Theological Commentary: Click Here
As Paul
continues his letter to Titus, he looks more closely at the behavior of those
who are in Christ. Before getting to the
behaviors, it is important to understand the perspective of Paul. Why is it that
he asserts the behavior that he asserts?
Paul
teaches, as Christ taught before him, that we are saved by the grace of
God. It has nothing to do with our
greatness or our earning salvation. We
do not impress God with our accomplishments.
He wants relationship with us, so He provided a way for that to happen. We are solely in a position of receptor, not
at all in a position of deserving earner.
Because of
this understanding, Paul teaches the followers of Christ to be humble. We are to be sober-minded, dignified,
self-controlled, and steadfast. We are
to teach the next generation to be the same.
We are not to be braggarts, or entitled, or people who make demands on
others. As people who receive grace, we
are to pass along the same grace to others.
It is God
who is great. It is God who is generous.
It is God who deserves the praise and the glory. It is God who deserves the focus.
Yes,
occasionally we do something cool. Occasionally
we take a leap in understand that is worth acknowledgment. What is important is not that we’ve done
something amazing, though. After all,
what can we do that God has not already done or understood? We acknowledge our growth, not our
accomplishments. We acknowledge God’s
power behind our growth, drawing us closer and closer to Him, Hs ways, and His
power.
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