Generational Segregation in the Church

Servanthood Leads to Freedom

Nowhere else in the gospels does Paul call himself a servant of God. However, Paul quickly ties it to an apostle of Jesus Christ. We should not quickly overlook how he uses it here. Writing to Titus and the leaders of the church on Crete he first establishes himself as serving God. He is indebted (as most servants where in those times) to God for what God has done for him. We are all indebted to what God has done for us (Romans 8:12). But the question arises, "How does a servant know how to serve his Master?" Paul, ties it directly to "an apostle of Jesus Christ." Here is a two fold meaning and likely more, but for us we'll only look at two. First, Paul is directly referencing his Damascus road experience (Acts 9:19, 22:6-11) and the confirmation from the Jerusalem council (Acts 15). Paul is an apostle of Jesus Christ. An apostle is according to Easton Bible Dictionary, "person sent by another; a messenger; envoy." Within that definition we (Christ Followers) should all find ourselves as an apostle. We should all be seeking to spread the Gospel message of the kingdom through our God given talents and abilities, art, music, drama, architecture, accounting, athletics, etc. We are all called to be God's servants and apostles in this regard.

Secondly, for our purposes Paul knows what God the Father, his Master, wants by learning from the ideal servant Jesus Christ. Whenever we are in doubt about who we are or our identity we look at Jesus (Philippians 2:5-7). Whenever we are in doubt about what we should be doing as a servant of God we look at Jesus (John 14:12). We must never stray from the model of Jesus, the physical earthly self, while always being moved by the Christ, His messiahship, his Spiritual Heavenly self.

When we are operating this way we find ourself moving in the direction of Paul, we help "God's elect" those who follow Jesus to grow in "their knowledge of truth." This is powerful for here Paul references a truth given to use by Jesus. 

In John 8:32 Jesus says, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Notice, it is not truth that sets you free, it is "knowing" the truth that sets you free. The Greek word for "knowing" the truth is "ginosko" it means to come to know over time. It means you bathe in it, you study it, you absorb it. Here in Titus 1:1 Paul uses a different Greek word for "know" it is the word "epignosis" it means to direct one's attention towards or knowledge gained in a first hand relationship with someone. It is not knowledge you can gain from reading, or listening, it is only obtained from direct relationship with. Now the Greek word for "truth" in both passages is the same, "aletheia," it means reality. What is truth? Jesus is, "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth (aletheia) and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." When both Jesus and Paul mention truth they are, very matter of factly, telling us there is another reality, Jesus and Jesus brings two dimensions together, spirit world and physical world. When we come into contact with that "truth" and bathe in it and experience it as a relationship with Jesus we are "set free" to be led "into godliness."

This is what Paul is saying in verse one, that he is a servant of God and he knows how a servant of God should be and do by looking at and being in relationship with the truth Jesus, the culmination of heaven (spiritual dimension) and earth (physical dimension). As he follows Jesus, Paul begins to be set free from this world and experiences, via relationship, the reality of a different dimension, one that is eternal and not temporal. The truth of that relationships sets him free to the hope found in verse two.