Tuesday, November 04,
2014, 7:20 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “As the Deer.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Titus 3 (NIV84).
To Be Obedient
Remind the people to be subject
to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2
to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true
humility toward all men.
There are at
least two things which stand out to me here with regard to being subject to
rulers and authorities. First of all, we don’t have to agree with them, and
their rules do not have to be fair or just in order for us to submit to their
authority. For instance, if the government decides to come and to take our
homes from us and/or to put us in concentration (or FEMA) camps, I believe
scripture teaches us to be subject to the rulers and authorities and to not
resist them, though certainly we can try to reason with them and to ask for our
case to be heard, but it may not. Jesus did not resist his persecutors when
they came to arrest him, but he willingly went with them. As well, he told
Peter to put his sword away. He said that whoever lives by or takes up the
sword will die by the sword.
The second thing
that stands out to me here with regard to being subject to rulers and
authorities is that there are Biblical exceptions to this rule. Several
examples immediately come to mind. The first one is the story of Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego. They did not bow to another god, which was the law, and
so they were thrown into a fiery furnace. In their case, Jesus rescued them,
and they came out unharmed (See: Dan. 3). The second one is the story of Daniel
and how the king was tricked into making a law stating that anyone who prayed
to any god or human being, except to the king, should be thrown into the lions’
den. Daniel continued to pray to his God, and he was thrown into the lions’
den, but God rescued him (See: Dan. 6). He, as well, came out unharmed. And,
then there is the story of the apostles speaking in the name of Jesus even
though they had been ordered not to. So, I see here that we can disobey
authority if they command us to disobey our God.
On the subject of
obedience, some people equate obedience with legalism and/or with works-based
salvation. That is not the case, though, for Jesus taught obedience, and so did
the writers of the New Testament. In fact, in 1 John we read that if we say we
love God but we do not do what his word says, then we are liars: we don’t love
God and we don’t know God. Both repentance and obedience are essential
components of genuine believing faith, which is required for salvation. We
don’t obey to earn or to deserve salvation. We are saved by grace through
faith, and yet true faith understands that trusting Christ as Savior of our
lives means that we forsake our former lives of sin, and that now, in the power
and working of the Spirit within us, we walk in the light of his truth and we
obey what his word teaches us. Obedience is doing what Jesus says, so it can’t
be legalism, which he was against.
We should slander
no one, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. To slander is to insult,
malign, and defame someone, and it is to make malicious, false and damaging
statements about someone, i.e. it is to attack the person’s character and
reputation. We don’t know what goes on in other people’s hearts, especially
people with whom we are not personally acquainted and have not observed their
lifestyle, but we only read what they write and post on the internet. We don’t
know their motivation and heart for why they do what they do. We can judge
their words as to whether they are false or true, according to the measurement
of God’s word, and we can judge their behavior by the same measure, yet such
judgment should never be to condemn, but should be for the purpose to restore,
to help, to heal, and to bring others to the knowledge of the truth and to
God’s saving grace.
To Do Good
3 At
one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds
of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating
one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior
appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had
done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and
renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously
through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by
his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This
is a trustworthy saying. And 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. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
Paul not only
instructed Titus to remind the people of the type of behavior fitting those who
have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, but he also reminded him of the
spiritual state they all were in (and we, too) prior to us having been saved by
God’s grace, through faith.
Although God
saves us by his grace, through our faith in Jesus Christ, and he forgives our
sins, and he chooses to no longer remember them against us, i.e. they are no
longer charged to our account, for Jesus paid the price, there were and are
times when we need to be reminded of where we were before we were delivered
from our sin. Perhaps the reason is that, over time, we become complacent and
we take God’s grace for granted, and we begin to forget that we have been
cleansed from our sins, and what it means to be delivered from sin. Or, perhaps
we get prideful and/or we are unsympathetic towards those trapped in sin, and
we lack compassion for the lost sinner or for the wayward child of God. Or,
perhaps we have slipped back into some of our old sinful patterns of behavior,
and so we need to be reminded that Jesus Christ died to set us free from all of
that, and we also need to be called to repentance and renewed faith in Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives.
Titus was to
stress these things to the believers in Christ, so that those who have trusted
in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. So, what is
good? Good is what is noble, of honorable character, worthy, and what is right,
honest, useful and suitable to its purpose (Source: biblehub.com). It is also “having
the appropriate qualities to be something or to fit a purpose” (Encarta). When
we say something is good, what do we mean? I believe we mean that it meets our
standard of what we expected it to be or of what we felt it ought to be. So,
when God says he wants us to be devoted to doing what is good, what does he
mean? I believe he means that he wants us to be devoted to following him in
obedience, in surrender of our wills to his will, and in following his standard
for how we are to conduct our lives, in his holiness and righteousness - in the
power of the Spirit within us.
To Avoid Arguments
9 But
avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about
the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a
divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing
to do with him. 11 You may be sure that such a man is warped and
sinful; he is self-condemned.
I believe we are
to avoid such things as these with regard to much more than just the law. There
are other scriptures which also warn us about quarreling about words and over
things which really don’t matter in the scheme of things (See: 2 Tim. 2:14). I
have witnessed believers in Christ getting heated over subjects such as when
Jesus is going to return, as though we have any control over that, and over
modes of baptism, which are externals, and even over the color of carpet to be
placed in the church “sanctuary,” etc.
The scriptures
teach that we fight and quarrel because we don’t get what we want. We do not
have because we do not ask God, and when we do ask, we do not receive, because we
ask with wrong motives, that we may spend what we get on our pleasures (See:
Jas. 4:1-3). As well, when we quarrel with one another it is a sign that we are
still worldly (See: 1 Co. 3:3) and immature.
Quarrels rarely
solve anything, but they usually hurt others unnecessarily. I have seen so many
who call themselves Christians bickering and fighting, name-calling, slandering
one another, and accusing one another falsely, and all because they do not
agree with one another. How does that help? How can we be the light of the
world and the salt of the earth if we are so busy taking jabs at one another?
We need to treat one another with respect, honor one another above ourselves,
be considerate of others, and be sympathetic and compassionate towards those
who have a difference of opinion or belief from us. We need to speak the truth
in love, but in kindness and with gentleness and respect.
Those who are
divisive should be warned. The problem with this is that, in today’s modern
church here in America, those who are tagged as “divisive” are often those who
are following the truths of God’s word, and who are not conformed to the ways
of this world. The church leadership considers them to be “divisive” because
they are not in agreement with the teachings of humans (above scripture), and
with humanistic philosophy, diluting the gospel, and making it more palatable
and acceptable to the world, and with conforming the church to fit the pattern
of the world. But, that is not what this is talking about here.
A divisive
person, in this context, is one who incites quarrels via nasty jabs, insults,
slander, and false accusations, or else he or she is one who picks a fight by
bringing up controversial subjects which are bound to incite heated discussion,
for the purpose to cause such a heated debate, as well as for the purpose to
divide people through disagreement. Some controversial subjects are
unavoidable, though, because we must address the spiritual issues of concern
which the scriptures address, and we cannot always anticipate how people will
react. Yet, as much as is within our power to do so, without compromising the
truths of scripture, or our faith, and without shying away from difficult
subjects which need to be addressed, we must strive toward peace with all
people.
We must live our
lives in the Spirit with the goal to live godly, self-controlled and holy
lives, pleasing to God, and to be a light to the world for Jesus Christ and for
his gospel of salvation. Our desire should be for Jesus, and no longer to live
for sin and our own selfish wills and desires. And, our goal should be to
please him in all that we do and say.
As the Deer /
Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth
for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my
strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
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