Grace Does Good Works

Titus 3:1-8
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, May 31, 2015
Copyright © 2015, P. G. Mathew

God’s grace saves us, and the same grace enables us to obey God in doing good works. We do not do good works to be saved. Because we are sinners, we cannot keep God’s law perfectly and in its entirety at any time. So we are saved on the basis of the merit of Jesus Christ, who kept the law perfectly, and we are enabled by grace to do good works. If a person who claims to be a Christian does not obey God, he is not a Christian. Doing good works demonstrates that we have been saved by Christ by grace.

Jesus Christ saves the elect sinners from God’s wrath so that they may hear and do God’s will with great zeal (Tit. 2:14). And the grace that saves us from sin also enables us to do good works immediately, exactly, and with joy.

Wicked sinners will ask, like Pharaoh asked, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him?” (Exod. 5:2). It is a heresy to believe that a person can receive Jesus as Savior and yet refuse to obey him as Lord.

As believers, we must obey the Lord Jesus. Remember what Jesus asked, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). We must live out the gospel in the world. In Christ, we are the light of the world—a world that is sitting in moral darkness. And the good works we do by grace demonstrate our justification by grace. Remember what Jesus said when he gave the great commission to the apostles: “Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you” (see Matt. 28:18-20).

Grace saves us from our sins. Grace works good works. Grace even rewards our good works. And grace glorifies God.

 

Christians Obey Civil Authorities (vv. 1–2)

Paul begins, “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men” (vv. 1–2). The apostle is charging Pastor Titus to remind the Cretan Christians to live obedient lives before the rulers and authorities appointed by God. The Cretans may have said, “Pastor Titus, you preached this before.” But Pastor Titus would say, “Friends, I am doing my job by reminding you because we often forget.” The Bible often repeats the same teaching. So in Titus 3:1–2, Paul speaks about seven things that Titus should teach the people to do in relation to civil rulers and all other people. These instructions apply to us as believers as well.

1. Be subject to all governing authorities, as Jesus himself was. Jesus told the rulers of his time, “You have no authority. Your authority is given to me by my Father” (see John 19:11). Paul writes, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against [God himself]” (Rom. 13:1–2). Peter said the same thing: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men” (1 Pet. 2:13).

It is true that believers are citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20), but we are also citizens of earth. If we try to travel saying, “We are citizens of heaven,” we won’t go anywhere. We must show a passport from our home country. Paul himself was a Roman citizen and submitted to its rule. So we also must submit to all God-delegated authorities.

Government exists to punish evil and promote good, not to promote evil and punish good. Cretans did not like living under the Roman colonial rule ever since they were conquered in 67 BC. But Titus was to teach them to submit to all governing authorities.

2. Be obedient. We are to pay taxes and pray for the rulers and authorities. We must render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and obey our authorities except when they tell us to disobey our Lord Jesus Christ. When the Sanhedrin told the apostles to not teach in the name of Jesus, “Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men!’” (Acts 5:29). Then he said, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32). We cannot get away from obedience. If we don’t obey the Holy Spirit, we are not Christians.

3. Be ready to do whatever good work needs doing. Christians must volunteer. They must be the light of the city. We should take every opportunity to mix with non-Christians by doing good works. Jesus himself mixed with unbelievers regularly. It is our duty because we are the light of the world.

4. Do not slander anyone or destroy their reputation. God will surely judge those who slander. People destroyed the reputation of Jesus by the lie that he was casting out demons, not by the Holy Spirit, but by Beelzebub, a senior demon.

5. Do not be quarrelsome. Some Christians are always ready to fight. We must be gentle and uncontentious in our social lives.

6. Be fair, that is, reasonable, considerate, conciliatory, and yielding. Do not insist on our own way whenever possible.

7. Demonstrate true humility to all people, especially to unbelievers. Remember, Jesus was humble and gentle in heart.

We are the light of the world. Jesus told us, “A city on a hill cannot be hidden. . . . In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14, 16). We are to evangelize others through our good works.

 

Our Past Works (v. 3)

Then Paul writes, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another” (v. 3). We must remember our past bad works, when we lived as sinners. It is good to reflect on our past life so that we may be able to sympathize with sinners, love them, and share the good news of the gospel with them.

