There is so much division in our culture now. I’m sure throughout history there have been similar times, probably even worse than currently. But, in my lifetime, I do not remember a time of such division in our culture. Last month I preached on the ministry of reconciliation, the only true hope for our world, and I want to continue on that theme today.

Over the last year, I have been bringing messages from Paul’s pastoral epistles which include 5 trustworthy sayings and today we are going to look at the last of these from Titus chapter 3. By way of review, Paul had planted the church in Ephesus and on his way to Jerusalem in Acts 20 he met with the Ephesian elders, and he warned them that among their own would arise teachers, like fierce wolves in the flock, that would draw away disciples by their twisted teaching. By the time Paul is released from his first imprisonment in Rome and writes 1 Timothy, false teaching is rampant in church in Ephesus. So, Paul left Timothy there to put things in order and he wrote his first letter to him to give him some practical instruction on how to lead the church and stand against false teaching. In that letter Paul included three trustworthy sayings, axiomatic statements, that had become common knowledge of the early church.

The first trustworthy saying was that Christ came into the world to save sinners. A very simple, yet profound, statement of the gospel. All false teaching can be counter acted by going back to the essential of the gospel. Next, we looked at it is a good thing for one to aspire to the office of overseer and the necessity of having godly, qualified men to lead in the church to uphold the truth, because the church is the pillar and buttress of truth. A 3^rd trustworthy saying, tucked in with a description of a good servant of Jesus Christ in 1 Tim 4, declared that a good servant of Christ guards against falsehood by knowing the truth, pursuing godliness, and keeping an eternal perspective. Because of ongoing hardship Timothy experienced standing against false teaching, Paul wrote a 2^nd letter to Timothy encouraging him to be strong in the grace of Jesus Christ and endure hardship including a 4^th trustworthy saying in chapter 2. In that passage we saw that an enduring servant of Christ remembers the risen Christ, God’s election to salvation, and that God’s word is powerful and trustworthy.

Today we will look at the 5^th and last of these trustworthy sayings from Titus 3. Paul had briefly visited Crete on his way to Rome as documented in Acts 27. Sometime after his release from prison he visited the island of Crete with Titus and he left Titus there to set things in order in the churches, including appointing elders. Christian living and salvation are prominent themes in Titus with chapter 2 focusing primarily on how we are to function in the church and chapter 3 focusing on how we are to function in the world. Included in this section of chapter 3 is the last trustworthy saying, probably a credal statement of the early church, describing salvation and the only true hope for the world. So, we have come full circle and go back to the first trustworthy saying that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Paul sums it up in 3 simple words, He saved us. But, he also plumbs the depths of salvation which we will explore today. We will see the Mess from which He saved us, the Motivation for why He saved us, the Method by which He saved us, and the Mission for which He saved us. So, turn in your Bibles to Titus chapter 3.

⁴ But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ⁸ The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

PRAY

So, in verse 5 we see this short phrase He saved us. You can’t simplify the gospel more. So, let’s look at this basic statement, then we’ll move on to exploring more deeply into the Mess, the Motivation, the Method, and the Mission.

Saved (sozo sode-zo) means to save, deliver, protect, rescue from danger or destruction, to heal, preserve, make whole. It carries with it not only the negative connotation of rescuing us from disaster and eternal damnation but also the positive connotation of being given eternal life and blessing. As Paul puts in in Col 1:13

¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

So, as I brought out in my sermon from 2 Cor 5 on the Ministry of Reconcilliation last month, we must understand our desperate former condition to see our need for salvation. So, let’s back up to v3 and see the MESS we were in.

³ 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.

And Eph 2:1-3 says,

 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

A pretty desperate situation, a real mess. I thought, and maybe some of you have thought, “But I wasn’t like that! I grew up in the church. I’m a pretty good person!” If that is or was your situation, it is only because of outward circumstances that restrained us from our sin. But if God has saved us, He opened our eyes to see that the sins of verse 3 are lurking in our hearts; we realize as Romans 3:10-12 describes the human race, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” I was not and you are not the first exception to those verses!

