Today's Scripture
TODAY’S READING SCHEDULE: Proverbs 10-12; Titus 1
Titus 1:15-16 NIV
To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
What does this passage mean to me/us? Contributed by Luci Wright
Paul was writing to his dear friend and fellow believer Titus regarding the duties that he had entrusted to Titus on the island of Crete. Titus was a non-circumcised Gentile convert, who was like a son to Paul. Apparently, the Cretans had a well-deserved reputation in the ancient world for being a greedy, lazy and untrustworthy group. Therefore, Titus had a monumental task to shepherd the early church among this population. Paul advised him to select elders who were exemplary in character as well as their whole family. Paul had traveled with Titus and knew him to be a man capable of handling the contentious Cretans.
At this time, there were a number of false teachers in Crete most likely of Jewish background, who were creating problems. These false teachers were discrediting that the simple story of Jesus and his gift of salvation were sufficient. They kept creating long lists of sins, which were entangled in Jewish laws and regulations. In other words, grace was not enough as they taught one had to observe the minutia of various laws. Paul advised Titus that these men had to be stopped from spreading this message.
Those who followed Jesus’ teachings knew that purity came from a person’s heart. If your heart was pure, then everything was “clean.” A person who had not accepted God’s grace and had an impure heart was then “unclean” in everything that they did or said. It was God’s grace that cleansed and not hundreds of rules and regulations. Some people may have claimed to know God intellectually, but their life did not reflect that knowledge. Then they were detestable and thus useless to God. The ultimate goal was to be useful in God’s kingdom rather than hindering it. This message still holds true for us in the world today.
Prayer
Lord, help me to accept your gift of grace. Salvation brings freedom and joy to live as your beloved child. Help me to realize that truth in both heart and head and to live in such a way that it will benefit your kingdom here on earth. Thank you for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that helps to make this truth real. In Jesus precious name. Amen.
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