Who were we? Paul describes our former state: “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are . . . slanderers, God-haters” (Rom. 1:28–30).

Understand the biblical truth about anthropology. We were pervasively evil. We were conceived in sin, born as sinners to practice only sin. Yet our depraved minds would say that we were getting better every day. We were living in sin, as enemies of God, when, in love, God saved us. We were evil in our minds, our wills, and our affections, totally incapable of doing anything to please God the Holy One.

In verse 3 Paul lists the seven deadly sins we were committing before God saved us.

 

1. Anoêtoi (ignorant, foolish). Notice, Paul does not say, “You were ignorant”; he says, “We were ignorant.” He includes himself. In other words, Paul was reflecting on his own sinful past. We read his reflection in 1 Timothy 1:12–14: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” It is good to reflect on our past. It is a medicine for arrogance. We were ignorant of the true and living God. We were idol-worshipers. We were foolish and obtuse. In one sense, we knew God from creation and conscience, but we suppressed that knowledge by zealously doing all kinds of sins. We were worst sinners, as described by Paul in Ephesians 4:18–19: “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.”
2. Apeitheis (disobedient). We were willfully disobedient to God and all his delegated authorities, such as parents, pastors, magistrates, and teachers. Paul writes about the state of mind of the disobedient: “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the [flesh] cannot please God” (Rom. 8:6–8).
3. Planômenoi(deceived). The devil and sin deceived us. We were deluded and led astray by false teachers. In Titus 1:16 Paul says about such sinners, “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable [“excrement” in Greek], disobedient and unfit for doing anything good” in the sight of God. Paul also says that such “evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). He also writes, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). I have observed such people. They are deceived, yet they maintain that they are walking with God.
4. Douleuontes (enslaved). We were slaves of our passions and pleasures and various bodily urges. We were lovers of pleasure, not lovers of God. Paul writes, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them” (2 Tim. 3:1–5). We were addicts. And Peter says, “They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness” (2 Pet. 2:13–15). Our past lives were characterized by wickedness, as Paul lists: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19–21).
5. Diagontes (spending their time, wasting their time). We were steeped in malice and envy. Malice and envy were consuming us like cancer. We had malice toward all and charity toward none. We lived in ill-will toward others, and could not endure the success of others. We were like Cain, who killed his own brother Abel. The Bible says that it was out of malice and envy that men crucified Jesus Christ.
6. Stugêtoi (hated). Not only were we God-haters, but we were hated by others. We were disgusting and detestable in their sight.
7. Misountes allêlous (hating one another). This is the climax of human depravity. If we are hating one another, a husband and wife cannot get along, and a family cannot get along. We were hating God and therefore hating one another.

 

All these seven deadly sins are anti-God and therefore anti-social. Unbelievers are incapable of true love, which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Sin is self-centeredness. It causes society to fall apart. Only salvation through Jesus Christ enables us to love God and one another, and to do good works.

 

The Saving Work of God in the Present Time (vv. 4–7)

Thank God for divine interposition and his good work of salvation! While we were sinning against God, God our Savior appeared in the midst of us in Jesus Christ to save us from all lawlessness and wickedness (see Titus 2:11–14). Like the sun, he appeared to deliver us from our interior moral darkness. We were blind, but now we see. We see God, first of all.

What motivated God to do this? His goodness and love for sinful mankind did so. Paul writes, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (vv. 4–5). Grace and mercy motivated him. So we read, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Elsewhere Paul writes, “[God] has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:9–10). Even now, as I am preaching the gospel, life and immortality is coming to some who are listening.

We deserved hell; yet, in Jesus, God is giving us heaven. We merited eternal death; in Jesus, God is giving us eternal life. God the Father is our Savior, and his Son Jesus Christ is our Savior. God planned our salvation; Christ accomplished it by his atoning sacrifice; and the Holy Spirit applied it to each elect sinner. As we hear the word of God and believe and call upon the name of the Lord, we shall be saved.

Christ died to save us when we were powerless, still sinners, and when we were God’s enemies. Paul says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:4–5).

Not only God’s wrath was revealed against us (Rom. 1), but his righteousness apart from our works was also revealed for our benefit. Understand this: his wrath was poured upon Jesus in its entirety so that God in Christ might give us his righteousness gratis.

