“Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.” (Titus 3:1-8 NASB1995)

With regard to being in subjection to people in authority over us, we are never to subject ourselves in obedience to anything which is contrary to the commandments of God or to morality. There we should look at the examples of Jesus Christ, his New Testament apostles, and the prophets of old, and also to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And if we are in a church fellowship where the pastor is behaving more like a cult leader than as a shepherd of God’s sheep, we have God’s permission to withdraw.

[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]

Now, with regard to what the rest of this teaches us, while it is true that none of us are saved based off our own works, even if they are good works, and we are only saved by the grace of God, it does not mean that good works of God are not required of us by God. They are! We are to be ready for every good deed. We who have believed in Jesus Christ are to be careful to engage in good deeds, the good that God would have us to do as taught to us in the holy Scriptures. And obedience to God is required of God.

But we have many people today teaching the opposite of this. They are teaching that good works of God are not required of us at all and that we can believe in Jesus Christ and be saved from our sins and have eternal life with God even if we continue living like hell in total disregard for God and for his commandments. So many people have diluted the gospel so much that it barely resembles the gospel taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles at all. But our salvation is not absent of the works of God.

And being peaceable, gentle, and showing every consideration for all people is never to involve us compromising truth, righteousness, obedience to God, and morality. We are never to compromise the truth of God’s word and morality to blend in with the world in order to be liked by the people of the world. For our goal is not to be acceptable in the sight of all people, but to be acceptable to God as living sacrifices to God, holy and pleasing to God, which is our acceptable worship of God (see Romans 12:1-2).

Therefore, we are to put off such things as disobedience to God, deception, enslavement to various lusts and sinful pleasures, spending the rest of our lives in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another, etc. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God and to his commandments, regardless of what faith in Jesus Christ we might profess with our lips, we will not inherit eternal life with God. For, although we are not saved by our own works, we are saved by God to do the good works God has for us.

For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for his return. God’s grace to us, thus, is never free license to continue living in sin, doing whatever our sinful hearts desire. For Jesus taught that to come after him we must deny self, die to sin daily, and follow him in obedience to his commands. But if we hold on to our lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. Take this to heart!

For, being justified by God’s grace and being reconciled to God have to do with Jesus, in his death on that cross, buying us back for God out of our slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin so that we can now serve God with our lives in righteousness and holiness, in the power of God at work within us. Yes, we do nothing to earn or to deserve our salvation, but our salvation requires that we deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in surrender to his will and in walks of obedience to his commands, in his power, by his grace.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship You

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Ready for Every Good Deed
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