October 5 / Titus 3:1-8

Titus 3:1-8

“Good works”…! Again, twice mentioned in today’s reading – verses 3 and 8. That “divine echo” again!

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. (v. 3) Supposedly this is Paul writing to Titus (although some Bible scholars argue against Paul’s authorship of all three pastoral letters). As I was reading through Paul’s list of improper behaviors and attitudes, I thought that it does not sound like Paul’s early life. He was trained as a rabbi, as a scholar. I could not relate to this being Paul, the rabbi in his early life – not until I got to hateful, hating one another. Then I could see Paul writing, remembering his early hatred of Christians and his wanting to rid the world of them.

In that verse 3 quoted above, I was also asking myself about my own earlier life – to what extent had I exhibited those behaviors and attitudes? Then I went further and asked myself how much or how often some items from this list still applied to me today. I needn’t go any further with that thought…!

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (vv. 4-7) These verses are as good a statement of salvation and regeneration as we find anywhere else in Paul’s writings! I’m surprised we don’t see these verses quoted more often.

Slava Bohu!