Today’s reading is Titus 2:1-3:15.

Titus 3:3-8 really hit me today. Consider what it says:

• vs. 3–We were once filled with bad works.
• vs. 4–God is good and loving and His goodness appeared to us.
• vs. 5–When His goodness appeared, He saved us. However, He didn’t save us because of our works done in righteousness. No, He saved us by His mercy. He saved us by a change brought about by the Holy Spirit.
• vs. 6–we received this Spirit when we entered Christ.
• vs. 7–having been justified by His grace, we have become heirs to eternal life.
• vs. 8–Because all this happened, we must devote ourselves to good works.

First, we see the contrast between us and God. While we were evil, God was good. While we rebelled against Him, He still loved us.

Second, we learn that we were saved because of His goodness and not because of our own.

Third, we learn that God changes the saved. He renews them through the Spirit that only those who are in Christ Jesus receive. 

Fourth, because God is doing this, we must devote ourselves to good works.

If you are like me and just read those statements above, with at least some of them you are probably saying, “Yes, but…” “We are saved by God’s goodness and not our own. Yes, but we had to obey to be saved.” “God renews us through the Spirit He gave us when we entered Christ. Yes, but that is about how much time we spend studying the Bible. The Spirit works in us through His word.”

If you are not like me, you probably said, “Wow, Edwin is finally getting it. We don’t do anything. It’s all about God working in us. If He works, we come around and work. If He doesn’t, we won’t.”

Once again, this is simply one of those passages that brings together what seems to be incongruous ideas. Depending on our perspective we’ll grab the parts we like and discount the parts we don’t, explaining them away.

What we need to notice is this passage contains both the idea that we can’t work to be good, rather God’s goodness works in us to change us. At the same time, it also contains the idea that we must devote ourselves to good works. We are responsible to devote ourselves to good works. If we don’t, we won’t have that change. 

Sadly, many religious people argue these two sides back and forth as if they are a dichotomy. The fact is the Bible presents both. If you and I are going to be saved, it will not ever be because we were good enough. It will be because our God is good enough. However, we are supposed to devote ourselves and work at doing the good works God has planned for us. We won’t ever accomplish that unless God is working in our lives. Yet, God will not accomplish that in us if we are not working.

We need to quit arguing these principles against each other and just accept them both. If you don’t accept that God must be merciful and work, then you will spend your entire life spinning your wheels wondering why you can’t ever seem to become good enough and despairing that God will ever save you because you aren’t good enough. On the other hand, if you don’t accept that you must devote yourself to good works and work at them because you are responsible, you’ll spend your life blindly thinking everything is okay while Satan is secretly having his way with you, leading you down the wide path to destruction. You’ll have a sad judgment day surprise. Only when we accept both can we continue on growing in Christ, having a certainty of salvation through the grace of Jesus.

As the old saying goes, “Without God, I cannot. Without me, God will not.” We need to understand, we can’t save ourselves. We can’t earn it. We can’t good works our way into heaven. However, God will not save us without our commitment and devotion to good work. We have to accept both of these if we are going to be saved.

 Enough Theory, Let’s Get Practical

What does this mean in my life? It means I have to spend time making a constant connection with God. God wants to change me. I’m given over to sin, to the flesh, to lusts. God, however, wants to correct all that. I don’t have to wait to correct all that myself in order to be saved. No, I can enter Jesus Christ and God will start working on all that if I’ll let Him.

However, I can’t merely say, “I believe in Jesus,” then walk on my merry way thinking God is just going to miraculously turn all the buttons in my head, heart, and hands to do the right things. I have to devote myself to God and His good works. I have to commit myself to growing in Christ. 

Will I be saved because I’ve done that enough? No. My salvation is not about me being good enough. I simply can’t be that good. My salvation is about God working in me to satisfy my hunger and thirst for righteousness. The problem is, if I’m not hungry and thirsty for righteousness, God won’t satisfy me. 

