(REFLECTIONS ON Titus 3:9-15)

How much time do we spend thinking and talking about what we believe rather than moving forward and translating that into how we live out what we believe? In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul writes,

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Yes, it is by grace that we have been saved, through faith and this is a gift of God. However, we must move forward because the new life we have been given in Christ is for a purpose. We were created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We often times wonder to ourselves, and perhaps discuss with other brothers and sisters in Christ, what God’s will is. God’s will is that we do good works, because that is what we were created in Christ Jesus to do.

Perhaps we have preached the message of grace in a way that it has become a detriment to the church body. We want to make sure that no one misunderstands and thinks it is by works that we have been saved, but the outcome is that we sometimes are then hesitant to talk about works. 

We are not saved by works, this is grace, but the grace of doing good, is most definitely part of the picture. We have been created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Salvation is a gift of God, so that we can do the good works that God prepared in advance for us to do. This is what Paul emphasizes again in his letter to Titus. 

14 Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.

There are many people that think that Christianity is all spiritual and serves no practical purpose. Yet it does. When we learn to devote ourselves to doing what is good, we can provide for urgent needs and make sure that we live productive lives. 

Productive lives have a practical impact in our own lives, in the lives of others, and in this world. Productive lives are what we were created in Christ Jesus for, but we can only live that way by His grace.

Paul didn’t want believers to turn Christianity into just a philosophical religion, but a practical, productive, and beneficial faith to believers and to the world. May we consider today as those that were created in Christ Jesus to do good works, how we can embrace the grace of doing good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives. 

The grace of doing good is not for salvation,
but is because of the salvation we have received through Jesus Christ.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Titus 3