A People Zealous for Good Works

Part One: Redeemed Men

June 16, 2019 • Pastor Charlie Bailey

We’ve all been there. Maybe it was at Walmart, maybe it was in the mall. It might have even happened at church. But at some point, we’ve all walked past someone in public who was wearing something that clearly didn’t fit. Maybe it was a “Fat guy in a little coat!” Maybe it was that lady who is in denial about the clothes she’s still trying to squeeze into. Or maybe it was a kid like me, who as a teenager, was half of everyone else’s size and in order to stay trendy, had to wear stuff that was way too big because you couldn’t find the trendy stuff in the kid’s section where I still had to shop (at least you couldn’t back then)!

As troubling as it can be for someone to wear clothes that don’t fit, it is even more troubling when someone lives in a way that doesn’t fit their beliefs. Like when someone claims to be a Christian, but their life doesn’t fit that description. This is one of the issues that Paul addresses in Titus, people who “profess to know God but deny Him by their works” (1:16). Paul wants Titus to make clear to the people in Crete that what we believe affects how we behave.

This is why, in Titus 2:1-15, God is going to call the different kinds of people that make up the church to live lives that are worthy of the gospel (lives that “fit” the gospel well). What this will mean is that we are to be certain kinds of people (whose way of life is consistent with the truth of the gospel) and that we are to reproduce certain kinds of people (to make these kinds of disciples). What we will find in this passage is that the grace of God that saves us also enables us to live transformed lives that are worthy of the gospel, and such lives, in turn, commend the gospel that we preach. Let’s read it together.

[1] But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. [2] Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. [3] Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, [4] and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, [5] to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. [6] Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. [7] Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, [8] and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. [9] Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, [10] not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

[11] For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, [12] training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, [13] waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, [14] 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. [15] Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. (Titus 2:1-15 ESV) Let’s pray together…

Getting a Bird’s Eye View

Paul begins in verse 1 by telling Titus to “teach what accords with sound doctrine.” What does he mean by that? What he means is that Titus should teach people to live the kind of life that “accords with sound doctrine.” Notice that immediately after Paul tells Titus to do this, he begins unpacking what that is by telling Titus how the different types of people in the church are to live. So, another way of stating verse one would be to “teach people to live in a way that is consistent with sound doctrine,” and not in a way that contradicts it like the false teachers and converts from 1:16 (the profess to know God but deny Him by their works).

As for what the “sound doctrine” is that Paul is referring to, he eloquently unpacks it in verses 11-14. It is the sound doctrine of the gospel, that God’s grace has appeared (in the coming and finished work of Jesus Christ) and is doing two things: (1) it is bringing salvation to all people and (2) it is training those people to live differently as they wait for Christ’s return. To use Paul’s words, that grace of God that saves us is also training us “to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” while we await Christ’s return.
This is also stated as the purpose of Christ’s work in verse 14: He gave Himself for us “to redeem us from all lawlessness” and to “purify” His people so that they would be a people “who are zealous for good works” (Exodus 19:5; Psalm 130:8). In other words, the salvation that Jesus died to secure includes transforming us from the inside out so that we can become who we were created to be during this present age (on this side of heaven).

This gospel truth has its roots in the new covenant promises of the Old Testament: [31] “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, [32] not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. [33] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [34] And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34 ESV)

[22] “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. [23] And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. [24] I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. [25] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. [26] And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezekiel 36:22–27 ESV)

Another reason this Ezekiel passage is so important is because it not only describes the new birth, but it also helps us to see why God is going to do this. He is going to make this new covenant people and change them from the inside out in order to “vindicate the holiness” of His great name. In other words, He is going to do it for His glory, for the fame of His great name. This is why how we live is so important to Paul, because the truth of the gospel and the fame of God’s name is at stake when we don’t live in a way that is consistent with this truth. We make a mockery of God and the gospel when our spiritual clothes don’t fit.

Notice that this is Paul’s purpose for calling these groups to live this way in Titus 2 as well. Older and younger men (2:2,6-8; including Titus) are to be these kinds of men and reproduce these kinds of men so that opponents will have “nothing evil to say about us” (8). Older and younger women (2:3-5) are to be these kinds of women and reproduce these kinds of women so that “the word of God may not be reviled” (5). Bondservants (2:9-10) are to be these kinds of bondservants in order to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (10).
Paul gives us five different groups of people here, which I’m grouping into three, to show us what a life that is worthy of, or consistent with, the gospel looks like. This is what it looks like when people wear spiritual clothes that fit. By addressing people of various ages, genders, and social statuses, Paul reminds us that the power of the gospel transforms anyone in any season or social status in life.

The true gospel of Jesus Christ radically changes people from the inside out. It doesn’t just give them a ticket to heaven, it also progressively changes them during this present age (12). God, then uses that change to shine the light of the gospel to others who are in darkness. Let’s take the remainder of our time to consider the first category that Paul applies this big idea to. We’ll call this section, “Redeemed Men” and consider three items: what kinds of people we are to be, what kinds of people we are to reproduce, and the power that enables us to do so.

Redeemed Men (2:2,6-8)

I. What Kind Men We Should Be

I think one reason Paul addresses both older and younger people in this passage is because he recognizes that different seasons of life present different challenges. Young men don’t wrestle with all the same issues than older men do. “Older men,” Paul says, should first be “sober minded.” This means that there should be a seriousness and focus about them. He knows what life is really all about, and he’s committed to not wasting his.

Second, older men should be “dignified.” This means that they should be worthy of respect. Notice that Paul could have just told young people to respect their elders, but instead he tells older people to be worthy of that respect. Thirdly, older men should be “self-controlled.” We’ll come back to that one shortly. Finally, older men should be “sound in faith, love, and steadfastness.” Older men should have a testimony of trusting God’s character and promises, loving God and others, and persevering in that faith and love. Don’t miss that last one. I’ve notice that a major temptation among senior adults is that you can want to throw in the towel for various reasons. Maybe it’s because you can’t do what you once did. Maybe it’s because you think you’ve put in your time. Don’t do that. Paul calls you here to do all you can for as long as you can. Be a Caleb. Be the kinds of men that young men would want to be like, not the kinds of men that they hope they never become.

For younger men, Paul keeps it simple. You too should be “self-controlled.” Don’t miss how often that quality appeared in our passage above. This means that one of the most important aspects of your spiritual growth as a young man is learning to master your emotions and your appetites. It doesn’t mean that you deny all of them, but it does mean that you learn to control them instead of being controlled by them. Your emotions and appetites must not let lead you into sin. By doing this, you become men who are a model of good works, integrity, and sound in your speech. When you are mastered by your anger, your fear, your lust, your greed, your gut, your tongue, or your laziness, you are not exercising self-control and are acting more like a Cretan than a Christian. The gospel calls you to be men who have renounced ungodliness and worldly passions and to be men who are pure and zealous for good works.

II. What Kind of Men We Should Reproduce

This idea is more explicit with Paul’s instructions for women. They should “teach” and “train” young women to be the kinds of women whose lives commend the gospel (3-4). This is another way of saying that older women should be making disciples of younger women. But this idea is also implicit in these instructions to men in the word, “likewise,” and in the fact that a man, Titus, is being instructed to teach these things to other men. As Paul instructed Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2, Titus should also raise up faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Don’t miss this: Paul paints a picture here in which older men and women in the church are teaching and training others to be these kinds of people as a normal part of their lives. This is not mainly a charge to teach a men’s or a women’s class, but for all men and women to be doing two things as a normal part of their Christian life and their involvement in their local church. They are to be (1) striving to be these kinds of people and to be (2) striving to reproduce these kinds of people. The normal Christian life is a life lived in a community of faith in which we are all seeking to disciple and be discipled by one another.

Men, you should be teaching and training other, possibly younger, men in the church to be godly men. This should be happening in both formal and informal, more organic, ways. This certainly applies to your own sons or grandsons, but it also clearly applies here to other men in the church. What’s more is that it should be happening across generations in the community of faith.

This leaves us with a logical question: what other men in the church are you personally and intentionally investing in so that they can make progress in their spiritual growth? Again, this is not so much a class or a program but a way of life. Disciples are made in classes and disciples are made as part of discipleship programs, like the discipleship groups that we encourage people to have in this church, but what’s more important is that those should be seen as mere tools that facilitate what should be an approach to life as a Christian. Are you making disciples? Will you stop procrastinating and start?

III. The Power that Enables Us to Do So

Men, I hope you feel challenged today. However, one of the worst things that could happen in a sermon like this is that you, as men, would get super convicted and, due to this spiritual gut check, resolve to go out this week and try harder, as hard as you can, to be a more godly person in your own strength. I do want you to try harder, but I need you to understand how that happens in a Christian’s life.

You can’t “be better” or “do better” on your own, but you can by “the grace of God.” Pay close attention to verse 12, because it is “the grace of God” that trains us and enables us to do this. We don’t become godly by our own resolve, grit, determination, will power, and strength. We become godly by God’s grace. His grace is the power that enables us to be these kinds of men and to reproduce these kinds of men.

We are transformed in the same way that we are originally saved: by grace through faith. Perhaps a practical illustration will be most helpful here. When I wake up in the morning, one of the first things I should do is to hit my knees in prayer and to beg God for grace to be full of His Spirit, to walk in His Spirit, and to be this kind of man. I should also get into God’s Word in hopes of hearing from God and in hopes of Him changing me and equipping me through it. Then, I get up and march into my day with all the resolve of a warrior taking the battle field, but I do so believing that God is going to answer my prayers and keep His promises to me. I do so dependent upon His strength, believing that as I attempt be this kind of man, God will meet me in the moment and supply the necessary strength. That is what I mean by trying harder by grace through faith. While you can’t “do better” or “be better” in your own strength, the good news of the gospel is that God’s grace supplies you with the resources that you didn’t previously possess! Because of His grace, you can change! Will you look to Him today?

When the Goodness and Lovingkindness of God Our Savior Appeared

July 21, 2019 • Pastor Charlie Bailey

How many of you have ever had a life-changing experience? While many moments can fall into that category, I can honestly say that my salvation has been the most life-changing experience I’ve ever had. For the Christian, this should be the case. We were dead and now we’re alive. We were blind and now we see. We were slaves and now we’re free. We were enemies of God and now we are children of God. Our lives get set on a radically different trajectory. This is the point that Paul has been making in the book of Titus, and today as we wrap up this special little book, we will once again see this familiar theme with a new twist. [1] Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, [2] to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. [3] For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. [4] But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, [5] 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, [6] whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, [7] so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. [8] 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. These things are excellent and profitable for people. [9] But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. [10] As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, [11] knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. [12] When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. [13] Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. [14] And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. [15] All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. (Titus 3:1-15 ESV) A Familiar Theme So, time and time again, we have seen that the major theme of Titus is that the gospel transforms the lives of the people that it saves. That’s the fruit of the gospel in the life of the church: transformed lives. It changes people. It changes leaders and changes members of all types. In this chapter, Paul again makes this connection between the grace that saves us (3-7) and the good works that result. How does he do that? First, the word, “For” connects Paul’s description of our salvation (3-7) with the commands of verses 1-2 on the front end. He gives the miracle of our salvation as the REASON that we should be these things. Second, the phrase “so that” connects “the saying” about our salvation (3-7) with us being careful to devote ourselves to good works in verse 8 on the back end. If Titus will insist on these things (about our conversion), it will CAUSE those who believe in God to be careful to devote themselves to good works. So, the bottom line, again, is that the same grace that saves us also transforms us in this present age. Our salvation is a miraculous, life-changing experience that makes us new creatures with new natures. Look at how Paul describes this miracle of our salvation in verses 3-7, as another appearing of God’s goodness and loving kindness. • Who We Were (3) Paul starts by reminding us of who we were. Before Christ, we were foolish and disobedient. A fool is a person who lives like there is no God (Psalm 14:1). That’s how each of us used to live our lives, not in obedience to God’s or anyone else’s will, but to our own. We were also led astray and were slaves to various passions and pleasures. None of us like to admit this, but before Christ we believed lies and were in bondage to things we could not set ourselves free from (see Ephesians 2:1-3). We were wasting our lives, passing our days in malice and envy and were hated by others and hating one another. In a word, we were LOST. • What Changed (4-6) Have you ever made pro’s and con’s list before you made a major decision? Have you ever considered what a pro’s and con’s list for God saving us might look like? The truth of the matter is that before our salvation, the pro’s list is empty, and the con’s list is endless! But this is what is so amazing about God’s grace and mercy. In our rebellion, God’s goodness and lovingkindness appeared to us and He saved us. This is the third appearing we have seen in Titus so far. First, God’s grace appeared in Jesus’ first coming and finished work (Titus 2:11), and one day in the future, God’s glory will appear when Jesus returns (Titus 2:13). For every Christian, somewhere between those two appearings there is a third appearing, when God’s goodness and lovingkindness appears to us and we see God as Savior and personally experience salvation. Don’t miss that this appearing happened to us in our rebellion. His lovingkindness appeared to us in our darkness. While we were still sinners and enemies of God, HE SAVED US (see Romans 5:6-11). God did not respond to our initiative. Instead, we were saved because of God’s initiative, and Paul wants us to understand that God did not do this saving because of our own righteous work, but because of His mercy (5). In “mercy” He did not give us what we deserve. In mercy, He caused us to experience “the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (6). We call this experience conversion, or new birth (Ezekiel 36:26-27, John 3:3), where God washes us clean from our wickedness on the inside and makes us alive spiritually. He gives us eyes to see and ears to hear and a new heart that will believe. He makes us new creatures with new natures (2 Corinthians 5:17). Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song, The joy of my heart. and the boast of my tongue; Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last, Has won my affections, and bound my soul fast. Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here; For sin would reduce me to utter despair; But, through Thy free goodness, my spirits revive, And He that first made me still keeps me alive. Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart, Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart; Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground, And weep to the praise of the mercy I've found. Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own, The covenant love of Thy crucified Son; All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine. • Who We Are Now (7-8) Now, as new creatures with new hearts who look to Jesus for salvation, we are now “justified by His grace” (7). To be justified is to be declared righteous in a legal sense before God. He does this by His grace, which again means that it is not based upon our merits, or works. Instead, it is based upon Christ’s merits. He earned a right standing before God for us and died in our place to bear the penalty that our sins deserved. Now, as justified sinners, we no longer live under the fear of God’s judgment. Instead, as justified sinners, we become heirs of the hope of eternal life (to come). An heir is a son of daughter with inheritance rights. This means that you are now a son or a daughter of the King of Kings and have, not just an eternal existence, but an eternal inheritance to look forward to. Did you ever have a sleepover with a friend when you were growing up? If you did, you can relate to what it means to benefit from such a relationship. Because you were friends with this person, their family fed you, entertained you, and gave you a place to crash. They may have even paid for you to do a lot of cool things. As Christians, how much more will we benefit from our relationship with Christ as a co-heir! We now become a people who, by nature, are devoted to good works. As we have already said in this series, while we are saved by faith alone, the faith that saves is never alone. It is always accompanied by good works. They are the evidence that we are truly saved. Before we move on to the new twist that Titus gives us this week, I just want to ask you, have you experience this incredible, miraculous salvation? Have you had this life changing experience? Have you been born again? And if you have, are you looking to this grace to change you and now your own strength and will power? A New Twist Nearly every message in Titus has been built around this theme, but each text has given this theme a particular twist. In chapter one, the twist was how the gospel changes leaders in the church. In chapter two, the twist was how the gospel changed the different kinds of people in the church. Here in chapter three, we have another twist. The focus in chapter three seems to be on how the gospel changes our relationships as believers. Look at Titus 3:1-2 again. There are seven items here that we are called to be now that we are Christians and six of the seven are relational terms. As believers we should relate to those in authority differently and we should also relate to other people differently. Now we should submit to authority and obey them. We should not speak evil of anyone. We should avoid quarreling with others. We should be gentle towards and show all courtesy to all people. There should be no limit to the amount of courtesy that we show or to the kinds of people that we show it to. Look at Titus 3:3 too. When Paul is describing who we used to be, four of the six items mentions there are also relational terms. We were disobedient. To whom? To others in authority over us. Our days were filled with malice and envy. Towards whom? It was towards other people. We wished evil for others and we were jealous when they prospered. We were hated and hated others. Do you see that? We used to be people who were all about ourselves, but salvation changes that. Note here that who we were is also a reason why we should treat people differently now. In other words, one thing that should help you be love and be patient with people like this is the fact that you used to be a person who was like this. Then, in Titus 3:9-11, relationships and unity in the church are what drive Paul’s instructions here about things and people to avoid. He says that we should avoid divisive issues that are unprofitable and worthless. There are some issues that are so valuable to the church that they are worth dividing over, but many issues are not. For Titus and the Cretan believers, foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law were all unprofitable and worthless issues that they should avoid. Also, we should avoid divisive people who won’t heed warnings to stop being divisive. These types of people should be afforded the process of redemptive church discipline, but if they will not heed the warnings of their brothers and sisters, then Paul says we should have nothing more to do with such people because such a person is warped and sinful and self-condemned. Some people are addicted to drama and division. God does not expect you to live as victims of their misery. If they have wronged you, you should forgive them. You should always be ready to reconcile and you should go as far as you can to see that happen. But, if you have made every effort that you can at peace, then it’s time to hand them over to the Lord. You should not feel guilty for avoiding a person who is addicted to drama and division. God has released you from that. Finally, in Titus 3:12-15, deep relationships, unity of purpose and mission, and love is seen in the network of relationships we read about here. Paul is sending people to relieve Titus (12). Paul wants to see Titus (12). Titus is to help some other brothers along in their mission (13) and to make sure they lack nothing. All of the Christians in Crete, and all those in Dry Creek, are to be on standby for “cases of urgent need,” and we should rally together to be generous towards those needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ (14). The picture painted by these final instructions is an intimate network of relationships where people are connecting, supporting, and working together to accomplish the church’s mission. Do you see how relationships flavor everything in this chapter? The point is that the gospel not only changes our character, it also radically changes our relationships. The new heart that God give us loves Him and loves people. The new birth causes you to stop being a person who cares only about yourself. It makes you a person who cares about people, no matter their race, sex, age, social status, etc. So, evaluate your relationships today. Honestly, are you a “pot-stirrer”? Do you have a hard time submitting to authority? Does it bother you when others prosper, and you don’t? Or do you genuinely rejoice with them? Perhaps the problem is that you need a new heart. Or perhaps the problem is that you have forgotten who you used to be. Remember today, and, by God’s grace, may we be a people who are marked by our love for God and one another. And may we do all this for the fame of Jesus’ name and the cause of missions!

