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.
For Paul, the only thing that really matters is telling people about God's grace-- about the kindness, and favor, that God has shown people through Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit.
When you are that focused on God, and on the gospel, your perspective on life narrows down. You see that lots of things in life aren't a big deal. And you, aren't a big deal. It's not about your rights, and getting what you want, and making sure life is fair. It's about God, and the gospel.
Now, Paul's desire for the church, is that we would follow Paul's example. In a perfect world, we will give up whatever we have to-- not insisting on any of our rights-- if that will help bring others to Jesus.
It's out of this perspective on life, that Paul says what he does about wives and slaves. When we read Paul's letters, we see Paul's awareness that Rome falls short of God's ideal. In Christ, women aren't 3/5s of a man. They aren't inferior. They aren't tools to be used by the male head of the house. Husbands and wives, masters and slaves, are equals. And I would argue that this equality, by nature, is a practical equality.
But even though wives and slaves have the right, in Christ, to be treated better-- to be considered equals-- Paul encourages them to sacrifice that equality for the sake of the gospel. Coming from anyone else, this would perhaps be a bitter pill to swallow. But Paul, again, writes as a slave himself, who has a boss far more demanding than any Roman slave (Acts 9:16).
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So for Christians who live in settings closer to first century Rome, with regard to how they treat women-- perhaps somewhere like Saudi Arabia, or Iran?-- Paul would say, I think, that if you really want to make the gospel look good, and get rid of as many stumbling blocks to the gospel as you can, and win as many people to Christ as possible, then wives should give up their rights, and make it look like their house is a model 21st century Middle Eastern household. But the fact that it's up to the wife to do this, shows that Christianity really does believe in the total equality of men with women, and free with slave.
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So that was last week's appeal. If you are a wife, or a slave, be willing to sacrifice your rights for the sake of the gospel. Wives, voluntarily subject yourselves to your own husbands to make the gospel look good.
The gospel is the key. But it's a key, in Titus 2, that focuses on the way that first century, Christian, Roman, families should look. It answers the question (too complicated, fix this), "How should we act toward one another, and present ourselves to the world, given our freedom and equality in Christ, within a first century Roman context?"
In our passage today, Titus 3, the gospel is again the key. But this time, the focus isn't how we should relate to one another. It's about how we should relate to outsiders-- people who aren't Christians, who haven't been made right with God, who don't have the Holy Spirit, who haven't been cleansed and freed from Sin.
Let's start by reading verses 1-2:
(1) Remind them, to the rulers and the authorities, to be subject/submissive, to obey,
for every good work, prepared, to be, ["prepared" is focused]
no one to criticize/defame,
non-combative (cf. Brill) to be, ["non-combative" is focused]
not demanding of one's rights (?), [BDAG: not insisting on every right of letter of law or custom, yielding, gentle, kind, courteous, tolerant]
all humility/gentleness showing to all people.
How should we live toward outsiders?
We live, first of all, as model Roman citizens. We are the kind of people the Roman Empire desires. We subject ourselves to our rulers. We obey.
Now, I say that, but the interesting thing about this word "obey," is the way it's used in Acts 5:29. Let's turn there (NIV no reason):
27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must OBEY God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who OBEY him.” [have to read through verse 32, of course :) ]
I apparently have been just dying to teach through Acts, based on my reaction to reading these verses.
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I'll just leave this in here, so I don't lose it. And this is the first time I've tried to wrestle with this by putting it down on paper, and I usually don't get it quite right the first time anyway. But this is what I'm going to be disciplined enough to avoid teaching:
I think verse 32 is a key verse for understanding Luke-Acts as a whole, so let me just pause here and rabbit trail on it for a minute. I will give you the Pentecostal explanation of the Holy Spirit in Luke-Acts (building off Robert Menzes, Empowered by the Spirit, or maybe Spirit and Power, although it's been a while since I've read him, and I'm not sure how much I'll sound like him here).
In Luke and Acts, there is no real concept of the Spirit being given to all new believers, in the sense we think about it. Just so I'm clear-- the Spirit is given to all new believers. But we get that idea from Paul, not Acts.
In Acts, the Spirit comes on Christians, to empower them for ministry (Acts 1:6-8). The day of Pentecost, when the Spirit comes on believers in the upper room, is not the day when those believes were saved. That's not the birth of the church, or the birth of God's people. Jesus already has disciples. He already has a people.
