I began reading through it this morning, and in the opening verses there is a statement which both explains many things to me as well as confuses me on a really important topic.
Titus 1:15-16: To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their minds and consciences are corrupted. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their deeds; they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good deed.
I don't like putting people in one box or another, but I do agree with these words from Titus that there seems to be a pre-existing disposition which overrides how a person will encounter the world. Paul did have a very strong apocalyptic view of the world; there is a "before" and "after" aspect to each of his writings. Maybe he is correct that there are before and after persons, and they will never see the world the same way.
But why write of such things if it is impossible to move from one box to the other? Do these words tell us to abandon hope that the corrupt and unbelieving will EVER be able to share in purity? And oh my, how these verses open the door to beginning to determine among ourselves who are the true and faithful ones and who are those who are detestable. This is a weapon wielded far too often already in our world.
Having said that, it is important (though confounding) that Paul acknowledges those who will speak in the name of Jesus but whose deeds deny that they are following Jesus. Again, way to easy for us to point fingers and pass judgement on others.
I simply cannot accept that we are locked in one box or the other. Conversion is possible, and it does happen. Maybe I need to make greater allowances for critiquing the deeds of others and for asking if these reflect the core confessions of the individual. Making such an allowance necessitates my being open to a critique of my own deeds.
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