We now come to the final chapter of Paul’s letter to Titus.
Essentially we see Paul continuing
the trail of thought which he
started in 2:1, focusing on the importance of teaching and the formation of a sound knowledge platform: “But as for you, teach
what accords with sound doctrine…”; 2:6 “… urge the younger men…”; 2:7 “In
your teaching show integrity, dignity and sound speech that cannot be condemned…”
; 2:15 “Declare these things, exhort, rebuke with all authority… “, and
then in 3:1 ”Remind them…”, "insist on these things"... (3:8).
Paul and Titus had been on the island of Crete, and
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ had come to many Cretans. These Cretans were
then to be assembled into local
churches where they were to be taught to
think differently about many things. Cretan society, we saw in 1:12 had gone seriously backwards. The Word
of God, when it is believed and received
and applied, reforms a
society.
The apostle Paul now addresses the matter of Christian citizenship (3:1-2). When looking back, we can see that Paul addresses three primary spheres of living
with regard to sound doctrine and duty (i) 1:5-16 In the church
(ii) 2:1-15 In the home
(iii) 3:1-11
In the world.
Titus 3 addresses the matter of Christian citizenship, Christian living in
the world.
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 quarrelling, to be gentle, and
to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
The first two verses describe seven qualities
of a Christian citizen.
I am going to state them and then make a general statement
1. The Christian citizen is
submissive to rulers and authorities. Christians are called to respect rulers and authority
(cf. also Romans 13:1-7)
2. The Christian citizen is obedient, particularly the rule of law. Unless
laws are kept, life becomes chaos.
3. The Christian citizen is ready for every good work.
4. The Christian citizen speaks evil
of no one (lit. he
does not blaspheme anyone)
5. The Christian citizen avoids
quarreling. The
Greek word is 'amachos', which means, ‘not a fighter’. They are not argumentative
and aggressive. This does not
mean that the Christian citizen will not stand for the principles which he/ she
believes to be right, but that they will allow to others the same right to
have their convictions. (See article 21 Chapter 21 of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith on Christian
Liberty and Liberty of Conscience)
6. The Christian citizen is gentle. The word is 'epieikes', (also used in 1
Tim 3:3). This word means to be equitable, fair, moderate, forbearing, not
insisting on the letter of the law, expressing a considerateness that looks
humanely and reasonably at the facts of a case [1] (Vines Expository Dictionary).
7. The Christian citizen shows perfect
courtesy towards all people. The word at the center is 'praus', which generally translates as meekness. It is not a word that is easily translated, but essentially
it refers to being
able to exercise restraint even while one is able to demolish
one’s enemy. Christ was meek.
Christians living by the power of the
indwelling Christ ought to be the best citizens of the state. This is not
because they are mindless followers, and blind to the injustices of their governments.
NO! They are the best citizens of the state, because they contribute positively
to society. The love of Christ constrains them. They are a prayerful people. They are honest,
diligent and willing to contribute to the general welfare of society. I
learned from another source that the Cretans, by way
of contrast, were notoriously turbulent and quarrelsome
and impatient of all authority. Polybius (c. 200 – c. 118 BC) a Greek historian, said of them that they were constantly involved in
"insurrections, murders and internecine[2]
wars." [3]
What we were and no
longer are (vv. 3-8 )
Paul stops here and reminds Titus that the gospel has made a
tremendous difference. Qualities like these are possible only for the man or
woman in whose heart Christ reigns supreme.
3:3 "For we
ourselves were once"... just like those Cretans. So we can't walk
around pointing the finger. We 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.
Converts to Christianity were once no better than their pagan
neighbours. So, when Christians are
tempted to boast about their moral superiority, they quickly need to remind
themselves about what they once were (1 Cor. 6:11). Our ability to
be good should not make us proud;
it should make us supremely grateful. And so when we look at others, living the
pagan life, we do not regard them with contempt. We say, "There but for the grace of God go I.” That statement is incidentally attributed to John Bradford (1510–1555), an English Reformer
and a pastor at St Paul’s. He was
imprisoned in the Tower of London for alleged crimes against Mary Tudor. He was
burned at the stake on 1 July 1555. He said this apparently when he once saw a criminal on the way to the gallows: "There but for the grace of God go
I."
