Have you ever noticed what happens to people the closer we get to an election? People who are nice and reasonable most of the year start talking about the other side like they’re the enemy. The yard signs go up and the ads don’t stop, right? I even have been getting spam text messages from Texas, like I can even vote there! And really, it doesn’t matter if you’re Christian or not when it comes to this. Sometimes Christians are the ones leading the charge in the, I guess you could say, meanness, of the election season.
This Tuesday is Election Day. And in God’s providence, this is the passage we come to this week. Paul here tells us how Christians are supposed to live in a world that doesn’t know God, and that includes how we treat the people in charge and the people we disagree with. But he doesn’t just hand us a list of rules. Do this. Do this. Don’t do this. Etc. He tells us why we are to live this way. And the why is the gospel.
In Titus, Paul has been talking about godly living in the church in chapter 1 and in the home in chapter 2. Now in chapter 3, he moves out into the world. Last week we saw that “the grace of God has appeared.” Today Paul says something just like it again. “The goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared.” And it changes who we are and how we live out there in the world.
I want you to notice where this passage starts and where it ends. It starts in verse 1 with being “ready for every good work.” It ends in verse 8 with being “careful to devote themselves to good works.” Good works are like bookends around this whole passage. And what’s in the middle? Verses 4–7, one of the clearest pictures of salvation anywhere in the Bible.
We are called to do good in a world that doesn’t know God. (1–2)
Verse 1 starts with “Remind them.” Paul isn’t telling Titus to come up with something new. These churches had heard this before. All through Scripture God warns His people about forgetting. Over and over, Israel got in trouble because they forgot what God had done. Most of what I’m going to say today you’ve heard before. But we forget it fast.
Paul says to “be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient.” Now think about who these people were they were to be submissive to. Rome had conquered Crete in 67 BC, and the Cretans were known for fighting and rebelling against Roman rule. Remember back in chapter 1, Paul called the false teachers there “insubordinate” and Cretans were known as liars. Rebellion and lying was part of their culture. And think about who was running their empire. When Paul wrote this letter, Nero was in charge. This is the Nero that would watch Rome burn. Within a few years Nero would be putting Christians to death in horrible ways. And what does Paul say here? Paul still says to submit.
Now that doesn’t mean the government gets the ultimate say in everything. Like we saw a couple of weeks ago, God is always the highest authority. If the government tells us to sin, we obey God rather than men. That is also a constant throughout the Bible (see Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!).
But Paul also says more than just obey. He says be “ready for every good work.” It’s not enough for Christians to be law-abiding citizens. We’re supposed to be public-spirited, as John Stott says. Eager, not reluctant.[1] Christians shouldn’t be the people in society who do nothing and complain about everything. We should be the first ones there when there’s a need.
The Roman historian Tacitus wrote that Nero persecuted Christians “not so much for the imputed crime of burning Rome, as for their hate and enmity to human kind.”[2] The world looked at Christians, because of its ties to Judaism, and thought they hated everybody. Paul doesn’t want the world to have any honest reason to think that about us. But sadly, often they do.
Then in verse 2 Paul gets to the how—our mouths and our attitudes. We’re “to speak evil of no one.” That’s the word we get “blaspheme” from. It means to curse, slander, or treat someone with contempt.[3] Well, good thing he didn’t have social media when he wrote this. I think he would have said a whole lot more! And notice who it covers. No one. Don’t speak evil of the candidate you can’t stand. Don’t speak evil of the guy at work who votes the other way. Don’t speak evil of the person posting things that make your blood boil. Now you can tell the truth about policies and facts. Telling the truth isn’t speaking evil. But often we turn from policies and facts to personal attacks. Here’s why we should speak evil of no one: every one of them is made in the image of God.
Next, “to avoid quarreling.” That word literally means somebody who won’t fight. That’s somebody who decides not to fight even when they could win. Like a boxer just keeping his hands down. Then “to be gentle.” That doesn’t mean being a doormat and letting someone walk all over you. It’s being reasonable and fair with people when you don’t have to be. And last, “to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” The word translated “perfect” is really just the word for “all.” Every kind of courtesy to every kind of person. Be a courteous person instead of a harsh person. That’s what a Christian should be like.
