If we have learned anything
from Paul the apostle as he has instructed Titus, we have learned
that Paul is very interested in the membership of the church at
Crete. Over and over we have seen Paul give Titus instruction for
those who attend the church, and because their behavior and attitudes
are direct reflections of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul emphasizes
the importance of sound doctrine in their lives. In chapter three and
verse eight, Paul maintains his emphasis upon the glorious salvation
that has been provided by Jesus Christ and how constantly affirming
that the church members maintain good works is important. He wrote:
This is a faithful
saying, and these things I will that you affirm constantly, that they
which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works.
These things are good and profitable unto men.
Paul
first shares “this is a faithful saying” which means that
it is worthy of trust. The words preceding this phrase are important
to the membership at Crete. They should be given attention by Titus
as he presides over the church. There should be no lack for the
teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the salvation and promise
of eternal life that is offered by Him.
Paul
adds, “and these things I will that you affirm constantly.” In
other words they should be repeated regularly before the people.
Sometimes it may seem that some lessons are redundant, and if they
are not carefully attended to they can become mundane, however, Paul
shares with Titus that the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and
how His salvation was not provided by any works of righteousness that
we have done but rather by His Sovereign actions was a lesson worth
affirming “constantly.” There is a tendency within people
to lean toward their own good works as justification for salvation,
and the repetitive message of the grace of God being the reason puts
those ideas at bay.
Paul
next gives the reason that Titus is to constantly affirm these
things. He wrote: “that they which have believed in God might be
careful to maintain good works.” When there is a constant
affirming of these things, people will be prone to continue in good
works. They no longer work “for” their salvation, but they work
“from” their salvation. The idea is that there is no one who can
work for their salvation. God has given the provision for this
through Jesus Christ. However, after a person has accepted Jesus as
his or her personal savior, their attitudes and actions become a
reflection of the relationship they have with Jesus Christ. Others
are watching them, and if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and
Lord, they are watching us as well.
Paul
ends this verse with the benefit to maintaining good works, “These
things are good and profitable unto men.” When Titus constantly
affirms these doctrines and the people of the church in Crete respond
to them by maintaining good works, others are affected. These
maintained works are “good” for people, and they are
“profitable” to them. In other words, other people benefit
because they note the good works that the Christians are doing. Many
times the Christian's life is the only Bible that some will ever
read, and when they see them doing and maintaining good works, the
attitudes and actions they read may lead them to a relationship with
Jesus Christ.
Next
time we will continue our study by looking at some things with which
Titus should not be involved, so read ahead, and we shall join
together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
; download
to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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