How did we change?
We
changed because the grace of God our Saviour appeared in our
lives.
3:4–8 "But
when the goodness and loving-kindness of God
our Saviour appeared..(lit. when the kindness [Gr. chrestotes] and the
love for man [ Gr."philanthropia" ], the Saviour
our God appeared ...")
What then
makes us good church members, good members of our home communities and what
makes us good citizens? It is God in Christ, by the regenerating work
of the Holy Spirit that makes the difference.
Observe the
following theological basics, contained
both in 2:11-14 and 3:4-7
· The Author of our salvation: God
our Father (2:11,3:4)
· The Agent of our salvation:
Jesus Christ our Saviour ( 2:13
; 3:6)
· The Applier of our salvation: "The washing of regeneration and renewal of the
Holy Spirit".
· The thinking that by our own agency we may obtain salvation is denied in v.5:
“he saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own
mercy…”
This gracious salvation applied to us
has the following effects:
· Justification: "So that being justified by
His grace …” By this
act we are declared righteous before God. “There is therefore now no condemnation…”
Rom. 8:1. This happens by the ‘washing of regeneration and
renewal by the Holy Spirit.’
· The hope of eternal life …we might become heirs according to the
hope of eternal life." Heaven, eternal life is before us.
· The application of salvation: "Those who have believed in God may be
careful to devote themselves to good
works." In the meantime ,
how are we to live ? Well this is the
point of Paul’s letter to Titus, isn’t it?
What about those who disagree and
contradict our convictions?
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.
People who
want argue for arguments sake should be admonished once or twice and then
ignored. We are warned not to engage in useless
discussions. Paul advises that the contentious and
opinionated people should be avoided.
The word for such a person is literally
‘heretic’ (Gr. hairetikos). A heretic is a person who has made their own ideas the test of all truth.
Greek philosophers loved talking about the latest ideas.
Just that. The Jewish Rabbis spent their time building up imaginary genealogies
for the characters of the Old Testament. The Jewish scribes spent endless hours discussing what could and could
not be done on the Sabbath, and what was and was not unclean.
There is a
danger that a person may think themselves religious because they talk about religious issues. Well, let’s face it. It’s much easier to discuss theological questions
than to be kind and considerate and helpful at home, or to be diligent and honest at work. There is no
virtue in theological debates, when the
simple tasks of the Christian life are waiting to be done. Such discussion can
be nothing other than an evasion of Christian duties.
That is not
to say that there is no place for Christian discussion, but when discussion does not end in practical action, it is actually
and literally just a waste of time.
FINAL GREETINGS (Titus 3:12-15)
As usual
Paul ends his letter with personal messages and greetings.
12 When I send Artemas
or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided
to spend the winter there. 13 Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and
Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. 14 And let our people learn
to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not
be unfruitful. 15 All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who
love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.
· Of Artemas we know nothing at all.
· Tychicus was one of Paul's most
trusted messengers. He was the bearer of the letters to the Colossian and the
Ephesian Churches (Colossians 4:7;
Ephesians 6:21).
· Apollos was the well-known teacher (Acts 18:24).
· Of Zenas we know nothing at all. Here
he is called a nomikos. That could mean one of two things: He could be a converted
scribe (a student of the law of God) or he could be a converted lawyer.
Paul's last
piece of advice is that the Christian people should learn
to practise doing good - to live
like a fruitful believer. This is what much of the letter is about.
Lastly we com to the final greetings. Here, as in every letter,
Paul's last word relates to grace: “Grace be with you all!” We have
received grace. We live by grace.
Amen!
[1]
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words ( p.262)
[2] Internecine: Mutually destructive; most often applied to
warfare. Characterized by struggle within a group, usually applied to an ethnic
or familial relationship.
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