Titus 3
McGeeCHAPTER 3THEME: The church is to perform good worksThis epistle gives us the picture which covers the entire spectrum of what God wants for the church. We saw in the first chapter that God wants the church to be an orderly organization. Then we saw in the next chapter that the church is to be sound in doctrine. Now we shall learn that, to be all that God wants for the church, the church is to perform good works.
Titus 3:1
GOOD WORKS ARE AN EVIDENCE OF SALVATIONThe very first thing he mentions here is the fact that the church must have members who are law abiding. A believer should obey the laws of the land in which he lives unless those laws conflict or contradict his duty and relationship to God. I always felt embarrassed when I taught evening Bible classes in downtown Los Angeles and would be requested to announce that someone had parked in a no parking place. Or sometimes I had to announce that a car was blocking a driveway so that the people who owned the driveway couldn’t get out. That kind of parking was breaking the law on the part of someone in my class who apparently didn’t pay very much attention to the fact that a Christian is to be subject to principalities and powers. Now that brings up the question of what a believer should do when the laws of the land conflict with his duty and relationship to God. For example, should a young man who is drafted into military service go out to war when his real Christian conviction tells him otherwise? Fortunately in our country such a young man with real convictions against war can be a conscientious objector. He need not go into the armed forces to carry a gun, but he can spend the same amount of time as the other young men in the army but be assigned noncombat duties. I think any young man should be commended for that, because I believe it takes courage and conviction for a young man under those circumstances to stand on his two feet and say, “Yes, I’ll serve; I’ll wear the uniform, but I cannot conscientiously carry a gun.” I think that sympathy and understanding should be granted to such a young man. On the other hand, there have been many young men in this country who have run away to escape the draft. They did not run away because of religious conviction. I can’t think of any other explanation than that they were disloyal to their country. They were not obedient to this nation. These young men wanted to enjoy all the blessings and bebefits of our nation but did not want to meet its responsibilities. They have broken the law and should pay the penalty. We are to be subject to the principalities and powers over us. A church should teach this; part of the message that should be given to church members is that they should be obedient to the powers that be. That obedience is not to the man but to the office that he represents. Perhaps you resent the manner in which a police officer gives you a citation for a traffic violation, but you should respect the uniform he wears. He represents the segment of our society that protects our persons and our property. Without them we would be in a bad way today. This verse also raises the question of whether a Christian should go into politics or not. I believe that the individual Christian is free to go into politics, but I do not believe that the church should go into politics. If we would have a real moving of the Spirit of God, many of the men from our churches would go into these different offices in government today. A good example of this is the Wesleyan movement in England. Wesley never tried to straighten out the king of England or even the Church of England. He just went out and preached the Word of God. Men were converted, among whom were men like William Wilberforce, the great philanthropist and abolitionist. They were men who had been gamblers and drunkards, with no concern for the poor, until they came to know Christ. These men started the great labor movement associated with the Wesleyan revival in England, which was the beginning of the movement against child labor and the protection of workmen on the job. We need individuals who will enter into government and take social action, but the church as an organization is not called upon to go into politics. “To be ready to every good work.” The church is to instruct individuals to be eager, to be anxious, and to learn to perform good works. We’ll note this as we go along. Now there is also a negative side to the exhortation:
Titus 3:2
“Speak evil of no man” means we are to malign no one, and we are not to repeat gossip. It has been said that you can’t believe everything you hear today, but you can repeat it! That is what he is talking about herewe are not to repeat what we hear. Many evil reports are passed from person to person without even a shred of evidence that the report is true. Another old saying is that some people will believe anything if it is whispered to them! However, if the church has solid evidence that a member is doing something evil, that member should be named. You may remember that Paul named certain men who were evil men: Phygellus and Hermogenes, Hymenaeus and Philetus, and Alexander the coppersmith. Then he also said that Demas had forsaken him, having loved this present world.
