Roadmap to Personal Godliness

Titus 3:1-2

March 5, 2006

 

The nation that I'm picturing was big and powerful. It maintained a clear anti-Christian bias with intermittent times of persecution of Christianity, destruction of churches, and imprisonment of church leaders. Though it tolerated most every religion, it found the teachings of Christianity to be repugnant, and so found it easy to oppose. This nation went so far as to demand loyalty to the state religion, so that apart from an oath of allegiance, one might face extreme persecution or denial of normal rights of citizens.

 

This nation maintained policies contrary to the teaching of Holy Scripture. They practiced infanticide without recrimination. Openness to and even promotion of sexual perverseness and immorality created an atmosphere of a downward moral spiral. Homosexuality enjoyed an increased acceptance. Violence and killing had become a sport to entertain the masses. The government levied heavy taxes on the population in order to achieve its lofty building projects and social programs. Inequity existed among the masses, with gender and racial bias as part of daily existence. Few had a voice in the government; the nation was ruled by the "have's" with the "have not's" left to fend for themselves.

 

It's not a pretty picture if you are a person with biblical convictions concerned to follow a path of righteous living. But if you were part of the Roman Empire of Paul's day, that's the situation that you faced. To top it off, many were disgruntled with the way that the Empire conducted its affairs. If you were a Roman citizen, you enjoyed the protection of the government. Yet since half of the Empire was not citizens, tensions mounted among the masses toward those in authority.

 

Into this setting, the first Christians faced the daunting challenge of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to every person. Whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free, rich or poor, artisan or aristocrat, Christians sought to declare the way of God through Christ so that all might hear the good news of Jesus Christ. The teaching of Christ and the Apostles makes it very clear. This spread of the gospel would not happen by Christians keeping to themselves and developing a Christian ghetto to hide from the rest of the world. It would not happen by hiding the light of their Christian faith through compromise with the world or denying the faith. It would not happen without Christians having the pungent and purifying effect of being salt in society. Even though there might be opposition and unfavorable conditions, Christians must demonstrate the gospel through every relationship and association so that gospel proclamation might be credible to an unbelieving world. And so in this context Paul speaks of the Christian's obligations in an unbelieving world. John MacArthur states it clearly, "The Holy Spirit here defines our obligation to pagan culture" [Titus, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 140]. What are those obligations to pagan culture?

 

I. Foundation for godliness

 

If you have followed the progress of this letter to Titus, who served the churches on the island of Crete, you know that Paul has addressed the Christian's relationship to the church (chap. 1), to the family (chap. 2), and now to the godless society where God had strategically placed each one [cf. John Stott, Guard the Truth, 167, 198]. They were not in the Roman Empire and specifically on the island of Crete by chance. The Lord had appointed their place and His purpose for them to bear witness to the gospel of Christ in that setting, just as He has done the same with each of us in our appointed places.

 

So Christians are called to high standards of personal ethics and practical service for the sake of Christ and His gospel. Such a calling of God is not dependent upon how much strength and courage we can muster for the task. It does not depend upon our ability to "grin and bear it." The Apostle, as he has done with relationships in the church and in the home, grounds the Christian's ethics and service in pagan society in the mighty saving act of Jesus Christ. He does not truncate the Christian life as though the work of the gospel and its effects only get the Christian started on the right path, and then it's up to the Christian to find his way through the morass of pagan culture. He goes right back to the gospel. Though we'll deal with this more extensively in the next couple of studies, let us consider this as a foundation for godliness.

 

1. Remember our fallenness

 

There's an important contrast that Paul is making between verses 1-2 and verse 3. In the first two verses, he exhorts Christians regarding their ethics, service, and attitudes toward the world around them. But what he was fully aware of, and what the Cretans understood, was that the society in which they lived was mired in sinful practices. "For we also once were foolish ourselves," that is, just like the kind of attitudes and behavior that you see taking place in this pagan society, we were just as foolish ourselves. The contrast between the ones redeemed by Christ and the rest of society could not be more noticeable. "For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another." That's first century Cretan society; that's also the twenty-first century world in which we live. The pursuit of pleasure, the enslavement to carnal lusts, the dog-eat-dog mentality, the resentment and bitterness fostered by people perceiving that the world doesn't give them what they think it owes them-all of this was familiar in Crete just as it is in our own world. Just as in Crete, we constantly find people angry with the government, bitter about personal losses, hateful toward different races, and seething with rage over thinking that someone has gotten the best of them in some trivial thing in life. Just read the local newspaper if you find this hard to believe. People robbed, killed, sued over the least thing, rapes and molestations, complaining, shifting blame for problems-just another day in our area!

