Titus, Part 4: Hope in Jesus' Appearing

Titus 3:1-15 (CSB)

We’ve reached the last chapter of this brief letter of Paul to Titus. Significantly, today is also the first Sunday of Advent, and the traditional theme of this week is hope. This word could not be more fitting as we conclude this letter.

Earlier in the letter, Paul gave Titus specific directives on what he was to teach the believers in Crete. Essentially, Titus was to instruct them in how they were to live. As chapter 2:13 says, he was telling them what to do while they “wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Before Paul concludes, though, he adds another reminder for Titus. He wants the people of Crete to be sure to do a few more things. He says in verses 1-2:

1 Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 

2 to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people. 

Remind them all—the older men and women, the younger men and women, and even those who are slaves—of what all this is for. Remind them this is how we are to live while we wait with hope for Jesus’ appearing.  

The above directive is a solid reminder for all of us today, isn’t it? This is not just a reminder for the people of Crete. We too should be submitted to the rulers of our government and be good, law-abiding citizens, obeying the laws that align with God’s Word. As Jesus said when asked about paying taxes, we should ‘give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’

We too need to be ready for every good work—a theme that, as we’ll see, is central to this letter. Our readiness for good works hinges on how we live and how we speak about people. That’s why Paul repeats his earlier instruction: we must not slander others or be quarrelsome. Instead, we are to be kind and show gentleness to everyone.

Then in verse 3, he adds:

3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.

We should be kind and show gentleness to all people, even unbelievers, because “we too were once” trapped in sinful behavior just as they are now.  We should keep that in mind, so we have grace for other people—just as we would have wanted grace. But also, if we have been saved, we are to be those things no longer.

This reminds me of what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:11, which says, “And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” And what he said in 2 Corinthians 5:17, which says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”

This is a repeating message throughout Paul’s many letters, and he declares this unchanging truth again. Picking back up the text. Titus 3:4-8 says:

4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 

5 he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 

6 He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior 

7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life. 

8 This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone. 

The above is trustworthy. Jesus has saved us and changed us. He has made us new. Not by works of righteousness we’ve done, but according to His mercy, given to us through “the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

Not only does the Word wash us, but so does the Holy Spirit. And Paul says God has poured out His Spirit on us “abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Notice that God hasn’t poured out the Holy Spirit just a little bit, or just enough, but abundantly.

In order to be ready and able to do those good works we are supposed to be doing, we need an abundance of the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives. That’s why we see the early church laying hands on new believers and praying for them to receive more of the Holy Spirit.

Paul emphasizes this when he tells believers in Ephesians 5:18 to “be filled with the Spirit,” a phrase that literally means to keep on being filled. That “abundant outpouring” is not merely a one-time moment but an ongoing empowering from God that enables us to live holy lives, devoted to doing good works.

We need the Holy Spirit’s power to work abundantly in us, changing us and empowering us to do good works so that we “adorn” the teachings of God rather than slander them. All of us should seek and ask for the gifts of the Spirit—the gifts that Paul teaches about in his other letters, and which he says we are to strongly pursue. The Christian life was never meant to be lived in our own strength; it was meant to be lived in the fullness of the Spirit.

But Paul also goes on to say that we aren’t supposed to waste time arguing. He says in verses 9-11:

9 But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, because they are unprofitable and worthless. 

10 Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning. 

11 For you know that such a person has gone astray and is sinning; he is self-condemned.

In the context of this letter, I wonder if Paul is telling Titus to reject anyone who is divisive as a candidate for elder. Regardless, all of us believers shouldn’t get caught up in profitless quarrels. Yet at the same time, we shouldn’t forget what he told Titus to do earlier: he is to pick elders who are “able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.” So, while we need teachers to bring correction to the Church where there is error being taught, we don’t need to engage in foolish debates.

Finally, we come to Paul’s conclusion in verses 12-15. He says:

12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me in Nicopolis, because I have decided to spend the winter there. 

13 Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey, so that they will lack nothing.

14 Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works for pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. 

15 All those who are with me send you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all of you.

Amid the salutations, did you catch what Paul said one more time? He’s restating the main point of his whole letter in a single line: “Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works…so that they will not be unfruitful.”

I think this is his main point, for look how many other times he mentions good works in this brief letter:

In Titus 1:16, Paul said that some people, “They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.”

And in Titus 2:7, he instructs the old men to “be examples of good works,” and in 2:14, he emphasizes the importance of this, by noting that Jesus was “eager to do good works.”

Now, at the end, Titus 3:1 starts off by saying, “Be ready for every good work.”

And Titus 3:8 says, “I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works.”

And finally, Titus 3:14 says, “Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works for pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.”

Six times in just three chapters, Paul makes the same point. As we hope for Christ’s appearing, we are to be ready for and devoted to doing good works. But in order for our works to be truly good, we can’t be unfit for them, by being detestable and disobedient. That’s why he spent the first part of the letter telling Titus to insist on solid teaching. We’ve got to have sound doctrine, so we live according to God’s Word so the things we do count as good works.

But when we hear the term “good works,” we might only think of good deeds, meaning charity work like feeding the poor or helping the sick. Certainly, those are good works. But I want to emphasize that this term shouldn’t be reduced to mean only those things.

The Greek word Paul uses is “ergon.” The New Testament uses this term over 170 times. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon explains that this word can refer to any kind of human activity. It says it can mean, “business, employment, that with which anyone is occupied.” It can also mean “any product whatever, anything accomplished by hand, art, industry, mind,” as well as the general understanding of “good deed.”

