A Few Thoughts on the Epistle of Titus Part 8

Titus 3:3-8 What We Were, and How God Changed Us

What We Were and How God Changed Us

3 We ourselves were also at one time foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various evil desires and pleasures, passing our time being spiteful, envious, obnoxious, and hating one another.

4 But as soon as the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared,

5 He saved us, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

6 Which he abundantly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Savior,

7 That having been justified by means of his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on them, so that those who believe in God might be conscientious to keep up good works. These things are right and beneficial to people.

Notes

B1 Before we believed the Gospel

C1 Sin is defined as

D1 Transgressing God’s law 1 John 3:4 NIV Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

D2 Unrighteousness 1 John 5:17 NIV All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

D3 Knowing what is right, but refusing to do: James 4:17 NIV If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.

D4 Anything not of faith (believing God): Romans 14:23 GNB But if they have doubts about what they eat, God condemns them when they eat it, because their action is not based on faith. And anything that is not based on faith is sin.

D5 Foolish plans as here: Proverbs 24:9 GNB Any scheme a fool thinks up is sinful. People hate a person who has nothing but scorn for others.

C2 Penalty and punishment are necessary

C3 All humans are addicted to sin. We are enslaved. John 8:34, Romans 6:12-20, Titus 3:3

C4 The characteristics of the human addicted to sin

D1 Pride

D2 The lie of believing ourselves to be good

D3 The lie that we can overcome sin on our own strength

D4 Blind and in darkness to truth and the reality of our condition

D5 The free will is hindered because of our addiction to sin

D6 We are addicted to what is pleasurable to us

D7 We do the opposite of the Ten Commandments

E1 We have other gods, namely ourselves

E2 We have idols of some type of material or imagination

E3 We blaspheme God’s character

E4 We don’t rest from anything to worship the creator, the King of the Universe (and beyond).

E5 We don’t honor our parents

E6 We commit sexual sins

E7 We steal

E8 We murder

E9 We lie

E10 We covet

D8 If we sin 10 times a day, then in one year, we break God’s law 3,650 times every year. Each sin will receive the death penalty. Some protest that it is not fair to suffer for eternity for committing one lie, but they forget or are ignorant that God, the King of the Universe, warns them that one sin will receive this penalty. James 2:10 NLT For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws.

D9 The penalty (and God warns us) is death. Death is spiritual and physical. The spiritual death of the unconverted is spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical resulting in physical death and eventually eternal death of torment in fire.

E1 Genesis 2:17 CSB but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.

E2 We earn something for what we work for. The wages of sin in death. Romans 6:23 CSB For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

E3 Works count, but all have sinned. Punishment is eternal: Revelation 20:12, 14-15 CSB I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. ... 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

E4 Matthew 25:46 NLT And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.

D10 All these sins are done in thoughts, desires, words, and/or deeds. Matthew 5:28 NLT But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

D11 People have different levels of how evil they are. Some are more evil than others.

D12 We show our sin by actions. People live the way they believe. What they say is not necessarily what anyone really believes. Some of these actions are shown in our passage. ... foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various evil desires and pleasures, passing our time being spiteful, envious, obnoxious, and hating one another.

D13 We do not and we can not seek God. We are enslaved to our sins.

E1 Romans 3:11 WEL There is no one who is understanding, there is no one seeking for God. (See Romans 3:10-18).

E2 John 8:34 NLT Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.

D14 All are sinning.

D15 All will be judged.

D16 All will be found guilty.

D17 All will die.

D18 All will be sentenced to eternity suffering as our punishment.

D19 The salvation that is offered is because God is kind and loves us enough to genuinely offer it.

B2 After we believed the Gospel

C1 What God does

D1 God initiates salvation. If God does not, then no one will be saved. John 16:8 and John 6:44

D2 God in His sovereign power frees the will from darkness, blindness, ignorance, etc. to understand our sin and God’s punishment. Acts 16:14

D3 Having a freed will, God presents the Gospel through the preaching of it. 1 Corinthians 1:21

D4 One can then believe or not believe, resist or not resist, comply or refuse the Holy Spirit of God. God has freed our will, that is, given us the ability to make a choice or contrary choice. Acts 7:51, Isaiah 63:10, Isaiah 1:20

D5 If one believes, then God gives new life (regeneration), the earnest of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, etc. 2 Corinthians 5:17

D6 All sin must be punished. Romans 6:23 and Romans 1:18

D7 Either I can be punished or someone else.