 

Yet the Christian must not fall into the same patterns. It is no accident that a people of such ignoble reputation received such contrastingly different instructions now that they were Christians. One writer pointed out, "No people ever had a worse reputation than the Cretans" [Wm. Barclay, DBS: the Letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, revised edition, 242]. The Greek historian Polybius said of the Cretans, "The Cretans on account of their innate avarice, live in a perpetual state of private quarrel and public feud and civil strife... and you will hardly find anywhere characters more tricky and deceitful than those of Crete." He continues, "Money is so highly valued among them, that its possession is not only thought to be necessary, but highly creditable; and in fact greed and avarice are so native to the soil in Crete, that they are the only people in the world among whom no stigma attaches to any sort of gain whatever" [quoted by Barclay, 242]. The Greeks even had a mocking term, to cretize [kretizein], meaning "to lie and to cheat" [ibid. 243]. Additionally, Polybius stated that the Cretes regularly engaged in "insurrections, murders and internecine wars" [258].

 

So, Paul's point was to remember that apart from the grace of God that is precisely where each of us would be.

 

2. Remember the grace of God shown to you

 

In similar language to Ephesians 2:4, "But God," Paul contrasts the fallen condition of the human heart with the intervention of God in His mighty saving act. "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 heirs according to the hope of eternal life." You were deeply entrenched in sin, enslaved to habits and impulses of a wicked heart, but God appeared in Christ! He delivered you, not due to any works or personal righteousness, but due to His own work, regenerating you-bringing you to new life, pouring out His grace, and justifying you through the death of Christ our Savior. So, what difference does this make in relationship to the Christian and the world in which he lives? Now, there's the power and ability to do what you could not do before because of Christ's saving work. Therefore, Paul exhorts so that, "those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds."

 

Though we'll investigate this passage further over the next two studies, grab onto the point made: God has given sufficient grace to you through the gospel received to live a godly life in the midst of a pagan world. He has given you new life, so live like it.

 

II. Godliness as a citizen

 

The foundation for godliness sets the stage to see how the Christian is to behave in the world. Probably most of us have seen those bad examples of people that attend church on Sunday, offer a pious front, and then by language, lifestyle, and business dealings during the week, bring into question their Christian profession. I remember the testimony of the gospel being damaged in my home community by those who held offices in the church but were known in the community for their crass language, cursing, womanizing, and carelessness with drinking. But the Christian is called to be distinctly different. Christians, by their godly behavior, should be a living testimony to the power of the gospel in their communities. Even in our attitudes toward government our testimony must be clear. Titus was to "remind" the Cretans of what they had already learned from the Apostle Paul. He was telling them nothing new or even strange. He's just reminding them of what they already knew. That is much of what takes place each time the church gathers for the proclamation of Scripture; we're reminding you of what you already know so that you might not neglect putting truth into practice.

 

1. Attitudes that govern behavior (v. 1)

 

John Calvin observed that the human pattern is to resist authority. "We are all by nature desirous of power; and the consequence is, that no one willingly is subject to another" [Calvin's Commentaries, vol. XXI, 325]. Yet the new life in Christ conflicts with the old patterns of unregenerate life. "Remind them to be subject to their rulers, to authorities, to be obedient." Submission to governing authorities seems out of place in a list of instructions on how Christians are to live. Governments are not spiritual institutions. They have the responsibility for maintaining order in society and protecting its citizens. Governments are necessary because of human nature. If left to ourselves we will indulge our own desires to the detriment of others and ourselves. John Adams, our nation's second president, understood this as he wrote, "We may appeal to every page of history we have hitherto turned over, for proofs irrefragable, that the people, when they have been unchecked, have been as unjust, tyrannical, brutal, barbarous and cruel as any king or senate possessed of uncontrollable power" [www.kairosjournal.org "Democracy-Possibly Necessary but Not Sufficient for Good Government"]. So, in divine wisdom, God created the institution of government, and so the Christian, recognizing this, is "to be subject to the rulers, to authorities, to be obedient."

