… to further the faith of God’s elect …
Summary: English translations of the Greek can sometimes differ. The result gives us different views on the author’s meaning. Today’s text leads us to look for ways to further our faith in God.
Having introduced himself and established his credentials, Paul begins to explain his mission and his message. An apostle has both of these. He is sent from God to be in a specific place and time. He has been given a specific message. The reason for that message was (and is) to further the faith of God’s elect.
I wish I could stop here and call it a day! Unfortunately, this is one of those passages that require a little more digging. (By the way, this is our fourth meditation on verse one, and we are still not done. Aren’t you glad that I wasn’t in charge of assigning verse numbers to the Bible?! 🙂 )
As I understand the NIV, it translates the Greek as meaning that Paul’s mission was to help further the faith of God’s elect. In other words, to strengthen and encourage that faith as well as expanding the foundation for the faith. As it turns out, this is not a common understanding of this passage.
Several other translations are similar to the NIV. Yet, most translations say something more like the KJV which says, “according to the faith of God’s elect.” I read this to mean that Paul is an apostle according to the faith that the elect already has.
Is this a problem? No, I don’t think so. It seems to me that there are nuances to Greek that, like English, can be understood in different ways depending on the reader. The meanings are slightly different, but the English translations do not directly contradict each other. Instead, they provide two different ways of looking at the same thing.
Either way works for me, but I have to confess that I am partial to the NIV in this case. It makes sense to me that Paul would want to “further the faith” of those he is writing to. There is a sense of motion in that phrase that appeals to me. It fits with the Paul I know from reading about him in Acts and reading his words in his letters.
So what does it mean to “further the faith” of a believer?
The mission statement for the church that Pastor Rich serves (you can see his comments almost every day on this blog), is elegant and straight-forward: “Helping to make faithful followers of Jesus Christ.” I love that mission statement! It sounds a lot like Paul’s.
Like Paul’s mission, helping someone become a faithful follower of Jesus impacts a person’s faith. The Bible defines faith this way: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) Confidence is based on trust, and trust is grounded in knowledge. Knowledge can mean either who you know or what you know. In the case of faith, both help.
Helping people in their faith requires becoming more confident in the reality of God and the truth of the Scriptures. Someone you trust may have introduced you to God. You believe because you believe the person who told you. For your faith to grow you need to get to know God personally. We do this through reading Scripture, fellowship with believers, prayer, and living as God wants us to live.
Paul’s letter to Titus instructs us in some of the essentials of Christian fellowship. Paul will also give guidance on what it means to live for God. Whatever brings us closer to the living God gives us more confidence in the reality of our God. The result is greater faith.
Application: Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8 – ESV)
Food for Thought: What do you find helps you further your faith in God?
Thank you for the devotion. You did dig deep today indeed. Well done as always.
What do I find helps me further my faith in God? I suppose we could look at any of the spiritual disciplines and the work of the Holy Spirit… but I will specifically mention the word of God. The special revelation of His word was given for that reason. Romans 10: 17.
Rich,
Thank you! Romans 10:17 provides a great focal point for anchoring our faith:
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.“
What do you find helps you further your faith in God?
Exactly Rich, and Jeff, once again thank you for a great question.
43 years ago, God called to me while I was in the depths of sin. He revealed His full knowledge of my internal darkness, the frightening judgement waiting for me, then directed me to a bible study group, where He assured me I would find peace. After six weeks studying the book of John with other men, I accepted Christ. I have continued my studies because I have a strong desire to know and walk closer with this wonderful God who had warned me of severe consequences of my actions, opened my eyes to the one and only way to eternal life through His Son, given me the power to obey His direction which led to the power of all sin has been taken away. Now He is teaching me how to live in this freedom He has given.
We know we have all received our physical bodies from our creator God. We know our physical health and growth, are directly related to what we feed our bodies and our exercise or physical activity.
Ruth 4:13, 1 Samuel 2:21, Genesis 25:21
We know thru faith in Jesus Christ, LIFE is given to our spirits by our God. We know our spiritual health and growth are directly related to the food and exercise we provide our spirits. Spend time with God in His word, in prayer, in thought, in our actions, by giving our lives to God and grow healthy.
Romans 10:17, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 8:28, James 1:5,
We know our God is Omnipresent. He is everywhere, sees everything, knows everything, holds everything together. There is nowhere we can go that He is not already there, there is nothing we can say or do that He is not aware of.
Psalm 139:7-10; 11:4–5 Jeremiah 23:23–24, Colossians 1:17
Gods Word teaches us everything He has chosen to reveal for our spiritual growth toward becoming holy. We have great examples of the success and failure of many men and women, and the power of God to work in the lives of all those who choose to obey His will over their own. I grow as His truths are revealed in all people but choose to look most often to Jesus who lived 100% in the will of His Father God.
Luke 2:52, And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
God wants our time over all other things. He wants to share our lives with us, our joys, our sorrows, whatever we experience will become spiritual growth and increased wisdom. Today I try to live in God. I fail often, but the times I am with Him every step drive me to try harder. One day we were walking in a park and my wife said to me, “you see God in everything don’t you.” I told her I try, it brings peace and purpose to all taking place in this world, and to my spirit.
So in the end, in whatever you choose to do, try to do it for God. Dedicate the time on anything you choose to God, invite Him to be part of it and find peace. This will prove to be better than anything this world has to offer.
Ron,
Thank you! What a beautiful affirmation of our Father’s love for us.
I totally agree, everyday in His word and in prayer, there is evidence of God all around as Ron mentions,..
I think for me now it’s not a matter of furthering my faith as it is strengthening it,..I am sure there isn’t a limit on furthering faith, but as James mentions in his letter,..faith without work is dead. So I work hard at strengthening the faith that God has given me to live this life He has given me,..
Another thing that helps is listening to others that have had God move in their life,..hearing how or what He did for them during in and through their circumstances,..it’s so cool to hear others share His goodness and grace in their lives,..brings a smile to my face everytime,..God’s not dead! He is surely alive!
John,
I agree. It is cool to hear about other’s faith experiences. Thank you for sharing!
I find my faith in God is furthered when I praise Him and focus on Him. When my focus is fully on God in praise, there is no room for the worries of this world. While it’s difficult to keep this up unending, it helps put things in the proper perspective going forward.
Rob,
Praise for our Lord is a wonderful thing to fill our minds with. So much better than worry!