In the church’s mission to further the Gospel, Christians’ behavior plays an important role. Knowing this, Paul coached Titus to stress the ways his congregation should be ready to do good. Only the grace of a saving God changes immoral people into those who uphold the rule of the law, love peace, and consider others’ needs.
In his sermon titled “Living in Society,” Alistair Begg teaches that our cultural influence comes through neither political insurrection nor religious haughtiness but our Spirit-enabled goodness. The following is an excerpt from a message that was originally preached on May 3, 1992:
Not only does the Gospel have an impact within the home and within the marketplace, but it also has an impact within the broader question of the Christian’s relationship to the state, or to the judicial authorities—to the government of the land. And it is to this issue that Paul now turns in the first two verses of Titus 3: What is the public duty of the Christian to be?
It is very clear from the opening verses of chapter 3 that Christian behavior in contemporary society was of utmost importance for the furtherance of the Gospel. The way the Christians were seen to behave in the community of their days was vitally linked to the impact of the Gospel. And what was true then is true tonight: the behavior of Christians on the television screens of our land and in the headlines of our newspapers is directly related, either for good or for ill, to the impact of the Gospel. And therefore, it is a matter of great import that Christians would come to a sane understanding of what it means to have Christian citizenship.
The believers for whom Titus was responsible were not in need of new information, but they were in need of a reminder. And it is a reminder to us as well tonight that the responsibility of one who teaches the Scriptures is not so much the responsibility of innovation, but it is that of reminder. Titus is to “stress these things,” as verse 8 says, to which we’ll come in a later study. He is to “stress these things.” What things? Well, all the things that he has been saying, not least of all the information that is here provided in chapter 3.
It is very clear from the opening verses of chapter 3 that Christian behavior in contemporary society was of utmost importance for the furtherance of the Gospel.
The stress, I think you would agree, is that “those who have trusted in God” will “devote themselves to doing … good.”1 This is the overriding emphasis of much of these three brief chapters.
For example, in verse 5, he is concerned “that no one will malign the word of God.” That is in 2:5. Or as J. B. Phillips paraphrases it, Paul says to Titus, Make sure that you stress these things so that those under your care will be “a good advertisement for the Christian faith.”2
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What is a Christian citizen to look like? Let me tell you very briefly.
Number one—and you search the text to see if this bears justification with what you have before you—the Christian in society should be clearly seen to uphold the rule of law by being obviously subject to the authorities and internally marked by a heart obedience to the things that have been established as the parameters for society. The Christian should, of all people, recognize the chaos that ensues when law is disregarded.
Now, someone wants immediately to say—and I know this: a bell is already ringing in some of your minds, so let’s allow the bell to ring and be done with it. The bell is already ringing for you, and it’s ringing Acts 5:29: “What about when Peter and John said, ‘We must obey God rather than [obey] men’?” Well, what about it? That was perfectly right, and that is perfectly true. The instruction that was given to Peter and John was “You must no longer teach the truth of Jesus Christ.”3 When the state says that, we must obey God rather than men. That is the exception. But, loved ones, in the history of the church, there is a proclivity to call down the exception clause to allow us to do all manner of things that we feel we ought to do while missing the fact that the call of Scripture is to live exceptional lives. The Christian is to uphold the rule of law.
Secondly, the Christian in society should be marked by an eagerness to render whatever good service they can. Okay? “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient.” That’s point one. “To be ready to do whatever is good.” That’s point two. And it is out of an awareness of this truth that some of the greatest social and educational advances have come in the history of the Western world. It was because believers understood the implications of what it means to be eager to do good that, in doing good within their culture, they brought about situations that were beneficial to humanity. And as much as it is trendy in this nation to knock the welfare state, may I remind you that the welfare state in Britain was established as a result of dreadful need and was established by Christian people endeavoring to be eager to do what is good and recognizing that government has a place in caring for those from whom it draws taxes. And tonight, as God looks upon our culture, he expects, as salt and light in our society,4 that Christians of all people magnify an eagerness to do what is good.
Thirdly, the Christian in society should be clearly distanced from insulting and abusive language as it relates to his fellow man. We are not to slander anyone. Slander is a sin whereby we seek to exalt ourselves by defaming others, and in doing so, we destroy relationships.
Fourthly, the Christian in society is not to be a fighter. The word here that is translated in your NIV “to be peaceable” is the Greek word amachos, which means “absence of fighting” or “without fighting.” The Christian is to resist the temptation to take the law into his own hands and mete out punishment. If we had time to take this as a seminar, there is much that we could speak about this past week as it relates to these principles right now. The Christian is to resist the temptation to take the law into his own hands and to mete out punishment.
Fifthly, the Christian in society must display consideration. Notice the little word there, and consider it: “slander[ing] no one” and amachos, without fighting, and displaying consideration—that is, that we are to be filled with a spirit of sweet reasonableness towards the fallen. We should be prepared to yield personal advantage in order to express help and consideration for others.
The Christian is to resist the temptation to take the law into his own hands and mete out punishment.
And sixthly, the Christian in society is to display a humility which is marked by meekness. The word here, as I studied it, is the word praotēs, which means patient trust in the midst of difficult circumstances. Therefore, the Christian is one who is to be prepared to patiently bear the wrong done to him while acting quickly to alleviate the wrong done to others. That’s what this word means. It means someone who is not immediately in defense of themselves and arguing for their rights but somebody who has such a humble heart that when they see the rights of others being abused, they are quick to their defense and to their aid. It is the spirit of humility which produces that in a person.
Listen to the full sermon “Living in Society” by Alistair Begg.
Titus 3:8 (NIV 1984). ↩︎
Titus 2:5 (Phillips). ↩︎
Acts 4:18 (paraphrased). See also Acts 5:28. ↩︎
See Matthew 5:13–16. ↩︎
