A Verse, A Comment, A Prayer, A Blessing

A Painful but Good Reminder (Titus 3:1-3)

Preface - Be Sure to Check Out the Podcast Audio Linked Above. A Verse Titus 3:1-3 1 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. 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. A Comment Having considered verses 1-2, we now look at verse 3, which functions as a partial explanation for why Titus’ congregation should “speak evil of no one, avoid quarreling, be gentle, and show perfect courtesy toward all people.” Paul’s explanation is that “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.” In other words, the people that you are tempted to speak evil of, to fight with, to be harsh toward, and to be inconsiderate to are not much different from us before God’s grace in Christ changed us. Thus, verse 3 serves as a painful but good reminder of who we were before God’s merciful salvation came to us. When we are tempted to treat others sinfully, we should remember our former condition. God did not show kindness toward us because we were more deserving than others. Likewise, as those called to reflect God’s character, we also shouldn’t attempt to justify cruelty and sin toward others because we feel they deserve it. No one really deserves kindness. But that’s part of the point that Paul is making here. We do not treat people as they deserve to be treated because God has not treated us as we deserve to be treated. God is merciful and patient toward us. And, in light of how this mercy and patience have changed us (as we will see in the following verses), we ought to be the most merciful and patient people our undeserving neighbors and enemies encounter in this sin-broken world. A Prayer Would you pray with me? (Pray along with me in the audio version linked above) A Blessing Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11) Get full access to Hope for Life with Dr. Casey B. Hough at hopeforlife.substack.com/subscribe [https://hopeforlife.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Outrage Isn't Holy - Titus 3:1-2

A Verse Titus 3:1-2 1 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. A Comment With verse 2, “Paul turns to our relationship with everybody in the community.” The first two points are stated negatively: do not speak evil and avoid quarreling. The last two are positive: be gentle and show perfect courtesy toward all people. In a sense, these ideas work in parallel, teaching through contrast. It would be difficult to be gentle and courteous toward others if you were also bent on slandering them or starting fights with them. To be sure, the idea of “slander” or “speaking evil” here does not exclude the need for correction or confrontation when necessary, but rather emphasizes that our words must be true and seasoned with grace. The Christian is called to be a peacemaker, not a quarrelsome spirit. Robert Yarbrough notes, “A sharp tongue is often combined with an irascible spirit and confrontational behavior. These tendencies are inconsistent with confessing Christ as Lord and Savior.” As Paul would tell us elsewhere, such behavior is unbecoming of God’s people—and especially of those who proclaim the gospel. Based on what I see on social media, I can’t help but wonder if some Christians need to be reminded to read Titus again. There’s a needed reminder here about how we represent Christ in a culture fueled by outrage. Gentleness and courtesy are not weakness; they are strength under control and the mark of a heart shaped by grace. (If you are looking for a resource that covers this in more depth, check out my latest book [https://a.co/d/0QjIVcw]When Poets Were Warriors [https://a.co/d/0QjIVcw] here [https://a.co/d/0QjIVcw]) They reveal that our confidence is not in winning debates but in displaying the character of the One who has already conquered sin and death. What the world needs most is not louder Christians with sharper words but humbler Christians with Christlike hearts, people who speak truth with conviction, patience, and love. Hope for Life with Dr. Casey B. Hough is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. A Prayer Would you pray with me? A Blessing The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14) Get full access to Hope for Life with Dr. Casey B. Hough at hopeforlife.substack.com/subscribe [https://hopeforlife.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Ready for Every Good Work (Titus 3:1-2)

Preface - Be Sure to Check Out the Podcast Audio Linked Above. A Verse Titus 3:1-2 1 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. A Comment Last week, we considered the Christian’s responsibility to “be submissive” and “obedient” to ruling authorities. Today, we note one of the limits to such submissiveness and obedience as Paul commands Titus to remind his audience to “be ready for every good work.” Commenting on this verse, John Stott wrote, “The emphasis on ‘whatever is good’ not only clarifies our responsibility but limits it. We cannot cooperate with the state if it reverses its God-given duty, promoting evil instead of punishing it, and opposing good instead of rewarding and furthering it.” I find this to be a helpful point. As Christians, we are constrained to do “every good work.” And, as Denny Burk has mentioned regarding this verse, “This presumes both a knowledge of what God’s revelation requires and a willingness to do it.” Because God has revealed His will to His people, we do not have to wonder what it means to “be ready for every good work.” As we will see in the days ahead, these good works are the result of transformed hearts. They are not the grounds of our justification before God, but they are the fruit of God’s grace working in us. A Prayer Will you pray with me? A Blessing The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26) Get full access to Hope for Life with Dr. Casey B. Hough at hopeforlife.substack.com/subscribe [https://hopeforlife.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Grace in the Public Square (Titus 3:1-2)

