Titus, Part OneSample

The importance of knowing the truth

“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness” (Titus 1:1, NIV).

Paul elaborates a bit on his task as an apostle. He should further not only the faith of God’s elect but also their knowledge of the truth. For if people grow in this knowledge, they will also grow in their devotion to God. When we begin to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is, we will start to love Him back. When we begin to grasp what spiritual blessings the Lord has for His children and how great a future He will give them, we will receive strength to say “no” to sin. Our living hope helps us to endure difficulties. When we get a deeper understanding of the price that Jesus paid for our sins, we will be all the more willing to honor Him in every part of our life.

Paul thus says that knowledge of the truth is not just theoretical. It directly influences how we live. It is literally life changing!

Paul himself “counts everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus [his] Lord” (Philippians 3:8), and he wants to share this knowledge with others.

Do you agree with him? How could you help others to get to know God better?