 

The Christian's conduct as a citizen reminds us that we are an integral part of a mixed multitude in this life. We must set the pace and give the example by showing the value of laws to govern society. Though these laws are not necessarily divine-some are quite flawed, they still hold some semblance of the image of God in humanity. Order rather than chaos, civility rather than anarchy, submission to authority rather than rebellion against authority must characterize any society for its citizens to maintain peaceable lives. Paul thought it appropriate to pray for the governing authorities, "for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity" (1 Tim. 2:1-2). When a government is doing its job, whether a democracy, oligarchy, monarchy, or tribal government, its citizens should know a measure of tranquility and stability. We realize that this is not happening in many places: sometimes it is the inherent problem of the particular government; other times it is the problem of the citizenry. Yet even with the Roman government and all of its flaws being in control of the vast Empire, Paul never encouraged anarchy or rebellion, but rather called for submission to the governing authorities. He explains why in Romans 13:1-7.

(1) Governing authority is ordained by God: "For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God."

 

(2) To oppose the governing authority is to rebel against God: "Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God."

 

(3) Resisting governing authority will bring just punishment: "And they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves."

 

(4) Government has the divinely ordained right to deal with evil: "For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same."

 

(5) Government is God's minister for good for its citizens: "For it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil." (Remember that he said this during Nero's reign-57 A.D.)

 

(6) For the sake of conscience, the Christian must be submissive to governing authorities: "Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake."

 

(7) It is appropriate to submit to the governing authorities and to pay taxes since the governing officials are servants of God: "For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them, tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor."


So we are told "to be subject to rulers, to authorities," that is, we place ourselves under their guidance and authority, knowing that they make decisions that affect us and that God has put them in our lives to protect the civility of our society. Whether we always agree with them or not, we have the God-given responsibility to submit for the Lord's sake (1 Pet. 2:13). As Bryan Chapell reminds us, "...the gospel cannot progress if God's people only honor the authority they find agreeable" [PTW: 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, 356]. We are told "to be obedient," which obviously has to do with following the laws declared by a particular government. Though Paul likely had some strong disagreements with Roman law and policy, he called for Christians to be obedient. In this way the naysayers who thought of Christianity as subversive or anarchistic would be silenced.

 

Do we follow without question the governing authorities and laws? The only exception will be those occasions that civil laws run into direct conflict with God's laws. In this case, as we observe with the apostles, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:19). Once that stand is taken we must be willing to face whatever consequences are levied for the sake of the gospel.

 

2. Actions that demonstrate grace

 

Someone might be rigid and legalistic, keeping laws, following governing authorities, but doing so with a rancorous spirit. Lest that kind of mind develops among Christians, Paul adds, "be ready for every good deed." He's saying this with reference to the Christian in society. While submitting to governing authorities and following the nation's laws, the Christian is to "be ready," or be prepared "for every good deed." In other words, we demonstrate the grace of God at work in us by looking for opportunities to serve others, and in this case, to serve those that are not Christians.

 

It is not secret to you that Christians lead the way in service in the world. Whenever a disaster takes place anywhere in the world, Christians come on the scene to assist, to give finances and other materials to meet needs. We heard a Christian missionary in Southeast Asia explain to us that Muslims in Indonesia were absolutely blown away by Christians from the States searching through rubble to find their dead, and then treating the dead with dignity. We've seen the same testimony over and over again in the wake of our own nation's natural disasters last year.