God’s grace in saving us was not a matter of His taking a basically good person and giving us a little moral guidance or advice. Salvation requires radical intervention in our lives. It required the perfect atoning sacrifice of Jesus’ death on the cross. As we discussed last month our salvation required Christ, who knew no sin, to become sin, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21). We will never understand or appreciate God’s amazing grace until we see what a wretched, lost sinner we were, what a terrible mess we were in; before He intervened in our lives.

So, in v 3, we see man is active in sin, we are dead in our sins, like the rest of mankind we are children of wrath. We were in such a mess that we need radical, divine intervention to be saved. In v 4-7 we see God is active in salvation. Our salvation is not a joint effort where we do our part and God does his part. He does not save us because he foresaw that we would choose him. God doesn’t love us because we are basically good and he is excited to have us on his team. God saves us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but because of his goodness, loving kindness, mercy, and grace. So, let’s look at His MOTIVATION for saving us in more depth.

V4-7 give the basis, or cause, of our salvation; both negatively and positively. Let’s first look at the negative. It is not because of works done by us in righteousness (v5). I’ve already mentioned that Rom 3, which quotes Ps 14 as we read earlier, tells us that no one does good. Let’s look at some other passages:

2 Timothy 1:8-10

⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, ⁹ who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, ¹⁰ and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

Galatians 2:16

¹⁶ yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Paul mentions that we are not saved by works done by us in righteousnesss because he knows our tendencies. We tend to think that if something good happens to us, it’s because we have done something good, but that is not the case in our salvation. We contributed nothing to our salvation except our sin from which we needed to be saved.

Instead, in v 4 we are told God initiated the process because of his goodness and loving kindness. So, let’s look at God’s attributes that positively motivate him to save us.

Luke 6:35

³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

How is that? Generally, God does not punish us immediately when we sin as we deserve (2 Pet 3:9). He makes the sun rise on the evil and the good and sends rain to the just and the unjust (Mt 5:45). But the way he most fully and gloriously demonstrated his goodness and loving kindness to us is when he appeared, in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. This appearance took place about 2000 years ago, but also took place in Paul’s life on the road to Damascus when Jesus appeared to him and brought salvation. And he continues to “appear” in a sense to each one of us in time and space when God opens our eyes to see Jesus as our only hope in salvation.

What an amazing thing that God is good, loving, and kind to ungrateful and evil sinners like us. Paul tells us further that this kindness is meant to lead us to repentance.

Ephesians 2:7

⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus

Romans 2:4

⁴ Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Another attribute of God that motivates him to save us is His mercy. In v 5 we are told that we’re saved not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy. Mercy has to do with compassion. According to Thayer, it is “kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, with a desire to help them.” According to an old News Boys song its “when we don’t get what we deserve,” and it’s “a real good thing!”

Ephesians 2:4-5

⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ

Hebrews 4:16

¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

James 3:17

¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

1 Peter 1:3-4

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

Jude 21

²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

In v 7, we see that God is further motivated to save and justify us because of his grace. Grace is closely related to mercy, but there is a distinction. It is divine favor, pleasure, or good will to men. According to the old News Boys song it’s “when we get what we don’t deserve,” and again, “it’s a real good thing!”

Titus 2:11

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

Romans 3:23-24

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Romans 11:6

⁶ But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

So again, we see that it is not because of any works done by us, but through the appearance of Jesus Christ our Savior and God’s attributes of goodness, loving kindness, mercy and grace that he was Motivated to save us from the Mess we were in.