So how are you going to talk about this election? Vote, and vote with a biblically informed conscience. But you can disagree with somebody without demonizing them. The way we talk about the people we disagree with says something about the gospel we say we believe.
We must remember who we used to be. (3)
Now why would Paul expect us to treat people like the way he just described? Verse 3 starts with the word “for.” “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.” Notice Paul doesn’t say “they.” He says “we.” Paul puts himself in that list, and every one of us in this room is in it too. That’s why we can’t look down on the lost world. The only thing that separates us from the people we’re tempted to look down on is the grace of God.[4]
Look at that list. “Foolish” means without understanding. “Disobedient” means we did what we wanted, not what God wanted. Then Paul says we were “led astray.” That means we were led off the right path. Paul is describing people who were swayed by something stronger than they were. Something was being done to us. We weren’t just foolish from within. We were deceived from the outside.
If you’ve ever hunted, you know what this looks like. So, like for a turkey, a gobbler hears a turkey call that sounds just like a hen, and he comes strutting in thinking he’s about to get exactly what he wants. He doesn’t have a clue there’s somebody sitting against a tree with a shotgun. He’s been deceived, right? And the very thing he’s chasing is what’s going to kill him. That’s what sin does. It promises you what you want, and it leads you right to death.
And Paul says we were “slaves to various passions and pleasures.” A couple of weeks ago we talked about being slaves to God. Being a slave to God is the only thing that brings true freedom. This is the other side of that. Paul is using slave language again here. Everybody is a slave to something. The question is whether you’re a slave to sin or a slave to God. Before Christ, we thought we were free. We weren’t. Our sinful desires were running our lives.
Then Paul says we were “passing our days in malice and envy.” Those two are a couple of very ugly twins, John Stott says.[5] Malice wants bad things for other people. Envy resents the good things other people have. And where does that end up? “Hated by others and hating one another.” That’s the life you get without the grace of God. And some of you are living amidst that life right now. But you don’t have to.
God saves us and makes us new. (4–7)
Then comes one of the best words in the Bible. “But.” Verse 4 says, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us.” Back in chapter 2, the grace of God appeared, and we’re waiting for the appearing of His glory. This is the third appearing in Titus. Here it’s God’s goodness and loving kindness that appeared, and it appeared in Jesus. We didn’t go looking for God. He came for us.
That word for “loving kindness” is where we get our word “philanthropy.” It means love for mankind.[6] And look at the main verb. Verses 4–7 are one long sentence in the Greek, and the main verb holding it all together is three words in English, “he saved us.”[7] Not “He helped us save ourselves.” Not “He made it possible and left the rest up to us.” He saved us. Saved us from what? From our sin, and from the Hell we deserve because of it.
Then Paul makes sure we can’t miss how. Verse 5 says, “not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.” Salvation can’t be earned. Our only hope is the grace and mercy of God.
Then Paul says God saved us “by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Some people read the word “washing” and think Paul is saying the water of baptism saves you. He isn’t. Baptism matters. Jesus commands it, and we do it because He told us to, out of obedience. But the water in our baptistry never washed away anybody’s sin. Baptism is a picture of the washing God has already done inside a person. In this verse, the Holy Spirit is the One doing the washing.
“Regeneration” literally means birthed again.[8] It’s the new birth. It’s what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” One of the early church fathers, John Chrysostom, put it this way: “God has not repaired us, but has made us all new.”[9] God doesn’t take the old you and clean you up a little. He gives you a completely new life from the inside out.
Those two words, regeneration and renewal, aren’t exactly the same. Regeneration is a one-time thing. Renewal keeps going as the Spirit keeps working in us. Think about a baby born. It’s born once. It’s never going to be any more alive than the day it came out in that hospital room. But it’s got a lot of growing to do, and you can see the change from day one to year 1 and beyond. You’re born again once, but the Spirit keeps renewing you the rest of your life.
Verse 6 says God “poured out” the Spirit “on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Not a few drops. Richly. Then verse 7 tells us what all this was for. “So that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” To be “justified” means to be declared righteous. It’s a courtroom word. God the Judge looks at guilty sinners like us who have trusted in Jesus and declares, “They’re righteous!” Not because we earned it, but because Jesus paid for our sin on the cross and His righteousness is counted as ours.[10]
Here's some theology for you: Justification and regeneration aren’t the same thing, but they always go together. In justification God declares us righteous. In regeneration He starts making us righteous. But He never does one without the other.[11] Here’s what that means: you can’t be forgiven by God and stay the same. Justification is a legal status, and regeneration is a new nature. And God gives us both. If somebody says they’ve been saved, but nothing about their life has ever changed, something’s wrong. That doesn’t add up. That’s not how God works.
