Brownwood Church

Paul ends his letter with a plea for the believers at Crete to be intent to lead in good works. As members of the body of Christ who have been gifted by His Spirit, we have also been called to these good works.

God has ordered our salvation in such a way that we unmistakably understand that He saved us by the necessary means of regeneration by His Spirit and justification by His Son.

The believers in Crete would need to be reminded that subjecting themselves to the rulers and authorities God had ordained didn't preclude them from every good work, but actually was one of the primary means for their preparation.

If salvation is of truly of the Lord, then it has the power to accomplish all for which it was delivered. And as the recipients of the grace of God in Christ, we rightly and gladly ascribe all credit to Him, our great God and Savior.

No matter what situation we find ourselves in, the doctrine of God as our Savior is the picture to the world that there is redemption. Young men and slaves alike who have been transformed by grace should have eyes to see how their endurance may be the greatest picture of the gospel their opponents and masters may ever see in this world.

Because discipleship isn't a career, we never retire from it in this life. Paul recognizes the importance of Godliness in the older men and women of the church and instructs Titus to encourage them in the worthy endeavor of a reverent life committed to the body of Christ.

How important was the purity of the gospel for the believers in Crete? Important enough for Paul to command Titus to silence those who corrupted it. How would Titus go about doing that? With the truth.

The church is God’s primary instrument in this world to bring the hope of eternal life through the truth of the gospel of Christ. The apostle Paul, who had committed his believing life to that end, is now giving that charge to others as he instructs faithful men to appoint elders in every city to shepherd the churches.

It's quite a difference to come to abolish the law and prophets than to be their fulfillment. Knowing he would be accused of annulling God's commands, Jesus taught his disciples not to think like the Pharisees and scribes. Rather, he taught them that heaven and earth would pass away before a single detail of all that he came to accomplish.