Living Christian In ‘This Present World’ (Part 13)

We are learning how to live Christian in this present world from a letter written almost two-thousand years ago. How does that work? How can someone who lived in the 1st century AD write something that addresses how to live in the 21st century? Simple. God inspired them to write it.

[You can read an introduction to this series here.]

Paul the Apostle, inspired by the Holy Spirit to write to Titus in Crete, shared what was and still is necessary to live Christian in the present age.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you. Titus 2:11-15

There really is no “secret” to living Christian in this present age. Yes, God revealed many secrets (mysteries) to Paul that the apostle revealed to Christians. However, once a secret is revealed it is no longer a secret. If Christians read Paul’s letter to Titus (along with Paul’s other letters), they’ll know how to live for God in difficult circumstances.

Here’s a short reminder of what we studied last time.

The Past

For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. Titus 3:3

Every Christian has a past. Whether you were saved at seven or seventy, you were dead in sins at one time. We all need to remember from where we came. The wonderful thing about Christianity is that we do not have to live in the past! Yes, we were once foolish. Yes, we were once disobedient. Yes, we were deceived. Yes, we served various lusts and pleasures. Yes, we lived in malice and envy. Yes, we were hateful and hated other people. Is that who Christians are now? No!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Our past is behind us! We are a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. That’s the good news of the Gospel.

So, we move now from the past to the present. That’s Paul’s next point for Titus to share with the Christians on Crete.

The Present

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. Titus 3:4-6

What really changes a person? What takes a wicked, selfish sinner and turns them into a loving, caring person? It is “the kindness and the love of God our Savior.” Think about what that means in your life and the lives of people you know. So many people view themselves as victims in life. They see themselves as unloved and even disposal. Nothing could be further from the truth. God values people and turned His kindness and love toward people. That’s often a good place to begin talking with people about the Gospel of Christ. They need to know that their Creator loves and values them.

The Greek word for “love” here is philanthrópia. It means “love for mankind.” Our word “philanthropy” comes from it. God is the first and greatest “Philanthropist.” He created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. He “gave” His only Son to die for our sins. Even though people reject God and turn their backs on Him, He continues to be philanthropic in His attitude and behavior toward people. God keeps reaching out and offering Himself to them – to us.

Notice that Paul wrote about the “kindness and love of God.” How often does someone do something kind for you in a day? Once? Twice? Not at all? Many people in our world have little to no experience with kindness. Their experience is with people who treat them harshly without concern for their well-being.

God, on the other hand, cares about people. He treats them with kindness and love. The Greek word for “kindness” is chréstotés and includes the idea of gentleness. Someone who is kind is gentle in how they treat others. The two go together. The word also carries the idea of meeting the needs of others. We see that in how Jesus treated people and taught His followers to treat people.

God saved us “according to His mercy.” The Greek word for “mercy” is eleos. It means “pity, compassion, mercy.” That is God’s attitude toward us. We should also share that attitude toward others. We should have compassion on those who do not believe in Jesus and tell them about His love for them. We should have compassion for those who are less fortunate in this world and demonstrate Christian compassion toward them. We see many times in the Gospel accounts that Jesus was “moved with compassion” as He looked on the physical and spiritual condition of people.

As for how we should treat our fellow Christians –

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8-9

Another important insight comes from 2 Corinthians.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

God is called “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” The word “mercies” (oiktirmos) is also translated “compassions.” The word “comfort” (paraklésis) means “a calling to one’s aid, a legal advocate.” We receive compassion and comfort from our Heavenly Father who has shown us great mercy. He expects us to do the same for others. In fact, we are able to “comfort” people who in trouble “with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

An important aspect of living Christian in this present age is showing kindness and compassion toward others. We are able to do that because of our own experience with God who has shown us continual kindness and compassion.

The Future

… that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:7

Every Christian will experience a wonderful future. Because we are justified by God’s grace, we are heirs with Christ. That’s according to the “hope of eternal life.” I honestly can’t think of anything better than that. God has forgiven us and given us the hope of life everlasting in Heaven with Him.

Paul wrote many times about Christians being “heirs.” Here are a couple of examples from his Letters:

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:16-17

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. Ephesians 3:1-7

I love the phrase, “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” The Greek word for “heirs” is klēronomoi and means “an inheritor, one who inherits from another.” The word combines two other Greek words which mean “lot” and “to allot, distribute.” Greeks in the 1st century AD understood the word to address the issue of inheriting property through the casting of “lots.” The word for “joint heirs” is synklēronomoi and means “a co-inheritor.” We “inherit” from God the Father and are “co-inheritors” with God the Son. How remarkable is that?

Why are Christians heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ? It’s because of this:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6

God blessed us with “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Becoming heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ are two of the wonderful “spiritual blessings” that we have in Christ. God “chose” us before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. How can we be holy and without blame when we were born sinners? God “predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ.” We are legal inheritors because God made us legal sons through spiritual adoption. Why? Because it pleased Him to do so: “according to the good pleasure of His will.” God made us “accepted in the Beloved” by His great grace. That’s how we became heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.

According to the hope of eternal life – In reference to the hope of eternal life; that is, we have that hope in virtue of our being adopted with the family of God, and being made heirs. He has received us as his children, and permits us to hope that we shall live with him forever. Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

In the Ancient Greek culture, someone who was an “heir” received property as a personal “possession.” It belonged to them. Even if the inheritor was some distance from the property they inherited, it belong to them. Paul explained the role that God the Spirit has in guaranteeing our inheritance for our future.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:13-14

If you are a Christian and reading this article, you have God’s guarantee of your inheritance “until the redemption of the purchased possession.” Jesus purchased our eternal possession with His Blood. Our future redemption of that eternal possession is waiting for our arrival in Heaven. There, we will receive our inheritance. We will be “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,” and as Paul promised, “that we may also be glorified together.”

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7

Next Time

We will look at Titus 3:9-11 in the next part of our special series, Living Christian in the Present World.

GraceLife Blog

Thoughts About God's Amazing Grace