Let’s Devote Ourselves to Good Works (Titus 3:1–15)
Those who have believed in God must be careful to devote themselves to good works—gentle, courteous, speaking evil of no one. Why? Because we were once foolish and enslaved to our passions, “but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us”—not because of our works, but according to his mercy. Saved by grace alone, we devote ourselves to good works.
Introduction
Grace be with you all (v. 15). What a beautiful way to end this letter and begin this message. The message of the Bible, all that Jesus did, what we preach as a church is all about the grace of God to us undeserving sinners. Amen? It was the seventeenth century Puritan, Thomas Manton, who echoed St. Augustine, saying, “Let us then ascribe the whole work of grace to the pleasure of God’s Will. God did not choose us because we were worthy, but by choosing us He makes us worthy.” (A Puritan Golden Treasury, compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, 84)
God’s grace is also what Titus is all about. I’ve said the big idea is organizing Christians into congregations through sound or healthy preaching that produces sounds or healthy living. This is all the work of grace! We become united to Christ and his Body, the church, by grace; what is preached is grace; and how we respond in godliness is a work of grace too!
Theme
Here at the end, hear Paul’s final instructions: Let’s devote ourselves to good works.
The Exhortation: Our New Life of Good Works (vv. 1–2, 8–11, 14)
First, notice the exhortation: our new life of good works. Back in 1:9, we learned the pastor has two voices: one of encouragement to the church and one of rebuke to the enemies of the church both inside and outside. Paul first tells Titus to use his voice towards the church to remind Cretan believers to be submissive to rulers andauthorities, to be obedient (v. 1), a theme we’re usually familiar with from Romans 13: all authority comes from God, including outward, civil, and authority over the common good. We all got up close and personal with the authorities recently, didn’t we? You remember, we all went bonkers during COVID. I’m so glad those days are over! When Paul gives this big summary exhortation to be ready for every good work (v. 1), in the context it's about living as citizens of our common, earthly kingdom. Our spiritual citizenship is in heaven and we have no King but Christ, but we’re also living in a real place with real authority, so do common good for the benefit of others.
What follows is a beautiful exhortation on how believers living in an unbelieving society should live: speak evil of no one…avoid quarreling…be gentle, and…show perfect courtesy toward all people (v. 2). Memorize this verse, beloved! I said last message that the effect of Paul’s words are “let’s be different!” Let’s be Christians and a church in the world that seeks to be different from the ungodly right, the Christian right, the Christian left, and the ungodly left. There’s way too much evil speech and quarrelling already within the church of Jesus Christ, so let’s be a different, better kind of church! People out there already have the media and churches overly-influenced by the media: “Obama is the antichrist, Trump is Hitler.” It’s all anger and not gentle; rudeness and dismissiveness. If the society is going to hell in a handbasket, be salt and light. Amen?
Verse 8 reiterates the exhortation of our new life of good works with one of Paul’s “faithful sayings”: the saying is trustworthy (pistós ho lógos). Insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. On the contrary, Paul says the minister is to use his “other voice” of rebuke: but avoid foolishcontroversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable andworthless (v. 9). Insert modern-day nonsense from Christian Twitter or Facebook here. You’re not on Twitter or Facebook? Good! Stick to the Word and good books! Then he uses this same voice, but directed towards enemies within who stir[…] up division. They are to be warn[ed]…once and…twice and then comes excommunication: have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned (vv. 10–11).
In sum, Paul says as a congregation in an unbelieving society, we are called to be different by living a new life of good works because of God’s grace in our lives. Note how adds two little appendices: so as to help casesof urgent need (v. 14). We need to be helpers. It was amazing last Sunday. I was at the church of former OURC members, the Hobsons. A report was given on their relief work for the victims of the hurricanes this summer. What needs can you and we respond to in one-on-one ways among us as well as big ways should the need arise? Jesus came to seek and save the lost; he did not come to be served but to serve. So should we. He also says we are not [to] be unfruitful.
The Contrast: Our Old Life of Selfish Works (v. 3)
Then comes the contrast: our old life of selfish works in verse 3. After remind[ing] us of all the virtues of our new life of good works, the little word for (gar) makes a contrast. We’re to do good works for this reason: we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray. What does that sound like? An immature child. Fools, not wise; disobedience, not obedient; astray, not on the straight and narrow. That was us. As Paul said, we were “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). Why? We were slaves to various passions and pleasures. As Jesus said, “everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). As Paul said, “we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind” (Eph. 2:3).
