To Titus, mine own son after the common faith
Lessons
I. A spiritual relationship (Cf. Acts 15:1-41; Gal 2:2; 2 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 7:6, etc.)
II. A threefold blessing.
1. “Grace,” the source of our redemption.
2. “Mercy,” displayed in our redemption.
3. “Peace,” the result of our redemption.
III. The source and medium of the blessing. God the Father from whom it comes, and Christ the Son through whom it comes. (F. Wagstaff.)
Spiritual parentage
I. That ministers are spiritual fathers to beget children to god, appeareth in that the Hebrew phrase not only styleth them by the name of fathers.
1. Who indeed are so properly by the way of blood and natural generation?
2. Neither, only those who are in a right descending line, though never so far off.
3. Neither, only those who adopt others into the room and place of children.
4. But those also that are in the room of fathers, either generally, as all superiors, in age, place, or gifts; or more specially such as by whose counsel, wisdom, tenderness and care, we are directed as by fathers; who in these offices and not in themselves (for sometimes they be inferiors otherwise) become fathers unto us.
Thus was Joseph an inferior, called a father of Pharaoh; that is, a counsellor. Job, for his tenderness and care, called a father of the poor. Scholars of the prophets, called sons of the prophets. Elisha, saith of Elijah, my father, my father; and Jubal was the father of all that play on harps. But much more properly is the minister called the father of such as he converts unto the faith, because they beget men unto God, as Paul did Onesimus in his bonds, in which regeneration the seed is that heavenly grace whereby a Divine nature is framed, the instrument by which it is conveyed, is the Word of God in the ministry of it. Now if any be desirous to carry themselves towards their ministers, as children towards their parents, they must perform unto them these duties.
1. They must give them double honour (1 Timothy 5:17), reverencing their persons, their places.
2. They must partake in all their goods, as the Levites in the law did; yea, if need be, lay down their necks for their sakes (Romans 16:4) in way of thankfulness.
3. No accusations must be received against them under two or three witnesses; a dutiful child will not hear, much less believe, evil reports of his father.
4. In doubtful cases of conscience resort unto them for counsel, as children to their father.
5. Obey them in all godly precepts, endure their severity, be guided by their godly directions, as those who have the oversight of souls committed unto them, even as the child ingeniously imitateth and obeyeth his father.
II. Faith is one and the same in all the elect, and is therefore called the common faith (Ephesians 4:5), there is one faith which is true. Which grace is but one, and common to all the elect, notwithstanding there be diverse measures and degrees of it peculiar to some. Hence the apostle Peter calleth it the like precious faith.
1. In respect of the kind of it being a justifying faith, by which all that believe have power to be the sons of God (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26).
2. Of the object of it, which is one Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever; who dwelleth in the hearts of every believer (Ephesians 3:17), whom, although the fathers of former ages beheld Him to come, and the latter ages already come: yet both rejoice in seeing His day with the same eye of faith: the difference is, that one seeth it somewhat more clearly than the other.
3. Of the same end of it, which is salvation, common to all believers; called therefore by Jude the common salvation. (T. Taylor, D. D.)
Spiritual children
Calvin’s three children all died in infancy. Of the last he wrote to a friend: “The Lord gave me another son, and the Lord hath taken him away; but have I not thousands of children in the faith of Christ?”
Grace, mercy, and peace
Grace bringing peace
I. The grace of god is the whole sufficiency of his people. The first, middle, and last cause of every good thing conveyed unto them, or issuing from them: not once did the Lord enforce this point upon His own people, teaching them by things temporal, their spiritual estate and condition (Deuteronomy 7:7).
II. Only they that are by grace and mercy accepted of god have their portion in this peace here mentioned.
1. Peace, that is all kind of prosperity, is promised only to the godly. They shall prosper in everything; and the apostle pronounceth it, only upon the Israel of God.
2. It is accordingly bestowed upon those only that are justified by faith; seeing they only have peace with God, which is the principal part of it.
3. To show it to be a fruit of God’s grace, sundry phrases in Scripture might be alleged; as that it is called the “peace of God,” and that God is called the “God of peace”; as also that difference which is worthy to be observed between the salutations of the Old and New Testament. In, the Old Testament, grace and peace are never joined. The ordinary form of salutation was, “peace be with thee,” “peace be to this house,” “go in peace”; but the apostles, after the mystery of redemption was revealed and perfected before the ordinary salutation, prefix this word--grace, or mercy, or both; that as they are never joined in the Old Testament, so are they never separated in the New, to show that we cannot look to have one of them alone, or separate them, no more than we can safely sunder the branch from the root, or the stream from the fountain. (T. Taylor, D. D.)
Peace through Christ
A minister was asked to visit a poor dying woman. The messenger being ignorant could give no account of her state, except that she was a very good woman and very happy, and was now at the end of a well-spent life, therefore sure of going to heaven. The minister went, saw that she was very ill, and after a few kindly inquiries about her bodily condition, said: “Well, I understand you are in a very peaceful state of mind, depending upon a well-spent life.” The dying woman looked hard at him, and said: “Yes, I am in the enjoyment of peace. You are quite right; sweet peace, and that from a well-spent life. But it is the well-spent life of Jesus; not my doing, but His; not my merits, but His blood.” Yes; only one man has spent a life that has met all the requirements of God’s holy law, and on which we rest before God. (Preacher’s Lantern.)