New Thoughts (3/16/03-3/17/03)
Something strikes me here, that is perhaps a result of finding myself focused once more on the issue of permanent election. While I do not intend to pursue that topic here, there is that in this verse which seems to address at least one of the complaints I hear leveled at that doctrine. It is said that this doctrine supports the idea that one can go off and sin just as before, that God has decided to wink at the sins of His chosen, so they can do what they want. Paul, in some ways, seems to be addressing just such misunderstanding in this passage. He has clearly taught that man cannot hope to save himself by his good works, that salvation is by God's gracious gift of faith and nothing else. Some have taken this as license to stop bothering with the works. They have missed the point, and taken the liberty into which Christ redeemed us as license to not only fail to change, but to change for the worse!
This is not right! Indeed, how can we who have died to sin continue in it (Romans 6:2)? Those works were good works in that they obeyed the commands of God. They failed not because they were bad works, but because we were bad workmen. We could not help but spoil the effort because we are sinners by nature. We could not remain consistent in our pursuit of those good things, because we are incapable of remaining faithful in anything. Even when we were at our best, the motivation which led us to labor was wrong. We operated not from a base of adoration for our God, but from an abject fear of reprisal. The outward show looked right, but the heart that led the action remained totally wrong.
God has fixed that within us. The heart is now right, though the flesh continues to falter. To show us how great a change He has made in us, God prepares works for us to do. He arranges divine appointments in which we can exercise our newfound righteousness, that righteousness He has imparted to us. This is the message of Ephesians 2:10. Do they effect our salvation? No. Does this make them, then, worthless pursuits? No. God has His purposes in these good works He sets before us. First, as I noted already, they show us the depth of change He has wrought within us. As we pursue those works with a heart of joy instead of fear we cannot help but see that change and rejoice.
Secondly, it builds within us confident hope, for seeing the change we are assured that indeed, God has been at work in us. The very wonder that we feel at seeing how differently we now approach these efforts must also tell us that we have been changed, and we will certainly recognize that that change hasn't come from ourselves. The works are a proof to us first and foremost, and to those around us as well, that the salvation we claim in word is ours indeed. They do not bring about our salvation, but they do wonders in establishing in us the certainty that what we have believed in is real and true. This is why James tells us that faith without works is a dead faith (James 2:17). The change that God has worked within us cannot possibly leave us unchanged outwardly. Action flows from the heart, we are told. If there has been a heart change, then there will be a change of action. It may not be total change, at least to the report of the eyes, for there may have been those things we used to do that were not bad things to do. We needn't cease from such things. Yet, even there we will find that our motive has changed, the work itself remains the same, but the effort of the work is qualitatively different.
There is a third purpose behind these works God sets us to. He has chosen them as one of the means by which His kingdom is grown. The heart change He has effected in us, and the joyful doing of good works to which that change leads us, will cause an attraction. Certainly, there will be persecutions in this life we live in the world. Those who have not been called out of the darkness will not appreciate the change in us. Those convicted in their spirits by the change they see in us will not necessarily react with joy, they may lash out in frustration and guilt. But, the steadfast example of a godly life will cause an attraction. Among those whom the Spirit is touching, there will be a desire for similar change. God has allowed us, by the pursuit of these good works, to be a means by which He communicates His love to those He is calling! What an awesome privilege!
We may never know the ways in which we have been used by Him. Sure, there are those things we are doing quite consciously and quite conscientiously. There are those times of active, focused evangelism, and they certainly are not fruitless. When we 'lead somebody to the Lord' by the power of God working through us, we may have that instant feedback, knowing that He has used us. But, how often, I wonder, is He working far more effectively in and through our lives when we're not so focused? How many more will be touched by our example when we're not actively seeking to convince them?
We are a peculiar people. If we have truly been changed, if this salvation we have claimed is real, it's going to show. Whether we're shouting it from the rooftops or not, people are going to know. "Go out today and preach the Gospel," St. Francis said, "and if you must, use words." That's it! Life evangelism. I've been told that people today are seeking the power of God's presence. I would suggest that what they are seeking is the reality behind the claims of His followers. Does the world thirst for signs and wonders? Perhaps, but I kind of doubt it. Most folks in this dull, post-modern world don't even accept the possibility. The modern man is pretty thoroughly disillusioned, he doesn't believe in much because everything he's tried to believe in has let him down in the end. Everything has, in one way or another, shown itself false. When he looks at the claims of Christianity, he likely remembers any number of examples of so-called believers who have shown themselves no different than himself. Now, we can add the resounding downfall of the Catholic priesthood. To many, this is the full picture of what it means to be a Christian, approximately nothing.
