of order. Therefore, it should not be surprising to find that God has order in the Church.
On this web page this writer will begin studying the Epistle of Titus where is presented GOD'S ORDER IN THE CHURCH. Consider then "God's Order in the Church--The Messengers" in the opening verses of Titus which first set forth:
I. GOD'S ELECT LEADER--v. 1
A. His Relation to God
1. A servant of God
a. Literally: a bond slave of
b. A giving up of himself wholly to God's will
c. Phrase only occurs here
(I) Elsewhere takes the form of "servant of Jesus Christ"
(II) Phrase here is pertinent to the discussion to follow, for Paul is to speak on God's order, and in that order,
he is first a servant of God, then an apostle.
2. An apostle of Jesus Christ
a. An apostle is one sent forth with orders.
b. This office is given in about all of the Pauline epistles.
B. His Relation to God's People
1. According to faith
a. Literally: down through faith
b. Here the preposition carries the meaning of the end arrived at.
c. Conviction of the truth
d. "With a view to the establishment and confirmation of the faith of the people whom God has chosen."
(Erdman, Charles R., The Pastoral Epistles of Paul. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1923; 138)
2. Of God's elect
a. Can not go into election in detail here. (See Salvation, Part 2)
b. If you are a believer, you are of God's elect.
c. Scripture
(I) Ephesians 1:4
(II) 1 Peter 1:2
C. His Relation to God's Word
1. The acknowledging of the truth
a. The word is full knowledge.
b. Means precise and correct knowledge
c. Truth
(I) What is the truth in any matter under consideration.
(II) John 1:14--full of grace and truth
(III) John 14:6
2. After godliness
a. Godliness--reverence and respect
b. Piety towards God
c. The preposition--same as the phrase according to in form and has the same meaning here.
d. To the establishment of godliness
II. GOD'S ETERNAL LIFE--vv. 2, 3
A. It Is the Hope.
1. The preposition
a. Literally: upon hope
b. diagram:
c. Here takes the force of on account of hope in the sense that hope is being held out or given.
2. Hope
a. Expectation
b. The word occurs most often in connection with eternal salvation.
3. Eternal life
a. Actual order: life eternal
b. Thus: The hope of life--the kind of life that is eternal.
B. It Is the Truth.
1. The word which refers to eternal life.
2. God cannot lie.
a. The phrase cannot lie
(I) Occurs only here
(II) Made up of not + falsehood
b. Literally the phrase here is the without lie God.
c. God is always truthful and thus can be relied upon--Romans 3:4.
3. God promised
a. The word promise--announced upon, or proclaimed toward
b. The verb signifies a once for all act emphasizing the subject.
c. Thus, The without lie God Himself proclaimed toward.
d. Cf. Romans 4:21 for similar use
4. Before the world began
a. More literally: before time began
b. The phrase strains at language to express eternity past--before time without beginning.
C. It Is the Preached Word.
1. But in due times
a. The word but is an adversative conjunction to present a contrast here to the last phrase of verse 2.
b. The phrase due times is two words.
(I) First is the word meaning A measure of time or A fixed and definite time.
(II) The second word means pertaining to oneself, thus appropriate.
(III) The phrase means at a time suitable to the matter at hand.
c. Cf.
(I) Galatians 6:9
(II) 1 Timothy 6:15
2. Manifested His Word
a. The verb manifested
(I) To make visible or known what has been hidden or unknown
(II) Looks at the making known in its entirety
b. His Word
(I) God is the implied subject of the sentence here.
(II) It is His Word that is made known.
(III) Literally: The Word of Him, namely, God
(A) Conveys a rational attribute--the word that is a particular kind
(B) Denotes possession--the kind belonging to God
3. Through preaching
a. The preposition
(I) Literally: in the sphere of
(II) Here it takes the force of by means of.
b. Preaching
(I) That which is proclaimed by a herald
(II) Example: a town crier
(III) 1 Corinthians 1:21
c. By means of preaching, God makes know His Word.
D. It Is the Commandment of God
1. The preaching committed
a. The word which is a relative pronoun connecting the clause to what follows to the word preach.
b. Committed to
(I) Basically the word believe
(II) Here it is passive, so means To be entrusted with anything.
(III) I have been once for all entrusted.
c. God's elect leader is entrusted with preaching.
2. According to the commandment of God our Savior.
a. Same preposition as in v. 1
(I) Here used of the cause
(II) In consequence or by virtue of
(III) 2 Timothy 1:9
b. The commandment
(I) Compound of two words
(A) To place in a certain order
(B) The preposition in verse 2--upon
(II) Thus, an enjoining upon or injunction
c. God our Savior
(I) Literally: Our Savior God
(II) God the Father initiated our salvation.
(III) Can be a strong reference to the deity of Jesus Christ