Next, let’s look at the METHOD or the process by which God saves us. First, I want to point out that this passage gives a clear picture of the Trinitiy. God the Father v4, God the Son in v 6, and God the Holy Spirit v 5 are all mentioned being active in the process of salvation. God (the Father) our Savior, motivated by his loving attributes we have discussed, had the plan; Jesus our Savior, motivated by the same loving attributes, appeared to secure our salvation; and God the Holy Spirit, motivated by these same loving attributes, applied salvation to us by regenerating us and He is our deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Eph 1:13-14)

Theologians often discuss the ordo salutis “order of salvation” and in this passage we see several aspects of this order of salvation including regeneration, justification, adoption, and glorification; the latter two not specifically mentioned, but implied.

In v 5-6 we are told he saved us “by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” So let’s look at regeneration in more detail.

There’s the washing (loutron- a bath). We gain further insight into what this means in

Ephesians 5:26

²⁶ that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

It is by the word, the preaching of the gospel, that leads to the cleansing from our sin. If we don’t understand how dirty we are, we won’t know we need a bath and that there is a way to be cleansed from our sin.

Paul also may have had Ezekiel 16 in mind where the birth of Israel is metaphorically compared to birth of baby that was tossed into a field and left dirty and bloody to die. The Lord passed by and said “Live.” And He bathed the baby with water and washed off its blood and anointed him with oil. Again, a clear picture of new birth and being cleansed from the filth of our sin.

Next, there’s the regeneration (paliggenesia pal-ing-ghen-es-see-ah literally a new nature, a rebirth). A dead person cannot do anything. He must be given new life; he must be born again. I think it is interesting that this word, paliggenesia, is used only one other place in Scripture.

Matthew 19:28

²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world,^[a] when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

1. Matthew 19:28 Greek in the regeneration

This seems to be referring to the new heavens and earth prophesied in Is 55 & 56 and Rev 21. And I think this ties into Romans 8:18ff where it talks about all of creation groaning and waiting to be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  Our rebirth that occurs when Jesus “appears” to us is a picture of the rebirth of all creation when he appears again. Isn’t that cool!

There is also the renewal of the Holy Spirt. Anakainosis (an-ak-ah-ee-no-sis) a renewing, renovation, complete change for the better. Not only are we born again and washed in the word, but the Holy Spirit renews us in our ongoing sanctification.

Romans 12:2

² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Ephesians 4:22-24

²² to put off your old self,^[a] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Colossians 3:9-10

⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

2 Corinthians 4:16-17

¹⁶ So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self^[a] is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

So regeneration involves a washing, a rebirth, and a renewal of the old nature making us new creatures (2 Cor 5:17). This is applied to us by and through the Holy Spirt who is poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

This is prophesied in the OT:

Isaiah 44:3

³ For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
    and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
    and my blessing on your descendants.

Ezekiel 36:25-27

²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. ²⁶ And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Zechariah 12:10

¹⁰ “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

And fulfilled in the NT:

Matthew 26:28

²⁸ for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

John 14:16-17, 16:7

¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

⁷ Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

Acts 2:17,33 quoting Joel 2:28

¹⁷ “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    and your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams;

³³ Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.

Acts 10:45

⁴⁵ And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.

Romans 5:5

⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Colossians 3:16

¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

So we see our salvation is initiated by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirt who has been poured out richly upon us.

In v7 we see that we are justified (dikaioo dik-ah-yo-o to render just of innocent, to be declared righteous) by his grace. Last month I talked about this great exchange where our sin is imputed to Christ and his righteousness is imputed to us. That is how we are justified and made righteous in God’s sight.

Acts 13:39

King James Version

³⁹ And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Romans 3:20-30

²⁰ For by works of the law no human being^[a] will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

²¹ But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²² the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶ It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

²⁷ Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸ For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. ²⁹ Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰ since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Romans 4:5

⁵ And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

Romans 5:1

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:30, 33

³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.

Galatians 2:16

¹⁶ yet we know that a person is not justified^[a] by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

We also see in v 7 adoption and glorification are included in our salvation as we become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Romans 8:14-17

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons^[a] of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Galatians 3:29

²⁹ And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

Galatians 4:3-7

³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles^[a] of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Ephesians 1:11-14

¹¹ In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ¹² so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. ¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,^[b] to the praise of his glory.