Passing our days in malice and envy. How so? Hated by others because they, too, were also foolish, disobedient…slaves…passing [their] days in malice and envy. In other words, do good works because you have a new life unlike your old one! You’re not defined anymore by your old life! As Paul said, “And such were some of you” (6:11). Hated by others, but here’s the kicker: hating one another. There’s a question in the Heidelberg Catechism that I can still hear Cyprian echoing as we were learning for the first time how to teach the Catechism: “Can you live up to all this [loving God and neighbor] perfectly? No. I am inclined by nature to hate God and my neighbor.” To hear a child say that was powerful for me. I almost had that dad feeling of, “It’s okay son, it’s not really that bad”…but it really is. That’s what makes grace, grace! Amen?
In contrast to our new life of good works, Paul contrasts our old life of selfish works to illustrate for us how far we’ve come because of God’s gracious work in our lives.
The Reason: The Love of God (vv. 4–7)
That leads us to our final point in verses 4–7. How did we go from those living in our old life of selfish works to those called to be devoted to our new life of good works? The reason is the love of God.
Look at how 3’s hated by others and hating one another, leads to a typical Pauline “but God!” kind of statement: but when the goodness (chrēstotēs) and loving kindness (philanthrōpia) of God our Savior appeared (epiphainō) he saved us (vv. 4–5a).
Notice a few interesting things. In 2:11, Paul said the grace of God “appeared.” That’s the same verb here from which we get “epiphany.” Also, like 2:11, Paul uses personification here: giving human qualities to non-human things. Grace in 2:11 and goodness and lovingkindness here, appeared.
Also, God our Savior is implied to be God the Father. So, we have the Father, then in verse 5 the Holy Spirit, and finally in verse 6 Jesus Christ, who like the Father, is called our Savior (v. 6). So, how did the Father’s goodness and philanthropy for the world make an epiphany? In his Son Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
How did God save us?
First, he tells us how God didn’t save us: not because of worksdone by us in righteousness (v. 5). We did none, according to point 2. In fact, we couldn’t do any anyway! Those we do now according to point 1 are still stained by sin and acceptable only because of the work of Christ and the Spirit.
Second, he tells us how: but according to his own mercy or pity on us as helpless. The way in which this mercy came to us was by means of or “through” (dia) the washing of regeneration and renewal (two ways of saying the same thing) of the Holy Spirit (v. 5), meaning, the Spirit gave us new life from our old life; he transformed our old life into new life. This is being “born again,” to use Jesus’s words (John 3). Further, the Spirit was whom he (God the Father) poured out on us richly through or “by” (as above, dia] Jesus Christ our Savior (v. 6).
Just revel here for a moment in the gracious and glorious work of your work of your Triune God, beloved! God the Father, through Jesus, poured out upon you the Holy Spirit to graciously change your life! Amen? By his resurrection, Paul says Jesus became “a life-giving Spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45) as demonstrated on the Day of Pentectost (Acts 2).
But Paul’s not done! Look at verse 7. In his grace, goodness, love, and mercy God saves sinners like you and me, not because of our own works of righteousness. The result is this: so that being justified (declared righteous from our old unrighteous lives) by his grace (again, not our works) we might become heirs (as we’re now adopted children) according to the hope of eternal life. Does that sound familiar? Go back to 1:1, where Paul labored as a servant and apostle for the sake of the elect’s faith, knowledge, and hope of eternal life.
We once lived an old life of selfish works. We are now called to a new life of good works. The difference between those two is the love of God. Amen?
Conclusion
Let me conclude with this. Titus has been a quick little letter to study. Its purpose was to gather Christians into congregations through sound preaching that produces sound living. By God’s grace, this is the kind of church we want to be! Amen? We want to be a church family that is devoted to good works in contrast to the world.
How can we serve one another? How can we serve those just coming into our assembly? How can we serve the world? And I pray—more than you can imagine!—and I ask you to pray that the kind of preaching that comes from this pulpit is the kind of sound or spiritual health-giving preaching that causes us all to living healthy spiritual lives.
Let’s devote ourselves to good works!