Saved and Sure of It

<Image retrieved from https://whataboutjesus.com/saved-by-grace/ on 1/29/18.>

(Please read Titus 3:1-15 in your approved version of the Bible.  I’ve used the NIV.)

We are saved in order to do good works.

          I came across an article whose title caught my eye, “Three Words that Kill Careers.”  That was something I had to read; after all, who wants to kill their career by accidentally saying the wrong three words.

In this article, James Michael Lafferty drew on his experience in the “human resource” side of business to identify the three words that bosses hate to hear.  There’s nothing wrong with the words, per se, just the attitude they betray.

The words are “I know that.”  Those three words reveal two issues that impede success.  The first is “coachability.”  People who think they know it all don’t take direction and worse, have quit learning, growing, and adapting.

The second issue is that in spite of the appearance of braggadocio, people who say “I know that” frequently are trying to cover up impaired self-esteem.  Taken together, the words “I know that” can indicate a person who doesn’t know and doesn’t want to know.

Managers want people who are teachable and adaptable.  I’d say Jesus does too.  “Know-it-alls” are the opposite of children, who are often the epitome of teachability and adaptability.  In Luke 18:17, Jesus said, “TRULY I TELL YOU, ANYONE WHO WILL NOT RECEIVE THE KINGDOM OF GOD LIKE A LITTLE CHILD WILL NEVER ENTER IT.”

REVIEW:

1. How we get saved.
2. How unsaved folk act.

NEW:

3. How saved folk act.

We have a positive social presence. This presence is defined by nine virtues that are counter-points to the nine vices we detailed previously in section two.

The first virtue is to be SUBJECT/RULERS & AUTHORITIES (1).

Titus pastored a church on the island of Crete.  People there were notorious for being rebellious, so they needed this reminder to respect their leaders (see Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17).

In the Greek, the word SUBJECT indicates a voluntary submission.  Good behavior is a choice believers make, one will reinforce their witness.  Contrarily, bad behavior will ruin or at least make suspect an otherwise good witness.

The second virtue is to be OBEDIENT (1).  This is an obvious virtue if a person is truly subject to leaders.

The third virtue is so important, Paul was lead to record it three times; believers are READY TO DO GOOD (1, 8+14).  The full measure of good citizenship is not just obedience.  The best citizens are those who look for opportunities to do good.  Doing good is one-half the definition of moral behavior.  The other half (the more common one) is avoiding evil (as per the next virtue).

Fourth, avoiding SLANDER (2) is an example of the “negative” half of moral living.  Good people avoid doing bad things; actions and attitudes God has prohibited, identifying them as sins.  As we learned in part two, SLANDER is a sin whether the truth is being spoken or not.  What makes it sinful is more the motive than the content.  It is a sinfully-motivated act to intentionally steal respect from another person’s reputation.

The command to BE PEACEABLE (2) is the fifth virtue.  In a conflict, a PEACEABLE person is more concerned about the relationship than about getting their way.  God’s people seek ways to keep lines of communication open and are slow to give up on people or demonstrate prejudice.  This Greek word literally means “refusing to fight.”  This fits Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:39 = “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”

Sixth, BE CONSIDERATE (2).  Here again we come to the matter of priorities; the correct order is God first, others second, self last.  In order to be CONSIDERATE, we must learn empathy; to imagine yourself in the place of the other person and ask, “How would I want to be treated?”

The seventh virtue is ALWAYS GENTLE TO EVERYONE (2).  Gentleness is the opposite of aggressiveness and tempers assertiveness.  It is being reasonable and is flows from the consideration also mentioned in this verse.

This word is translated in other versions as “true humility.”  Either way, we’re describing the kind of personality that makes self-sacrifices in order to make friends.

An eighth virtue is AVOID divisions.  This is the lengthiest of the virtue descriptions.  The Greek word for AVOID literally means “to turn around.”  God’s people are to avoid divided situations and perpetrators guilty of creating division.  Paul named two things as examples of what to avoid; FOOLISH CONTROVERSIES and divisive persons (“heretics”).

FOOLISH CONTROVERSIES (9) are FOOLISH because of the subject matter and/or the persons involved: there are ungodly and unwise.  Paul offered three examples

The first example is GENEALOGIES.  Even today, people sometimes try to make themselves seem more important by claiming they are related to someone who is famous.  Such persons naturally try to outdo one another and arguments ensue.  In Jesus’ time, some Jews wanted to trace their ancestry back to Abraham to justify themselves (see Matthew 3:9 and John 8:33-40).