And of the hope of eternal life and our glorification:

Romans 5:1-5

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² Through him we have also obtained access by faith^[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 8:18-24

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

Galatians 5:5

⁵ For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

1 Timothy 1:1

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

1 Peter 3:15

¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Romans 8:30

³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

2 Corinthians 4:17

¹⁷ For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

Titus 2:13

¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 1:13-14

¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee^[a] of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

John 3:16

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world,^[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 6:23

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Acts 13:48

⁴⁸ And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

Romans 6:23

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

To review, we have seen the Mess from which we were saved, the Motivation of God by which we were saved, and the Method of how we are saved. So, in application of these truths, finally, we arrive at our trustworthy saying in v8. Where Paul is referring to what he has just explained things regarding our salvation, and he wants us to insist on them. This should be our focus in life. This is the MISSION we have been given in salvation. Our mission is to preach the gospel to the world. The only solution to our cultural problems is not political, it’s spiritual; it’s the gospel, telling people that He saved us. Only when a person’s heart is changed, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, will they be able to truly discern right and wrong and want to do good things. So, preaching the gospel is part of our missional response to being saved. And when we believe the gospel, it transforms us into people who devote ourselves to good works. This is another focus of our mission. True saving faith is always accompanied by good works.

Listen to these passages tying belief to good works:

Titus 1:16

¹⁶ They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. (speaking of those of the circumcision party)

James 2:14-18

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Titus 2:7-8

⁷ Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, ⁸ and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

Matthew 5:16

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

1 Peter 2:12

¹² Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Ephesians 2:10

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

How can we be equipped for good works?

2 Timothy 3:16-17

¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God^[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Scripture tells us we are to encourage one another and to be zealus to do good works:

Hebrews 10:24

²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

Acts 9:36

³⁶ Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas.^[a] She was full of good works and acts of charity.

1 Timothy 5:10

¹⁰ and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.

1 Timothy 6:18

¹⁸ They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

Titus 2:14

¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Titus 3:1-2

3 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, ² to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

Titus 3:14

¹⁴ And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.

What are some examples of good works? We see in Titus Chapter 2 and earlier in Chapter 3 things such as men being self-controlled, sober minded, and loving. Women teaching women, caring for children, submitting to their husbands. Bondservants submitting to their masters, which in modern terms would most closely refer to employee to employer relationships. All of us submitting to rulers and authorities, being obedient, being ready for every good work, speaking evil of no one, avoiding quarreling, being gentle, and showing perfect courtesy toward all people.

So, in what way is doing these good works excellent and profitable for people? Well going back to the 3^rd trustworthy saying in 1 Timothy 4:8

⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Although we are not saved by our works, we will be rewarded for them (Mt 6:20, 16:27, 2 Cor 5:10)

So, doing good works is good for us, how is it good for all people? They benefit from God’s common grace among men, but it can also draw them to His saving grace in Christ our Savior.

So in closing, remember the Mess that we were in and that most of the world is still in. My friend Brad Wos use to say, “Chip, you can’t expect regenerate behavior from unregenerate people.” So when we see “messed up” people or think about our “messed up” culture, be Motivated by the same goodness, loving-kindness, mercy, and grace that God showed to us. Politics, critical race theory, violent protests, police reform, money, or any other human means are not going to save them. Their only hope is the Method that God ordained to bring about salvation. So, let’s do the Mission for which God has saved us. Preach the gospel, believe it yourself, and devote yourself to doing good works. As we do these things that Paul says are trustworthy and that we should insist on, it keeps God’s word from being defiled (2:5); it puts our opponents to shame, so that they have nothing evil to say about us (2:8); and it adorns the doctrine of God our Savior (2:10). As we do this, we shine like lights in the world amidst a crooked and twisted generation (Phil 2:15), we display the transforming power of the gospel in our lives, and God is glorified. People are blessed by our good conduct and many may be drawn to the light of the gospel themselves. May God bring about reconciliation and transformation in our own lives and in the world!