Or, Embodied Doctrine in a World of Hate
Scripture: Titus 3:1-3
Date: September 1, 2024
Speaker: Sean Higgins
It’s all fun and games to adorn the doctrine until someone hates you. Titus 2 had a lot about embodied virtues, especially for our relationships in the church. The world watches us, and we can undo our witness by certain failures. Titus 3 takes a second swing at Christian conduct, especially for our relationships out in public, with our unbelieving neighbors.
The first section of Titus 3 covers what we have numbered as verses 1-11 (at least that’s the paragraph as printed in the ESV). Verse 1 and verse 8 could be seen as soft bookends, both talking about good works. Good works is a favorite theme in Titus and a favorite purpose of God’s grace. Our salvation is not a result of works, but our salvation results in works that God prepared for us to walk in (see Ephesians 2:8-10). Christ appeared that grace would train and purify a people who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:11-14). We do good works for fellow believers and in society. We do good works to those who don’t deserve good, just like we didn’t.
The “faithful saying,” as verse 8 calls verses 4-7, is good gospel, clear Calvinism, hope packed with protein. And yet the celebration of our salvation is so close to what we just read in 2:11-14, we might ask, why go over it again? The second rehearsal of redeeming doctrine is a motivation for us to humbly and sacrificially give ourselves to doing goods.
There are a few hinge verses, including verse 3. It gives the second motivation for the imperatives in verses 1-2, the first being that they are commands. But verse 3 has a “but” coming in verse 4, which is a contrast, about the mercy we got. Verse 8 summarizes that mercy into the bookend, but verse 8 has a “but” coming in verse 9, that takes us through verse 11. These are all good reminders.
That Paul urges Titus to remind the Cretan Christians indicates that this wasn’t new to them. This public lifestyle accords with the apostles’ doctrine and belonged with making disciples and planting churches. That said, we often need reminders because we are apt to forget, especially when people are hard.
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. (Titus 3:1–2 ESV)
An interesting place to start. In general, Christians are not anarchists. We are not anti-authoritarians. We are not political egalitarians. We recognize ruling offices and hierarchy, the benefits of just lawmakers and law enforcers.
We are also not political absolutists. Christians, by definition, cannot recognize any emperor or king or president or police, or system of man, as the ultimate authority. They too, will give account, and have responsibility before God and His Word and His Christ. It’s likely that Titus was written a year or so before the Great Fire in Rome and Nero’s subsequent persecution of Christians, so it would get more gnarly. So yes, there are qualifications, but they aren’t written here. The reminder here is to be submissive.
This is a second part, and without an indirect object, makes us ask to whom this obedience is directed? The rest of these reminders relate on the human level (rather than vertically, directly to God), but doesn’t seem to add much to the previous reminder to be submissive to rulers. Maybe it connects with slaves (think 2:10). Maybe it simply emphasizes that Christians aren’t first loophole lookers.
Ready, means prepared, means on the lookout, means waiting with eagerness to act not waiting with reluctance.
For every good work, without sphere or limitation, fits with the broad and public scope of the verses.
It is not limited to those in the household of faith (see Galatians 6:10, which finishes up a motivation for sowing in the Spirit and not growing weary of doing good). What civic good can you do?
This and the next are particularly verbal. μηδένα βλασφημεῖν - to blaspheme no one, pagans and pagan authorities included.
This does not prohibit calling out evil. Jesus did not sin when he called the Pharisees a brood of vipers, prophets did not sin, parents and pastors do not sin, when they identify wrongdoing. Paul quoted a poet who characterized the Cretans and lazy, evil beasts. That wasn’t “nice.”
But we do not get to say whatever worst thing we want, for effect. Here is a day for better self-control of our mouths, and social media blasting.
Speaking of self-control in our speaking, we don’t always have to argue. In other words, be “peaceable” (NASB). This does not mean that the neighbor is always right, or even the customer. It does mean that we can aim to get along. Don’t turn everything into a fight.
It’s not just not arguing, it’s ready not to be harsh. Along with peaceable we are appropriately tolerant, “not insisting on every right of letter of law or custom” (BAGD). Don’t make everything a federal case.
This could actually be better taken as gentle, with the previous word more as forbearing, patient. It’s “the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance” (BAGD). Show all of it to all people. Don’t light every room on fire by being rude.
These are seven good reminders about doing good in public as a people possessed by God.
Why should we live such public lives? And where does this behavior belong? We should live in a way that shows we got mercy among a people who need the same mercy. We are apt not only to forget our responsibilities but also to forget our previous condition.
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. (Titus 3:3 ESV)
Emphasis: we ourselves. And past tense, we were once. Verse 4 explains the transition, but remembering what we were like is a critical for our humanity and humility helping reality check.
We can’t put things together. We’re in the dark, we’re lost. There is no fear of God so there is no understanding, no thoughtfulness.
Of course the failure to know what is true can’t help but include a failure to do what is right.
When you don’t stand for something, you fall for anything. We’re easily deceived.
There is no self-control. Even if there’s an appearance of self-control, it may just be another fleshly desire, and the pleasure of others stroking our vanity/pride. But most of the time the sinfulness is ugly. The flood of debauchery (see 1 Peter 4:4) is on parade all around us.
The last three go together in a trifecta of misery. Malice is ill-will because of who others are, envy is ill-will because of what good others have.
Passing our days, these are the days of our lives, this is how we spend our time. This is all anti-social machination, and in some places the malice and envy have been codified into Communism/Socialism, and so destruction on societal scale.
Hatred is the way of the world, not love, not peace, no matter what they say.
There doesn’t really need to be a good reason why others hate us, but that is the experience.
Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;
there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
(Psalm 36:1–2 ESV)
We hate right back; what an antagonism pairing. The feeling is mutual.
Verse 3 is part of our motivation for verses 1-2. Verses 4-7 are God’s good work for us and in us, but it wasn’t because we were better.
”They who have a true zeal for God, are, indeed, severe against those who sin; but, because they begin with themselves, their severity is always attended by compassion.” —John Calvin
These are good reminders for embodied doctrine in a world of hate. The people of the world are depraved and difficult. They are sinners. Such were ALL of us.
So, beloved, overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).
As William Langland (a 14th century poet) wrote, “all the wickedness in this world that man might work or think is no more to the mercy of God than a live coal in the sea.”
It is the way of the world to love those who love you, and to hate those who hate you. We ourselves once lived with no alternative repertoire of responses, with no supernatural perspective or strength. But, by God’s grace, be ready for every good work for such a time as this.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:57–58 ESV)