In other words, everything we do can be defined as “ergon.” What matters is whether our works are truly “good” or not.

The Bible tells us that there are “good works,” and there are “works of darkness,” or “dead works.” Ephesians 5:11 warns, “Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them.” And Hebrews 9:14 says that Christ cleanses our conscience “from dead works so that we can serve the living God.”

Works of darkness and dead works are obviously immoral acts, but they can also be self-serving deeds that are done for our glory. Good works, on the other hand, would be all the things we do that are in obedience to God’s Word or are done to glorify God. That’s why 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”

That means a work is good only if it’s done for God’s glory. That’s why if people feed the poor or do good deeds but they don’t believe in Jesus, those good deeds are not going to gain them acceptance into Heaven. First of all, good works don’t save us. Second of all, without being born again and having the Spirit “cleanse our conscience” as Hebrews 9:14 says, those things are dead works.

But, as MacLaren, in his commentary on Titus, says, “It is ‘those which believe in God who will be careful to maintain good works.’ …The only way to show faith is by our works, and so all attempts to rend them apart, either in theory or in practice, are as absurd as it would be to take a piece of cloth and try to tear away the inside from the outside. ‘Faith’ is the underside, ‘good works’ is the upper, and the [fabric] is one.”

It’s just as James 2:26 says: “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” Our good works testify to our faith. They should be the focus of a Christian’s life; evident in everything we do.

Did you know we can even perform good works by loving and serving others? As Colossians 3:17-24 explains, “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and don’t be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they won’t become discouraged. Slaves, obey your human masters in everything. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.”

In that context, we see that good works are seen whenever we humble ourselves and serve other people, putting our obedience to God above our personal rights.

I think all of this is what Jesus is speaking about in Matthew 5:16 when He says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

If, out of obedience to God, we give generously to the poor, then we are doing a good work. If we love and serve another person out of obedience to God, we are doing a good work. If we create art with the intention of glorifying God, we are doing a good work.

So when Paul tells Titus that all Christians must be devoted to good works, he’s not just talking about works of charity. He’s talking about all the works that will follow us into eternity. This is what 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 explains. It says, “If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved—but only as through fire.”

That’s what Paul is telling Titus in 3:8, “I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works.” And this is so important that he wants Titus to insist or, “affirm strongly,” these things, as the Greek can be translated.

Everything that Paul instructed Titus to teach was so these believers would bring glory to God and “adorn” the teachings of God. It’s so they would do good works and be good witnesses for the Gospel message. It’s so their lives would proclaim the truth of what it means to follow Jesus as they waited with blessed hope for Jesus’ appearing.

This is the reason—not just for the season, as the Christmas saying goes—but the reason for life.

We celebrate Advent because we are waiting with blessed hope for the birthday celebration of Jesus. In Advent, we remember how God’s people were waiting for the Messiah to arrive and rescue them. They were waiting with hope.

But more than only celebrating Jesus’ birth, Christmas is also the perfect time to remember that we are still in a time of waiting with blessed hope. Now we are waiting for His return.

This letter to Titus tells us what we are to do in the in-between as we wait for Christ’s appearing. Because of our hope in Jesus, every day is an opportunity to live differently—to live faithfully—while we wait.  All of us who are “heirs with the hope of eternal life,” waiting for Jesus to return, are to be devoted to doing good works. We are to be fruitful.

If we truly have faith and hope in Jesus’ return, it should change how we live. We aren’t supposed to wait passively; we are to live intentionally, actively seeking ways to do good works.

After finishing this sermon series, I find myself grieved that this letter seems overlooked by the Church. The message Paul gives Titus has never been more important for the Church to follow than it is today, at least in America. I fear we’ve lost the proper guidelines for appointing church leaders. We lack clear voices that can bring correction to all the false doctrines that have gotten louder and more accepted. We don’t seem to be holding one another accountable to Scripture’s unchanging truth of how leaders or fellow believers are to behave. We desperately need a revival. We need to repent and study God’s Word, and the book of Titus seems like a good place to start.

We are rightfully hopeful that when we die or Jesus returns, we will be with Him for eternity. But while we wait, what are we to do? Let’s not forget that we are to be devoting ourselves to good works that glorify God. We are to have nothing to do with works of darkness. We are not to spend time on dead works. We are to do everything with the intention of bringing glory to God, so that the world will see our good works and give glory to our Father in Heaven. We are to live in such a way that we adorn the teachings of God and do not slander the Gospel.

So I ask: Are you waiting with hope for Jesus’ appearing? Do you realize that at any moment Jesus could return, or it could be your last day? What do you spend your time doing? Are you devoted to good works that will last?

This is why we need an abundance of the Holy Spirit’s power each day, and we must read God’s Word every day. We need to be washed and renewed so we don’t lose hope in Jesus’ appearing. None of us knows the length of our days, but we do know exactly what we are supposed to be doing. We are to live according to God’s Word, glorifying God in all that we do, devoted to doing good works.

So this Advent Sunday, as we light the Hope candle, let us pray that our lives burn brightly with good works that glorify God while we wait for the return of Jesus our Messiah.

Pray: Heavenly Father, as we enter into the start of this Advent season, we pray that You would fill us anew with more of the Holy Spirit’s power. We pray that You would wash us and renew our hearts and minds so we can clearly see the good works You have set before us to do. Help us to be devoted to good works that glorify You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.