Foundations of our faith
by Charles Bertelsmeier
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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 — in the hope of eternal life … (Titus 1:1,2a).
Read Titus 1:1–16
How do we know God’s will and purpose for our lives? God leads us in many different ways, through the circumstances of our daily lives, through the things we hear, see and read and through the message in the pages of God’s revealed truth to us in the Bible. But many things also impact us negatively, encouraging us to concentrate on ourselves and what we can get out of life, sometimes even at the expense of others.
The Apostle Paul had been working with Titus to share the good news in Crete. When he departed, he left Titus behind to complete the work he had been doing. The believers in Crete were being impacted negatively by the views expressed by other people on Crete, often with ulterior motives. Paul’s instructions to Titus in his letter aimed to provide a solid foundation for the believers.
The foundation for how we live our lives is Jesus. He lived a life of perfect obedience to his Father. It helps us to regularly go over his life’s story in the gospels to see how he made clear his Father’s purpose in what he said and did. Jesus also did this amazing swap with us, where he takes on himself the consequences of all our failures to live as he did and allocates the perfection of his own life to us. So, in God’s eyes, we are legally perfect and sinless. All this was done through Jesus’ deep love for us. It is only as we are overwhelmed by the extent of this love that we can surrender our whole lives to God’s will and purpose.
Paul’s letter to Titus then gives lots of practical advice on living a life surrendered to God’s will and purpose for us, living as his children and enjoying the guidance and support provided by the heavenly family we are now part of.
Again, Jesus, we thank you for all you have done to make us your brothers and sisters. Help us more clearly see the vision of ourselves being part of your family, working in your family business and sharing in the blessings of our close relationship with you. Amen.
Charles is a retired engineer who has worked on communications projects for the air force, army and navy. He lives in retirement in the outer north-western suburbs of Sydney with his wife, Diane. They have four children and eight grandchildren, all of whom they love spending time with. He keeps himself busy looking after their pot plants and the community vegetable garden, researching his family history and volunteering in the community and at LifeWay Lutheran Church.
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