When writing to the Romans, Paul had said:

`By Whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the

faith among all nations, for His name' (Rom. 1:5),

but here he used the preposition eis `unto', `with a view to', which is quite

straightforward.  For some reason unknown to us at the moment he used the

preposition kata in the introduction to the three pastoral epistles.

Associated with the faith of God's elect is the acknowledging of the truth

which is according to godliness, so introducing the intensely practical side

of saving faith which we have already seen in the structural insistence upon

`good works'.  To the consideration of these essential features of the Gospel

as entrusted to the apostle, we must now turn our attention.

Paul's apostleship was `according to' or `for' the faith of God's

elect; the sonship of Titus was `according to the common faith'.  These two

references to faith are related together as we have seen, although at first

reading the faith of God's `elect' seems far removed from the faith that can

be called `common'.  One of the reasons for this twofold title of the faith

may be found in the fact that in the Old Testament Israel are the `elect'

(Isa. 45:4), they are the `chosen' people, and this choice of Israel made

them a `special people above all people that are upon the face of the earth'

(Deut. 7:6); the words `elect' and `chosen' being translations of the same

Hebrew word.  This title `the elect' is not only given to Israel in the Old

Testament but in a great number of passages in the New Testament also.  `The

elect's sake', `the very elect', `they shall gather together His elect' of

Matthew 24 and Mark 13 refer primarily to Israel.  The `election' in Romans 9

to 11 refers exclusively to Israel.  So also is the title in 1 Peter 1:2.

The fact that Titus was associated with the `common' faith is an

indication that faith was now open to the Gentile as well as to the elect of

Israel, even as it was the glory of Paul's ministry to be the steward of the

mystery of God `for you Gentiles'.  `The elect of God' is a title given to

the saints at Colosse, who were mainly Gentiles (Col. 3:12).  In this sense

the ministry of Paul and the ministry of Titus were the same.  It would have

been just as true to have said that Paul was an apostle for the common faith,

and that Titus was a minister for the faith of God's elect.  Let us consider

the Scriptural meaning of the word `common'.  In English usage the word

`common' is something opposed to the rare and refined; to that which pertains

or relates to

all; and sometimes that which is mean and low.  In the Scriptures the word

koinos `common' indicates:

Something common to all, of which several are partakers.  So we

read `and all that believed were together, and had all things common'

(Acts 2:44).  It is in this sense that the Scriptures speak of a common

salvation, and a common faith.

Arising out of the Levitical law and the need to distinguish

between the clean and the unclean, the word `common' came to mean

anything that caused ceremonial defilement.  In Mark 7 the word is

translated `defile' (Mark 7:2,15,18,20,23), the first occurrence being

explained `defiled, that is to say, with unwashen hands' which does not

refer to the ordinary act of cleanliness, but the ceremonial and

traditional washings that were superimposed upon the law by the