The Book of Titus: 3:1-7
You may be reading this book and think, as I did, wow, that’s a lot of do’s and don’ts; well, it’s true. However, along with reminding Titus how Christians should treat people he continuously reminded him of why. Jesus left His throne room in heaven because He chose to, He wasn’t forced into submission, His love for mankind drove Him to accept the assignment from His Father. That kind of love is beyond our understanding simply because we’re so used to earning love from others, but God’s love isn’t earned … it’s freely given.
Paul encouraged Titus, this well-respected and trusted leader, to be submissive to government leaders; why did he need to say that? It seems obvious to me, but Paul knew the reputation of the Cretans for being rebellious and having uncontrolled behavior. Titus’ mission was to show the new leaders how crucial it was for believers to obey the laws of the land, thereby being an example or model of good works. Remember, good works don’t earn our salvation, but they’re undeniably valued by God since they point people to Him.
There’s value in living a godly life: watching our tongue, treating people fairly, not shining the light on ourselves but on others (true humility), and being an example to an unbelieving world. We don’t have to hit people over the head with our extra large Bible, we simply have to act like Jesus. If you’re not sure how that looks, then read the four gospels and watch for how Jesus treated people. Act like Him.
When we take the time to reflect on the way we acted BC (before Christ) and how we changed after the realization were forgiven and accepted by Him, it’s humbling. That comparison brings us to our knees in gratitude and causes a desire for the ‘good works’ Paul mentioned so many times.
In Chapter Two Paul documented the appearance of Jesus Christ twice, bringing salvation and redemption (vs. 11-14) and now, repeating himself, declared Jesus the ‘goodness and mercy of God’. This must be important since he said it twice, again. When Jesus appeared on the scene as a newborn infant, His mission was to rescue mankind from an eternity of sin, captured on the earth. There was no hope for us since no one could pay the required price of redemption (holy blood); only God Himself was qualified. When we repent of a sin-filled life, never reaching the mark of holiness, He accepts our confession and washes all that sin away: past, present, and even future sins. We experience a new, spiritual birth and God moves us to a higher place in His invisible realm. The Holy Spirit enters into our hearts and empowers us to live for Him as heirs of His glorious future, the ‘hope of eternal life’, when He returns and sets up His new kingdom.
That’s the value of living a godly life Titus was encouraged to teach on Crete and now throughout the world.
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