Knowledge and Godliness
“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.” (Titus 1:1–4, ESV)
Overlooked Introductions
Often, we overlook the introductions to the Biblical letters. Many people see them as necessarily unnecessary—the author HAD to put the information in there, but it’s not really necessary or important information. So many people skip these first few verses in order to “get to the good stuff.”
Jam Packed Intro
It’s a lot harder to skip the intro to the book of Titus. The Apostle Paul packs so much information into this tiny intro that it forces you to slow down and ask, “What is he saying?” In four verses, Paul talks about the calling of a minster, the work of a minister, the doctrine of election, the importance of faith and knowledge, godliness, hope, eternal life, the fact that God doesn’t lie, God’s sovereignty, the importance of preaching, etc. I could keep going, but that wouldn’t be helpful.
Knowledge and Godliness
In the midst of this flurry of topics, I want to focus on one. Paul says he is an apostle “for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth.” (Titus 1:1, ESV). That’s the purpose of his calling. God has called him to work with God’s people so they know the truth and their faith is strengthened. This is also the calling of every pastor.
Yet, Paul says one more thing that is very important. He says he is working for their “…knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness…” (Titus 1:1, ESV).
An Unpopular Opinion
This is an unpopular opinion these days. This passage is placing a deep connection between KNOWLEDGE and GODLINESS. Yet, many people don’t want to make that connection any more. I’ve had people strongly tell me the church should stop focusing so much on “doctrine” and should focus on becoming more like Jesus. Yet, anyone who says anything like this is placing a separation between knowledge and godliness that isn’t in the Bible. And, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”” (Mark 10:9, ESV).
A Historical Opinion
This separation between knowledge and godliness hasn’t existed throughout the history of the church. If you were to ask someone today, “Who were the most godly people in the church's history?” their gut reaction would be to respond, “The monks.” Then, if you were to ask, “Who were some of the most educated people throughout history?” those same people would be forced to say, “The monks.” The separation wasn’t there.
Like Jesus, How?
For those who say we should stop focusing on doctrine and focus on becoming more like Jesus, we need to ask, “Like Jesus how?” The only way you can answer that question is to KNOW something about Jesus. We need to study the way Jesus lived and acted in the world. We need to study that things Jesus said and taught. We CANNOT become more like Jesus unless we KNOW more about Him. There is no separation between knowledge and godliness.
Study for Godliness
This means we need to read and study our Bibles regularly. Hearing a sermon once a week is not enough—even if it’s a really good sermon. We need to have our hearts and minds saturated with God’s Word—knowing all the ins and outs—so we can actually live godly lives right now.