Titus 3:3
This is a picture of the unsaved today, and a picture of you and me before we knew Christ. We were foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to lusts and pleasures, living selfishly, and hating others. That is a picture of the lost world. You can go to visit in non-Christian homes, and you will find these things. Go into any business, any office, any factory, and you will see these things present. Unfortunately, you can see some of these same things in our churches. There can be a pretense of loving, but under it there is envying and hating and gossiping. You can find churches divided into little cliques and groups; yet they boast about how sound they are in the faith. That is a disgrace to the cause of Christ. This is a picture of the unsaved given to us here. It ought never to be a picture of you or me as believers.
Titus 3:4
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done.” Verse Tit_3:3 gave us a picture of how we were before we came to know Christ. It is important to understand that becoming a Christian doesn’t mean just turning over a new leafyou will find yourself writing on the new leaf the same things that you wrote on the old leaf. Making New Year’s resolutions and promising to do better doesn’t make you a Christian. Nor are you saved on the basis of works of righteousness, good deeds, which you have done. “But according to his mercy he saved us.” Because Christ died for us and paid the penalty for our sins, God is prepared to extend mercy to us; it is according to His mercy that He saved us. And He is rich in mercy, which means He has plenty of it. Whoever you are, He can save you today because Christ died for you. He paid the penalty and makes over to you His righteousness! “By the washing of regeneration.” “Washing” means laverit is the laver of regeneration. In the Old Testament the laver, which stood in the court of the tabernacle and later the temple, represented this. This washing of regeneration is what the Lord was speaking about in the third chapter of John: “…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (Joh_3:5). The water represents the Word of Godthe Bible will wash you. It has a sanctifying power, a cleansing power. We are cleansed by the Word of God. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God"born of water and of the Spirit." That is the way we are born again. “And renewing of the Holy Ghost"He regenerates us.
Titus 3:6
Have you noticed that in everything God does there is a surplus? He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.
Titus 3:7
“The hope of eternal life” is again pointing to the great hope of the believer, the coming of Christ for His church.
Titus 3:8
GOOD WORKS ARE PROFITABLE FOR THE PRESENT AND FUTUREThe fact that the believer is saved by the grace of God does not excuse him from performing good works. The fact of the matter is, he is to “be careful to maintain good works.” Paul says that Titus should just keep affirming this constantly. My friend, after you have been saved, God is going to talk to you about good works. Until that time, God is not even interested in your “good works” because what you call a good work, God calls dirty laundry. The righteousness of man is filthy rags in His sight (see Isa_64:6). He doesn’t want any of that. He wants to save you. If you do come to Him just as you are, He will save you, because He has done something for you. He is not asking you to do somethingwhat could you do for God? After you are saved, after you are a child of God, then He wants to talk to you about producing good works. He wants you to get involved in getting out the Word of God to others. “Be careful to maintain good works.” These are things that you should think about and consider; ponder, be anxious to be producing works for God.
Titus 3:9
We are to defend the faith, Paul says, but we are not to do it by argument or debate. That does no good; that never led anyone to the Lord. You may whip a man down intellectually by your arguments, but that does not touch his heart and win him for Christ. Stay away from foolish questions and genealogies and contentions. That is the reason I do not develop certain subjects that are sensational. For example, during this period of time in which I am writing, demonism seems to be the topic of the hour. I have had any number of letters saying, “Dr. McGee, give a series on demonism. Write a book about it.” Let’s not get involved in that kind of thing. I would much rather tell you about the Holy Spirit who can indwell you. If He is in you, no demon could ever possess you! “…greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1Jn_4:4). That is what we need to know. It is so easy to get sidetracked.
Titus 3:10
We have been asked to join in certain projects in which there are some heretics. I am not interested in being joined with anyone who has views that are in opposition to the Word of God. God tells us here to be separate from heretics. Just let them alone; reject them.
Titus 3:11
The heretic is one who has turned aside from the truth.
Titus 3:12
Paul gives a final admonition about good works. We must “learn” to maintain good works. It’s something that must be worked at. A great many people think it is easy; we need to know what God considers good works, and we need to learn how to do them. Paul concludes this practical letter to Titus with a benediction.