Called to Good Works
As I was reading through the book of Titus, I began to see two words often repeated. These were “good works.” To many of us these two words are easily discarded as they remind us of what many try to do to earn salvation. Our thoughts go quickly to Ephesians 2.8-9 where is says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” So when our emphasis is on the grace of God and living by faith, the idea of works gets easily put on the back shelf.
James comes to the defense of works by saying that faith without works is dead. In other words, we cannot have one without the other. In this pastoral letter of Paul to Titus, we see that good works are the responsibility of all those who have been saved by faith. In the second chapter of Titus, goods works are the outward sign of an inner work. It is following the pattern of life revealed in Jesus Christ and serving as an example, or pattern, for others to follow. Our faith is not just to be worn on Sundays, but affects our relationships, doctrine, integrity, character and motivation. Our everyday life is the only Gospel that many people will ever see.
The inner work of being dead to sin and alive to God is seen in our ability to lay down our life for others. Good works is doing good to others without expecting anything in return. It is being a blessing at all times to all people. Jesus is the pattern in that He gave up His own life for sinful man. His only motivation was love. The natural man places conditions on good works. It has its own timetable and expects a positive response. But good works that come from a grateful heart needs no praise, credit nor approval.
An accusation against the church has often been because of our good works, or rather our lack of them. As we are zealous for good works, we destroy the arguments of the enemy. The criticism, “they don’t do what they preach,” is too often true. Let us show the unlovely God’s love. Let us win them without a word.
Scriptures to meditate on: Titus 1.16; 2.7-3.14; I Corinthians 11.1; I Peter 3.1; Romans 10.8-9.