THE MESSAGE OF HOPE - X

Titus 3:4-8
Bob Bonner
August 2, 2009

For the past three months, we have been looking closely at Titus 3. Sometimes it is a good thing to stop for a moment to reflect upon the historical context of the passage we are studying, so that we remember why it has been written and preserved for us to understand as Christians today.

The Apostle Paul’s letter to Titus was written during the first century, about AD 65.  It followed a visit that he, Titus, and Timothy had made to the island of Crete to see the inroads the Gospel had made. We know that shortly after Christ ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, some Jews who had been celebrating Pentecost in Jerusalem got saved and then returned to Crete. It is presumed that upon their return to Crete, these young believers shared what little they knew about Jesus Christ with their friends and neighbors. From what little we can gather from Paul’s letter to Titus and from the absence of any historical information to the contrary, the church on the island of Crete was non-existent in any formal sense. There were no house churches, no elders, and no record of any discipleship or teaching or training of Christians for the next thirty or so years until the Apostle Paul, Timothy, and Titus showed up on the island.

As I have described in the past, the island of Crete was a free-for-all morally, politically, and socially. It had been inhabited for centuries by lawless pirates due to its many coves and bays that made it a haven in the storms that frequent the Mediterranean Sea. Although there was some form of Roman law on the island, very few inhabitants paid it much attention.  Life on Crete resembled much of what Disney’s fantasy, Pirates of the Caribbean, was like. Its inhabitants were known for being liars, cheats, thieves, idlers, gluttons, and people without morals. 

Into this setting came a few Christians who had virtually no Biblical teaching of the significance and implications of the completed work of Jesus Christ on their behalf. As a result, their faith was making no difference or eternal impact on the lives of their fellow citizens who lived on the island.  Hence when Paul showed up, he immediately went to work teaching the basics of the gospel to these people, with an emphasis upon the affects that the gospel should have upon the way one lives life.  He also wanted to emphasize that Christians should have a role to play on the island of Crete. They are to share Christ with their neighbors.

After a short time, maybe a year on the island, Paul and Timothy left Titus on Crete and sailed back to Asia Minor. Shortly after leaving, Paul penned this letter to Titus to remind him of what he was to do on the island. He was to establish the church. He was to do that by continuing to disciple Christians on the island, to appoint elders, and to challenge the saints to live holy lives as Christians with the awareness that only as godly followers of Christ do they have proof of the life-changing message of the gospel of Christ. The entire content of this epistle makes up the mere basics of the Christian life. There are no heavy theological passages in this letter as there are in Paul’s companion Pastoral Epistles, 1 and 2 Timothy and his other letters. The contents of this letter are aimed more at the level of spiritual elementary school students versus the book of Romans, whose doctrines are directed more to the level of say, spiritual high school or college students. Hence, the study of Titus is perfect for those who are just learning about the beginning basics of their faith. 

Titus 3:4-7 is one long run-on sentence in which Paul has reminded Titus of the basics of the gospel and the hope it brings to people today. In these verses, Paul uses three terms that are key to understanding the gospel. They are “justification,” “regeneration,” and “renewing.” Along with these three terms, I have chosen to expand our study of the gospel to include three other key terms found elsewhere in the New Testament that help us to better grasp the full implications of the gospel. These terms are “reconciliation,” “propitiation,” and “redemption.”

Here is how these terms relate: Our salvation from our sin and being made right with God is founded upon the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Because of what Jesus did for us, the following is true of every person who has put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They are said to have a hope which is something we want to understand this morning. Our salvation, which leads to this hope, is built on six doctrinal pillars. The first pillar was that of justification, meaning that we were declared righteous, or right with God, acceptable and worthy to Him. 

In addition, because of the work of Christ on our behalf, we were also reconciled to God, or permanently brought back into an eternal relationship with Him, never to be rejected. 

But Christ’s death on the cross accomplished much more for us. Because of His death in our place, Christ forever satisfied God’s rightful wrath or anger toward us; so much so that God is able to wrap His arms of love around all of us, no matter what failures we have had in the past or might have in the future. This satisfying work of Christ is known as His propitiating work. 

Not only that, but through Christ’s death God redeemed us. He paid for our freedom from the slave master of sin so that we could fully serve Him, making our lives forever worth living, because we now have a meaningful purpose, to glorify God through serving Him.

Simultaneously with all these accomplishments that are the results of Christ’s death on our behalf, is the reality that we have become regenerated, or born again. We have become new creatures before God with a new beginning. Our old life has been brought to a close. That which has made us new has been the joining together of our spirits with the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, who will empower us to fulfill God’s will for our lives. 

And finally, God began a new work in our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit by transforming our lives so that we more closely reflect the person of Jesus Christ. The term that Paul uses here that describes this present day ongoing work of the Holy Spirit is renewing, or elsewhere the synonym sanctification is used.

And this is where we finished last week, with the truth that once we get saved, we are not just guaranteed eternal life in heaven but are promised that God will change our lives now as we submit to the power of the Holy Spirit. Hence, if you have truly trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, there will be evidence of change in your life, changes in attitudes and actions that reflect godliness. This is the normal and expected result of one who has been regenerated. If there is no change taking place, then there is serious reason to question whether or not one has truly been saved or has truly entrusted their lives to Jesus as Savior and Lord. In other words, it is abnormal, not normal, for one to be saved and to continue living life as always with no visible evidence of God’s transforming work.

One quick note that I don’t believe I mentioned last time concerning the Holy Spirit’s transforming work is how long it takes for one’s life to reveal changes. I’m not sure about how you feel about weaknesses or sins that show up in your life from time to time, but for me, those things are so painful and embarrassing to see in my life, that I wish the job were finished right now. As a result, I get impatient with my own failures. If you struggle with these feelings too, let me remind you and me of two truths that settle my impatience down. First, even though you and I haven’t arrived yet, God still loves us and finds us fully pleasing to Himself, because of Christ’s work on our behalf. Thankfully, our standing before God, our approval before God, does not rest on our successes in the Christian life, but upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. 

Secondly, God has chosen to take different amounts of time in transforming various areas of each of our lives. No two people grow or are transformed in the same time frame. God promises to finish His work, but not in the same way or time for each individual. Therefore as we seek His face, we can relax and allow Him His timetable for the finished project. So don’t get impatient with your growth. Rest in His love and acceptance as you continue to seek and rely upon Him. 

And just as important, stop getting impatient with those Christians who don’t grow as fast as you think they should. Give them time to grow. Pray for them. Allow them wobble room as they mature in Christ.  Love them, challenge them from the Word, instruct them from the Word, and then let them work out their salvation with the Lord. Brow beating, guilt trips, getting in their faces even with the Word of God but without having checked in with the Lord first as to whether it is His time for you to speak, usually is a formula for disaster.

Now, as we return one last time to these verses, we want to note one last point we have yet to consider that is spelled out in verse 7. And that point has to do with our present motivation for living the Spirit-controlled life. Why should we take an active role in our own renewing or work of sanctification by willingly submitting to the control of the Spirit and obeying God’s Word? 

To see the answer to this question, let’s return to Titus 3:4-7 one more time, adding verse 8. Paul writes:

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind

appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done

in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of

regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out

upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified

by His grace we would be made [today and in the future] heirs according

to the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy statement; and

concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those

who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These

things are good and profitable for men.

If one would want to cut to the quick of verse 7, Paul is saying that God “poured out upon us richly” the “Holy Spirit” so that we would be made heirs in such a way that it corresponds to our hope of eternal life. Many people think that a person realizes their being an heir to the family fortune only when the head of the family dies. But that was not the case in Jewish tradition. The father could still be alive and pass on to those behind him a part or the whole of their rightful portion of the family fortune, which was the case in Jesus story of the prodigal son. And such is the case for us as Christians today, through the Holy Spirit. Through Him, we have been made heirs in that we have inherited the very rank of Jesus Christ (as Romans 8:17 says, we are co-heirs with Christ) and the power of Jesus Christ in our lives to transform us into the image of Christ. We have not fully realized all of our spiritual inheritance and won’t until we are in heaven. Likewise, we won’t be fully transformed into the image of Christ until we are in heaven. But God wants us to understand that we possess the supernatural life right now and thus the power of Jesus Christ in us, because His Holy Spirit lives in us.

Now I have said too much without showing you the scriptures that support what I have just said, so let’s check out a few passages from the Word of God. Remember I told you that Titus was kind of elementary school theology because the people on Crete were not ready for the heavy theology? Well, look at what the Apostle Paul wrote to a much more mature in theological understanding group of believers at Ephesus. Paul tells the mature Ephesians how he is praying for them in Ephesians 1:18-19. He prays this way:

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened [wants

them to more fully understand something], so that you will know what is

the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His

inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His

power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the

working of the strength of His might.

Paul prays that they would more fully understand three things. These three things are not separate ideas, but three interrelated concepts whose focus is on our “hope” for today and the future. 

Even though the Ephesians understood more than the Christians on Crete, Paul is still praying for them to understand more of what is already true and more of the implications of this truth on their everyday lives. Mainly, he wanted them to fully understand how spiritually rich with power they are to live a supernatural life, similar to the powerful holy life that Christ lived here on earth—a supernatural life where lives are being transformed. It is this supernatural power that is in accordance with “His might,” meaning God’s power in comparison to their personal strength to do any thing themselves, including change their lives. 

I’m aware that I have not explained yet the “hope” to which Paul refers in this verse which is central to the verse, but hold on, we will get there. First, let’s look at another passage written by Paul that adds further light to this subject concerning the “inheritance” and the “surpassing power.”  In 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, Paul says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.”  According to the context, the earthen vessel refers to our human body. The “treasure” refers to the life of Christ, His very Holy Spirit that came to live in the believer at the moment that we were born again. The “power” to which he refers is the very same power that he spoke of in Ephesians 1:19, that power to transform our lives that enables us to live and serve God in the midst of challenging circumstances. In fact, that is exactly what the next verse speaks to. It speaks about the challenges Christians will face every day of their lives. Paul goes on to say, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” How can we live for Jesus in the midst of such hardship under our own power? We can’t, and that’s the point. We have an inheritance, a partial payment of what we will have in heaven, right here and now. By faith we are to depend upon this, and be transformed to live as God has called us to live. This is the “surpassing greatness of the power” of God. 

