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. 9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. – Titus 3:8-11 ESV
Paul has just reminded Titus of the core message of the gospel. Jesus Christ appeared in human form as a visible expression of God’s goodness and love. And Jesus proved the love of God by offering His own life as payment for the sins of humanity. His death made salvation possible, not based on mankind’s efforts to live righteous lives, but because of the mercy of God the Father. The death of Jesus on the cross provided a means for sinful man to be cleansed from his sins, and restored to a right relationship with God the Father. And with His resurrection and return to His Father’s side, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers. The result was their “new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5 NLT). And the Holy Spirit’s presence within the life of each and every believer is a guarantee of the eternal life awaiting them.
And Paul tells Titus that this is a trustworthy saying. It is pistos logos. These are words that can be relied upon and believed in. They are true and worthy of our trust because they hold the key to our present effectiveness and our future hope. The reason Paul can place such high expectations upon the believers on Crete is because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. His death has made possible a life filled with a never-before-available power to live above and beyond the norms of everyday life. A Christian is a new creation whose purpose for life has been radically changed because of his relationship with Jesus Christ. And Paul expects Titus to hold the believers on Crete to the higher standard that comes with their newfound status as God’s children. Jesus died in order that sinful men might be saved but also transformed. He didn’t just provide us with a clean slate, wiped free from the sin debt we owed. He made it possible for us to live righteous lives, and Titus was to “insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works” (Titus 3:8 NLT).
The good news regarding Jesus Christ is not just about gaining entrance into heaven some day. It’s about the daily manifestation of our faith through tangible works that reveal the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Notice what Paul told the believers in Ephesus:
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. – Ephesians 2:10 NLT
Paul insists that every believer is the handiwork of God. The Greek word he used is poiēma, and it refers to “the thing that is made.” Each and every believer is the work of God. No one saves themselves. No one becomes a Christian. The work of salvation is entirely up to God, from beginning to end, just as Jesus told the believers in Rome.
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. – Romans 8:29-30 NLT
Paul was consistently emphatic concerning the non-role man’s efforts play in salvation. “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:9 NLT). The believer owes his salvation entirely to God.
…because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 ESV
But while man’s works cannot make him a Christian, they can certainly provide evidence that he is one. Which is the point of Paul’s letter to Titus. He wanted the believers on Crete to live their lives in the power of the Spirit, fulfilling His preordained plans He had in place for them. There was work to be done. There were lost individuals who needed to hear the gospel message. There was a divine strategy in place that called for all believers to live in obedience to God’s will and in total submission to His Spirit.
All that Paul has been sharing with Titus was to be considered good and beneficial. This wasn’t pie-in-the-sky-sometime kind of stuff. Christianity wasn’t to be viewed as some future escape plan from eternal torment. It was to be the key to abundant life in the present. And Paul lived his life that way, which is why he could so boldly states: “I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 NLT). Paul fully believed that his old self was crucified alongside Christ, “so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless” (Romans 6:6 BSB). In his own life, he had experienced the reality of his own teaching.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. – Galatians 5:24 NLT
And if those old passions and desires have been nailed to the cross, it is essential that they be replaced with new passions and desires. The believer’s new nature in Christ should come to the fore, giving evidence of the power of God’s Spirit residing in him. So, all that Paul has instructed Titus to teach the believers on Crete is tied to the good works God has created them to accomplish. That includes submission, self-control, love, patience, temperance, kindness, sacrifice, and a host of other qualities that are in short supply in this world. Paul wanted the behavior of the believers on Crete to reflect what they said they believed.
…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! – 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
Paul expected them to live new lives that reflected their new status as God’s adopted sons and daughters. From God’s perspective, they were new creations, so why would they continue to live as they once did? God had new things for them to do. He had a new way of living in store for them that was intended to prove the reality of their new identities.
Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy. – Ephesians 4:24 NLT
The sad reality was that the local congregations on the island of Crete were struggling. There were those who had shown up in their assemblies who were causing dissension by teaching unadulterated lies. Arguments were breaking out within their gatherings. Sides were being taken, damaging the unity of the church. And Paul makes it brutally clear what Titus was to do with those who caused divisions within the local church.
As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him… – Titus 3:10 ESV
Remember, the point of Paul’s letter is godly behavior. He is calling all professing Christians to live as who they are: The sons and daughters of God. They are to reflect the character of Christ. They are to devote themselves to good works. Anything that distracts from the objective is to be avoided at all costs. Anyone who distorts or takes away from that goal is to be rejected as being warped, sinful, and self-condemning. These people were guilty of twisting or perverting the trustworthy word of the gospel, and their actions condemned them. As a result, they were to avoided like a plague. The spiritual well-being of the body of Christ was at risk and believers on Crete would find it nearly impossible to accomplish the good works God had for them to do as long as these individuals were allowed to remain in their midst.
This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you. – Galatians 5:9-10 NLT
Paul had no tolerance for false teachers and neither should they. Right living becomes next to impossible when wrong doctrine is allowed to exist. Accomplishing good works is difficult when bad teaching is left unchallenged in the church.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson