PROFESSED CHRISTIAN, PRACTICING ATHEIST

TITUS 1:16

Morning Meditation 6/30/2013

The truth of this verse has come to mind many times over the years. Paul is dealing with a problem that is also common today. It is easy for me to “say” I believe something without practicing that belief.

This text says, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

One of my personal guidelines in preparing the Morning Meditations is to share with those on my mailing list what the Lord shows me in my morning devotionals. So I try to avoid statements like “You need to get right ....” I try to deal with subjects that deal with “me” or “we” or “us.” I don’t always do it. The negative post on my personal battery is a lot larger than my positive post. As a result I slip and start finger pointing. When you see me do that, you know it is a slip. My mind has gone to sleep and forgotten its original purpose.

Now I said all that to say that Paul does not mind using “I” (Gk. ego) in writing. I believe there is about thirty “I’s” in Romans seven. But he does not mind excluding himself when it is appropriate. Here he says, “They profess.” He does not say “we profess” because first of all he does not believe Titus is guilty of what he is saying in this verse. He knows he is not. Paul practiced what he preached. There are some things you can know about yourself (You see, I just did it again!). There are some things we can know about ourselves. We can know if there is a difference between what we say we believe and what we practice. I have not always practiced what I preached. I have said, and I still believe it, that a person should not preach beyond his experience of truth. This has to be qualified or we could never preach on the Second Coming and Heaven. But I certainly need to practice my beliefs. So Paul said “they” because he knew he did not deny the Lord by his life style. What he preached he lived.

The words “they profess” (homologeo) mean “to say the same thing as another, i.e., to agree with, to assent.” This means that those of whom Paul speaks had “adopted the statement of faith.” They had agreed with “the church covenant.” They were a part of the body (the local church) and professed themselves to agree with those things “most surely believed among us..” (Luke 1:1). This is a present active indicative verb. This means that Paul is addressing himself to a present condition. They are right now saying they believe. The active voice means this profession that they made was a personal choice. No one forced a belief on them. It was a decision they made and a profession they are at the present time making.

The words “that they know God” is at the center of their claim. The word “know” (eido) means “to perceive with the eyes.” This indicates knowing and understanding. It implies the organization of one’s perceptions so as to grasp the true nature of the issue, concept, or thing. In Greek thought, knowledge comes through the senses, and that which is known can be verified by observation.

This could suggest that their beliefs were not only based on what they heard of God’s word but on what they had observed in the way of miracles and wonder which were performed by the early church as a confirmation of the message they preached. Paul said to Corinth, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor. 2:4). Miracles were given as a confirmation of the Word in that day (Heb. 2:4). But what happens when the miracles are gone? Do we still believe the Word? And does our belief in the Word stand the test of trials? Are we to live the rest of our lives needing some kind of outward demonstration for us to say “I continue to believe in God? Paul said “They profess to know God . . . ” so there may be a subtle suggestion of a fault in their original faith in the definition of these terms.

The words “but in their works they deny him” identify a serious flaw in their faith. If there were those in that day who claimed to be Christians who were practicing atheists, I believe they exist today. This also presents a problem for me. I need to watch that my practice and my profession are the same. However, that becomes difficult. I have an old sin nature that I have never been able to train. It is incorrigibly wicked. I have done my best to improve it. It refuses to be trained. I have discovered that that is not me. It is “sin that dwells in me” (Rom. 7:17, 20). I am a new person in Christ and He is in me. My new man which is the real me since I have been saved, is truly righteous because it was created righteous (Eph. 4:24) and does not need to become more righteous because it is the perfect righteousness of Christ which has been given me (Rom. 5:17). And I (the new me created in Christ Jesus) do not even have sin imputed to me (Rom. 4:8). But I still find myself embarrassing myself because I continue to expect more out of me than I am able to perform. So, I begin again to try to train the flesh, i.e., that the old man when I know theologically that he is unattainable. So after I put up with the pseudo guilt until it becomes almost unbearable, I get my theology and my practice together and I come out relieved, unburdened and having a camp meeting spell.

If I preach the ideal, which I certainly should, there will be what I just described above. Here is where my idea of a preacher not preaching beyond his practice breaks down. So I must conclude that I must be sincere and not willingly (the Bible calls it presumptuous sin (Psa. 19:13) and deliberately practicing what I preach and teach against.

The words “deny him” (arneomai) is a present middle indicative verb. This means “continue to deny him.” The middle voice is where the subject (those who do this) acts and participates in the result of the action. This means that they will reap what denying him will reap in the final harvest. This could be contrasted to those of us who will reap what believing in him will reap in the final harvest. Believing in and confessing him is contrasted to denying him. Denying him not only deals with denying him as Saviour but denying his right to rule in the life. When I invited him into my life as Saviour, I also, at the same time, invited him to rule in my life.

The words “being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” describe what the natural man does when he has no control on his life. The only way to avoid this kind of life is to be truly saved and absolutely committed to the Lordship of Christ. If I allow Christ to be my boss, he will not allow abominable practices and disobedience. Have you ever had the Lord sit you down and give you a good lecture about why a certain thing is wrong? I have. And what he thinks is important enough to me to say, “Ok Lord, I won’t do that again?”

It is bad enough to run into an atheist. But it is a lot worse to run into a professing Christian, who is a practicing atheist. To profess Christ and live like an atheist is to deny one’s faith and is an abomination to God. God deliver me from that.

May the Lord bless you.

In Christ

Bro. White