Show Grace To Mean, Evil People (Titus 3:1-8) Series

Last week, in Paul's letter to Titus, chapter 2, we read how Paul told Titus to set up the church, and the families within the church, to look like the ideal first century Roman household. Especially when you're a fringe religious group, but probably always, it's important to live in a way that minimizes suspicion and distrust. It's bad enough that you don't worship the same god as everyone else. But when Christians believe things, and teach things, that could undermine society as a whole, you need to be really careful about how you live, and what you say, and how you say it.

Really, the thing you have to make the biggest decision about, in that situation, is what's most important to you.

For Paul, the most important thing is God, and the good news about Jesus Christ. Paul is God's slave, right? Everything in life, for Paul, revolves around that relationship. God, and God's plan for the world, is everything. And for Paul, it was a point of pride, that he willingly gave up his rights, at every point, for the gospel.

In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul talks about this at great length (read it?). Paul has the right to be accompanied in ministry by a believing wife, but didn't take advantage of that (1 Corinthians 9:4). He and Barnabas, another apostle, had the right to be paid for the spiritual work they did among the churches, but they didn't make use of this right (1 Corinthians 9:6-12). He had the right to eat food called unclean in the OT, but when he was among the Jews, he didn't make use of this right. Why did he give up his rights? Let's read 1 Corinthians 9:15-23 (NRSV updated no reason):

15 But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this so that they may be applied in my case. Indeed, I would rather die than that—no one will deprive me of my ground for boasting! 16 If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a wage, but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. 18 What then is my wage? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

19 For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might gain all the more. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to gain Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might gain those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not outside God’s law but am within Christ’s law) so that I might gain those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, so that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I might become a partner in it.

At every point, in every way, Paul lived self-sacrificially for the sake of the gospel.

Now let's turn to Ephesians 20:17-24 (NRSV Updated, no reason):

17 From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him. 18 When they came to him, he said to them:

“You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. 20 I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house, 21 as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus.[c] 22 And now, as a captive to the Spirit,[d] I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me.

Let's listen to verse 24 really carefully:

24 But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.