Titus 3:1-15 - part 1

In the final 17 verses of Titus, good works is mentioned for times.

2:14 - “a people who are zealous for good works”

3:1 - “be ready for every good work”

3:8 - “be careful to devote themselves to good works”

3:14 - “learn to devote themselves to good works”

For the sake of God’s elect. For spiritual maturity. For the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3 will walk us through eight characteristics of a grace-filled Christian. Here’s the bottom as we finish this letter. Our being must impact our doing.

Titus 3:1–15 ESV

1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 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. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 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, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 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. 9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. 12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. 14 And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. 15 All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.

He chases humility as he honors positions of authority

Titus 3:1 - “ Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,”

It appears Paul has shifted his writing from life inside the church to life outside the church. From interaction with fellow believers to interaction with unbelievers. Bible-believing churches do not have rulers and authorities. There are pastors and other leaders who overseer spiritual authority, but no single individual has priority or sovereignty or control over the rest of the congregation.

Paul is telling Titus to remind the church to be submissive to those positions of authority outside the church. We are to submit to the governmental leaders and other authority figures that have jurisdiction over our lives and our community. Leaders in DC. Leaders in Lansing. Leaders in Lenawee County. Leaders in your township or city.

Paul wasn’t isolated as he instructed Christians about submission. Jesus talked about it in Matthew 22. Peter talked about it in 1 Peter 2. Paul talked about it again in Romans 13. Hearing what Jesus had to say is the best place to begin.

Matthew 22:17–21 - “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.””

1 Peter 2:13–17 - “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”

Romans 13:1–2 - “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

The Bible doesn’t say ONLY honor and submit to the political leaders who walk your party line or agree with you on a majority of issues. The Bible doesn’t come close to say honor the office because you don’t like the person who won the office. “I honor the office the President, but that’s not my President.” If you say those words, you are guilty of violating three passages and need to repent.

We chase humility as we honor positions of authority because we would not naturally honor them without a grace-filled humility in our life. Unless we only spend time with non-legalistic, perfect followers of Jesus, there is always space for more humility in our life.

He prepares good works and enthusiastically shares them

Titus 3:1 - “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work”

We’ve talked about this in Hebrews 12-13. We’ve talked about this in Titus 2. Something remarkable happens inside the body of Christ when Christians stop sharing a reluctant, mediocre version of the passions and gifts that God has given them and begins to enthusiastically share an excellent version with their church and their community. Paul tells us to prepare in advance every good work that will flow from your life. The small phrase ‘to be ready’ in English doesn’t do justice to what Paul is actually writing about - double ready that passes a quality inspection.

I officiated a funeral recently for a family I didn’t know. The deceased loved giving away PEZ dispensers. I haven’t seen a PEZ dispenser in years, but I remember them when I was growing up. The candy would come in a separate sleeve and you would tilt back the top of the dispenser, pull up and load the candy. I kind of remember they would break easily, so I would double-check to make sure it worked before I offered another person candy. To receive an empty or broken PEZ dispenser was a huge disappointment. Good works that are not prepared and double-checked can also be disappointing, especially when we share a reluctant, mediocre version of the real thing.

Galatians 6 has been on my heart for a few weeks. Galatians 6:7–10 - “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

These verses remind me that if I plant a reluctant, mediocre version, then I should not be surprised when I have a reluctant, mediocre version staring at me in the mirror. What we have matches what we have planted.

He carefully ensures the gospel is his only offensive speech.

Titus 3:2 - “Remind them to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”

One commentator wrote this about verse 2, “In an ungodly, immoral society it is easy to become angry with those who corrupt it, condemning them and writing them off as hopeless and beyond the limits of God’s grace. But we have no right to become hostile when unbelievers act like unbelievers. If God so limitlessly and unconditionally loved the world that he sent his son to redeem it, how can we, as sinful recipients of his redeeming grace, be callous and loveless toward those who have not yet received it?”

1 Peter 3:15–16 - “…in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”

Look at verse 2. If we are to speak evil of no person, then Paul is reminding us that we are to extend love, mercy, grace and gentleness to all people. I’ve said this many times. Expect people who don’t love Jesus to act like they don’t love Jesus. I get weary of Christians that work hard at communicating what they are against without an equal effort of communicating what they are for. It’s difficult to mercifully and gracefully love while we are offending people who don’t know a different way of life because they don’t know Jesus.

1 Corinthians 5:12–13 - “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.””

How different would be the body of Christ be if we worried about the sin inside the church as much as we worry about the sin outside the church?

You see, in order for the gospel to offend unbelievers and bring them to repentance, the gospel must offend a believer’s lifestyle and bring us to repentance. What we have matches what we have planted. Sometimes, because we believe sharing a reluctant, mediocre version is enough.

He remembers his life before Christ, but leaves it in the past.

Titus 3:3 - “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 (hateful NASB) and hating one another.”

When we become a puff-up Christian or a Christian that has settled into our comfortable, Christian bubble, Paul tells us look in the rear-view mirror and remember where we came from. The young child who gave his life to Jesus had the same condition as the mid-life adult that gave his life to Jesus. All of us were ignorant of God’s truth. All of us were uninterested and disobedient to what God had to say about moral absolutes. All of us were walking the path laid out by the father of sin and darkness. All of us gave into the passions and pleasures that sin offered. All of us harbored anger and talked poorly about other people. All of us hated God.

This is the life of the unbeliever. This is the path Satan daily entices us to walk on. Paul gives this important reminder because Cretans inside the church fit this description. Titus, remind our beloved church this shouldn’t be the description of their life. If they leave those things in the past, the false teachers will lose their audience and the gospel will be proclaimed. I’m certain the Christians in Crete needed to fall on their face before the Lord and cry out in repentance for what they allowed to creep into their lives and their church.

I’m certain American Christians should do the same thing.

Application:

Our being must impact our doing. Who we are in Christ is a catalyst for what we do for Christ. If we aren’t excited about opportunities to do for Christ, then we need to search our hearts and measure our excitement about what Christ did for us. Then repent.