God justifies the ungodly to make them godly. God in Christ forgives all our sins. God also adopts us to be his children. Now we are heirs of God in Christ.

Do you want to know more about who you were? Paul writes, “He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Cor. 1:28–29).

God transforms sinners to be his saints, his sons and daughters. He judged his own sinless Son in our place. Therefore, God is just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus.

Isaac was spared (Gen. 22) and we are spared. Isaac was spared from death, and a ram was killed in his stead—a ram that pointed to Jesus, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. We must understand God’s goodness and love for us sinners. He did not spare his own Son but gave him up to the horrible, shameful death of the cross for our salvation. He went to hell on the cross so that we could sit with him in heaven. God in eternity in Christ planned our salvation; his Son in time accomplished our salvation; and the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of the Father and the Son—now applies the great salvation to every elect sinner.

Paul writes, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done” (v. 5). God saves us, not on the ground of any works that we did in righteousness as sinners. Isaiah speaks of such self-righteousness, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away” (Isa. 64:6). We should not glory about our past, our pedigree, or our parents. They also were all sinners, steeped in sin.

We were sinners in need of God’s salvation. A picture of God’s saving work is given in Zechariah’s prophecy: “Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Take off his filthy clothes.’ Then he said to Joshua, ‘See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you’” (Zech. 3:3–4). That is what happened to us—there was a double transaction. Christ took away our sins, and he gave us his own divine, perfect, unimpeachable righteousness.

Then Paul says, “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (v. 5). God does this through a spiritual inner washing of the filth of sin, resulting in regeneration and renewal. That which is born of the flesh—the sinful flesh—is flesh. That which is born of the Holy Spirit is spirit.

God’s goodness and love for sinful men is the basis for our salvation. Consider God’s mercy: “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy” (Rom. 9:15–16). Paul continues, “What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory” (Rom. 9:22–23). Thank God, we are objects of mercy prepared for glory!

Great love and rich mercy for sinners! The Pharisee went home condemned, but the publican, who pleaded for mercy based on the blood of the atoning sacrifice, went home justified and joyful (Luke 18). The preaching of the gospel by Christ-sent pastors reveals God’s mercy to sinners. He who knew no sin became sin for us that in Jesus Christ we might become the righteousness of God. The merit of Jesus Christ alone is the foundation of the sinner’s salvation. All other ground is sinking sand.

The Lord himself promises, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezek. 36:25–27). This is God’s plan. Paul writes, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9–11). He also says, “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13).

Water baptism cannot regenerate a sinner. So Paul is not speaking about water baptism when he speaks about “the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” Giving us new life, which we never had before, is the work of the Holy Spirit alone. Lazarus was dead, buried, and decomposing. They said, “Behold, he stinketh!” Yet on the fourth day, when Jesus commanded him to come out of the tomb, he heard the call and came forth.

Regeneration, however, is a greater miracle than Lazarus’ being raised from the dead because regeneration gives us eternal life. It is a unilateral, miraculous, and instantaneous work of God. Regeneration affects our whole person—our mind, our will, and our affections. Elsewhere Paul says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17). He also says, “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation” (Gal. 6:15). A person who has been resurrected from the dead spiritually experiences the life of God in the soul of man.

Paul tells us the Holy Spirit not only regenerates the dead, but he also brings about renewal, sanctification. Louis Berkhof stated, “Sanctification is that gracious and continuous operation of the Holy Spirit, by which he delivers the justified sinner from the pollution of sin, renews his whole nature in the image of God, and enables him to perform good works.”¹

It is true that those who are regenerated should be baptized. Water baptism is a sign and seal of our covenant with God. It points to the reality of the Spirit’s new creation. But no priest can give new life by means of an ex opere operato sacrament. Those who are baptized are already regenerate.

The Holy Spirit also sanctifies us through the word of God. So we read, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). Our minds are renewed through the word of God. Jesus said, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you” (John 15:3). Paul writes about making the church holy, “cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:26–27). Our Lord will not have a dirty, antinomian church. His is a holy church, and the Holy Spirit makes us holy.

Sanctification is a daily process. Paul writes, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). He says that we “have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Col. 3:10).

