Adorning Grace with Goodness – Part 3

Titus Chapter 3

Paul uses the same pattern throughout his letter to Titus – a contrast of a good lifestyle to a bad lifestyle.  Examples include: Ch 1:5-9 against 1:10-16; Ch 2:1-13 against 2:14; Ch 3:1-2 and 4-8 against 3:3 and 9-11.  It’s interesting to me because I tend to be verbose and wordy and I say more than I need or should to relay an idea.  Paul here is brief, but redundant, with his description of the Godly life.

My favorite part in chapter 3 is verses 3-8.  Verse 3 tells of our pre-Christ life and verses 4-9 explain how the change from evil to Christ-like happens.

“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.”

Just like in chapter 2:11-14, Paul attributes the change in our lives to God’s work through his Spirit, made possible by his own life and death on earth.  It not new or groundbreaking exegesis, but it’s very affirming to me because these verses reveal the character of God.

God is righteous and holy.  We are foolish, disobedient, and enslaved to all sorts of passions and pleasures.  God is merciful and compassionate.  We live in malice, being hated and hating others.  God is kind and loving and he saved despite our obvious failure to be like him.  Even now, I still live with hatred and jealousy and pride, yet I have confidence that the God who saved me through Jesus the Messiah will continue to change me through the washing of rebirth and renewal by his Holy Spirit.

The letter to Titus is an affirmation of God’s character and a directive to move from knowledge of God’s character into a lifestyle of worship to God (Ch 3:8).  Our lifestyle of worship is a self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined person ready to do good works.

August 1, 2011 by joelmorgan4 Categories: Goodness, Grace, Holy Spirit Leave a comment

Adorning Grace with Goodness – Part 2

Titus Chapter 2

Leadership, leadership, leadership.  It is Paul’s purpose for Titus in Crete; it pervades his instructions and advice; it is, or rather, should be, the goal of us today.

Chapter 2 talks about mentorship – older men to younger men and older women to younger women.  Teach the older men so that they can teach the younger men.  Teach the younger men to be like the older men.  Model in your own life how you want them to live.  Chapter 2 connects well with chapter 1.  For me, verse 11 seems like a confusing sentence to connect verses 1-10 and verses 12-15.

Verse 11 says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to…” We live out godly lives because of God’s grace.  The important words here (at least for me) are “For” and the present participle “training us to…” The participle is used to connect back to a noun or verb.  In this verse, “training” refers back to the grace of God that appeared, specifically, the grace that brought salvation.  This means Jesus the Messiah and the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus connects to this thought in John 16:7-11.

7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Jesus describes the coming presence of the Holy Spirit and his role in convicting of sin and teaching righteousness to us.  Titus 2:11-12 is an extension of Jesus’ words here; that through Jesus’ sin-conquering death and the Holy Spirit’s power and teaching enable us to live self-controlled and godly lives.  This is very comforting to me.

The God who loves us and saved us has not left us alone to live as our natural inclinations would lead us to live (Ch 1:9+).  He continues to teach us and grow us and make us more like him.  We were created in God’s image; he is turning us back to that image.

July 30, 2011 by joelmorgan4 Categories: Grace, Holy Spirit Leave a comment

Adorning Grace with Goodness – Part 1

Adorning Grace with Goodness*⁺ – Part 1

It may be coincidence or divine comedy that the past two Sundays at two different churches I have listened to excellent sermons on the book of the Bible that I am just coming to in my own reading calendar.  Hence, it is fitting that I should pay close attention to Paul’s letter to Titus.**

Please read Titus, chapter 1.

The list of qualifications for an elder (Vs 5-9) is fairly standard for Paul.  I always picture a man of strong character, not easily swayed by emotions or events.  I struggle inwardly with being quick-tempered and with a lack of self-control.  In my mind, I tend to fictionalize and narrate my life and I attribute envious, controlling, and evil words and thoughts to family and friends who appear in my fictional mental story.  It isn’t long before I stress myself out and get angry at things these “people” say to me in my mind.  I have a lack of self-discipline in controlling my thoughts and in controlling my emotions.  Outwardly, I don’t anyone could say I’m quick-tempered but inwardly, I know I am.

I’ve noticed in Paul’s letters that he often contrasts lists, positive to negative.  He does that here in Chapter 1, contrasting verses 5-9 with 10-16.

I’ve tried to think about the last verse in Chapter 1 a lot this week.  Verse 16 reads, “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.  They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good.”  That’s a harsh assessment of the people that Titus is called to work with and stand firm against. 

“They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.”  I think that Paul talks a lot in Titus about doing good works because God has given us so much grace.  Verse 16 refers to how their (our?) actions reflect their beliefs and that there is a difference between verbal confirmation of a belief and the practice of that belief.  These people “knew” of God and perhaps “knew” of how he acted on our behalf to save us.  But Paul says they deny God through false teaching and a lust for dishonest gain. 

I’m not sure how much significance to place on this last verse other than to say that it weighs on my heart and fills me with a responsibility and a desire to be like the Elder in verses 5-9 rather than being one whose actions deny the saving grace of God.

Thoughts?

*Title stolen from Bethlehem Baptist’s sermon series through Titus

**I’m going to try not to be preachy or high-minded here so I deleted a long-winded paragraph.

+Asterisk footnote system stolen from Jeremiah Mitchell.

July 27, 2011 by joelmorgan4 Categories: Goodness, Grace Leave a comment