Titus 3

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.

I knew something was up, but I certainly did not know it was as bad as it was! Until I received the phone call.

“Hey, look, the staff and I just had a big fight…and it turned physical and spilled out onto the street.”

“Seriously? You guys were physically fighting in the street?”

We made arrangements for us all to meet and talk through what happened.

Before the meeting could happen, though, another phone call, this time from a member of our church.

“Pastor, I don’t quite know how to say this, but I just drove by the church plant we’re sponsoring…and it looked like some of the ministers there were fighting each other in the street in front of the building in broad daylight.”

My heart sank.

How did this happen?

A church staff…physically fighting each other…in broad daylight…downtown, in the street…in front of everybody and anybody who happened to be out or going by.

That church no longer exists. It never really recovered. I think of it now, when I think of it, as a tragedy.

Paul, in Titus 3, now turns to how the church behaves toward the watching world as well as with one another.

The grace of God: The foundation of Christian good works

The theological heartbeat for Titus 3:1–11 is the middle section: verses 3–8. Here, Paul communicates how it is possible for Christians to pursue good works and good relationships and a good standing in the world.

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.

This is what we were before we came to Jesus. Unstable. Volatile. Prone to conflict. A people of poor reputation. Not a people of peace or nobility or goodness. Paul continues:

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.

This must be reckoned among the great high water marks of biblical soteriology, of a biblical doctrine of salvation. It is a powerful summary of how God saves His people. Each element is critically important:

• God sends Jesus (v.4).
• Jesus saves us, not of our works but according to His mercy (v.5).
• We are regenerated (born again) and renewed in the Holy Spirit (v.5).
• The Holy Spirit is given lavishly to all who trust in Jesus (v.6).
• We are therefore justified before God by the grace of God (v.7).
• As a regenerated, justified, Holy-Spirit-filled people, we will inherit eternal life (v.7).

Salvation is a miracle from first to last, and one for which we should praise our good God! And what is the fruit of this salvation?

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.

As a result of God changing our hearts and our dispositions and our minds and our eternal destinies, we may now “devote” ourselves to good works! We may now do that which is “excellent,” that which is “profitable for people”.

It is telling that the theological core of our text consists of two major emphases:

• salvation
• works

We are saved by the grace of God. As a result, we may now do good works!

It is a strange thing to see how some churches stress the first without the second and other churches stress the second without the first. The first of these wants to get you to heaven, but does not have much to say about what you should do before you get there. The second of these wants you to do good deeds, but reduces the church to a humanitarian society by neglecting the soul and eternal life.

Michael McDill has demonstrated how the 15^th/16^th–century Anabaptist leader, Balthasar Hubmaier, was complaining about this very dynamic in his day.

In his work On Fraternal Admonition, Hubmaier lamented the sorry state of morals in the evangelical community and claimed the reason was the lack of balanced teaching:

People had learned no more than two points, without any amelioration of life. The one point, that they could say: “We believe. Faith saves us.” Second: “We can do nothing good of ourselves.” Now both of these are true. But under the mantle of these half truths all kinds of iniquity, unfaithfulness, and injustice have completely taken over, and fraternal love has meanwhile become colder among many.[1]

This is well said.

Faith. Works.

Salvation. Sanctification.

Both of these are true!

Paul emphasizes both! But he is clear: We are saved by God’s grace and we do good works out of the foundation of God’s grace!

Examples of these good works

Our text also contains examples of what kinds of works we should evidence.

Submission to Government Authority

We begin with Paul’s call for the Christian to be submissive to rulers and authorities.

¹ Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work

Christians strive, as much as we are able, to be good citizens. The authority of the state is God-given, though the actions of the state may, obviously, be opposed to the God who undergirds the state. In Romans 13, Paul will say more fully of the state:

¹ 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. ² Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, ⁴ for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. ⁷ Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

That the state’s authority (again, as distinct from all of the state’s actions) is from God does not mean that the state itself is God. That is an error we must not make! But, as citizens, we seek to honor the laws of the state, including paying taxes.

Of course, none of this means that the Christian should deny Christ, abandon the gospel, or violate his or her conscience in submission to the state. Thomas Lea and Hayne Griffin write:

It is not likely that the Roman state was promoting emperor worship at this time; otherwise Paul surely would not have added this requirement. Biblical teaching is clear that blind, unquestioning obedience to the state in opposition to God’s law is not required (cf. Acts 5:29 [But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”]).[2]

In short, we might say that Paul is seeking to establish that Christians are not anarchists. Neither do we think we have been plucked out of the world. As Jesus prayed in John 17:

¹⁵ I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

We still live in the world and, as such, want to be good citizens of the lands in which we live, so far as we can do so and not deny Jesus our King.

Gentleness and Goodness toward Others

What is more, we wish to live peaceably with all people, as much as we can.

² to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

There are four aspects of the church’s posture toward the world:

• not speaking evil of anyone;
• avoiding quarreling;
• being gentle;
• showing perfect courtesy.

There are some forms of alleged “muscular Christianity” that seem to almost miss these virtues. There is a type of Christianity that leans heavy into flexing, sarcasm, and attacks upon the lost. But the disposition of the church toward the world is not to be one of rage. It is to be one of love.

I like very much Danny Akin’s statement:

We exercise sweet reasonableness out of a life of wisdom that refuses to hold a grudge and that also gives others the benefit of the doubt (cf. 1 Cor 13:4–8). The regenerate person refuses to cultivate and then exercise verbal or physical abuse. As far as it is possible, on our part, we seek to “live at peace with everyone” (Rom 12:18).[3]

This is diametrically opposed to the type of vitriol that dominates a good deal of social media posturing, perhaps especially by Christians and perhaps especially as it regards politics. When exactly did it become acceptable for the people of The Way to traffic publicly in obscene humor attacking the failures and deficiencies of our political opponents? When did intense lampooning of those in the world become acceptable among the follower of the Lamb? When did our approach to the world become “attack” instead of “love”? Do we celebrate the virtues of kind speech, gentleness, and courtesy?

We are to be a people with the aroma of Christ, a people who are salt and light.

The coarsening of our approach to the world is lamentable and it is tragic. Our concern should be the salvation of the lost, not their lampooning. Absolutely none of this means the avoidance of speaking the truth, even when it is offensive. But let us make sure that it is the truth spoken in love that offends and not any antagonistic, bombastic, abrasive approach we might indulge in.

Stewardship of the Gospel and the Peace of the Church

So, too, in the church:

⁹ But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.

Verse 9, C.K. Barrett tells us, “very probably reflects the speculations and debates of Jewish Gnosticism,” a “disputatious and factious opposition which again and again looms up behind the Pastorals.”[4] These controversies arising from erroneous beliefs are “foolish,” “unprofitable and worthless.” Here, Paul is speaking of the content of the disputatious beliefs. Some matters are not worth our time or attention and, in fact, sully us if we engage with them.

These “foolish controversies” would seem to differ from genuine, healthy discussions among Christians about even disputed matters. There is a time and a place. But there are other issues that we need to consider settled, the gospel being foremost among them. The modern penchant for being unable to ever settle into the truth is regrettable.

William F. Buckley, Jr., made the following comments in a speech delivered before his classmates at Yale on June 11, 1950:

Certainly civilization cannot advance without freedom of inquiry. This fact is self-evident. What seems equally self-evident is that in the process of history certain immutable truths have been revealed and discovered and that their value is not subject to the limitations of time and space. The probing, the relentless debunking, has engendered a skepticism that threatens to pervade and atrophy all our values. In apologizing for our beliefs and our traditions we have bent over backwards so far that we have lost our balance…[5]

In theology, the Lordship of Jesus Christ and His saving cross and resurrection would be considered among those “immutable truths” whose “value is not subject to the limitations of time and space.” The church rests in these truths. We feel no need to engage constantly in controversies that seek to question them. “Merely having an open mind is nothing,” wrote G.K. Chesterton, “The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.”

And what of the person who constantly peddles these church-disturbing, gospel-distorting controversies?

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.

The troublemaker, the pot-stirrer is to be:

• identified
• warned twice
• avoided, removed from his or her ability to influence your life

There is nothing about Christian kindness that means one must constantly invite a peddler of false teachings into one’s home and life. On the contrary, this is a profoundly dangerous and ill-advised thing to do.

The character of the Christian is therefore one of gentleness and submission where such is called for and to the extent that submission to others does not lead to the denial of Christ. But the character of the Christian is also strong and resolute on the truth. It is gentle, but it will speak truth and not flinch. It is kind, but it can tell a false teacher to stop. It is long-suffering and patient, but it is capable of shaking the dust off its feet if an association is corrosive to Christian peace and unity.

The Christian is not a doormat, but he or she does carry a cross

A Christian is tough as nails, but they are the nails of the cross that he or she agrees, by grace through faith, to carry with Jesus.

The Christian will seek to be a good citizen, but he or she will first and foremost be a good citizen of the Kingdom of God.

The Christian will seek to live peaceably before kings, but never at the expense of his or her true King, Jesus.

 

[1] McDill, Michael W. “Balthasar Hubmaier and Free Will.” The Anabaptists and Contemporary Baptists: Restoring New Testament Christianity. (Kindle Locations 3306-3310). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[2] Lea, Thomas D., and Hayne P. Griffin Jr. 1, 2 Timothy, Titus. The New American Commentary. Gen. Ed. David S. Dockery. Volume 34 (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1992), p.318.

[3] Akin, Daniel L. “Titus.” Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Christ-Centered Exposition. Ser. Eds. David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida. (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), p.289.

[4] Barrett, C.K. The Pastoral Epistles. The New Clarendon Bible. (Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1963), p.145

[5] William F. Buckley, Jr. Let Us Talk of Many Things. (Roseville, CA:  Forum, 2000), 5.