Paul instructed Titus to teach Christians on Crete (a Greek island) to LIVE above the world. The world’s behaviour is sick, immoral, and corrupt. A Christian’s behaviour should be healthy and sound, setting an example of good works based on pure motives—love of God and love of fellow man.
Text: Titus 3:1-3, “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.” NKJV
“how we are to live one to another”
Introduction: remind is in the present tense. Why? Some habits are so deeply ingrained within that they are hard to remove. Also, it’s easy for us to forget if not constantly reminded. Peter found this also necessary. 2 Peter 1:12-13, “For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. 13 Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you.” This lesson on our relationships with other people is vital if we are going to impact our community.
- Christians are to submit to civil government (vs 1). By this time, the Roman government under Nero was beginning to become hostile to the church. Christians were still to be subject to those in government. Why?
- One blessing of government is the peace it brings which is so important to help us lead godly lives. 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”
- Civil government protects citizens and punishes those who do evil. Romans 13:1-3, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.”
- God appoints authorities. If we resist them, we are, in essence, resisting God. This does not imply that every government or leader is approved by God, only that god ordains them. Matthew 22:17-22, “Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
- We must also remember that when government and God conflict, we must obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29, “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
- According to our text, Christians are to obey the laws of the land and be willing to cooperate in every good work.
- Kearleg’s article on Good Citizenship in Gospel Advocate is a good article to read.
- Christians are to act properly toward all men. (vs 2)
- Why is this vital? A community’s opinion of the Lord’s church here will be formed to a large extent by how we treat them and our behaviour towards them. Matthew 5:13-16, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
- Paul now gives us four ways to treat others properly: two negatives and two positives.
- Speak evil of no one. Do not slander or revile any man. Think how this would reflect on the church. Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
- Do not be contentious. Do not be someone who likes to fight with people. Do not be one who seeks trouble or is hard to get along with. Be peaceable.
- Be gentle, reasonable, mild, gracious.
- Showing all humility- maintenance, kindness, benevolence. Be courteous to all. This is the spirit in which we are to teach. Not arrogant, not a know-it-all. 1 Peter 3:15-16, ”But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”
- The reason for our godly behaviour (vs 3): Discuss our way of life before obeying the gospel. God showed kindness and love to us; therefore, we should do the same to the ungodly, which we used to be ourselves.
- We were foolish-lack of spiritual understanding. Ephesians 4:17-24, “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Disobedient. Ephesians 2:1-3, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”.
Lesson delivered by; Bro Petras
