4 To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
in our [the] common faith:
The word “in” means according to in the Greek. Titus had a faith that made him a genuine son. He was sound in faith and could handle the problems of the Cretan church. We saw this earlier in 2 Corinthians when Paul said of him, “Thanks be to God, who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus” (8:16). Paul extended himself through his coworkers.
The common faith here is not common in that everyone has it. This is saving faith, a quality of faith of someone who is truly a Christian. Whenever there are born-again people, they have the same quality of faith. God saves them equally. They are no longer guilty, for God forgave them of their sins. They have a “like precious faith” (1 Pe 1:1).
PRINCIPLE:
Christians have many things in common.
APPLICATION:
There are things that all believers have in common, whether they are ignorant or instructed believers. It may take some time to dig these things out and learn them. Every Christian has positional truth. Positional truth is what elevates the quality of our lives. God will chasten us if we become refractory but that is a family matter, not a matter of our salvation. God will not keep throwing back at us the mistakes of our past, because we have an eternal status with Him.
Jn 1: 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
We have a total Savior, who completely gives every believer His grace. This is true whether we know it or not, whether we feel it or not. Positional truth is not something we feel. God said it and I believe and that settles it.
Ro 5: 1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Every Christian has peace with God. Every born-again person has it equally. Peace with God does not come by degrees. The war is over; the armistice has been signed by Christ’s death for us. He made peace through the blood of the cross. Our guilt is gone. I don’t have to go back rummaging through the past of guilty feelings.
Ro 5: 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Every Christian has access into God’s grace. We all have access into His majesty. We don’t have to have much money or status. Oh, what a privilege to fellowship with Him. No non-Christian has that access, no matter how wealthy they may be. God has no favorites; He loves all of us equally. God might be grieved His sons disobey, but He loves them all equally nevertheless. All have equal access to God, but whether we take advantage of it is another matter.
Ac 13: 38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
God justifies all believers equally. We are either justified or not justified. We are either one or the other. God puts to our account all assets of His own dear Son. We cannot feel that kind of truth.
These things are but a partial list of 33 things God has done for us positionally.