What do I need to do today? I need to connect with God. I need to pray for God’s renewing power through His Holy Spirit. I need to get into God’s word so I can understand His will. I need to surrender my will to His. I need to let Him have control. Then I need to be committed to whatever He asks of me.

This is Him and me together. It’s not God by Himself or me by myself. It’s both of us.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

Many churches hear a lot about Hebrews 10:25. They are told repeatedly how important it is to attend the assemblies of the congregation. Sadly, in our haste to convince Christians they should attend assemblies (which they should) we often miss Hebrews 10:24. 

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (ESV).

Notice four aspects of this verse.

1. Our goal is love and good works.

I Timothy 1:5 says the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. That is what we are striving for in everything we do. We want to produce love in ourselves and in others. But this love is not some mystical, ethereal vapor of emotion. It is an active love that is meted out on a practical level by the good deeds we do every day. Ephesians 2:10 says God created us to walk in good deeds. Titus 2:14 says Jesus redeemed us so we could be a people zealous for good deeds. Christ’s goal for us was not merely our forgiveness. That was not the end of His work. Rather, forgiveness is the means to the end. We are forgiven of our bad deeds so we may be set free to perform good ones.

2. We must stir up one another to love and good deeds.

This word picture blows my mind. In the NASB, the word stimulate is used. That one doesn’t seem quite as harsh. But I always get a picture of an electric prod stimulating a muscle. The ESV and NKJV say stir up. Usually, when we hear that phrase, we mean someone is causing trouble. The KJV says provoke. That word usually means to make someone angry. The NIV says to spur on. That provides a picture of someone taking a sharp object and jabbing into the flank of a horse so it will move faster.

These word pictures usually represent something we would say is negative. Here, they are used as a positive. We are supposed to stimulate, provoke, stir up, spur on each other so we can all love and do good deeds. It is the image of one Christian telling another, “I am not going to sit idly by and just let you be a loser, half-hearted Christian.” 

3. We must consider how to stimulate one another.

Before we just jump on someone and start prodding them, we need to consider how to stimulate each other. Take a step back and consider the person, their place in their spiritual walk, their personality, their gifts. Then based on that figure out the best way to stimulate them. Don’t just jump up in their face; stop and think it through first. Titus 2:14 provides three options for stimulus (though you can certainly turn to other passages and find more).

Speak–Sometimes we stimulate others by merely talking to them and sharing with them the truths of God.

Reprove–Sometimes we need to expose error in someone’s life in order to spur them on to the narrow path of God’s kingdom and righteousness.

Exhort–Sometimes we need to catch people doing things right and encourage them to keep it up.

No doubt there is also a great example of stimulus in Titus 2:7. We should be models of good behavior, exemplifying what it means to love and do good things.

4. We must stir up one another.

This doesn’t say preachers must stir others up. It doesn’t say pastors must stir others up. It doesn’t say deacons must stir others up. It doesn’t say teachers must stir others up. It says we must stir one another up. This is our job because we are Christians. 

This means two things. First, I must be stirring others up. Second, I must be willing to let others stir me up. That is contrary to our nature. Usually, we want others to leave well enough alone. If they start trying to hold us accountable, we get angry. We need to be humble enough to let others speak to us, reprove us and exhort us. Otherwise we will grow weary in doing good.

Let’s remember to stir up someone today and let’s find someone who can stir us up to love and good deeds.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel. That I may share with them in its blessings.”

I Corinthians 9:19-23 (ESV)

 

This passage affected me so much, I had to preach on it this week. I need to do better at getting the word out to the loss. I learned five keys from this passage to help.

1. We have to see the gospel as good news.

The word “gospel” has essentially become a specialized word for us. We see that and hear “whatever the Bible says.” However, when our first century counterparts read this letter, they didn’t see a specialized religious word. They saw the word “euaggelion” which literally meant “good message” or “good news.” What do you do with good news? You share it. If we see the gospel as merely a list of requirements and rules that limit us, we’re not likely to share it, because we don’t see it as good news. Only when we recognize the gospel is the good news to set us free from our sins, will we get the message out (cf. Romans 6:16-23).

