Good morning,
Christians who desire to be good citizens must remember their life before Christ and how Christ has radically changed them.
Paul encourages Titus to explain this to the Christians at Crete.
Remember what you used to be (3:3)
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.
Remember the great salvation of God (3:4-7)
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
We went from being bad citizens in the flesh to good citizens through the renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Paul wrote this out of his own experience. He was everything verse 3 describes. He was the enemy of Christ and His church.
But then Paul received God’s mercy and was justified by his grace. His life was transformed and God used him to tell others about Jesus.
This redemption by our Savior Jesus Christ makes us good citizens here on earth. We are ambassadors for Christ and have opportunity to tell others of our heavenly home. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
We have been changed. Does it show? Are we being good ambassadors for the Lord Jesus?
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001
Leave a Reply