Read: Titus 3:1-8
We’ve all heard the saying, “There are two kinds of people in the world.” The speaker using this statement begins to categorize people by saying something like this: “There are two kinds of people in the world: people who love chocolate and people who don’t have taste buds.” Or they may say, “There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love to sleep and those who see sleep as simply an interruption to their busy life.” No matter who or what is being compared, the two types are always polar opposites of one another, and whichever side you are on, you are convinced it is the right one.
As I read through the passage being taught this week, I can’t help but think there are two kinds of people in the world. There are the ones who read these verses and see only a list of dos and don’ts, so they get busy “doing Christianity.” Then, there are others who read it and see that they are saved and justified because of the work of Christ; therefore, they don’t need to put that much effort into obedience. As a result, they get busy “loving the easy road of Christianity.”
I believe that no matter which of these polar opposite camps we fall into, we have missed the beauty of the passage. Like so many things in our lives, these verses are presenting us with a “both/and” argument not an “either/or.”
In the opening verses we are hit with our list, but Paul doesn’t stop there. He proceeds to unashamedly exalt the work of the Trinity. Paul doesn’t just focus on the work being done on our behalf or on the obedience that should follow such grace. His emphasis is both that we are justified by Christ and that we are to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel.
Way back in the day when I was a youth, there were many things about my church that were unhealthy, but, by His grace, God brought a youth minister into my life that I still stay in touch with to this day. After all these years, I remember him saying, “Always look for the ‘but God’ statements because they are always good.” And they are! Titus 3:4 and 5 contains of those “but God” statements.
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of the works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:4-5
You see, this is the crux of the both/and argument. For those of us thinking we can sit back and relax because Christ has done the work, we can’t. We are to be obedient, ready for every good work, speaking evil of no one, etc., because of the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior Who renews us by the Holy Spirit. For those of us in the “let’s do this Christianity thing” camp, calm down; it wasn’t and still isn’t because of our works, no matter how good they might be. We are saved because He has been merciful to us.
We have a hard time finding balance in life. We find it easier to be all one way or another, but this is a place we must find that balance: we must live in the both/and. We are to both obey and walk in a manner worthy of the gospel, and we are to understand we haven’t been saved because of our works but because of His mercy.
Think about which camp you tend to lean towards, and how you can find balance between the two. Do you need to purposefully rest in Christ’s work and think less on making Christianity a “to-do” list? Do you need to stop taking God’s grace for granted and work on showing how thankful you are for that grace by walking in obedience? Either of these camps will lessen the work of Christ in our hearts and minds as we miss out on the deepening of understanding of exactly what has been done for us and how much we are loved and cared for by our Lord and Savior. Starting this week, let us strive to find balance both to obey and to worship.
