Conversion is not like having your tonsils removed. A painful problem is dealt with, recovery follows, and then life carries on much as before. The Bible speaks of something far more radical: a new heart and a new life.
Titus 3:4–7 describes salvation as the work of God from beginning to end. He saves sinners, not because of righteous things they have done, but because of his mercy. He washes them through rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, justifies them by grace and makes them heirs of eternal life. Then verse 8 shows what necessarily follows:
“I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.”
Good works are not the price of salvation. They are its fruit. We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works.
Conversion is the beginning
It is possible to treat conversion as a spiritual procedure that settles the day of judgment and then leaves the rest of life untouched. A person feels guilty and afraid, repents, professes faith, and assumes that the troublesome matter has now been removed. Daily priorities, relationships and habits continue as before.
That is not biblical Christianity. Conversion is more like a heart transplant. A new heart produces a new way of living. Paul tells believers to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” because God is at work within them (Philippians 2:12–13). Salvation has implications for every hour, every responsibility and every hidden corner of life.
Ephesians 2 holds the order together carefully. We are saved by grace through faith, “not by works, so that no one can boast.” The next verse says that we are God's workmanship, “created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:8–10). Good works do not create Christians. God creates Christians who do good works.
An old summary puts it well: we are justified by faith alone, but the faith that justifies is never alone. Living faith bears fruit. James makes the same point when he says that faith without works is dead. The relationship between faith and obedience is also central to Pure Religion (James 1:26–27), where true religion appears in controlled speech, practical compassion and personal holiness.
Grace is the incentive
Paul tells Titus to stress these things. He is referring to the gospel truths immediately before verse 8. The path to devoted obedience is not to move past grace, but to understand it more deeply.
First, remember what we were. Titus 3:3 describes us apart from Christ as foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved, living in malice, envy and hatred. Honest remembrance kills pride and awakens gratitude. God did not rescue us from a mild inconvenience. He delivered us from guilt, slavery and judgment.
Psalm 116 gives words to the grateful heart: “You, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” The psalmist does not serve in order to persuade God to rescue him. He walks before the Lord because God has already delivered him.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, the pirate Jacopo has his life spared and declares, “I am your man for life.” The mercy shown to him creates a debt of love. Christian obedience has that shape. Christ had every right to judge us, yet he bore judgment for us. The fitting response is not an attempt to repay the impossible debt, but the glad surrender of ourselves: “Lord, I am yours.”
Second, remember why God saved us. It was not because we had earned his favour. It was because of his kindness, love, mercy and grace. Jean Valjean's life in Les Misérables is changed after the bishop answers his theft with undeserved generosity. Mercy burns away the old bitterness and gives him a new reason to live. God's mercy reaches further still. At the cost of Christ's blood, rebels are forgiven and welcomed as heirs.
Third, remember what God has made us. The Spirit has given rebirth and renewal. Believers are no longer defined by the old life of Titus 3:3. A renewed person is called to live a renewed life.
Finally, remember where we are going. Christians are heirs of eternal life. We are to live on earth as citizens of heaven, learning now the holiness, love and worship that will mark our life with God forever.
Good works matter
Churches that rightly insist on salvation by grace must also hear the Bible's insistence on obedience. Otherwise, the truth that good works cannot save us may be twisted into the lie that good works do not matter.
Paul will not allow that conclusion. Titus 3:8 says believers must be careful to devote themselves to doing good. The words suggest deliberate attention, sustained thought and settled commitment. Goodness is not an occasional extra for unusually keen Christians. Every believer is to consider how God's commands bear upon the life he or she has been given.
Titus returns to this theme repeatedly:
- Christ gave himself to purify a people who are “eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14).
- Believers are to be “ready to do whatever is good” (Titus 3:1).
- God's people must learn to devote themselves to good works so that their lives are productive (Titus 3:14).
Jesus says, “This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8). Fruit does not make a branch alive, but a living branch bears fruit. In the same way, good works do not produce salvation, yet their absence gives serious reason to question whether professed faith is alive.
What counts as a good work?
We do not invent the definition. The whole Bible teaches what God calls good. Titus gives examples suited to different responsibilities and stages of life.
Church elders must not be overbearing, quick-tempered, violent or dishonest. They are to be hospitable, self-controlled, upright, holy, disciplined and firmly attached to sound doctrine (Titus 1:7–9). These qualities belong to every Christian, but elders must model them clearly. The biblical shape of this calling is considered further in The office of elder.
Older men are called to temperance, dignity, self-control, sound faith, love and endurance. Age can bring its own temptations: self-pity, fixation on past achievements, impatience with change or a retreat into comfort. Maturity should deepen usefulness rather than excuse spiritual drift.
Older women are to be reverent, truthful and sober, using their experience to teach what is good. Younger women are called to love their families, practise purity and self-control, and carry out their responsibilities with kindness. Young men receive the concentrated command to be self-controlled, a virtue that must govern anger, ambition, sexuality, money and speech.
Employees should be honest and trustworthy. Modern forms of theft may look less dramatic than taking money from a till: pretending to work, misusing paid time or producing careless work while hiding behind a green status light. A Christian's conduct should make the teaching about God attractive rather than unbelievable.
As citizens, believers are to respect lawful authority, obey the law, pay what they owe, reject slander, pursue peace and show humility. They should be dependable neighbours and productive members of society, ready to take an opportunity to help rather than searching for an excuse to pass by.
In the home and church, good works include prayer, worship, hospitality, family instruction, love for fellow believers, generosity, evangelism and patient service. They also include quiet acts that few people notice: telling the truth when a lie would be easier, refusing to join cruel gossip, doing an honest day's work, apologising without qualification and giving attention to someone who cannot repay it.
Examine the fruit without abandoning grace
Imagine that someone could review one ordinary week of your life: conversations, spending, calendar, browsing, entertainment and work. Would the pattern show a person carefully devoted to doing good?
That question should search us, but it need not drive us to despair. The answer is not to build a new foundation out of our performance. It is to return to the truths Paul tells Titus to stress. Remember what God saved you from. Remember the mercy that moved him, the blood Christ shed, the new heart the Spirit gave and the inheritance that lies ahead.
Grace does not make obedience unnecessary. Grace makes grateful obedience possible.
Add comment
Comments