The second example is ARGUMENTS.  Personally, I think this term covers disputes about trivial matters.  Sometimes we try to make things sound important by casting them as a matter of principle, but in actual fact, they don’t amount to much.

In my experience, ARGUMENTS are ultimately over the question of who is in charge.  When we have opposing notions, who gets to decide what we do?  The answer is obvious if we truly are SUBJECT TO RULERS & AUTHORITIES and are OBEDIENT.

The third example is QUARRELS ABOUT THE LAW.  Jewish teachers had filled books with interpretations and applications of the Law.  As a former Pharisee, Paul would have plenty of personal experience of such QUARRELS.  Similar to ARGUMENTS, I believe QUARRELS are usually over secondary or trivial issues; they rarely involve core doctrine.

The other way to avoid division is to warn and discipline DIVISIVE persons (10); try to save them from themselves.  The word DIVISIVE is translated from the Gk word hairetikos; the word from which we get our English word, “heretic.”  This word literally means “able to choose” and is found only here in the entire New Testament.

“Able to choose” sounds like our usual definition of freedom, but choosing the way of sin is a loss of the true freedom in Christ. This is someone who rejects authority and lives to please themselves.

Another way to translate this word might be “opinionated.” We’re familiar with a “know-it-all,” the person whose motto is “I’ve made up my mind, don’t try to confuse me with the truth.”  Such persons can easily have a divisive effect on a church.  In churches, such people twist Scripture to excuse their attitudes and actions but are never transformed by it.

Two warnings ought to be enough for even the worst know-it-all.  The purpose of the warnings is to reclaim the DIVISIVE PERSON from sin.  Love does not let people continue in sin.  It finds a way to gently but firmly confront sin with the hope of reconciling the DIVISIVE PERSON to the church. (See Galatians 6:1.)

HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM is both a means of discipline and a way to protect the public image and spiritual vitality of the church.  (See Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5; and 1 Timothy 1:18-20 for more information about church discipline.)  Exclusion is the last resort.  Valid attempts at reconciliation must been made first.  If the DIVISIVE PERSON refuses correction, the church must end all ARGUMENT by refusing any further discussion.  The public image and the unity of the church are more important than one person whose behavior is divisive.

The ninth and final virtue is the most important; LOVE.  God’s people are to LOVE each other (15).  Love, after all, COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS, according to 1 Peter 4:8.

In addition to a positive social presence, God’s people are to have a redemptive witness. That means we aren’t to just mill about until someone notices us.  Instead, we live in a way that actively reaches out to the unsaved world around us.  Paul described this witness in three ways.

The first description is found in verse eight: STRESS THESE THINGS.  Right belief and right behavior are two sides of the same coin; you can’t have one without the other.  This is a TRUSTWORTHY SAYING because Paul stresses both.  Titus is to be confident in his leadership because his teaching and his living are grounded in the truth of God’s word.  He needs to STRESS these truths rather than allow himself to be stressed about things of lesser value.

The second description revisits the third virtue; DEVOTE THEMSELVES TO DOING WHAT IS GOOD (1, 8+14).  DEVOTE implies a commitment that trumps self-centeredness.  In verse fourteen Paul offered two examples of what is GOOD.

The first example is his call TO PROVIDE FOR URGENT NEEDS.   Based on verse thirteen, we understand that Paul’s immediate concern was that Zenas and Apollos were supported materially and spiritually; that Titus’ congregation provide them EVERYTHING THEY NEED.  But the word URGENT implies that believers distinguish themselves by service to the most needy people.

The second example is to NOT LIVE UNPRODUCTIVE LIVES (14). The Bible talks about “fruit” as produced by godly living (see Matthew 7:15-20 and Galatians 5:22-23).  This is becoming more like Jesus Christ.  That is one kind of FRUIT.

In Matthew 28:19-20 we are commanded to MAKE DISCIPLES as we go about daily life.  Discipling is another kind of FRUIT.  These two kinds of productivity are not optional; God expects His people to produce good works in themselves and others.

The third example is in verse eight: THESE THINGS ARE EXCELLENT AND PROFITABLE FOR EVERYONE.  Even the most jaded and pessimistic person must admit that LOVE is better than hate and GRACE than law.  They also have a value because they are part of His character; we are to follow His example.  Virtuous living benefits all folk & is more likely to be respected & appreciated.

We are saved in order to do good works.

Being devoted to doing good and seeking the things that are excellent and profitable for all will not happen by accident.  It also will not happen on our own strength.  It happens as we live in faith with God’s Spirit in charge of our will, words, and works.  Pray your way to a better day!