What Pentecost marks, is the day when God filled his people with the Spirit, and empowered them to do great things. Through the Spirit, they can speak prophetically. They can do signs and wonders. Through the Spirit, they can continue Jesus' ministry, exponentially, throughout the world. The promised days of Joel 2 are officially here.
You can believe the good news about Jesus, and be saved from your sins, and forgiven, without being empowered (Acts 19:1-7).
So what exactly is Peter saying here to these Jews, in Acts 5? These Jews are in a weird spot. Historically, they have been God's people. But now, the boundaries lines separating God's people, from those who aren't God's people, are being redrawn. The promised days of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit are here. And Peter is inviting these Jews to join them. Repent, trust in Jesus, and obey. Do this, and they will receive the same outpouring of the Spirit that the apostles have. The promise is for them as well (Acts 2:39), if they will receive this message as good news, and obey. The gospel is something you don't just believe, or trust. The gospel, has a challenge that demands a response of obedience.
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But for now, all I want you to see, is that there is a time and place for disobeying rulers. When the rulers insist on you doing something against God's will, you don't obey. If you're a Canadian (or Californian), and they tell you that you can't meet as a church because of Covid, you meet anyway. If the government tells you that you can't tell others about Jesus, you do it anyway. There is a time and a place for disobedience.
How do we fit these two passages together? How does Acts, relate to Titus?
The short answer has two parts. First, Paul, in his letter to Titus, isn't trying to set out God's complete instructions on our relationship to the government. Second, Paul is writing at a time when Rome is letting them do their thing for God. Rome is no obstacle (it's not yet the Rome of the latter part of the first century in Revelation 6:9-11), so Christians can obey.
Now, all that said, even if you don't obey the government, I'm pretty sure you still have to subject yourself to the government. And what this means, concretely, is that you accept whatever consequences there are to your disobedience (Michael J. Gorman is really helpful here, in his commentary on Romans, on chapter 13). If you get drafted for a war that you think is unjust, by any historic Christian definition, and you're not willing to die for your country, then you have to suffer the consequences. If you're a pastor in Canada keeping your church open, you have to be willing to go to jail for what you did. What I really don't think you can do, is start an armed, violent revolution against the government. Your struggle isn't actually against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual rulers and authorities. And you conquer your true enemy by the blood of the lamb, and your testimony about Jesus, even if it costs you your life (Revelation 12:11).
The other thing I should say, in any talk about obeying and subjecting yourself to the government, is that we pay taxes. We don't get to say that we belong to a different kingdom, serving a different king, and so we can hide income, and keep that money for ourselves.
So. I could unpack all of that using more examples, but that's basically how we should relate to the government.
Obey, usually, and always subject yourself to the rulers.
Let's start over, Titus 3:1, and press forward:
(1) Remind them, to the rulers and the authorities, to be subject/submissive, to obey,
for every good work, prepared, to be, ["prepared" is focused]
no one to criticize/defame,
non-combative (cf. Brill) to be, ["non-combative" is focused]
not demanding of one's rights (?), [BDAG: not insisting on every right of letter of law or custom, yielding, gentle, kind, courteous, tolerant]
all humility/gentleness showing to all people.
We should be a people who look for opportunities to do good. Our eyes are open to people who need a little help in life-- someone to hold the door for them, or help them carry groceries in. Someone to help them pick up something they drop. Someone to listen to them, or pray for them.
As people get older, it's often the little things that you do for them, that let them continue to live independently in their own homes. Bringing them meals, doing laundry, doing dishes. Raking their leaves. Most people should have family that does this for them. My own parents have done a great job modeling what this should look like for my grandma. But people who don't have family, need a little help. And we are a people, a family, who go through life ready for good works like this.
A customer this past week told me that her son was at a random gas station in Fargo, getting gas. Her son installs carpeting for a living, and has struggled with back pain. Not a great combo. A total stranger came up to him at the gas station, and asked if he could pray for him for his back. The son's like, "Sure, I guess." So he gets prayed for, and his back felt MUCH better. He was pretty surprised. His mom did a great job mimicking his astonishment.
Now, we aren't surprised. We know that there is power in the name of Jesus to give life. We know that God works with bold people in ministry-- disciples who rely on him, who commit themselves to him, who intentionally partner with God for service. And we know that God does all of this, in large part, because God loves everyone, and wants all people to be part of his family. But the son, I'm pretty sure, knew none of that. So the son gets healed, and goes and tells his mom, and who knows who else, about what Jesus did for him (modeling how this should work-- he brought glory to the Father, and to the Son. And when we pray the Lord's prayer, this is really the sort of thing we are asking for-- that God would bring honor and glory to himself). And his mom, who I'm not sure is even quite a Christian, tells me, and speculates that it's someone from Burning Hearts Church in Fargo (which I've talked to her about).
That disciple of Jesus, getting gas in Fargo, was prepared for every good work. I can promise you that he sees the people around him, and views them with compassion. He sees people, through the eyes of Jesus.
So Paul has this vision for what the church should look like, as it lives within the world. We walk within this world, first of all, obedient and submissive toward the government. Second, we are prepared for good works. As we continue in verse 1, we see that we also go through life, not being difficult toward people around us. We will find ourselves working with, and for, difficult people. We will find things to criticize. We will find people stepping on our toes, and our rights, and making life hard. We will find ourselves, wanting to mix it up with people. Maybe not physically, with chests puffed out, and punches thrown. But verbally, at least, we will find ourselves wanting to be "combative."
But Paul tells Titus, remind the church that's not who we are. We don't insist on our rights. We act humbly, and gently, toward all people. We don't retaliate, when people act wickedly toward us.
And perhaps hardest of all, we don't talk badly about the people who hurt us, as soon as we leave their presence. That's maybe the hardest part. If we were really going to do this, successfully, I think we'd have to bite our tongues so hard they bleed. But Paul says, remind the church, we don't criticize people.
Now, this vision Paul has for the church, is tough. These are hard words. Think about the hard situations you've had at work, or with neighbors. Think about that one person who you just can't stand. Whose goal in life, seemingly, is to treat you unfairly, to make you miserable.
Once you have that person in mind, we are ready for verse 3.
Here, Paul strengthens his point (with a "for" statement). These verses are often celebrated, and rightfully so. But the other thing about these verses, is that they are usually lifted from their context, in a way that completely misses Paul's point. [One of the kind of delightful things about studying the Bible, is the way it opens up to you, when you really slow down and just chew on it. And that's what happened to me this week with these verses].
So. Paul's thought here runs through verse 7. But let's inch our way through it, and try to catch the flow of Paul's argument. Verse 3:
(3) For we were once also foolish/thoughtless, disobedient,
being deceived,
serving/slaving various desires and pleasures,
in wickedness and envy spending our lives,
loathsome/despicable,
hating one another.
Paul here reminds Titus, and by extension, the churches in Crete, about the kind of people we used to be. "We were once ALSO."
And then Paul paints this really ugly picture of what we were once ALSO like (sounding very much like Ephesians 2:1-4, but drawing a different application from it).
You are surrounded by people who are difficult, and wicked, and combative, and act out of hatred, and step on your rights, and your turf. You are surrounded by people you want to criticize, and talk bad about to everyone.
Paul reminds us, that those people now, look exactly like you used to look. There was a time when you were flat out ugly, and wicked. "We also" lived terrible lives. [And I can picture Paul reflecting on how he lived, when he persecuted the church here.]
In verses 4-7, Paul takes a little step forward (with "de"):
(4) Now, when the kindness and the love appeared-- of our Savior God-- not by works of righteousness that we did, but in accordance with his mercy, he saved us,
through the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit,
(6) whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
(7) in order that, being made right(eous) by that one's grace/favor, heirs we would become in accordance
with the hope of eternal life. ["heirs" is focused]
The reason we aren't ugly anymore, is because God has been incredibly kind, and gracious, and loving toward us. And God gets the credit for that, not us. The idea here isn't that we were going around doing good, trying to earn salvation, and Jesus frees us from a lifestyle of good works. God didn't rescue us from legalistic good works. We were wicked, and ugly. Remember?
God made us righteous ("justified"), both in status, and in practical reality, through his son Jesus, and through his Holy Spirit.
That's why we're different.
And just see, Paul expects that you are different. You don't live as a slave to Sin. You don't live in hostility, and hatred, toward others. We read this last week. Titus 2:11-14: God's grace teaches us to say "no" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled and righteous and godly lives in this present age. When you look at your lives, you see true spiritual progress. You see growth. And this progress, and growth, is practical. It's not just that you read your Bibles more skillfully, or spend more time in prayer. You've grown in the things that matter most-- the way you love God, and the way you love people.
And why does Paul remind us, of who we used to be?
Paul isn't concerned that we will start to think bad thoughts about good works. He doesn't fear that when we pray for strangers at gas stations, that we will somehow lose track of what God did for us through his Son, and through the Holy Spirit. He's not worried that we will find ourselves trying to "earn salvation."