2. We have to see lost people as lost.

Repeatedly, Paul says he was doing his work in order to “win” and “save” souls. The reason is, he saw lost people as lost. He was like a man walking in a ship of safety, casting out a life preserver because he saw the souls drowning all around him. What would happen if he was walking on the ship looking at the clouds, just chit-chatting with other boat riders and never looking over the edge at the waters? No one would be saved. When we come in contact with people, we shouldn’t just see bank tellers, check-out clerks, co-workers, family, friends, neighbors, we should see lost people drowning in the bad news of their sins. We have the good news that will save them.

3. We have to see ourselves as servants to the lost. 

In I Corinthians 9:19, Paul said he was free from all, but made himself a servant so that he might save some. Being a servant means sacrifice. It means sacrificing our desires, wants and goals in order to accomplish what the lost need. We may have to sacrifice time. We may have to sacrifice money. We may have to sacrifice recreations. We may have to sacrifice our liberties. This is what servants do.

4. We have to get out of our comfort zone.

Think about the first day that Paul went to teach Gentiles in their home and they dropped a greasy piece of pork on his plate. Do you think that was comfortable for him? What about just teaching a Gentile to begin with? Was that comfortable for a Jew raised as a separatist Pharisee? He got out of his comfort zone. We need to have a sign that says–”Comfort Zone: No Parking.”

5. We have to use all means to save others.

“All means,” that was what Paul used to try to save some. That means proclaiming the gospel to the lost is not something we do in addition to everything else we do. That means we are thinking about teaching the lost in everything we do. Little League provides contact with 10 to 15 families who may need the gospel. A trip to Wal-Mart provides countless contacts. Work is not just a place of employment. It is a place in which we can display the fruit of the spirit and pursue spiritual conversations. We need to be thinking evangelism through every part of our life. I’ll give you a practical way to get the spiritual into conversations which someone shared with me and I am starting to use it. While at a restaurant, let your waiter or waitress know you are about to pray and then ask if he/she has something for which you could pray. I tried it for the first time last week and the waiter’s girlfriend’s brother had just died. He wanted us to pray for her. Do you think that made an impact on him? I think it did.

For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brother affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make our calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

II Peter 1:5-11 (ESV)

I recognize we cannot earn our way into heaven. If we are saved, it will be because God is good enough; not because we are. At the same time, I recognize not just everybody will be provided with an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In fact, it seems not just everyone who has ever believed and obeyed Jesus for a time will be provided that entrance. 

Rather, those who pursue this standard of growth will gain entrance. Our growth rests on the foundation of faith, but we must add to it. We must continually work on…

• Faith–believing in God, believing God and trusting God’s way is right.
• Virtue–the moral excellence to do what is right because it is right.
• Knowledge–getting God’s word into our heads and hearts.
• Self-control–doing what is right in the face of persuasion to do otherwise.
• Steadfastness–stringing moments of self-control together in a row, even in the face of opposition.
• Godliness–honoring God and revering Him with every action.
• Brotherly affection–treating our brethren with kindness, tender-heartedness and forgiveness.
• Love–obeying God from the heart and seeking what is best for others.

There are some things I recognize from this passage:

1. “Going to church” is not the equivalent of being a disciple.
2. I need to work on me; I need to work on my relationship with others; I need to work on my relationship with God; I need to work on these every day.
3. I don’t get to rest based on what I accomplished yesterday, I have to keep growing.
4. I don’t have to be perfect today, I just need to make progress.

