Our Responsibility: Good Works.Titus 3:8.
The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.
Dear Royal Priesthood,
Having talked at length about the grace of God, Paul instructs Titus to emphasize commitment to good works – the natural outcome of grace.
Declaration (v. 8a). It is always a puzzle whether when Paul makes the statement, “The saying is trustworthy,” he means the phrase before or after the statement. In this case, the context inclines to the phrase before, about our justification and eternal inheritance by the grace of God. Titus is to keep insisting on what the grace of God has accomplished in us, so that with this in mind, people will be occupied with
Devotion (v. 8b). We have been rescued from bondage to sin and set free to live a new life. This new life ought to be one of righteousness and good works. At the back of Paul’s mind is the contradiction of people who have been set free from slavery to sinful passions continuing in sin. The unspoken command is, “Stay away from sin and live in holiness.”
Desirability (v. 8c). The most discouraging thing would be to gain nothing from all one’s efforts. Equally, nothing is more motivating than to know that one’s effort has not only accomplished that which is desired but that it has been exceeded. The word excellent implies something that cannot be improved upon. One can see how this can be labeled “profitable.”The quest after good works is not futile. It is the exercise that confirms that we have been set free from slavery to sin.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.