Titus 3 - 4.1.24
Scripture
Titus 3:4-7 NLT
”But— When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.“
Observation
Paul is writing Titus and instructing him how he should lead the local church leaders. Paul encourages them all to live a life of gentleness and show true humility to everyone (vs. 2). He reminds them that we too, were once sinners, foolish and disobedient (vs. 3). But then we experienced God’s amazing kindness and love. God saves us, not because of our righteous works, but because of His mercy and grace. Now all who believe and call on the name of Jesus, are cleansed from their sins, and inherit a new life empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Application
My good works is not for being saved, but rather it’s from being saved.
”God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.“ Ephesians 2:8-9
We cannot earn our way into Heaven by our good works. The Bible tells us that our righteous deeds are like filthy rags to God because we are all sinful creatures (Isaiah 64:6). But once we truly understand that we are ALL sinners in need of a Savior, and we realize exactly what Jesus came to this earth for, our mindset begins to change. We realize that no matter how many “spiritual hoops” that we jump through, no matter how many times we pray a day, no matter how many chapters we read in the Bible, no matter how much money we give to the needy, etc., it doesn’t bring us any closer to God, or help us “buy our ticket” into Heaven. It’s only through the blood of Christ, our faith in Jesus, and the grace of God that we are saved. That’s how it is. That’s how it’s always been. It’s a free gift. And if someone is giving you a gift, you have the choice to either accept it or reject it. You don’t need to pay them back. If you had to pay it back, is it really a gift then? 🤔 But God’s gift is free. No strings attached. Why?..because He loves us that much! He desires a relationship with us. He doesn’t want to see anyone spend an eternity separated from Him and His love. And once we realize the depths of God’s love for us, our good works is no longer motivated by trying to earn our salvation. Rather our good works flow from us because we love God, and we want to please Him in everything we do. And that is the point I believe Paul was trying to get across to Titus and the church leaders in this passage. Our good works should flow through us because of our love for God and our desire to please Him. ❤️😊
”We are able to love God and other people because God loved us first.“-1 John 4:19
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your love, Your grace, and Your free gift of salvation. There is nothing I can do to ever pay You back for Your love and sacrifice. But I pray today that I can live a life that is pleasing to You. May the love that You show me, flow outwardly towards people around me. May others know of Your love through my words and my actions. May the way I live my life bring You all the glory and honor that You deserve. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi