Titus 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
In this concluding chapter, God directed the apostle Paul to begin by addressing the true Christian’s relationship with government. The Roman government had taken control of Crete in 67 B.C. The Roman government was not known for its kindness. The people of Crete were well known for their rebellion against Roman occupation.
There is not much history of governments that functioned in a God-fearing manner. The only ones we know of are during the time of the kings of Israel. In that time, the only ones that treated their people fairly, were when the king submitted to God’s authority.
When a government sets itself up as the final authority, it is not a good government. However, the apostle Paul was directed here to command the born again Christians in Crete to be subject to principalities and powers. God sets up governments. He wants governments to serve under His authority. As mentioned few have ever done that. God often uses government to teach us how important it is to know Him. The first king that God gave the nation of Israel was not a good king. King Saul deceived the people into thinking he was a humble man. After he was given power by God, he abused that power. He wasted time and energy and finances chasing after David because he was jealous of him. Saul could have had a good name and a good record, but he threw that all away because he wanted to be something he was not designed for. He forgot that God chose him as king. He governed as though he were a god. His life and that of his sons, did not end well.
In our text we are reminded that our submission to governments is not conditional on whether they are God-fearing or not. The government is supposed to make it possible for us to live peaceably amongst one another. We know that governments seldom do that. It is up to God’s people to show the government and the general population that it is possible to live peaceably among one another, if God is in charge.
We know from Scripture, that when the government tells us to defy God, then we cannot submit to the government. We will suffer the consequences of ungodly government in such times, but our first love is to God, if we are saved.
You notice in verse 1 that true saints are to be ready to every good work. That word “good” is important there. Not every work of government is good. Not every work of man is good. We need to know the Lord in order to be able to do any good work. That good work begins with being witnesses unto the Lord Jesus Christ in our generation.
In verse 2 we are commanded to speak evil of no man. We need to speak truth. We witnessed protests during the Wuhan virus debacle. Those protests did not honour God. They agitated the government and caused them to dig in their heels even deeper. Keeping churches open during that evil time did not need to be an act of protest. It may have been for some of those involved. Keeping a true church open is an act of obedience to the Lord. He owns the true child of God.
True saints cannot be brawlers. We are not to be looking for a fight. We ought not to be disrespectful to others and incite them to anger unnecessarily. We need to be gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. Biblical meekness is strength under God’s control. It is being willing to be strong in the Lord and thus able to respond to challenges in a way that glorifies God. We have the examples of Peter and John and Paul and Silas and most importantly of Jesus Christ. None of them were pushovers. They knew what to stand upon and what to stand for.
In verse 3 we are reminded that we, those who are saved, were not always saved. We were foolish prior to salvation. We made bad choices. We are reminded here again of the change that salvation makes in the heart and life of the saved person. We see that in the change that took place in Saul’s life when he was converted. God changed his heart and he changed his name. The disciples had a difficult time accepting that Saul/Paul was a changed man, but he was a changed man. He proved it to be true.
As foolish individuals we served the flesh. We disobeyed God’s order and oftentimes, man’s orders. We were deceived into thinking our way was superior to that of others whom God had placed in authority over us. We served divers lusts and pleasures. There is no end to the many divers lusts that the flesh desires. Drunkenness and the debauchery that accompanies that, are just one of many examples.
Malice has to do with depravity and law breaking. God describes the ungodly very plainly. We cannot deny that is what we were like before we were saved. We were filled with envy and hateful. We hated one another. Fighting and quarrelling are the marks of the ungodly. However, they cannot be the marks of the saved. We are saved to serve God. We need to submit to Him and let His peace rule in our hearts.
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Saved people are different. That is a fact of God. That cannot be denied. The change is the result of being saved. It is the work of God in our hearts. It is that change that will help us to be able to help others to know the peace of God as well.
Pastor Bartel
