The Weekend, Sept 19 –
We come to the weekend and finish our reading in Titus,
reading Titus 3:1 – 15. Please come back
after you have read the passage, and we’ll look at some key notes.
Paul’s final letter in our year-long reading of the New Testament ends today in
Titus 3. Even though the letter to Philemon
follows, we have already covered that book before (August 29). The Apostle Paul’s letters are the backbone
of the New Testament. From the story of
the early church’s missionary letters in Acts, through Romans and here, we started
reading about Paul (as Saul) from Acts 9 (May 15), and it is now four months
later before we come to his final letter.
The letter to Titus – as it was in Timothy – first dealt with the need
to appoint leaders – qualified leaders – in the Churches Titus, with Paul, had
established. The leadership of the
church was so crucial that it is the first thing Paul did after a church was
formed. For Paul, the message of the Gospel
and the leadership who proclaimed it, and guarded it, were the most essential ingredients
of the church. The two sections we read
yesterday emphasized that communicating truth was a matter, first, of leaders
who were identified by their conformity to the revealed truth of the Gospel (chapter
1), and two, in a circular way, by conformity to the Gospel’s truth, church
leaders were formed (chapter 2). Leaders
both hold to sound doctrine and are formed by sound doctrine. The contrast between the Roman world and the
Church was due to “integrity, good works, well-pleasing, not argumentative, so
that, “showing good faith…they may ordain the doctrine of God our Savior…for
the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” (2:7-11).
It was these things that marked the church as different from
the Roman citizens. Yet, their difference
was not to be a source of pride or prejudice.
We turn the page to chapter 3 and
discover immediately that as Christians, we live for the betterment of society –
“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to
be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid
quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to
various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by
others and hating one another” (3:1-3).
Paul says, “remind them,” which means he’s already instructed in these things
before. What he wants to remind them of
has to do with how to live under authorities who rule, and how to live among others
– neighbors, business owners, co-workers – in general. To be submissive to rulers and authorities is
not to lay down and give unconditional allegiance. Peter, in the early days of the church’s
beginning, had stated the principle that when the authority of rulers, or
authorities, is in direct contradiction to their obedience to Christ…“we
must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
Yet, when possible, our main goal is to “be ready for every good work.” Among that charge is the negatives we must
avoid – “speak no evil of no one,” “avoid quarreling,” “be gentle,” “show perfect
courtesy toward all people.” It makes me
wonder what the Apostle would say to the Church today in our highly charged
political and media-driven world? As
Christians, we have a citizenship in heaven, and that is our primary allegiance. While I’m very happy to live in the United
States, I should not expect that the leaders, authorities, will always be willing
to conform their lifestyles, or values, to Christ’s Kingdom. Be a conscientious citizen, and be a good
neighbor, and regardless of race or religion, live courteously, humbly, and
gentle (defined as “strength under control”).
The reason why we are to conduct ourselves in those manners
is directly related to what we have gained in Christ Jesus. We are conscientious, courteous, humble, and
gentle because we were once not those things, but God has saved us and has changed
us through Jesus Christ -
“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to
various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by
others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness
of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us
in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of
regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us
richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his
grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (3:3-7).
Except for the first sentence (3:3), the rest of the passage (3:4-7) is one long
run-on sentence, and it might have been part of the early church’s first
creedal confessions. What does Paul
reference that becomes the basis for living out our faith in ways that add
goodness, courtesy, humility, and gentleness to the world? It is the words “he saved us.” It is the most clear and concise way of
defining myself as a believer in Jesus Christ.
Yet, more and more Christians are hesitant to make that simple confession. It is not a “religious” statement, but a
personal one – based on the experience of giving our lives to Jesus
Christ. God took our sins, saving us not
because of our works, but according to his own mercy, and renewing of the Holy
Spirit because we put our faith in Jesus Christ. We have been justified – declared righteous before
God – by His grace! Dr. Stott makes an
important observation about the importance of declaring the truth of salvation. “The whole sentence hinges upon the main
verb he saved us. It is perhaps the fullest statement of salvation in the New
Testament. Yet whenever the phraseology of salvation is dropped into a
conversation today, people’s reactions are predictable. They will either blush,
frown, snigger, or even laugh, as if it were a huge joke. Thus the devil, whose
ambition is to destroy, not to save, succeeds in trivializing the most serious
question we could ever ask ourselves or put to anybody else. For Christianity
is essentially a religion of salvation. To prove this, it is enough to quote
two biblical assertions: ‘the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the
world’ and ‘the Son of man came to seek and to save what was lost’”. [1]
Paul is reminding Titus that the need for Salvation is for
all people – not just what we consider the “bad” people, because all humanity is
“under sin” – “at one time we too were foolish, disobedient”. The source of Salvation comes from outside
our selves – our good works. Paul turns
us from self to “God our Savior” (3:4).
The ground of our salvation is “His mercy” (3:5a), not our perceived
self-righteousness. The means of our
salvation is “the washing of rebirth, and renewal by the Holy Spirit through
Jesus Christ (3:5b-6). The goal of Salvation is “that being justified by
his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (3:7). Salvation is a wonderful gift; how can we not
love it, share it, live by it?
Living by the gift of salvation is the transition next – “The
saying is trustworthy, and I want you to 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. But avoid foolish
controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they
are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division,
after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing
that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned” (3:8-11).
Paul, having told Titus to remind the Cretan believers to be submissive,
conscientious, humble, and courteous, calls them to live peaceably, doing good
works – not because it will earn them salvation, but because it is the marks of
a person who has salvation in Christ.
This ending reminds them, again, that the contrary ways they are often
living around will not be allowed in the Church. Dissensions, quarreling about the law – meaning
those who will keep trying to insert the Law into the church’s teachings, are
unprofitable and, in fact, worthless. If
a person keeps doing these things, Paul tells Timothy to warn him, not once,
but twice, but if he refuses to submit, eventually provide church discipline
and excommunicate him from the fellowship until they return in repentance and
submission.
Paul ends his letter on several personal notes. Once again, we see Paul’s friends – Artemas, or
Tychicus (2 Timothy 4:2), were to come and replace Titus so that he could join
him in Nicopolis. Zenas the lawyer, and
Apollos (Acts 18:24), who probably carried this letter to Titus on Crete. Having finished their task, he says send them
off with what they need to journey back.
One last admonition to “devote themselves to good works” that
others needs may be met, and they might share in others' lives less fortunate
than them. A quick goodbye, without naming
anyone, “they send greetings to you” and tells Titus to “greet” the church. He ends as he often did, and as he often
began – “Grace be with you all.” (3:15).
We often use the phrase “short and sweet” to summarize something
said or done with grace and simplicity.
This short letter, the final one of Paul’s we have read, is a great summary
of Paul’s letters. The Gospel is about Jesus,
and Jesus changes people’s lives. We
live as citizens of a world that is not our final home, but we live on purpose,
as God’s ambassadors, as ones who have received God’s mercy and grace and inviting
others to come and see that Jesus indeed changes lives. The doctrine is first, but the conduct always
follows. God chooses us to be His ambassadors. We have lived where the world without Christ
now lives, but having been led to Jesus Christ, we discover God now wants to
use us to make a difference and to share the Gospel that once called us to Faith
and Salvation.
Peace
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