We experience this renewal by the Holy Spirit, “whom,” Paul explains, “he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior” (v. 6). The Holy Spirit has been poured out abundantly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Jesus receives the Holy Spirit from the Father, and he pours him out upon the church. Peter spoke about this in Acts 2: “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out abundantly what you see and hear” (Acts 2:33).

Jesus Christ baptizes his people in the Holy Spirit and fire. He promises that we will receive power to do good works when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. (PGM) May the Spirit of God be poured out upon us all, making us competent to do what God wants us to do!

Indeed, the Holy Spirit has already been poured out on believers in abundance. So he tells us, “Come unto me. Drink from me, so that rivers of living water may flow out of you” (see John 7:37–39). And Paul says, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us” (Rom. 5:5). In the Greek, it is “poured out in abundance.”

God gives us an abundance of power, competence, and ability to do his work. Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing, but with me, you can do everything” (see John 5:5). Paul speaks about “his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Eph. 1:19). How great is this power? Paul says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20). Within us, the power of God works to do what God wants us to do. Paul also says, “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Col. 1:29). Elsewhere he declares, “I can do everything through [Jesus Christ] who gives me strength” continuously by his Holy Spirit (Phil. 4:13).

If we are weak, we should pray and ask God, “O Lord, pour out your Spirit upon us.” He will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:13). His Holy Spirit makes us even able to suffer martyrdom, which is now taking place all over the world. The Holy Spirit is poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. He came to this world to seek and to save the lost, and to give his life as a ransom for many. He is the Savior of the world; he is the atoning sacrifice of the world.

In the Greek text, Titus 3:4–7 is one long sentence. It is a most grand summary of the theology of soteriology, in which all three persons of the Godhead participate. As we said, this text speaks about our past and our present. But it also speaks about our future. We have a future and hope in Christ, unlike the unbeliever, who is without hope and without God in the world.

If you have not yet trusted in Jesus, the truth is, you are without hope and without God. You are under God’s wrath every moment of your life. But God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—all three Persons of the Godhead—will save every sinner who surrenders to Jesus in repentance and faith.

Do this now, like the publican who prayed, “Have mercy upon me, a sinner.” Do this now, and go home as he did, justified and full of joy.

 

Hope for the Future (v. 7)

We dealt with the past—who we were; and we dealt with the present—God has saved us. Now Paul directs us to look into our hope for the future.

In the past, we all were wicked sinners, including Paul himself. But God saved us, regenerated us, justified us, and is sanctifying us. God has poured out richly the Holy Spirit upon us, who washed us, regenerated us, and is renewing us.

Now a glorious future awaits us. Paul says, “Having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs based on the hope consisting in eternal life” (v. 7, author’s translation). Grace is unmerited favor. We merited eternal death; he will give us eternal life in all its fullness. That is what we are hoping in. We enjoy eternal life now, but only a foretaste.

When we die in faith, we will enjoy the second installment of this eternal life, when our spirits will be made perfect to live in paradise with God and the elect angels (Heb. 12:23). When he comes again, he will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like unto his glorious body. Then we shall enjoy the fullness of eternal life, the third and final installment, the great wedding feast that we read about in Revelation 19.

Christ’s mission is to bring us to God, to bring us to glory, to conform us to the image of himself. So we wait in eager expectation of the blessed hope, as we read in Titus 2:13 (which can be translated, “wait in eager expectation of the blessed hope and epiphany of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”). That is our great hope. When he comes, we shall share in his glory.

Elsewhere Paul writes, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” We are standing there right now. Then he says, “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1–3). That is the future we are looking forward to.

Paul told the Thessalonians, “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning [that is in eternity, before time, before creation] God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13).

Nothing in this world can save us. People may trust in their education, in their money, in their pedigree, in their power. But Paul continues, “He called you to this through our gospel that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 2:14). Our destination is glorification. We are called, justified, and glorified. We shall be changed “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52). Glory! This is our future hope.

John also speaks of our glorious future: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’” (Rev. 21:1–4). God will be dwelling with us. That is our future.

The unbelievers who refuse to surrender to our Lord Jesus Christ are without hope and without God in this world. Oh, they may smile and pretend that they are the happiest people in the world. But it is a lie. They will be filled with dread at Christ’s coming, and they will suffer eternal death, as we read in Matthew 25: “Then [the king, Jesus Christ] will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Matt. 25:41). This eternal fire is prepared by Christ himself for those who are objects of wrath prepared for destruction. Did you say you don’t want to trust in Jesus Christ? The day is coming when he will tell you, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Our future is either curse or blessing.

We are people of a sure and certain hope, a hope that will not make us ashamed. We have been called and justified in order that we may be glorified. We shall share in the glory of Jesus Christ. And nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God. Romans 8:33–34 asks, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

We are justified by his grace, not by our righteousness. Thank God for the incomparable, unsearchable riches of God’s grace. We are justified by his grace for the eternal praise of his grace. That is what we do in heaven.

This grace made us heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ. We are told the Son is the heir of all things (Heb. 1:2). And in Jesus Christ we are also heirs of all things. If you possess him by faith in Jesus Christ, and you possess all things. You are a fool if you don’t believe in Jesus Christ and be saved. You are the poorest person in the whole world, outside of Christ. You are cursed.

In Jesus Christ we are heirs of a number of things:

 

1. Eternal life. Jesus said, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:29).
2. Glory. We are heirs of eternal life and heirs of glory. Paul says, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Rom. 8:17).
3. Grace. Peter says, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Pet. 3:7).
4. Blessing. Peter also writes, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Pet. 3:9).
5. Salvation. We read, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14). We inherit salvation in its fullness.

 

We have a great calling, a great invitation to inherit all these things: eternal life, glory, grace, blessing, and salvation.

 

The Purpose of Christian Life (v. 8)

Finally, Paul tells Titus what the purpose of the Christian life is: “This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good” (v. 8). In other words, we are to obey God.

There are false preachers who masquerade as angels of light. They will say, “You can be a Christian without obedience.” These are demon-possessed people. The purpose of Christian life is to obey God. We were wicked and disobedient before; now we obey God. We are to know and do his will as revealed in the Bible. That is why we read the Bible every day.

The purpose of the Christian life is to do good works. Elsewhere Paul writes, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Eph. 2:10).

Good works means obedience. Children, you must obey your parents. Husband, you must love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. Wife, you must be submissive to your own husbands. These are all good works that give evidence that we are now Christians who have experienced nothing less than regeneration.

We are called to abound in good works. Paul exhorts, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). He also says, “Command [the rich] to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. in this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:18–19). Don’t be poor in good works; be rich. When I read the Bible, it tells me the will of God, and I do the will of God.

Paul begins verse 8 with the phrase: “This is a trustworthy saying.” Titus 3:4–7 is one of the five “faithful sayings” found in the pastoral epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus). In 1 Timothy 1:15 we read, “Here is a trustworthy saying” (pistos ho logos). Everything God says is trustworthy, and yet there are five things that are called trustworthy sayings. What is the trustworthy saying? “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.” That is trustworthy. We all must say that. Why did Jesus come? He came to save sinners, only sinners, worst sinners. We ought to confess before God, “I am the worst sinner in the whole world,” as Paul himself did.

Another faithful saying is found in 1 Timothy 4:8–9: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.” It is a trustworthy saying that a life of obedience to the will of God is profitable in this present life and in the life to come.

I challenge you to be rich in godliness because it is good for now and good for the world to come. Those who believe in the trustworthy gospel stated in Titus 3:4–7 must be careful to devote themselves to obey God’s will in doing good works. Where do we find good works? In the Scriptures. That is where Christ our Lord discloses his will. He said, “If you hear these words of mine and do them, I will liken you to a wise man who built his house upon the rock, and it stood.”

A true believer is an obedient believer. Titus is commanded to declare this gospel with conviction, boldness, and all authority. If you are an unbeliever, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ, “Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” If you are a believer, I command you to be rich in good works. We are not to be ashamed of the gospel, which alone has the power to save sinners. Nothing else can save sinners. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.

Cretans were known for being liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons. Titus’ congregation came out of that lifestyle. Now they needed to demonstrate a radical transformation in their lives. Paul was calling them to live Spirit-transformed lives. Former liars must tell truth. Former thieves must work hard to give to those in need. God demands radical obedience from his people. Pagans live sinful, self-centered, anti-social lives; believers are to live Spirit-filled, word-regulated lives marked by obedience to the One who loves us and gave himself for us.