Hence, other than ignorance, we have no excuse not to live lives that are being transformed or changed on a daily basis. God did not save us to live like the lost. When we are Spirit-filled and Spirit-controlled, we have power to live and be changed.

Look at what the Apostle John writes on these lines. He tells us in 1 John 3:2-3:

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet

what we will be.  [In other words, there is still something to come

concerning our hope that we have yet to experience or understand.] We

know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see

Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope [What hope? The

hope of being transformed into the full likeness in nature of Christ] fixed on

Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

 In other words, because we know we will be like Him, then today we are to live like what we are and what we will someday be, which is not like those persons around us who don’t know God or don’t have Jesus Christ living in them as their Savior and Lord.

Look at what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:18 concerning who we are today, the transforming work of God in our lives, and what we will be. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” The idea of a “mirror” here is to demonstrate that we may be looking more like Christ, but here on this earth we will never be exactly like Him. Only when we reach glory will we be like him. The mirrors of the first century were not made of glass but of highly polished metal. Although you could get a pretty good idea of what you looked like, you still could not see yourself clearly. This is what Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 13:12 when he says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then [meaning in heaven] face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”

Hence, Paul’s point back in Titus 3:7 is that we have no excuse not to live godly lives or for others to see a transformation take place in us if we are truly saved. We have this gift, this inheritance from God, that is His very life power to change our lives, and one day we will be fully changed and like Jesus Christ, which is “the hope of eternal life,” to be like and with Christ forever. And the good news is that we don’t have to make it happen. All we have to do is, by faith, seek to submit our lives fully to the Lord. To the degree that we do, we will see His transforming power at work in us. But the best news ever is that when it is all said and done, none of us will get to heaven a half-finished product. God promises to finish the work He has begun in our lives. The hope God speaks of here is not the idea that there is some uncertainty as to whether you will be all that God wants you to be, but rather it is the guarantee of the promised inheritance that you will be all that He intended for you to be. In the meantime, we don’t have to beat ourselves up over our mistakes. We learn from them and move on.

In the end, the Gospel is all about saving us from eternal damnation, forgiving us, and transforming us into the people God wants and we will ultimately want to be. We will all make it! Finally, the gospel promises that as transformed people, we will be transported forever into His presence.

When we come to verse 8, Paul concludes with the reason why what he has just written is so important. He says, “This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.”

“This is a trustworthy statement” refers back to the long sentence that runs from verse 4 to verse 7, about how we were saved. The first “these things” refers to the great doctrinal truths about our salvation found in these verses. Hence, he reminds Titus of the importance of speaking confidently about our hope in Christ and the power of Christ in us, because if people truly understand what God has done for them, they will be careful to “engage in good deeds.” This means they will invest their earthly lives in that which counts for eternity. “Good deeds” does not simply mean helping to feed the poor. That is a good and moral thing to do, but it is not what this Biblical expression means. “Good deeds” refers to those efforts deliberately worked at to affect the eternal souls of others. In other words, if you are helping to feed the poor so that they might come to listen to the gospel and put their trust in Christ, then that is a good deed.

 To be more specific, Paul says, “Be careful,” or literally, “take thought.” It implies that we must give mental effort deliberateness) to the question of how God wants us to serve Him. He adds, “Engage in good deeds.” This “engage in” is a Greek word that means “to take the lead.”  The idea is that if anybody is going to work for true positive change in our world, eternal change, then the Christians should be at the front of the charge. Believers are to give careful thought so that they may excel or take the lead in doing good works. The second "these things" refers to the good deeds in the previous sentence.

When Paul writes that these good deeds are “profitable for men,” I see him meaning three things. The first two concern fellow Christians, and the third concerns non-Christians.  First, our good deeds encourage and build up the saints. Second, good deeds are profitable to believers in that they lead to eternal rewards. And third, unbelievers, upon seeing the good deeds of believers, will be drawn to the preaching of the gospel and will profit through trusting in Christ and becoming saved.

This one verse, verse 8, summarizes the point Paul has been making throughout the epistle. In fact, it is not only a dominant theme in Titus, but it is one as well in both 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. In a total of thirteen chapters that make up Titus and 1 and 2 Timothy, the subject of “good deeds” occurs fourteen times! Hence, to live a life with an eternal perspective for an eternal purpose is not some fleeting concept. It is to be the focus of how we invest the remaining days of our lives here on earth.

In the end, Paul has been saying from the beginning of chapter 3, that we have been saved by God for a purpose. Our foremost purpose is not to pursue a comfortable life here on earth. It’s not that we can’t be comfortable, but that is not to be our pursuit. Our aim is to serve God’s eternal purposes among men. Good works are not the ground of salvation, but they are its necessary fruit and evidence, and reveal that we are living for an eternal purpose, not a temporal or fleeting one.

So, here’s a question for you: If people were being arrested for living for God’s eternal purpose, to seek the lost and to build up the saints, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

What can you point to in the past week that is evidence of a Biblical “good deed” you performed?

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