And then Paul says we become “heirs.” We don’t just get to live in God’s kingdom. We’re heirs right alongside Christ. And what we inherit is “eternal life.” That is our glorious, certain hope in Christ.
We must devote ourselves to good works. (8)
Verse 8 says, “The saying is trustworthy.” There are five of these trustworthy sayings in Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus, and this is the only one in Titus. It points back to what Paul just said in verses 4–7. It may have been something the early churches memorized and passed around, and maybe even sung. Think about the hymns some of you have sung since you were kids. You don’t need the hymnal to be able to sing “Amazing Grace.” It’s in your soul. Paul wanted the gospel in these believers like that.
Then Paul tells Titus, “I want you to insist on these things.” That’s an emphatic word. Say it with confidence, and say it again. And why insist on it? “So that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.” Notice the order. First they “believed in God.” Then they devote themselves to good works. Good works aren’t what saves us, but they always grow out of salvation and show it’s real. Good works never get us into God’s family. They show that God has already brought us in.
And then Paul says, “These things are excellent and profitable for people.” That’s not just church people. That’s everybody. Our good works do good for the lost people around us. D. James Kennedy tells a story in his book Evangelism Explosion. He once heard a man walk up to a woman and ask, “How are your kidneys today?” Isn’t that a little strange? But instead of hitting him with her purse, she said, “Oh, they’re much better today, thank you, Doctor.” He was her doctor. He had earned the right to ask.[12] Kennedy’s point was that we need to earn the right to ask people personal questions. Good works don’t save anybody, but they can earn us a hearing for the gospel that does.
So let me ask you something. When people outside this church look at you, what do they see? Do they see somebody who’s always mad at somebody? Or do they see someone who was once foolish and enslaved, and who God washed and made new? If you belong to Jesus, they should be able to see some of what He has done in you.
This week, before you say anything or post anything about this election, remember who you used to be and remember what God calls you to. We are to speak evil of no one. Pray for whoever wins on Tuesday, whether you voted for them or not. Do some good for somebody who can’t pay you back this week. Be a visible expression of the gospel to this world who needs Jesus.
Maybe you need to repent today. Maybe you’ve been treating people who don’t know Jesus with contempt, like you were never one of them. Or maybe you’ve called yourself a Christian for years, but there’s never been any change. Paul says God doesn’t justify somebody without making them new. Don’t play games with that. Get honest before God today.
And if you’re here today and you don’t know Jesus, hear this clearly. You can’t clean yourself up enough for God to accept you. Verse 5 says He saved us “not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.” Jesus lived the perfect life we haven’t lived. He died on the cross for our sins, and He rose from the dead. If you’ll turn from your sin and trust in Him, He will wash you, give you new life by His Spirit, declare you righteous, and make you an heir of eternal life. Don’t leave here today without talking to me or somebody about it.
For those who do have a relationship with Him, remember who you were, and remember what He did. Then devote yourself to good works. Not to earn anything, but because the kindness of God our Savior has appeared to you.
[1] John R. W. Stott, Guard the Truth: The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 199.
[2] Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), on Titus 3:1–2.
[3] https://biblehub.com/greek/987.htm; Swindoll, Insights on 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, on Titus 3:1–2.
[4] Swindoll, Insights on 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, on Titus 3:3–4.
[5] Stott, Guard the Truth, 202
[6] https://biblehub.com/greek/5363.htm
[7] https://biblehub.com/greek/4982.htm
[8] https://biblehub.com/greek/3824.htm.
[9] John Chrysostom, quoted in Stott, Guard the Truth, 204.
[10] 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:22–25; Philippians 3:8–1; https://www.gotquestions.org/imputed-righteousness.html
[11] Stott, Guard the Truth, 205.
[12] D. James Kennedy, Evangelism Explosion, as told in Swindoll, Insights on 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, on Titus 3:8.