On Saturday, I had a heart to heart with my oldest daughter. She had to take an online quiz for a class she is taking. Her first time through, she didn’t do so well and became very upset because she knew her teacher would see it. That was when I explained to her the purpose of tests. The purpose of the test is not to do really, really well and impress the teacher. The purpose of the test is simply to see which parts of the class she has already learned and which parts she needs to study harder. Granted, I get the fact that few teachers present the tests that way, but that is how we need to look at them if they will do us any good. Otherwise, we will merely get upset about how poorly we did, not learn anything and then do even worse as the course progresses.

That is very much like what Peter says in I Peter 1:6-7:

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith–more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire–may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (ESV).

God will allow our faith to be tested, but then Peter describes it as being like gold that is tested by fire. That is an interesting picture. When gold is tested by fire, it is put in a crucible and then heated past the melting point. When that occurs, the denser gold goes to the bottom of the crucible and the less dense slag and impurity rises to the top. This allows the refiner to skim the impurity off the top. This testing is not to see if the gold passes or fails. This testing is to let the impurity rise to the top so the gold can be refined.

That is exactly what testing our faith does to us. God does not test our faith to see if we pass or fail. He tests us so the impurity will rise to the top and we can work on it.

Sadly, I often do something wrong when stress is high or trouble is happening. In those moments, I often say, “That’s okay, God will understand how difficult things are for me right now.” The point of the heat, the trial, the struggle, the test is not to grant us an excuse and an exception to sin. The point of the heat is to cause the impurity to rise to the top so we can see what we need to work on. 

If somebody slanders us at work and we get caught up in the moment, allowing malice to set in our hearts and then seeking vengeance, we shouldn’t say, “Well, God understands, they did such and such to me and I couldn’t help myself.” Rather, we need to say, “Oh wow, look at this impurity that was hiding in my heart. I need to work on this.” Then we can skim it off the top. If we get home and our spouse says something accusatory and we blow up with wrath and clamoring, showing our resentment and bitterness, we shouldn’t say, “Well, God understands when my spouse acts like that I’m just going to blow my top.” Rather, we need to say, “Oh wow, look at this impurity that was hiding in my heart. I need to work on this. I need to skim this off.”

God doesn’t test us to let Him know whether our faith passes or fails. God tests us so we know where to work. Further, we don’t work on these issues to try to impress God. Let’s face it, none of our work could remotely impress the all-powerful and all-holy God. We do this because that is what the tests are all about. They are not there to give us a pass or fail grade. They are given to show us where to work because we believe God’s way works. Let’s get to work.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

“And Agrippa said to Festus, ‘This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar’” (Acts 26:32, ESV)

I think this verse struck me oddly because I have been trying to teach my children the past few days to quit blaming each other every time they get in trouble and start trying to figure out their involvement. That is the only way they will avoid trouble in the future.

I’ve never really thought about it before. I’m sure this shows my ignorance because I’m sure all of you, being the good Bible students that you are, picked up on this long ago. But Paul wasn’t stuck here because he appealed to Caesar. Paul was stuck here because these idiotic Roman officials weren’t willing to stand up for what was right.

If Claudius Lysias, had just let Paul go instead of assuming he had done wrong… If Felix, when he knew Paul had done nothing, hadn’t wanted to do a favor to the Jews and hadn’t been greedy for money and just let Paul go as he knew he should… If Festus, when he realized that Paul was innocent hadn’t tried to back him into the corner of traveling back to Jerusalem… Then Paul wouldn’t be on his way to Caesar and these numbskull wouldn’t have been having to try to figure out what to say about it when they had nothing to say.

But, they wanted to pass the buck. They were put in a hard spot because Paul had appealed to Caesar. It wasn’t their fault at all. Now what on earth would they say?
How ridiculous.

But the point is good for us. We need to quit trying to pass the buck. Very rarely are our problems caused because someone else appealed to Caesar. Even when the actions of others are involved, we can usually come back to a point where we did something that got us into our present predicament. We can either trace our trouble back to that point so we can learn and not do it again. Or we can blame others and perpetually end up in trouble.

The choice is ours.

Keep the faith today and keep reading.

ELC