An Apostle In Hope of Eternal Life
by Pastor Ricky Kurth
"Paul...an apostle of Jesus Christ...in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began" (Titus 1:1,2).
If
you're a Gentile, you should be eternally grateful that Paul, "the
apostle of the Gentiles" (Rom. 11:13), was made an apostle "in hope of
eternal life." You see, before Paul came along, we Gentiles had "no
hope" of eternal life (Eph. 2;11,12)! But Paul was made an apostle to give us that hope.
The word "hope" means to expect or anticipate something that may or may not happen, depending on something else. Paul hoped to
send Timothy to the Philippians, but it depended on how things would go
for him (Phil. 2:19-23). But he told a Gentile named Titus that the
hope of our eternal life depends on the promise of God--the God who "cannot lie." If you think hope like that is pretty secure, say amen!
Of course, if you do think that's a pretty secure hope, it is probably because you've studied the Bible all your life, so you know you can trust
the God of the Bible to keep His promises. But Titus was the leader of
the churches in Crete (Tit. 1:5), an island off the coast of Greece.
So instead of studying the God of the Bible all their lives, the
Cretians studied the gods of the Greeks. And if you want to talk about a
bunch of lowdown, no good, lying scoundrels, just spend some time studying the gods of Greek mythology!
This is why in writing to the leader of the churches in Crete the apostle Paul spoke of God as the God who cannot lie. Surely Titus needed no such assurance, but Paul knew he would share his epistle with his congregations. They
needed to know that this God that was offering them the hope of eternal
life was not a liar like the gods they knew all too well from their
past.
If you're not saved, and you are wondering how to obtain the eternal life that God promised us Gentiles, Paul told Timothy that he was made an apostle "according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus" (II Tim. 1:1). Eternal life is found in Christ! And when Paul also wrote that "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ" (Romans 6:23), we know that God wants to give you eternal life as a free gift. And
the only way to receive this gift is by believing. Speaking of God's
promise of eternal life, Paul says "that the promise by faith of Jesus
Christ might be given to them that believe" (Galatians 3:22).
Believe
what? Believe the gospel! What gospel? The gospel that could save
even the sinful Corinthians! Writing to them, Paul said,
"...I declare unto you the gospel...which also ye have received...by which also ye are saved...Christ died for our sins...and...was buried, and...rose again" (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
Now you know what to believe when Paul says,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
King James Bible
The Preserved and Living Word of God
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
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