“Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” – Titus 2:13-14
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit…The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.” – Titus 3:4-5, 8
Those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit will be zealously devoted to good works. This is the plain meaning of the above passages. There is no such thing as a Christian who is not actively doing good to those around them. Good works do not save, but you are not saved if you are not doing good works.
Notice the flow of Paul’s argument in these passages. In Titus 2, Paul says that Jesus giving himself for us results in us giving ourselves for others. In the previous verses, he says that when the grace of God appears in a person’s life, they are “trained” to live new lives of holiness and expectant waiting (vv. 11-13). Then he says that Jesus’ death was to redeem us, purify us, make us his own, and then turn us into people “zealous for good works” (v. 14).
The argument is simple: when God’s grace comes into a person’s life, good works come out of that person’s life. Grace in, good works out.
The same logic is in Titus 3. God’s “goodness and loving kindness” comes to us in Jesus, the Holy Spirit changes our hearts (“the washing of regeneration and renewal”), and our lives are transformed. This is why Paul “insists” that those “who have believed in God” must “devote themselves to good works” (v. 8).
Again, Paul is making a simple argument: when God’s goodness comes into a person’s life and their hearts are changed by the Holy Spirit, good works are the result. God’s goodness fills our heart and then good works fill our lives. Regeneration brings transformation.
Good works are indispensable in a Christian’s life. Indeed, Paul is saying that without good works in your life, you are not a Christian. Those who have tasted the goodness of God will want to do good to others. A life without tangible good works is a life without grace.
Why am I writing about this? Because as those committed to the Reformed tradition, we can sometimes minimize, neglect, and even outright ignore our calling to be “zealous” and “devoted” to good works. Paul “insisted” on this (3:8). These instructions are not up for debate.
Our church is firmly committed to the “Five Solas” of the Reformation. We believe and teach that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. Scripture alone is our ultimate authority. And Scripture teaches that true believers will be “zealous” and “devoted” to good works.
We gladly join our Reformed brothers and sisters down through the ages in our commitment to sound doctrine and concern for those in need. There is no greater exemplar of the combination of a theologically robust and socially conscious ministry than Charles Spurgeon. In the months to come, I hope to bring some of his example to you in The Highlander, along with more teaching from God’s word on the Christian necessity of doing good.
For now, listen to how Alex DiPrima in his book Spurgeon and the Poor says Spurgeon would address us today:
“It is as though Spurgeon, standing upon a mountain of good works which God enabled him to carry out, says to us, ‘What have you done for the needy in your own community? What will you do for foster children, the hungry, the sexually abused, the addicted, the homeless, the battered, the broken? Are there needy people within your reach? Then go to them and help them, and as you do, tell them about Jesus who has taught you to care for others in this way.’”
Praying for More Zeal and Devotion to Doing Good, With You,
Pastor John