 

"Every good deed" is a broad commission. It might involve taking part in a civic project that benefits the community or taking food to an unbelieving neighbor that has had surgery or helping those less fortunate or volunteering for any number of service opportunities that arise in the community. The point is that there are no parameters in the Christian's commitment to serve even the unbelieving world in the name of Christ. Out of this burden churches have begun hospitals, rescue shelters, food banks, homes for unwed mothers, child care, schools, counseling services, etc. These are not necessarily times of evangelistic talk, but rather these opportunities add credibility to the gospel that we believe and proclaim. We serve for the Lord's sake that we might demonstrate to the world what it means to be transformed by the grace of God.

 

III. Godliness in society (v. 2)

 

While the first verse points to the believer's attitude toward government and the community, the second verse deals with individual relationships with the unbelieving world. How are we perceived by those about us that do not know our Lord? Do we come across as harsh, critical, or bombastic with our views? Do we seek to get along with others, to treat others fairly-even those that we disagree with regarding moral issues? This is where our Christian faith gains a footing in the community, when out of genuine love for others we show by our speech and the way we treat others that we hold no prejudice or animosity or bitterness in our hearts toward any man, even those that would not show us the same courtesies.

 

1. Through our speech

 

We are told "to malign no one, to be peaceable." The first term means that we are not to treat someone with contempt or to slander them or to speak in such a way as to defame them or discredit them. This doesn't mean that the Christian cannot speak the truth about a situation or seek to correct sin and deal with wrong. We are told by the Lord to expose evil "Rather," as one writer put it, "he is urging Christians to restrain their natural inclination to say the worst about people" [Wm. Mounce quoting Knight, WBC: Pastoral Epistles, 445]. Let's face it, often we find it easy to trash others! But our speech can betray bitterness or prejudice or hatred lurking in the heart. It can even display unbelief in situations where we have not learned to depend upon the Lord.

 

The word translated, "to be peaceable," is literally "to be without fighting." If the Christian is to be without fighting or to treat others peaceably, that means that he will have to sometime put up with disagreeable things. This, again, does not imply that the Christian must sit on the sidelines with his lips buttoned and saying nothing when evil or wrong is being done. Nor does it mean that he cannot express strong opinions or take stands on controversial issues.

 

For instance, Christianity and most everything that has to do with the Christian faith has been lampooned, criticized, and bashed by various media and public figures. Does this mean that we cannot disagree or express to the perpetrators our rebuttals? I certainly don't think that is implied. But this command must govern our response so that while disagreeing and expressing our convictions, we do so without a fighting spirit or without trying to drive a wedge between us and those in disagreement. We are to do just the opposite of what many Muslims are doing in reaction to the Dutch cartoons about Mohammad. Burning buildings, killing innocent people, offering death threats, rioting, and creating general havoc reveal lives that know nothing of the grace of God.

 

2. Through our relationships

 

Additionally, the Christian is to be "gentle, showing every consideration for all men." "Gentle" is a word meaning forbearing, reasonable, or being fair-minded, while the thought of "showing every consideration for all men" means that we demonstrate selflessness or patience in the midst of difficult circumstances. I saw a wonderful example of this in a letter from Dr. David Dockery, President of Union University in Jackson. Dr. Dockery has written to Union graduates and Tennessee pastors to let them know that a group known as "the Soulforce Equality Ride" will be coming to Union in a couple of weeks. That group aggressively promotes gay and lesbian practices on college campuses. Most public and many private colleges and universities now give preferential treatment to this sinful practice. Dr. Dockery pointed out that he and the university stands firmly against their agenda and beliefs. However, he is calling upon the university family "to be kind and gracious in every way" without giving this group a platform to promote their agenda. That is the spirit of this passage. Even with those that we totally disagree with, our attitude toward them is to be one of grace and gentleness.

 

Conclusion

 

The world expects the in-your-face attitude and rancorous spirit day after day. But what happens when the unexpected takes place: Christians showing the grace of God in the way they talk, their attitude toward government, their exemplary conduct as citizens, and their gentleness in relationships? The gospel that they have no interest in hearing blazes before their eyes in ways that they cannot contradict. Grace at work in the Christian's daily life provides a platform for the gospel to make progress in the community. Let us do our part by taking seriously these exhortations as those justified by Jesus Christ.

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