Have you ever been reading a Bible passage and a certain word or phrase keeps popping up over and over again? That happens to me with the word good when I read the book of Titus, and it’s why I think one of the main themes of Titus is “doing what is good.â€
The book of Titus is known as one of Paul’s pastoral letters. Paul wrote it to instruct and give advice to Titus, who had been put in charge of organizing the churches on the island of Crete. In this letter, Paul gives Titus advice about choosing church leaders, about how those in the church should relate to one another, and about avoiding false teachings and division among believers.
Paul also focuses on the link between belief and behavior. Good works are evidence of a heart that has been changed through faith in Jesus. Doing good does not make you a Christian, but the more you get to know Jesus, the more you will desire to do what is good. Paul emphasizes this as he tells Titus that those who believe in Jesus should:
Love what is good (Titus 1:8).
Teach what is good (2:3).
Do what is good (2:7).
Be eager to do what is good (2:14).
Be ready to do what is good (3:1).
Be devoted to doing what is good (3:8, 14).
Yet even as Paul urges these Christians in Crete to do good, he also makes it clear that God’s kindness and love toward us are not dependent on anything we do. Rather, God saved us because He is merciful. Our own goodness can never be enough to save us from sin and death, but God—in His infinite goodness—sent Jesus to die and raise from the dead so that we could live with Him forever. When we confess our sins to Him and put our trust in Jesus to save us, He changes our hearts so that we overflow with His goodness. Then He calls us to share that goodness with others. • Marie Cleveland
• Have you ever tried to “do good†to earn God’s approval? In Titus, we see that God loves us no matter what we do. How might this knowledge affect the way we go about “doing goodâ€?
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:4-5a (NIV)
Read Verses:
1Tim.1.12-1Tim.1.17
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