The Acknowledging Of The Truth
”And the acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness; according to the faith of God’s elect.”—Titus 1:1
St. Paul, though an eminently distinguished apostle of Jesus, yet in regard to the salvation of his own soul, his extraordinary gifts procured it not; nor could his former hatred and persecution of Jesus and his members frustrate the electing love of God, or obstruct the sovereign operations of the holy Spirit. But being chosen of God in Christ Jesus, his heart must partake of the precious faith of God’s elect. Love, almighty, wonderful love, seized him. Jesus challenged him as one of his redeemed souls, stopped him in his mad career, touched his heart, and brought him trembling and astonished to his feet. And the power of faith in heart was manifested by the obedient cry of his lips, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’ Acts 9:6.
Thus election is a doctrine according to godliness. Faith in the heart is an evidence of interest in God’s electing love. It is a special gift of grace, and is connected with salvation. Eph. 2:8. Faith proves itself to be a genuine grace of the holy Spirit, for it submits to and trusts in Jesus’ righteousness for justification, his blood for pardon, his all-prevailing merits and intercession for life. Thus faith glorifies Jesus as priest to atone, honours Jesus as king to rule and govern; and yields obedience to him as a prophet to instruct in the truths of godliness. So the believing soul is stript of every self-righteous plea, brought as a humble self-condemned sinner to the feet of Jesus, and glories in him as his only hope for life and salvation. If there is no election of sinners by God the Father, there is no true faith; for saving faith is peculiar to God’s elect. Do any object and say, I do not believe the doctrine of election. We only reply, we cannot help you, but we pity you; you do not understand your bible, you do not yet “acknowledge the truth which is after godliness.” The faith of God’s elect springs from God’s electing love, it has Jesus for its author and finisher, his life and death for its object, the truths of God’s word for its warrant, God’s promise in Christ Jesus its support, love and holiness its evidence, sure and certain salvation is its end. Well may this be called precious faith indeed.
Whereas mere human faith, as it arises only from the power of the creature, it centres only in nature and self, talks high of terms and conditions, boasts much of human abilities, opposes free-grace, exalts the sinner, debases Jesus, denies the imputation of his righteousness, and renders salvation not only precarious and uncertain, but utterly impossible. Oh soul, study this truth daily: it tends to humility and rejoicing. ‘By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.’ Eph. 2:8
William Mason (1719-1791) was a High-Calvinist author. For many years he served as a Justice of the Peace, and in 1783 was appointed a Magistrate. He served as editor of the Gospel Magazine before and after the editorship of Augustus Toplady. He is best known for a morning and evening devotional entitled, “A Spiritual Treasury For The Children Of God.”
