THE COMMON FAITH

Titus 1:1-4 (KJV)
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Benjamin Franklin’s parents wanted him to be a preacher. He wanted to be a sailor.
As a young boy he was difficult to handle so his father sent him off to serve as an apprentice for his older brother.
After a time, Benjamin ran away, I think to Philadelphia and set up his own print shop where, among other things, he created the Poor Richard’s Almanac.
During these years, he and a group of young friends formed a club they called Junto, where they came up with ideas of and founded, the public library, the public school, and the public fire department.
He became wealthy enough in the printing business to retire at a very young age and dedicate his time to inventing and science.
Franklin invented the bifocal glasses and the Franklin, freestanding woodstove. He also experimented with electricity, discovering that lightning was electric. He is the inventor of the lightning rod, credited with saving many homes from burning down from lightning strikes.
As he reached his middle to upper years, Franklin served as a diplomat in England.

The interesting thing about all of this is that we would know none of it except that Benjamin Franklin wrote it in his own autobiography.

And he wrote it, not for public interest, but for his son.

Franklin had one son, William who he loved very much.

But then came the Revolution.
Franklin took the side of the Revolutionaries
His son took the side of England

And the difference of opinion was of such consequence that, only one time after the war broke out did the two speak again.

William was taken prisoner by the American early on. Benjamin Franklin went to visit his son and try to convince him to see the Revolutionary ideals. When William refused, the two parted ways, never to speak again.

Franklin’s autobiography ends where the Revolutionary war begins because he no longer had the audience, he had begun writing it for.

The differences of opinion could not change the fact that William was Benjamin’s son.
But it did change their relationship.

I use that to illustrate the biblical truth that, once we are saved we can never not be saved.

The Bible says,
John 1:11-12 (KJV)
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

A son of God can never be anything other than a son of God.

But it is possible to have a broken relationship with God nonetheless.
2 Corinthians 6:14-181
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

See:
· You can be saved but not be in agreement with God
· You can be saved but not be in concord with God
· You can be saved but not be in fellowship with God

And it is only when we are in fellowship with God that our relationship is truly as sons and daughters ought to be.

Having said that I want to take you back to Titus 1:4 (KJV)
To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Paul says that Titus us his own son.
But it is not through birth.

Titus was Paul’s own son, notice the phrase, “after the common faith.”

For my outline, I’d like to break that phrase down into its four words.

I. AFTER
Strong’s concordance says that this word means down, or down through.

The word occurs more than 375 times in the New Testament and is translated:
· According to
· After
· Against
· Daily[2]
And a number of others similar to daily.

The point is this, Titus’ faith belonged to him because it was given to him.

It was not his own.

He had not discovered it, conceived of it, come up with it on his own.

Titus had the faith he had because hid had been passed down to him.

This is a biblical principle we find throughout the New Testament.
Ephesians 2:8 (KJV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

The question may be asked then, “How do we receive this gift of faith?”

It is passed down to us from one who already has it.
Romans 1:17 (KJV)
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Then the question may be asked, “How do they pass it down?”

It is passed down through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word.[3]
Romans 10:13-17 (KJV)
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Here is an important element of this faith,
Because it was passed down to me, I am responsible to keep it as originally received.[4]

After
II. THE
The word “the” is a definite article[5]and serves as a determiner.[6]

It points to, singles out and qualifies a following clause or phrase.

Paul did not say that Titus was his own son “after a common faith.”
Paul said that Titus was his own son “after the common faith.”

There is only one faith Paul was interested in.

It was the one he had passed down to Titus.

It was common to the two of them because Titus had received his faith from Paul and had kept it the same.

It’s not “a common faith.”

There were not multiple versions of the common faith.

There is just one “common faith” in the Bible.

Just one that was “once delivered unto the saints”[7]

After the
III. COMMON
This word means “shared.”

Paul and Titus shared it together. It was the same between them.

Paul had received it from the Lord Jesus
He had shared it with Titus, and the two of them shared it with others.

This idea of the commonality of faith being the basis of fellowship is presented by

Paul
1 Corinthians 11:23 (KJV)
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, …

Peter
2 Peter 1:16-21 (KJV)
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

A few points of Peter’s passage
· This is a sure Word of God
· You would do well to take heed to it
· Because we were eyewitnesses (we received it)

John
1 John 1:1-3 (KJV)
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

John, just as Paul and Peter, declares that he received his message directly from the Lord and that he gave it to the reader, “…that ye also may have fellowship with us.”

Notice that fellowship is dependent on a shared message.

After the common
IV. FAITH
The word means persuasion.

It refers to the doctrines that we believe and the practice of our faith that results from them.

Sometimes you will hear someone ask, “What faith are you?”
We know that they mean, “What church do you go to? What denomination are you?”

But really the original question is a correct and revealing one.
· The faith of the Presbyterians is not common with the faith of the Baptists
· The faith of the Methodists is not common with the faith of the Baptists
· The faith of the Pentecostals is not common with the faith of the Baptists

Fellowship is based on common beliefs that result in a common practice of our faith or lifestyle.
Paul said
2 Thessalonians 2:15 (KJV)
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

And
2 Thessalonians 3:6 (KJV)
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

Notice then,
· We are to hold to those things we have been taught and
· We are to withdraw from those who do not hold to them

Let me quickly say this,
This has to do with fellowship.

I ought to fellowship with those who have the same common faith.

But I can be friendly with those who have a different faith because of the Baptist conviction of soul liberty.

A person has every right to worship God according to the dictates of his or her own conscience.

But they must understand that if the faith they hold is not in common with mine we can’t have fellowship as brothers and sisters because we are not “after the common faith.”

Conclusion
Over the years God has led me to a number of churches (all independent Baptist) and through them, as well as through college and then my fellowship with other Baptist preachers, delivered to me the faith I preach.

In every practical way, our faith and practice are common. We can therefore fellowship.[8]

This is especially true in a local church.
· We are family
· We are brothers and sisters, not just because we spend a lot of time together and share memories and experiences together,
· But because we agree on what we believe and in how we practice what we believe.

After the common faith.

[1]I can still remember hearing Jack Hyles preach on this passage at South Sheridan Baptist Church, Pastor Ed Nelson, in Denver, CO 1982. I praise the Lord for the blessing Dr. Hyles was to me back then!
[2]A combination of this Greek word and one that means days. “Down through the day = daily.”
[3]In this case the preaching is not necessarily the formal teaching/preaching of one ordained to the ministry but that of anyone saved and who understands his call as a member of his church to win souls, bring them into the church for baptism and encourage them to stay faithful to that church for instruction in righteousness.
[4]I recognize the provision for spiritual growth. It should not be difficult to discern the difference from growth in one’s faith and departure from the “faith once delivered.”
[5]https://www.dictionary.com/browse/the
[6]Dictionary
[7]Jude 1:3
[8]Each of us has soul liberty and therefore, even as preachers, we have differences. We fellowship around what we have common.