Christ in Titus

Christ Connection - The Elect and God’s Purpose

Paul anchors his apostolic work in a doctrine that puzzles the modern reader: the faith of "God’s elect." He means the faith that belongs to those God has chosen. But chosen when? Before the world began. Ephesians 1:4 tells us Christ saw us and loved us before the foundation of the world was laid. Your faith is not an accident. It rests on an election older than time. God was aiming at you before you ever turned to aim at Him.

Christ Connection - The Pattern of Aging

Jesus’s final work was to hang on a cross sober and patient, grieving but not despairing, having taught His disciples everything and left them in the Father’s hands. Hebrews 5:8 says "though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered." His whole life was a tutorial in aging toward obedience. Every aged person who grows more patient, more trusting, more holy is echoing His pattern.

Christ Connection - The Philanthropy of God in the Incarnation

The kindness and love of God toward man "appeared." In Greek, the word is epiphaneia - appearance, manifestation. It is the word used for Christ’s coming. When Jesus stepped into the world, the kindness of God became visible. A God who stooped to wash disciples’ feet, who ate with sinners, who wept over Jerusalem - this is God’s philanthropia on display. The incarnation is God saying with His whole life: I love the human race.