Preface - Be sure to check out the audio version linked above. A Verse Titus 3:1-2 1 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. A Comment Yesterday, we considered the need to be reminded. This is a hallmark of faithful, gospel ministry. We are not expected to come up with new ideas but rather repeat the ideas that God has revealed for His people in His word. Today, we are going to take a look at the substance of the reminder for Titus’ audience. Specifically, Paul commands Titus to remind his audience of their need “to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” When covering a passage like this, our tendency, at least here in the West, is to immediately qualify the kind of submission and obedience that Paul is commanding Titus to remind his congregation of in his ministry. In other words, instead of considering our responsibility as citizens in our respective countries, we want to know how and when we should NOT be submissive and obedient to “rulers and authorities.” I get this impulse, at least in part. I doubt anyone reading or listening today would say that their favorite Bible verse is Romans 13:6-7, which says, “For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” Nevertheless, as Christians, we believe that Scripture is God’s Word. Passages about submitting to and obeying ruling authorities, whether by paying taxes or simply by being good, responsible, hardworking, and law-abiding citizens, are just as inspired and authoritative as John 3:16 and Romans 8:1. The Scriptures are not a buffet from which we get to pick and choose the things that suit our tastes. As we consider Titus 3:1-2, we need to be reminded that when the ruling authorities do not require us to disobey or dishonor God, we have a responsibility to submit to their God-ordained authority over our lives and the society in which we live. As Robert Yarbrough put it, “The special grace [we] have received in Christ should enhance, not curtail, [our] cooperation with the common grace of human government to the extent this is possible.” Just like the Cretan to whom Titus ministered, so we need this reminder. So, what might this look like in practice? For starters, it would look like Christians being model citizens to the extent that they are able without violating their consciences before God. I believe this would include observing laws, participating in our political processes, and advocating for righteousness in the public square. Furthermore, I believe this means we should acknowledge the legitimacy of maintaining and promoting rightly ordered loves (ordo amoris) within the Christian community, which includes not only a supreme and preeminent love of the Triune God but also a love of family, friends, neighbors, and country. And just in case you skipped over the last word of the last sentence, yes, I said we should have a rightly ordered love for our country. Love for one’s country is not an endorsement of all that your country or its political leaders have or are doing at any given moment. Instead, it is an acknowledgment of God's sovereignty, who has “set the boundaries of our dwelling places that we might seek Him” (Acts 17:26-27). In keeping with these convictions, an implication of Titus 3:1-2 would be to obey Paul’s admonition to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, where he writes, “1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” When I first began serving in pastoral ministry, I had the privilege of serving under the leadership of Earl Blackburn. Earl was (and is to this day) a man of great conviction. Week in and week out, I sat under Earl’s leadership and listened as he led our congregation in pastoral prayer during our morning worship service. Regardless of who was in political office at the time, Earl led our congregation to pray for those political leaders. Among the many things that I learned from Earl, I learned that obedience to God’s Word did not depend on the political climate of the day. We pray for our political leaders not because they are worthy of our prayers, not because they have earned it, but because God commands us to do so. Now, for those who are wondering about the exceptional scenarios when submission and obedience to our ruling authorities would actually be a form of insubordination and disobedience to God, the ultimate Ruling Authority of the universe, I will close by saying this: when earthly ruling authorities require you to violate God’s Word and your conscience as it is informed by God’s Word, you should chose to “obey God rather than man.” With that said, the situation into which Paul was writing was not such a scenario. Most likely, given the Gospel’s proclamation of the Lordship of Christ, there were some in Titus’ church who were questioning why they needed to be submissive and obedient to other authorities at all. While their zeal for the Lordship of Christ was commendable, it was a zeal without a mature understanding of how God had ordained ruling authorities for the good of society. Thus, Paul wanted Titus to remind his people not to bring reproach on Christ or the ministry of His people in Crete because of a poor doctrine of the Christian life in the public square. As for how you might be able to apply this passage to your life this morning, take a moment to obey 1 Timothy 2:1-2 and pray for the leaders that God has placed over you. You don’t have to agree with them on everything or anything to pray for them. If the apostle Peter could tell his audience to “honor the emperor” in 1 Peter 2:17, then surely we can pray for our elected officials to fear the Lord and lead with righteousness. A Prayer Would you pray with me? A Blessing May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13) Get full access to Hope for Life with Dr. Casey B. Hough at hopeforlife.substack.com/subscribe [https://hopeforlife.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Why We Need Old Reminders More Than New Revelations - Titus 3:1

Preface - Be sure to check out the audio version linked above. A Verse Titus 3:1 “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work…” A Comment Here, in verse 1, Paul instructs Titus to “remind” his audience “to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.” Obviously, a lot could be said about the essence and extent of submission and obedience to ruling authorities in this passage, but I’m inclined to start by focusing on the initial command: remind (Greek - hypomimnēske). Commenting on this idea of remembrance, John Stott wrote, Remind the people (literally ‘them’), he begins, for the teaching he is about to give is not new. The churches have heard it before. But there are many warnings in Scripture of the dangers of forgetfulness, and many promises to those who remember. A bad memory was one of the main reasons for Israel’s downfall. ‘They soon forgot’, we read, and ‘they did not remember’. Jesus had to make the same complaint to the apostles: ‘Don’t you remember …?’ It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the leading apostles Paul, Peter and John in their New Testament letters all stress the importance of their reminding ministry. So all conscientious Christian teachers, once they have been delivered from the unhealthy lust for originality, take pains to make old truths new and stale truths fresh. In an age of hunger for novel, fresh, cutting-edge ideas and so-called “revelations,” isn’t it interesting that a great deal of Christian discipleship is concerned with being reminded of truths and responsibilities that we already know but are prone to forget? In Titus 3:1, the need was to remind the people of their obligation to submit to and obey the ruling authorities so far as they could without violating their conscience and sinning against God (Cf. Acts 5:29). Titus’ audience would have already been familiar with this admonition, but their familiarity with it did not rule out the need for them to be reminded of it. As I think about this passage, I wonder what we need to be reminded of. Things we already know but tend to forget. Things that we willfully forget because they are inconvenient or difficult. What are the things that you need to be reminded of today? A Prayer Would you pray with me… A Blessing Grant us, O’ Lord, to remember Your deeds; yes, bless us with a remembrance of Your wonders of old. Let us ponder all Your work, and meditate on Your mighty deeds. (Based on Psalm 77:11-12) Get full access to Hope for Life with Dr. Casey B. Hough at hopeforlife.substack.com/subscribe [https://hopeforlife.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]