Grace and Glory Appearing

July 7, 2019 • Pastor Charlie Bailey

A People Zealous for Good Works

June 30, 2019 • Pastor Charlie Bailey

So far in Titus 2, Paul has called older men, younger men, older women, and younger women to live lives that are worthy of the gospel. Today, in Titus 2:9-10, we’re going to see God call for slaves to do the same. The big idea, again, in Titus 2 is that the grace that saves us also transforms us from the inside out and also that God then uses that change to commend the saving message of the gospel. True salvation radically changes us. It changes older men, younger men, older women, younger women, and in our text today, it even changes people who are at the bottom of the socio-economic totem pole in a culture. The gospel of Jesus Christ radically changes people of all walks of life, so may we look to His grace today to experience that change for His glory. [1] But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. [2] Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. [3] Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, [4] and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, [5] to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. [6] Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. [7] Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, [8] and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. [9] Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, [10] not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. [11] For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, [12] training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, [13] waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, [14] 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. [15] Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. (Titus 2:1-15 ESV) Let’s pray together… What is a Bondservant? This is a text that could be potentially even more offensive than last week’s text, because a “bondservant” is a slave. Paul tells slaves here to submit to their own masters in everything. They should do what their masters tell them to do (with obvious exceptions, like contradicting God’s higher authority), and not begrudgingly. They should seek to do so in a way that is “well pleasing” to their masters. Furthermore, they should not be “argumentative,” and they should not pilfer, or steal from, their masters. Instead, a Christian slave should be the most trustworthy slave that a master owns. But wait a second. Is the Bible condoning slavery? To ease your mind, the answer to that question is, no, it doesn’t condone slavery. However, slavery in the Bible is a complex issue. Slavery in the Old Testament Slavery is one of the most sinister expressions of our fallen nature. As an institution, it’s almost as old as the human race itself. Slavery isn’t mentioned before the flood, but my speculation is that it was probably a reality. It certainly coincides with the “wickedness” and “violence” that had filled the earth before the flood (Genesis 6:1-13). After the flood, the Bible’s story begins to focus on Abraham’s family, and we see there that slavery had become a normal part of life for both God’s people and the outside world. Abraham and Sarah had a slave girl named Hagar. As the exodus story begins, God’s very own people are made slaves and treated harshly, prompting God to keep His promise to redeem them (Exodus 1:8-14). Slavery was then also a normal part of life in Israel. However, what is interesting is that in the Law of Moses, God commands His people not to treat their slaves the way that the outside world does. Most of the laws about slaves actually protect them from abuse and even provides opportunity for them to be liberated (Exodus 21; Leviticus 25; Deuteronomy 15). This helps us to see God’s heart for those under such oppression. God did not want His people to treat slaves like they were anything less than a human being who bore God’s image, and they were to remember that at one time, they too were mistreated as slaves themselves in Egypt (Deuteronomy 15:15). Something we need to understand is that slavery in the ancient world was not racially driven. A person might be a slave for any number of reasons (prisoner of war, selling oneself for financial reasons, being sold as a child by strapped parents, being born a slave, conviction of a crime, being a victim of human trafficking, etc.). Furthermore, the slavery itself could range from being terribly inhumane to allowing a person to be a respected and highly productive member of society. In some situations, a slave in the ancient world actually fared better than a free laborer. So, the slavery that the Bible speaks to is a much broader institution than the more specific, and evil, institution of American slavery. The way our country treated African human beings is wicked and inexcusable and our own SBC was wrong to argue for slavery. Slavery in the New Testament Fast forward now to the New Testament and after the finished work of Christ. What you see is that the Bible doesn’t seem to directly condone or condemn slavery, but instead recognizes it as a reality that God’s people will face in this fallen world and seeks to regulate it and transform it so that the gospel can shine as brightly as possible wherever slavery is a reality. Now, I do want to say that while the Bible may not directly condemn slavery, I do believe that if a Biblical worldview is followed through to its end, the result will be the abolition of such an evil. As history shows us, it doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen over time and many of the abolitionist movements in history have been championed by Christians. One wonderful example of this was the abolition of slavery in the British empire. Many of the early abolitionists there were Christians, like William Wilberforce, who were determined to put a stop to this evil. Interestingly, Wilberforce was influenced by John Newton, the man who wrote Amazing Grace. Newton was formerly a slave trader who later became a gospel preacher. He estimated that he had helped transport around 20,000 slaves across the Atlantic, and said that in his nightmares, he could still hear them scream. Do you know what changed him? It was the gospel. When he became genuinely converted, he changed, and God then used that change to influence others in countless ways. His light is still influencing us today when we sing the words of Amazing Grace. This is really the angle that the Bible comes at slavery from. Rather than condemn all the evils of slavery directly, it focuses upon how the gospel should change people who live in a world where such an evil is a reality. In a culture where there is slavery, people who have been born again should be different kinds of masters and different kinds of slaves, so that unbelieving masters and unbelieving slaves will come to know the saving message of Christ. They should be people who live with a missional, kingdom focus. Look at how this works: Galatians 3:25–29: [25] But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, [26] for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. [27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. Here’s our new kingdom reality. However, because we still live in a fallen world that desperately needs the gospel, we are to express the power of the gospel in those distinctions that we find ourselves in (as people of different ages, genders, and socioeconomic classes). 1 Timothy 6:1–2: [1] Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. [2] Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these things. Ephesians 6:5–9: [5] Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, [6] not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, [7] rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, [8] knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. [9] Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. Colossians 3:22–25: [22] Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. [23] Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, [24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. [25] For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. How Does This Text Apply to Us Today? Let’s face it, none of us are bondservants and none of us are responsible for any. So, how are we supposed to apply a text like this today? While it is not the same pair of shoes, there are a few areas that we can apply what we see here too. First, this passage speaks to our employment. It’s a far cry from being a slave, but there is some application here for us to take to the workplace. As an employee, I need to be the kind of person who submits to the authority over me with a good attitude. One of my goals at my job should be to please my employer and make life as easy as possible for them, whether they are a good boss or not. I should be a hard-working, trustworthy employee who works for the betterment of my company and the pleasure of my employer. I should not be the kind of person who just does the bear minimum. Furthermore, I should not be “argumentative,” and I should not steal from my employer. I shouldn’t be the kind of employee that is prone to mouth off and talk about my boss behind his back. And I shouldn’t take things that don’t belong to me from the workplace, justifying it by telling myself that I deserve it. But there is also another way that this passage speaks to us today. It also speaks to our socioeconomic status. That’s a big word, but it just means where we fall in the social and economic food chain of society. Slaves were the lowest of the lower class. They didn’t have rights. Again, you will probably never be stuck in such a dire situation, but you may be here today and feel like you are stuck at the bottom of our own social and economic food chain. If we put all the passages we have seen above together, God’s Word to you is to look beyond your place in life and to your place before the King of Kings. Before God, as a Christian, you are royalty, regardless of where you are in this world. You are sons and daughters of the King, and your Father will reward and repay all in the next world. Joseph is such a wonderful illustration of these truths. He was sold as a slave and then wrongfully imprisoned, and yet every time he meets a setback, the Lord is with Him and he makes the most of his situation. Eventually, he is given a platform and He uses it to point people to God and to help them. Finally, God rewards those decades of slavery and imprisonment by promoting him to second in command of all Egypt! Finally, this passage also indirectly speaks to our relationships with one another in the body of Christ. It’s clear in Titus 2, that the gospel is a message that transcends and transforms people of all ages, genders, and social statuses. Just think about a first century church for a minute. What a radical testimony for the church to be a family of faith where men treated women differently. Where masters and slaves treated one another differently. It is very possible that in a first century church, a slave could be an elder or teacher over his own master! Truly the gospel transforms our relationships! Why We Do It We’ve hinted at this, but let’s look more closely now at why Paul instructs slaves here to live this way at the end of verse 10. It is so that they may “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (10). It is so that the gospel will look beautiful, so that its light will shine brightly. Paul’s primary concern is not the abolition of slavery; it is the salvation of slaves and slave owners alike. See, by the time you come to the first century, slaves made up about 1/5 of the world’s population and a whopping 1/3 of the Roman empire. That means that everywhere the gospel goes, there are going to be slaves and there are going to be masters for the foreseeable future. So, what matters most to Paul is the progress of the gospel, and I think it is because (1) He knows that gospel progress will transform and eventually abolish this evil institution and (2) He knows that where slavery does not get abolished, slaves and masters who follow His instructions will be forever rewarded for whatever they have suffered in this life, and will be so beyond all comparison. Have you read the little book of Philemon? It is a letter Paul wrote to a Christian brother about one of his runaway slaves named Onesimus. We don’t know all the circumstances, but eventually Onesimus met Paul while Paul was in prison and was converted and discipled by him. Part of his growth in the gospel was to return to his master and make things right. Paul vouched for him and instructed Philemon to receive him and to forgive him, and because now he was not only getting his servant back, but he was getting back a servant who was now a repentant sinner and a beloved brother. Paul says that now he will be receiving Onesimus back forever! Look at one more passage on slaves with me today. 1 Peter 2:18–21: [18] Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. [19] For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. [20] For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. [21] For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. Don’t miss that last statement. When a Christian slave is mistreated, they are following in Christ’s footsteps. In other words, you are representing the greatest of all Suffering Servants! Do you know what Philippians 2:7 says about Jesus? It says that He took on the form of a slave and became obedient to the point of death on the cross in order to save us all from the darkest from of slavery of all, from our slavery to Satan, sin, and death (Ephesians 2:1-3). Surrender to Him as your Master today.