October 9
Bible Reading: Titus 1
Titus 1:16, “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works.”
George Mueller once said, “Our walk counts far more than our talk, always.” Contrarily, recent surveys suggest a disparity in the walk of many American Christians. For example: 75% of Americans claim to believe in God, but only 29% regularly attend church. Even fewer are devoted to their Bibles, as only 25% professing Christians believe the Bible should be taken literally. Arguably, the dichotomy between faith and practice has never been higher. And it shows in the waning influence of the church in our society.
The context of Paul’s instruction to Titus in this chapter had to do with false teachers. These false teachers were “insubordinate, empty talkers” who were “upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach” (Titus 1:10-11). So, Paul spoke of the need for these men to be silenced and instructed Titus to “rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13).
Jesus warned of such a thing in His “Sermon on the Mount,” saying, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day may will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” The folks Jesus warned about possessed a religious profession, even accurately identifying Jesus to be “Lord.” They had some sort of religious practice, claiming to have done things in Jesus’ name. But they were not known by Jesus, at least not in a saving sense (2 Timothy 2:19). But they did not belong to Him, and that was evidenced in their walk. They did not do the “will of (the) Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). They had a religious profession and practice but were in fact “workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23).
Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), but, as Martin Luther once noted, the faith that saves will inevitably lead to good works (Ephesians 2:10): “(Saving faith) is a living, creative, active and powerful thing…(that) cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn’t stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing.”
Paul likewise warned of the worthless nature of a profession unaccompanied by possession of Christ: “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:5-6). One’s “talk” is but “empty words” if unaccompanied by a “walk” that corresponds to some extent to a walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:19-23).
There needs to be some correspondence between one’s talk and one’s walk. This side of heaven, perfection will inevitably lie beyond us (Philippians 1:6, 3:12-14). Nonetheless, there ought to be a discernible difference in the life of the believer. The Apostle John put it this way: “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:10). God has worked to save us from sin so that He might “purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 3:14). That’s the kind of walk that needs to accompany the talk.
If accused of being a Christian, would there be any evidence with which to convict you?
Lord, take my life and make it wholly thine;
Fill my poor heart with thy great love divine.
Take all my will, my passion, self, and pride;
I now surrender; Lord, in me abide.
LookingtoJesus 