D8 If someone else is chosen, they must be sinless. Otherwise, they are being punished for their own sin.

D9 Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, is sinless. 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Hebrews 4:15

D10 Jesus is the Passover Lamb. He did this only one time. 1 Corinthians 5:7 and Hebrews 9:28

D11 The blood of Jesus paid penalty. 1 Peter 1:2, Hebrews 12:24, Ephesians 1:7

D12 Jesus suffered for our sins bearing the wrath of God. 1 Peter 2:24 and 1 Peter 3:18

D12 Salvation is not something earned. Our passage shows this. Faith is not a work.

D13 Jesus raised from the dead proving He is God, He is sinless, and He has paid that penalty successfully. Romans 1:3-4

D14 Jesus lives forever to make intercession for believers. Hebrews 7:25

D15 If we drift and finally and forever deny Jesus Christ, we will be apostate and go to eternal punishment. It is rare but does happen. When it happens? Only God knows. Let us stay in the grace of God. Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26-31

C2 Characteristics of the regenerated

D1 Fruit of the Spirit. These are not something is ourselves but a fruit of the Holy Spirit working in our life. Galatians 5:22-23

D2 We are sanctified. We are separated from addiction and slavery to sin to be separated to God for serving Him, His kingdom, and His will.

E1 Instant and completed sanctification when believing is justification. Acts 26:18, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Hebrews 10:26

E2 The Holy Spirit's continuous teaching and convicting is a ongoing work of sanctification. This is progressive sanctification. 2 Corinthians 7:1 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3

E3 Instant and completed sanctification after physical death is glorification. Romans 8:30, Philippians 3:20-21

D3 God frees us from our sins. Romans 6:7

D4 His grace gives us the grace and power to know His will and do it. Philippians 2:13

D5 The gift of the Holy Spirit who works in our lives Romans 8:7-9

B3 Verse 5 He saved us, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

C1 Works of righteousness do not save us from God’s wrath. Isaiah 64:6

C2 Faith is not works. The Scripture states it so: Romans 4:2-4 LEB For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness." 4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited according to grace, but according to his due.

C3 Mercy is receiving what we do not deserve. We deserve the wrath of God, but the Lord Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, received God’s wrath for us.

C4 Washing of regeneration and renewal

D1 These are the work of the Holy Spirit John 1:12-13, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Romans 6:3-9 (baptism does not make one saved, it is the result of being saved and then identified with Jesus Christ).

D2 Renewal. What was dead in now alive. Colossians 3:10, Psalm 51:10, Ephesians 2:4-7

B4 Verse 6 Which he abundantly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Savior,

C1 Not just a little but much

C2 Done in love, wisdom, and holiness

B5 Verse 7 That having been justified by means of his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

C1 Justification is instant sanctification accomplished entirely by God for those who believe in His son Jesus Christ.

C2 It is God’s grace, not our work

C3 God made us heirs of a heavenly kingdom Romans 8:17, Galatians 3:29, Ephesians 3:6

B6 Verse 8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on them, so that those who believe in God might be conscientious to keep up good works. These things are right and beneficial to people.

C1 Good works glorify God. So the works we do must be works that are approved by Go. Stealing to help the poor would not qualify as a good work.

C2 The good works we do are first for our family, then for our local brothers and sisters, then for our other brothers and sisters worldwide, and finally as a witness to those who do not believe.

C3 It must be a work that we can do. Some can give money, food, clothes, necessities. Some can give in labor as cleaning, repairing, running errands, etc. All can pray, but for some that is all they are able to do.

B7 Philippians 1:9-11 GNB I pray that your love will keep on growing more and more, together with true knowledge and perfect judgment, 10 so that you will be able to choose what is best. Then you will be free from all impurity and blame on the Day of Christ. 11 Your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus Christ can produce, for the glory and praise of God.