Reborn and Ready

What kind of testimony do we have in the community? I can’t exactly remember how all the pieces of the story fit together now, but I remember the point. In and around the Wake Forest area, there were quite a few restaurants. Quite naturally, those establishments would be bombarded on Sundays for lunch. It was a seminary town, and a lot of seminary students went to church and then out to eat afterwords. Well, students, and even church members as a whole, developed a bit of a reputation — they were the worst, rudest, most demanding customers, especially on Sunday after church. To top it all off, they were the stingiest tippers!

Talk about forming a reputation for yourself. Dr. Akin, he was single-handedly trying to undo the reputation that Christians had established for themselves in restaurants in Wake Forest. He routinely tipped way above and beyond the typical 15%, the average rate at the time. His reputation became so good that servers would sometimes clamor for Dr. Akin to be seated in their section.

As believers, we are called to give a testimony concerning Christ. In Titus 3:1-7, Paul instructs Titus to teach the church to be obedient citizens, living peaceably through humility. It’s amazing how humility and understanding will come when they remember past sinfulness and embrace God's grace and salvation through Christ, leading to good works and the hope of eternal life.

I. Ready For Good Works (v.1-3)

Key Summary: Believers should be model citizens who respect authority, actively do good, and treat others with kindness and humility while avoiding harmful behaviors.

Interpretation:

Seek to help others (v.1-2)

Paul writes to Titus, instructing him to “remind them to be submissive to rulers…obedient…ready...for good” works (v.1). He lines up with other biblical passages that instruct us to submit to governing authorities, reinforcing the call to civil obedience unless it conflicts with divine law. We obey and submit to the governing authorities in all things that would not lead us away from Christ and into sin, injuring our conscience along the way. Remember what Peter said:

Acts 5:29 ESV

“We must obey God rather than men.”

So, respect government leaders and obey so long as it doesn’t go against God’s commands.

Further, we must be ready to do good towards others. Truly, believers should be the model citizens in society. We should actively contribute to the well-being of our community. When we do this, it builds good will toward the gospel. Permit me a slight soapbox here, but the moment the gospel in America became about lining the church’s pockets and not about the growth of the kingdom of God, that was the moment many people lost respect for the church. We can stand against that when we are “ready for every good work,” setting an example in our community. Some people believe that Christians have no business in the state at all and that they should avoid involvement with the state. Others think that there should be a strict separation between belief and the state and any involvement in civil matters should be done so without any overlap. Then others believe Christians should run and hold office and actively improve the political sphere by working in the civil world. Whatever your stance, the fact that we’ve been given a place in the world to affect society for the betterment of others is undeniable, and Paul calls us to use it as an opportunity for good.

Continuing with the idea of doing good toward others, notice verse 2 — “speak evil of no one…avoid quarreling…be gentle…show…courtesy.” Since we are in the world, though not of the world, we should seek to help others. Our behavior goes beyond civil obedience, crossing over now to how we treat one another. Let’s zoom in on these things that Paul calls us to avoid.

Speaking evil of no one means that we don’t attack the reputation of others. Don’t do it behind their back, don’t do it passive-aggressively, don’t do it on social media, and don’t do it in a prayer request. Don’t attack people with your words.

Avoid quarreling, choosing instead to be peaceful. Don’t go looking for a bad time. And you know what, if you don’t go looking for a bad time, you’re much less likely to find one. Jocko Willink, NAVY Seal, motivational speaker, author on various leadership books, and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, says, “My first self-defense is my feet.”

Gentle means that you’re merciful or tolerant when things don’t go according to plan. You’re first response isn’t to berate someone or, technically, drag them into court. Instead, you now how to be lenient.

Finally, show perfect courtesy. This means being kind in all of our interactions. in humility, we give others the benefit of the doubt.

In short, believers should be model citizens who respect authority, actively do good, especially when it comes to our “neighbor.”

We should seek to do good to others while we…

Stay away from hurting others (v.3)

First, remember where we came from. In verse 3, Paul says “we ourselves were once foolish,” to the point that we were “hated by others and hating one another.” The simple fact of the matter is that a life apart from God is a life of foolish hostility and selfishness. We were once enslaved by whatever promised us passion and pleasure. Our sinful selfishness ran so deep because we were “slaves” to our sin. We weren’t righteous and we weren’t seeking the things of God. Sin promised us the good life, but it only left us in bondage, unfulfilled, empty, and broken. Paul says we literally spent our days taking was is good and twisting it for evil purposes. Others had malice in their hearts toward us, and we returned the favor by having just as much animosity stored up toward them. This is life apart from Jesus.

Illustration:

Alexis de Tocqueville, the French historian and political thinker, visited the United States in the early 19th century. In his famous work, Democracy in America (1835 and 1840), he analyzed American society, its political system, and the role of religion in shaping the nation’s success.

One of the most famous quotes attributed to Tocqueville—though not found verbatim in his writings—is: "I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers... and it was not there… Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great."

Again, maybe not his exact wording, but his writings do emphasize the strong moral and religious foundation of American society, arguing that faith played a crucial role in sustaining democracy.

Application:

Truly, our pursuit of godliness and righteousness impacts the world around us. Remember that Jesus said,

Matthew 5:16 ESV

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

At work, it means refusing to gossip about a difficult coworker and instead finding ways to encourage or support them. In our communities, it looks like respecting local laws, volunteering, and treating people with kindness—even when we disagree. On social media, it means avoiding divisive arguments and instead speaking with grace and wisdom and posting things that are in harmony with our beliefs.