Paul is saying, show the same grace toward outsiders, that God showed you. Be kind, and patient, and humble, understanding why these people live like they do. They're not Christians. They haven't be washed and renewed. God hasn't poured out his Spirit upon them.
So don't, then, expect them to live like you. Don't be surprised, when they want to pick fights, and be difficult. Don't be surprised, when you find yourself having to bite your tongue hard, to keep from talking bad about them to others. They are now, exactly what you used to be.
And what they need, is the same thing God gave you. They need God's grace, and kindness, and favor, and love. They need to be washed from their sin, and made new. They need God to pour out his Holy Spirit on them. They need someone to show them, through their lives, about the grace God has given, that enables a better way of life. And then, at some point, they also need words. Right? They need you to tell them why your life is marked by love, and joy, and kindness, and grace. They need you to explain why you are zealous for good works-- that you enjoy sharing God's love with others.
Verse 8:
(8) Trustworthy/faithful, the word [is], ["trustworthy" is focused]
and concerning these things, I want you to insist/speak confidently,
in order that the ones having given allegiance to God would be focused on engaging in good works.
These things are good and beneficial for the people.
This "word" that Paul is giving Titus, is nothing new. Paul views himself as faithfully teaching the same thing as the rest of the church. He fits comfortably inside the filing cabinet. And this core teaching, Paul says, is "trustworthy."
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"The word" here is not "the Bible." Paul isn't suddenly talking about something unconnected. "The" here has the sense of "this." "This word" he's been talking about is trustworthy. It's "concerning these [same] things," that Titus should speak confidently.
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What Paul tells Titus about giving up your rights, and living sacrificially, and doing good toward outsiders, is something you can take to the bank. You can stake your life on it. This is a better way to live. And when we who teach, find ourselves teaching on these things, we can teach with confidence. I can tell you, without any doubt, that this is a good road for you to take. Doing good works, is good for you. It's beneficial, for you ("the people"= the church, not the outsiders). I shouldn't have lingering doubts, that I'm pointing you in the wrong direction. I shouldn't worry that I'm causing you to miss out on something. This is a great way to use your life.
So "focus on engaging in good works." Some of you grew in churches where good works were spoken of, a bit like cigarettes. There's always this warning label attached to them, a reminder of the dangers involved in what you're doing. Cigarettes might make you feel good, but... they cause cancer, and lung disease, and they're addictive.
In much the same way, it's good to do "good works," but... you need to be careful to remember that it's Jesus that saves you, and not praying for people at gas stations.
All of that, honestly, is not what Paul means. Paul isn't warning us about losing sight of what Jesus did for us. Paul is under no illusions about what we were like, before Christ. All were sinners. No one did good. No one sought God (Romans 3).
But that's not us, anymore. We do good works.
Look back on your life, think of a day when you got to do some serious good works for others. You helped someone move, all day, and then helped clean up their house when it was done. You helped someone with a flooded basement. On a regular basis, for someone disabled, you cleaned up their house, and did their laundry. You kept someone out of a nursing home, out of assisted living, for years. When you reflect on those moments in your life, you'll realize that those are the days you were most happy, most content, most filled with joy.
When we do good works, we are doing what God made us a new creation for (Ephesians 2:10), and we will find we are helping ourselves as much as others.
So as you go through life, be patient toward non-Christians. They haven't been washed, or renewed, through the Holy Spirit. They haven't been forgiven. They don't really have a relationship with God. They are now, what you used to be.
So be kind. Don't insist on your rights. Pray for opportunities to do good. Pray for courage, to do good. And then do it. Take the path that's beneficial for them, and for you.
Translation:
(1) Remind them, to the rulers and the authorities, to be subject/submissive, to obey, for every good work, prepared, to be,
no one to criticize/defame, non-combative (cf. Brill) to be, not demanding of one's rights (?), all humility/gentleness showing to all people.
(3) For we were once also foolish/thoughtless, disobedient,
being deceived,
serving/slaving various desires and pleasures,
in wickedness and envy spending our lives,
loathsome/despicable,
hating one another.
(4) Now, when the kindness and the love appeared-- of our Savior God-- not by works of righteousness that we did, but in accordance with his mercy, he saved us,
through the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit,
(6) whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
(7) in order that, being made right(eous) by that one's grace/favor, heirs we would become in accordance
with the hope of eternal life.
(8) Trustworthy/faithful, the word [is],
and concerning these things, I want you to insist/speak confidently,
in order that the ones having given allegiance to God would be focused on engaging in good works.
These things are good and beneficial for the people.
