{"id":2048,"date":"2022-10-30T13:11:28","date_gmt":"2022-10-30T18:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/?p=2048"},"modified":"2022-10-30T13:11:28","modified_gmt":"2022-10-30T18:11:28","slug":"maintain-good-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/30\/maintain-good-works\/","title":{"rendered":"Maintain Good Works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
\u201cThis is<\/em> a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.<\/strong>\u201d
Titus 3:8 <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Paul won Titus to the Lord. Titus went with Paul on a\nmissionary journey, and he left Titus in Crete to help\norganize the churches on that island. Paul wrote a letter to help Titus. Paul described\nthe kind of behavior expected of Christians. He encouraged them to remember the\nimportance of knowing that their salvation was a gift of God, and it was not\nsomething they could gain by doing works. Christians were to maintain good\nworks, living a right life in Christ. Titus was to teach the basics of\nChristian living, and to beware of false teachers in the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand good works, it is important to remember what Jesus taught.\n\u201c28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works\nof God? <\/strong>29. Jesus answered and\nsaid unto them, This is the work of God, that ye\nbelieve on him whom he hath sent<\/strong>\u201d (John 6:28-29). The only work one can do to gain salvation is\nto believe in Jesus, whom God sent. Once Christians understand this, we can\nbegin to understand just what \u201cgood works\u201d a Christian is to maintain. Paul explained\nit well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul began his letter to Titus. \u201cPaul, a servant of God, and an\napostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the\nacknowledging of the truth which is after godliness<\/strong>\u201d (Titus 1:1).   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • According<\/strong> means \u201c\u2026 i.e.: the\nteaching that is directed toward godliness<\/em>.\u201d<\/li>
  • Faith<\/strong> means \u201c\u2026 the means of\nappropriating what God in Christ has for man that results in the transformation\nof man\u2019s character and way of life; i.e.: Christian faith, or a firm and\nconfiding belief in Jesus and His Gospel<\/em>.\u201d<\/li>
  • Elect<\/strong> means \u201creferring to\nthose who are effectively called into salvation<\/em>.\u201d <\/li>
  • Acknowledging<\/strong> means \u201cthe\nknowledge which very powerfully influences the form of religious life; a\nknowledge laying claim to personal involvement \u2026<\/em>\u201d  <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Paul wanted Titus to understand this teaching of a lifestyle after\ngodliness, which can only come to one who has trusted in Jesus by faith<\/em><\/strong>.\n\u201c8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it\nis<\/em> the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast<\/strong>\u201d\n(Ephesians 2:8-9). When one has been saved because of this faith in Jesus, it\nis important to then appropriate<\/em><\/strong> that faith by allowing God to\ntransform that life from the inside out: \u201cthat\nresults in the transformation of man\u2019s character and way of life.<\/em>\u201d Remember\nwhat Paul wrote in the book of Romans. \u201cAnd be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the\nrenewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is<\/em> that good, and\nacceptable, and perfect, will of God<\/strong>\u201d (Romans 12:2). Paul was\nencouraging a Believer (Christian) to be changed (transformed), becoming acceptable\nunto God and His will for that life. That life is now \u201cpowerfully influenced<\/em>\u201d\nto become more Christ-like (a life after godliness). These good works are not\nthe basis<\/em><\/strong> of a Christian\u2019s salvation, but the evidence<\/em><\/strong>\nof one\u2019s salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Paul wrote, not only as a Christian who served God, but also as one whose\nlife had been so influenced by the truth of the Gospel of Jesus that it had\nchanged his life \u2013 drastically. \u201c5. Not by works of righteousness which we\nhave done, but according to his mercy he saved us \u2026 7. That being justified by\nhis grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. <\/strong>8. This is<\/em> a faithful saying, and\nthese things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed\nin God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and\nprofitable unto men<\/strong>\u201d (Titus 3:5-8). This is how each Christian is to\nlive. One of the reasons the book of Titus was written was to encourage\nChristians to live godly lifestyles. It should be the desire of each Christian\n(as those who are \u201cGod’s elect<\/strong>\u201d), to allow one\u2019s faith in Christ to\ntransform completely his or her way of living. It is then that a Christian\u2019s\nlife can be good and profitable, bringing others to Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Paul also gave a warning about the kind of men that were leading the\nchurches in Crete. Titus was to correct them: \u201c15. \u2026 unto them that are defiled and\nunbelieving is<\/em> nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is\ndefiled. 16.<\/strong> They profess\nthat they know God; but in works they deny him,<\/em> being abominable, and\ndisobedient, and unto every good work reprobate<\/strong>\u201d (Titus 1:15-16). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • Pure<\/strong> means \u201cclean or pure in\na spiritual sense from the pollution and guilt of sin<\/em>.\u201d  <\/li>
    • Defiled<\/strong> means \u201cto tinge; pollute;\ndefile; to be polluted, corrupt<\/em>.\u201d <\/li>
    • Unbelieving<\/strong> means \u201cone who\ndisbelieves the gospel of Christ; an unbeliever; an infidel<\/em>.\u201d <\/li>
    • Abominable<\/strong> means \u201cdetestable;\nthat which is an abomination to God<\/em>.\u201d <\/li>
    • Disobedient<\/strong> means \u201cunwilling\nto be persuaded; unbelieving<\/em>.\u201d <\/li>
    • Reprobate<\/strong> means \u201cunapproved;\nunworthy; spurious; worthless; in a passive sense meaning disapproved,\nrejected, cast away<\/em>.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      These claim to know God, but because of their disobedience to God\u2019s Word (unbelief),\nthey are considered \u201cabominable, and disobedient<\/strong>,\u201d and a \u201creprobate<\/strong>.\u201d This kind of a leader, one who is unwilling to\nchange, will have his \u201cevery good work<\/strong>\u201d rejected or cast away. When one\nis unbelieving (in Christ through faith), and profess to know God, their \u201cworks\u201d\n(lifestyle) reveals the truth. Paul wrote to correct this kind of leadership in\nthe church at Crete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Do your good works reveal\nthe evidence of your salvation? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Or <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Do your works reveal you are a reprobate?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Paul won Titus to the Lord. Titus went with Paul on a missionary journey, and he left Titus in Crete to help organize the churches on that island. Paul wrote a letter to help Titus. Paul described the kind of behavior expected of Christians. He encouraged them to remember the importance of knowing that their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[318],"tags":[1004,1005,353,396,864,322,80,277,1006,93,359,384],"class_list":["post-2048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-picture-with-verse-and-blog","tag-appropriate","tag-evidence","tag-faith","tag-faithful","tag-good-works","tag-grace","tag-jesus","tag-paul","tag-reprobate","tag-righteousness","tag-salvation","tag-titus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2048"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2050,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048\/revisions\/2050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}