In his letter to Titus, Paul instructs him to "Exhort servants to . . . adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things" (2:9-10, KJV). Adorn the doctrine. The word "adorn" translates the Greek word cosmeo, from which we get our word "cosmetics." So the idea is that Christians should make the gospel look attractive to the world.

The reality is that the world judges Christ and the gospel by the Church. Tragically, many Christians have discredited God's truth by their attitudes and actions. When this happens, unbelievers often reject the Bible because they see that even those who espouse its teachings remain untransformed. That's why Paul is so insistent that Christians should "adorn" the gospel-it is absolutely essential for the witness of the Church. It simply is not enough to understand the truth. We must also live by it.

Now this is an important idea to understand, especially for those of us who consider ourselves to be orthodox. The tendency for people who know the truth is to be satisfied withunderstanding it while never obeying it. This confusion of knowledge with obedience is the "danger of orthodoxy," and it can be just as crippling to the Church as heresy.

In fact, this dynamic was at the heart of the primary opposition that Jesus was confronted with during his earthly ministry. His chief opponents turned out to be the religious leaders, the scribes and the Pharisees. These were men who were largely orthodox, yet they rejected the Lord when he came-and were rejected by him as well. We would do well to consider several of the pitfalls of those who know the truth:

1. The danger of resting in God's truth in place of doing it. The danger here is that of hypocrisy and complacency. This is what Paul accused the Jews of his day of doing (Romans 2:17-24). They taught others, but they failed to follow their own teaching with obedience.

The apostle James accused the Christians of his day of doing precisely the same thing: "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. . . . If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain" (James 1:22-26). James is reminding the believers of his day that it is not enough to simply hear the Word of God preached and even to agree with it-we must also follow what we know to be true. Any other kind of religion is absolutely vain.

What the Church needs today are men and women who know not only the Scriptures, but the God of the Scriptures; who not only have the truth, but who obey it. God does not want us to simply admire the doctrines of his Word like we would admire a museum piece. God wants the truths of his Word to transform us, to change us, and to mold us into the image of his Son.

2. The danger of holding God's truth without sharing it. Why else would Paul tell Titus to "adorn the doctrine" unless the purpose was to display it to others? We are to make truth look attractive, not so that we can admire ourselves, but so that the world will be drawn toward it.

If we live out the doctrine and make it attractive with our lives, we will become magnets for evangelism. I think the apostle Peter expected this to happen when he wrote, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15). Peter assumed that the believers he was writing to would be asked about their faith. When was the last time someone approached you about your faith and hope? I suspect that the reason why this does not happen more often is because our hope looks no different than that of the world!

3. The danger of focusing on a few truths to the neglect of others. The Word of God is often likened to food, and for good reason. You don't just eat one food group to the exclusion of others, or you'll become sick and weak. For the same reason, for a believer to be spiritually healthy, he or she must have a regular diet of all the truths of Scripture.

When the apostle Paul gave his parting exhortation to the elders of the church in Ephesus , he made this point about his ministry among them and set it as an example for them to emulate: ". . . I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shown you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house. . . . Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:20-27, emphasis added). Paul emphasized the importance of preaching all the counsel of the Word.

So we should watch ourselves. Are you just reading on one topic? Are you just pursuing certain types of Bible studies? We should be careful that we do not get stuck in a rut, or we will certainly end up as deformed Christians.

4. The danger of being contentious in our stand for the truth. What is more unattractive than contentious and mean people? Now I am not saying that we should be flimsy, moral invertebrates. There is a time to stand up with conviction and say the hard things in the face of those who rebel against God's Word. But even in this, we need to hear the words of Ephesians 4:15: "Speaking the truth in love."

What do you do when you come across someone who is less than perfect doctrinally? We need to be patient with all men, as we are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:14. In this way, Aquila and his wife Priscilla took Apollos aside and "expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly" (Acts 18:26). The pastor Charles Simeon was a wonderful example of this kind of spirit. Simeon was an evangelical Calvinist, and he tells us about a conversation he had one day with the Arminian John Wesley. Here is how it went:

Simeon: Sir, I understand that you are called an Arminian; and I have been sometimes called a Calvinist; and therefore I suppose we are to draw daggers. But before I consent to begin the combat, with your permission I will ask you a few questions. Pray, Sir, do you feel yourself a depraved creature, so depraved that you would never have thought of turning to God, if God had not first put it into your heart?

Wesley: Yes, I do indeed.

Simeon: And do you utterly despair of recommending yourself to God by anything you can do; and look for salvation solely through the blood and righteousness of Christ?

Wesley: Yes, solely through Christ. Simeon: But, Sir, supposing you were at first saved by Christ, are you not somehow or other to save yourself afterwards by your own works?

Wesley: No, I must be saved by Christ from first to last.

Simeon: Allowing, then, that you were first turned by the grace of God, are you not in some way or other to keep yourself by your own power?

Wesley: No.

Simeon: What then, are you to be upheld every hour and every moment by God, as much as an infant in its mother's arms?

Wesley: Yes, altogether.

Simeon: And is all your hope in the grace and mercy of God to preserve you unto His heavenly kingdom?

Wesley: Yes, I have no hope but in Him.

Simeon: Then, Sir, with your leave I will put up my dagger again; for this is all my Calvinism; this is my election, my justification by faith, my final perseverance: it is in substance all that I hold, and as I hold it; and therefore, if you please, instead of searching out terms and phrases to be a ground of contention between us, we will cordially unite in those things wherein we agree.

That's it! We need to be charitable toward differing brethren. There is nothing more damning to our witness than for the world to see fellow Christians at each other's throats, often over nonessential matters.

Conclusion

While having the right doctrine is critical, we must also "adorn" it with our lives. And to do this we must be on our guard lest our lifestyles make the truth we proclaim ugly and repulsive. The reason these issues are so important is that God did not establish the Church in order to keep the truth to itself. The Church is to hold up truth to the world like a pillar holds up a building for all to see. Therefore it is essential to make the gospel look attractive. Let us fulfill the mission of the Church by both holding to the truth and holding it in such a way that if the truth is rejected, it is not rejected on our account.