day alike', who exercised their liberty to the stumbling of the weaker

`Let not your good be blasphemed' (Rom. 14:16).

This is a solemn subject and its contemplation should cause us all to

seek the Lord's face, so that while we remain zealous for the truth or, like

the apostle, give place `no, not for an hour' (Gal. 2:5), neither our zeal

nor our liberty will save us from this pitfall of blasphemy apart from the

grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The attitude of Michael the archangel in

Jude 9, is placed in between the two occurrences of `blaspheme' in Jude 8 and

10, and provides a lesson that we do well to ponder.  We must now pass on to

other, related matters.

`Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His

mercy He saved us ... that being justified by His grace ... they which

have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works' (Titus

3:5 -8).

`These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority.  Let no

man despise thee' (Titus 2:15).

Paul was very sensitive for his young fellow labourers, saying to

Timothy `let no man despise thy youth' (1 Tim. 4:12) and to Titus `let no man

despise thee' (Titus 2:15).  In the former passage the Greek word kataphroneo

means to `think down' upon any one, and so, from an imaginary superiority, to

`despise' such.  In the latter passage the word is periphroneo, `to think

around', to speculate, and so ultimately to neglect or overlook.  The apostle

is probably casting back to the exhortation given to Titus himself that he

should show himself `a pattern of good works' `sound speech that cannot be

condemned' (Titus 2:7,8).  So, immediately following the words `let no man

despise thy youth' the apostle continued `but be thou an example of the

believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in

purity ... that thy profiting may appear to all' (1 Tim. 4:12 -15).

`They who, upon any pretence of Christian liberty, do practise any sin,

or cherish any lust, do thereby destroy the end of Christian liberty'

(Westminster confession of faith).

So, the apostle of free and sovereign grace, the apostle of eternal

salvation, the apostle who repudiated the slightest approach to self -

righteousness or a justification arising out of law -keeping, good works, or

ceremonial, is here seen, as always, striking a balance, and while resolutely

disallowing the presence of `good works' as the root of the tree of

salvation, expects `good works' as fruit upon its branches.  Paul uses the

word diabebaioomai `affirm' twice, once of those who wrongly emphasized the

law, and once to emphasize the true place of good works (1 Tim. 1:7; Titus

3:8).  Because some false teachers are loud in the affirmation of error, it

does not follow that those who know the truth should be reticent and silent.

The believer who would earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 3), should

ever remember his own fallibility.  He is to be no `brawler', even as a

bishop must not be a brawler (1 Tim. 3:3).  In Titus the contrasted attitude

is expressed by gentleness and meekness, because we ourselves were sometimes

foolish, etc., and in 1 Timothy this attitude is expressed by not being

covetous, exercising patience, not being greedy of filthy lucre, etc.