Most importantly, it reminds us that we, too, were once lost, selfish, and bound by sin. Remembering this keeps us humble and compassionate, allowing us to extend the same mercy we’ve received. When we live this way—honoring authority, showing kindness, and doing good—we reflect Christ to the world and build bridges to the gospel instead of constructing walls that keep people out.

II. Renewed By God’s Washing (v.4-7)

Key Summary: Through God’s mercy and grace, believers are saved, renewed by the Holy Spirit, made heirs with Christ, and adopted as God’s children, securing both justification and a deep, loving relationship with Him.

Interpretation:

As is often the case in Paul’s writing, he separates the former from the present with “but,” contrasting the two. We were once dead in our trespasses and sins, but God made us alive through Christ. He tells us this in Eph. 2. Something similar is happening here. Vs. 3 is the plain facts of our previous life…dead in our trespasses and sins. Now, he transitions to let us know we’ve been renewed, reborn, and made right through the work of God.

In verse 4, he says, “…the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared.” He’s setting the stage for who brought our salvation — Jesus, the One who became flesh and lived among us. God looked upon us with sympathy. We know from verse 3 just how desperate our situation was, and rather than meeting us with haughty and unforgiving eyes, He looked on us with gentle consideration. He actually wants to alleviate our suffering because of His great care for us.

“The infinite God, remaining changeless, assumed flesh and fought with death, freeing us from suffering by His own suffering!” - Basil the Great

So, “He saved us, not because of works…, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (v.5). We are saved absolutely and completely by the grace of God. There is no work that makes us commendable to Him. The fact that we are not simply demolished is because of God’s loving kindness toward us, His mercy which withheld the punishment we truly deserved.

“Works of righteousness are the fruit of salvation, and the root must come before the fruit…

The Lord saves His people out of clear, unmixed undiluted mercy and grace, and for no other reason.” - C.H. Spurgeon

He has now given us the “washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” The washing is a proper washing, full and complete. It grants us regeneration — a fresh starting over. It seems fitting to see this as a description of the new birth Jesus talks about in John 3, especially when you couple it with the renewal of the…Spirit. God, through the work of His Spirit, is making us like-new…renewed…reestablishing us. In short, we are new creations!

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

He goes on to say that our spiritual renewal and rebirth has come because He has “poured out on us richly” His Spirit “through Jesus” (v.6). It’s an abundant outpouring. He’s not divvying up small portions of His Spirit here and there. It’s a generous and overflowing blessing. As David says in Psalm 23, our cups overflow!

So now notice in these two verses what we have at work:

God pours out the Spirit.

The Spirit is poured out abundantly through Jesus Christ.

The Spirit regenerates and renews us.

The full and sufficient work of the Trinity saves us and provides the foundation for how we are to now live.

Finally, Paul gives us the reason God’s grace is given to us in such a way: that “justified by His grace we might become heirs…” (v.7). God’s goal in saving people is to give them eternal life, making all believers equal heirs of His promise.

He says we are justified, which means that, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, believers are declared not guilty or blameless.

And, believers have eternal life for their inheritance. It’s actually deeper than just being saved from eternal punishment. We are heirs — we’re entitled by law to inherit the estate of our Father! But, let’s drill down on this just a little bit. Consider first:

Romans 8:17 ESV

and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

What does it mean to be a co-heir with Christ? We inherit both His rigors and His rewards in this life. We have a glorious future that awaits — eternity with Jesus. But, we also suffer in this life, just as He did, as we are transformed and conformed into the image of Jesus.

We have a new position because of our new life which gives us the certainty of belonging to God and guarantees our inheritance and place in His house. Once we were alienated enemies, but now we are called “Sons” of God. Again, consider the weight of such a thought. J.I. Packer, in his book Knowing God, says,

“Adoption is the highest privilege that the gospel offers.” - J.I. Packer

Is this true? Well, he drives home the point that rightly we have emphasized justification because the death of Christ indeed redeems us by paying the penalty for our sin. However, when it comes to knowing and being known by God, it’s not justification but adoption that becomes the thing that should resonate in our hearts. He says,

“Adoption is higher, because of the richer relationship with God that it involves.” - J.I. Packer.

The highest accomplishment of the gospel is our justification, for we could never save ourselves. It secures our right standing before God. By doing this, it secures the greatest blessing of the gospel: adoption as Sons of God. Turning to Packer once more,

“To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater.” - J.I. Packer

Illustration:

Imagine a homeless man, living in filth and despair, the natural outcome of a life of unbridled rebellion. He’s wasted his entire inheritance, living life as fast as he could and as hard as he could for as long as he could, until he finds himself destitute, wandering the streets, taking out the trash for any restaurant that will allow him to rummage through the garbage for that night’s meals. His dinner dates are the rats of the sewer. Until finally, in utter brokenness, he thinks, “I know the last time I saw my father, I screamed in his face, ‘I wish you were dead,’ but maybe he’ll let me come back and clean the house…or cut the grass…something.”

When his father sees him coming, from a long way off, he sheds every ounce of pride and dignity to embrace his son. In a moment, the son of rebellion went from “dead to me” to “son of mine.” Why? Did he deserve it? No, but from then on he would know the embrace of his father. From then on, he would again be called by the family name. From then on, he would be known as his father’s son.

Application:

Jesus tells it in story form, and Paul teaches it in truth. Once lost in sin, we were spiritually destitute, but God, in His mercy, saved us, washed us clean, and made us His children. Our adoption isn’t just a change in status; it’s a transformation. We share in Christ’s sufferings, but also in His inheritance, knowing that our ultimate reward is eternal life with Him.