Grace Works
Scripture Reading: Titus 3:1-11
Throughout church history, there has been a perpetual pull towards legalism or lawlessness. The New Testament writings of the Apostles demonstrate that these two errors were tugging at each other from the church’s inception. If they weren’t battling the Judaizers' efforts to compel circumcision, they were fighting the Gnostics' moral free-for-alls.
The relationship between grace and works, as contentious as it has historically been, isn’t (or at least shouldn’t be) as problematic as it seems. In Titus chapter 3, Paul seamlessly weaves together these two threads into a beautiful theological fabric of the Christian life.
He freely and unapologetically talks about “good works” generally in verses one and eight and gives a list of the kind of works he has in mind in the following verses. It isn’t an exhaustive list. It isn’t meant to be one. But it gets us thinking of the kind of things we ought to be doing and avoiding:
Speak evil of no one.
Avoid quarreling.
Be gentle.
Show courtesy to everyone.
Avoid foolish controversies about genealogies.
Don’t quarrel about the law.
Then, notice how Paul ties this to our salvation. First, in verse three he points to our pre-conversion life: We were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. He immediately turns to the nature of our conversion: But when the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
You can see how Paul is very clear that our salvation is not a result of our works. But he goes on to then show that our present works are a fruit or outcome of our salvation. We see that in verse eight: Those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.
Therefore, we are not saved by our works, but we are saved for good works. The experience and possession of saving grace is the motivation for and empowerment of good works in the life of the believer. We are exhorted to “be ready for every good work,” and to “devote ourselves to good works,” not to earn God’s favor, but because we have experienced His favor.
Grace works.