What are good works? In Deuteronomy 6 we are exhorted, “Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight” (Deut. 6:18). We should ask: What does the Bible say? What does God say? What does our Lord Jesus Christ say? Then we should ask, show me in the Book, and I will do it. So, again, look at Deuteronomy 6: “Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land.” It is my prayer that you will also be blessed people. Blessed people are obedient people.

Paul writes, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Gal. 5:16). That is a guarantee. He also says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25). The apostles said, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32). That should settle the whole argument. Do you obey God? Do you obey your parents? Do you obey your pastors? Do you obey your teachers?

Unbelievers are unfit for any good work, as Paul states: “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good” (Titus 1:16).

But believers are made fit by the work of the Holy Spirit to do every good work. Several scriptures speak about the good works God wants us to do:

 

• Matthew 10:40: Receive into your home and supply all the needs of a gospel minister.
• Matthew 25:35–36: Feed the hungry, give a cup of cool water to the thirsty, welcome strangers into your home, provide clothes to those in need, attend to the sick, visit those in prison.
• Romans 12:13: Share with believers in need; open your home to God’s people.
• Acts 2: They sold their possessions and goods and gave to any believer as he had need. As they did, eat together in your homes with glad and sincere hearts.
• Acts 4: Agree with God’s people in heart and mind. Do not claim anything as your own, but share everything.
• Acts 6: Provide daily food for needy widows among God’s people without racial discrimination.
• Hebrews 13:1–3: Love one another as brothers. Host strangers. Sympathize with and support those who are in prison and those who are suffering.
• 1 Peter 4:9: Freely and sincerely welcome people into your home.
• John 13:5, 12, 14: Wash one another’s feet. Do the lowest and most menial service for one another.
• Luke 7:44–46: Serve one another with great love, as the sinful woman whom Jesus forgave, did. She washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiped his feet with her hair, kissed his feet, and poured perfume on his feet.
• 1 John 3:16–17: Lay down your life for your brothers. Provide from your own resources for those with material needs.
• 1 Timothy 5:8–10: Men, provide for your families. Women, be faithful to your husbands, raise godly children, show hospitality, wash the feet of the saints, help those in trouble, and devote yourselves to all kinds of good deeds.
• Titus 3:14: Faithfully provide for your and your family’s daily needs. Be productive.
• Luke 3:10–14: The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same. Do not abuse your power or authority. Tax collectors, collect only what you are required to. Soldiers, don’t extort money, don’t accuse people falsely, and be content with your pay.
• 3 John 5–8: Welcome those who are laboring for the gospel and supply them with provisions as they go.
• Ephesians 5:9: Live as children of light in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.
• Ephesians 6:1: Children, obey your parents.
• Ephesians 5:22: Wives, submit to your husbands.
• Ephesians 5:25: Husbands, love your wives.

 

This is not an exhaustive list, but the Holy Spirit will speak to you and tell you what good works you should do in your life situation. Doing good works is demanded of every believer. It is a must.

Our good works of obedience is the evidence that God has saved us. We must bear in mind Paul’s teaching on the dynamic biblical ethics: “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you and ye shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). Paul also exhorts, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life” (Phil. 2:12–16a).

Be encouraged by this truth: He who saved us by grace will also give us grace to do good works. Grace works good works. Paul declares, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8). We abound in good works by God’s grace, God’s dynamic.

Do you think grace is not sufficient? Listen to what Jesus told Paul himself: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Do you want grace? Let me tell you how. Get rid of arrogance. Pride is the cork that prevents us from receiving grace. A proud person is like a corked empty bottle. It can be thrown into the river of clean water, but nothing will enter it. If you are proud, consider this truth: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

If we have not experienced God’s grace, may God help us to cry out to him and be saved. And if we already trust in Christ, may we prove our salvation by obedience. May God help us to abound in good works. Thank God for his grace! Grace saved us, and grace will help us to do what God demands of us, for his glory.

 

¹ Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: 1949), quoted by William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, New Testament Commentary series (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995), 391–392.