godliness." (1) Truth is the object-the Word of truth, which comes lrom him who is the God of truth, .who is Christ the Truth itself, who is the Spirit of truth. It was this truth that tb_e apostle preached with all faithfulness and clearness. (2) Knowledge is the subjective aspect of it, and becomes ours through faith. (3) The truit of this truth is '' godliness." It is designed to promote holiness of life and character. It is impossible that this knowledge can be morally unfruitful. IIL THE BASIS OF THIS TRUTH. "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before eternal times." The ground and condition of this truth is the hope of eternal life, which is the animating principle at once of the apostle and of the Church of God. 1. The principle of .\ope. The word occurs fifty-two times in the Nrw Testament, and is always connected with God, with the Mediator, and with believers. (1) Its author is God, who is "the God of hope" (Rom. xv. 13), who has given us "a good hope through grace" (2 Thess. ii. l(i), and given us Christ as "our Hope," even "the Hope of glory." (2) Hope connects us with the future as memory with the past, and is intended to neutralize the materializing influence of earthly life around us. Thus, God has given us prophecy and promise to gratify the wants, the longings, and the anticipations of the human soul. 2. The o~ject and sum of Christian hope. "Eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before eternal times." (1) This life is in Christ Jesus; "for the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. vi. 23). But it includes (a) the full fruition of God to all eternity; (b) the fellowship of the Redeemer's throne; (c) the fulness of joy; (d) likeness to Christ. (2) It ii; eternal life, without a break in the happy continuity of bliss; fur it is life with- out sin or death to mar its perfectness. It is eternal, because he is at once its Author and Support, as being that "Eternal Life that was with the Father" (1 John i. 2). (3) The age of tl,is promise. "Before eternal times." (a) Thi~ is not ~erely before ~he times of tbe world. or (b) before the world began, (c) but really m the etermty past; because the rcforence is not to t-he covenants of Adam or Abraham, but to the covenant of redemption in Christ before the foundation of the world (2 Tim. i. 9-11). The apostle does not merely say that the promise of eternal life was the result of a Divine purpose fixed from eternity, but that it was made from eternity to believers, because it was made to Christ, whose members they are. It is impossible to under- stand the meauiug of these words without reference to the federal transaction between the Father and the Son (Zeeb. vi. 13). This was the very " promise of life in Christ ' Jesus" of which the apostle speaks to Timothy (2 'l'im. i. 1). (4) 'l'be guarantee for the fulfilment of this promise. "God, that cannot lie, promised" it. God gave both a promise and an oath to Abraham, that "by two immutable things, in which it waN impussible that God should lie," we should have a sure hope (Heb. vi. 18). IV. Tim llABIFEBTATION O'l" THIS ANCIENT PBOMIBE, "But in his own s~asons mani- fested hil Word in tbe message wherewith I was entrusted, according to the command- ment of God our Saviour," 1. The manifutatioo waa made in G<J, own 11eaaona. OB. I, 1-16,) THE EPISTLE TO TITUS. '1