Is it the power of God these folks long to see? Yes and no. They're not looking for split seas and pillars of fire. They're looking for evidence that there is something to believe in, anything to believe in. They're looking for the evidence of His power to truly change lives, to truly give purpose to life on this earth. They're looking for somebody that is what he is, that lives a consistent example of goodness, even when he thinks nobody's watching. They're looking for something peculiar to this world. God's looking to give them what they're looking for. Indeed, good works are profitable to men, both to us and to those around us!
There is something else here I would draw our attention to: Titus is being told that he should teach these things to believers. There can be no believer who has not believed, and the way Paul describes that person here is of great interest. He speaks of them not as believers, but as those who have believed. In this, he is saying something about these believers, he is describing the nature of the believer. Now, the real power of the word comes when we recognize that what Paul is describing is a completed action. Belief is accomplished, faith is accomplished. It's a done deal. But the results of that one time act of faith continue onward. Belief in the Savior is an act which stands. That is the power of the word Paul has chosen, our faith will stand!
Now, following upon the continuing impact of that accomplished belief, Paul seeks to promote a habit of doing good. Again, Paul's directions here make clear that these works are the fruit of salvation, not the source. Belief is accomplished. What remains is to develop a habitual thoughtfulness in those who have believed. Good works don't just happen, they require our involvement. They require that we recognize the opportunity that God has placed before us, that we consider constantly where such opportunities might arise, and how we should operate in that opportunity.
Isn't that something! Once more, Paul makes clear that our accomplished faith is no excuse for slacking off. Indeed, as we have been saved, what greater desire can there be in us than to show forth the fruits of that salvation? Having been saved, how could those fruits not show forth? The seed, if indeed it has been planted aright, must bring about growth as God has ordained. Why, then, should we have any concern about it? If the fruits will come, why sweat it at all? What need is there for instruction in the matter? Well, I know that for me, if for no other, there are forever doubts cast upon me by my heart. There always seems to be room to question whether I've just deluded myself, or if this is all real. It is precisely in the display of these fruits that we can begin to take comfort, that we can find greater reason for our confidence. The things that are called for here might perhaps be faked for a time, but they cannot be done for long in the power of the flesh. They bear the stamp of the Spirit, because in this fallen flesh, it requires the indwelling Spirit to maintain such fruit.
True humility, not the affectation of humility that some would put forth, the shrugging away of any attempts to acknowledge accomplishment, but a true humility, a recognition that all that is good in us is in us by the Father's gracious gift and nothing else. True humility recognizes that our talents and our exploits are not our own, but are rightly attributed to Him from Whom all blessings flow, the Giver of all that is good. True humility does not reject honor, nor does it rebuke honor. True humility, being founded on love, is not rude. Rather, it gently and politely redirects that honor to its rightful Recipient.
True compassion is not felt by a heart untouched by God's love. There may be a heroic act or two, but not compassion that comes of seeing in the worst of men nothing but a reflection of ourselves. We, too, were like that. We, too, had in us the capability for such evil. But for the grace of God, the picture could be reversed. True compassion, though, cannot stop at such recognition. It is not enough to look upon such a one and simply accept their condition. That's not compassion. I'm not sure that even qualifies as pity. True compassion cannot help but want to take such a person from the bonds that hold them to this path of self-destruction, and bring them to that Redeemer who freed us from those very same bonds. How can true compassion look upon the death march from which we were freed, and not want to obtain that same freedom for those still in bonds? True compassion must take action.
Clearly, without the saving grace of God, we will never turn our attention to His kingdom, let alone know His kingdom as our overriding concern. As He, in the Holy Spirit, works within us both to will and to work, the concerns of the Kingdom of God become our true concerns, the desires of the Lord of that kingdom become our great purpose. The growth of that kingdom to encompass all those we know cannot help but be the motivation behind our actions.
All of this points to those good works that Paul is encouraging amongst these established faithful. Good works: active compassion, fully employing the gifts God has put in us, purposefully pursuing the work of the kingdom first and foremost in every situation. No other labor of ours, however seemingly beneficial, can qualify as good. If it is not done in pursuit of God's ends, it can only be done in rebellion against His ends. If it is not done for His glory, it can only have been done for our own aggrandizement. Choose you this day whom you will serve. Whose glory will you promote? Whose purposes will you seek to fulfill? Set your heart upon the God of your salvation, allow Him to guide your steps, your activities, your words. As He works within you to accomplish all His good will, your works will be good indeed.
