1Remind 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. 3For 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. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he 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, 6whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8The 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. 9But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.Paul says to us this is who you once were. This is who Christ redeemed you to be. Therefore give up those old ways, don't be divisive and troublesome, be ready to do good works. Devote yourself to such things.
4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he 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, 6whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.the more we will know that we must devote ourselves to good works. to be passionate about them. So make good works a point! As Paul says "These things are excellent and profitable for people". Don't we all want to do what is good for us in the long run? Paul makes it clear what is good for believers...to seek out, to be passionate about doing what is good. We don't do it to be saved, we do it to show who Christ is and what he has done for us. That's it. And seeing as Christ saved us from our own ickiness....isn't that enough?
11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12training 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.
15Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
Paul had just given us a list of how we are supposed to be.
Now it seems he tells us why we are supposed to be like that. "for the grace of God has appeared, bring salvation for all people". Neat huh? God's grace showed up. God's grace brought salvation for us. God's grace lest anyone not know who that is, is Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul just finished enumerating who all those people are young and old, male and free, no distinctions about Jew or gentile. Servants, slaves etc. all are included. Credit Matthew Henry for making sure I was aware of that. :)
1But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2Older 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, 4and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. 9 Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.We saw how, for the Christian believer, there are certain expectations of us.
not ours, but it will do.1But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2Older 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, 4and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. 9 Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.Teach sound doctrine. This applies to all as Paul states it before he goes into what to teach the various ages of men and women.
In sweet communion, Lord, with Thee
I constantly abide;
My hand Thou holdest in Thy own
To keep me near Thy side.
Thy counsel through my earthly way
Shall guide me and control,
And then to glory afterward
Thou wilt receive my soul.
Whom have I, Lord, in Heaven but Thee,
To Whom my thoughts aspire?
And, having Thee, on earth is naught
That I can yet desire.
Though flesh and heart should faint and fail,
The Lord will ever be
The strength and portion of my heart,
My God eternally.
To live apart from God is death,
’Tis good His face to seek;
My refuge is the living God,
His praise I long to speak.
Do you see his ruff up though?
1. No more bottles during the day except at nap times and bedtime. All other times nada. he's not happy. But he can do the other, so I want to encourage the other. I haven't forced a complete separation, but I am helping him give them up a bit more. (I'm getting sick of bottles)
10For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 12 One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." 13This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.Last time we met we learned about what is needed in a leader/overseer of a church. How the matter of being above reproach was important. Here Paul talks abit about the problems Titus is seeing in the churches he is overseeing.
5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.I won't get through this all today, but it all seemed to kinda go together.
10For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 12 One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." 13This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
So if you are wondering why your wife may not be as sexual, romantic and passionate as when you first met, consider how you have changed. Have you become more or less selfish? Trust me: I was a pretty selfish person before I got married. Of course I was, it was just me - everything I did was in my best interest. The old "look out for number one" attitude. Yes, I did nice things for others, but at the end of the day, it was about me. Most men are in the same boat.Michael claims this post The Los Lunas Decalogue Stone.
The Los Lunas Decalogue Stone is a huge boulder on the side of Hidden Mountain, near Los Lunas, New Mexico, approximately 35 miles south of Albuquerque. This stone shows the Ten Commandments written in ancient paleo-Hebrew script.From Ched we get this post, the image of God and personhood of the unborn as foundation for thinking about abortion.
Abortion is one the most controversial and highly charged moral/political issues of the last quarter century, and still remains a hotly debated topic in the public square and even in the church. Since that day in 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state abortion laws (Roe v. Wade), over 48 million lives have been stolen in the womb. Because this is literally an issue of life and death, a biblical understanding of the concepts that inform the abortion debate is imperative.Counter Culture dips into gender issues with Gender Roles in Genesis.
The substance of Ware’s address consists of ten reasons “why we should affirm that God designed there to be male headship” in the original created order. In essence, Dr. Ware explains how Genesis 1-3 teaches male headship as a part of God’s pre-fall creation.Helping the Poor Biblically was presented to us by Homeward Bound.
If we want to be faithful followers of Jesus, we have to let our faith inform every aspect of our lives – not just what we do on Sunday. Nowhere is this more important than how we, as citizens of a republic, let our faith shape how we vote and otherwise influence our government.The Baglady shows up with How a Man Retired Early on $565 Per Month.
Today I read a rather refreshing article called “Casting off life’s cares” on the LA Times. Basically it tells the story of an ordained pastor named Dave Dixon who gave away pretty much all of his possessions and started to live on a boat and sing songs in a restaurant a few hours a week. His expenses are $565 per month, and he says that “time, not money, is the real commodity in life”. He says that his lifestyle is divinely inspired and “sees himself living out God’s message that faith and people, not possessions, are what is of true value.”FreeMoneyFinance gives us Stay Low Key for Financial Success.
The temptation is to try and keep up with the Joneses. But by doing this, you're simply "pretending to be somebody" yet you "have no food." As for me and my house, we'll stay low key and keep watching our net worth grow!David from Boomer in the Pew stops in with Justification: A mind blowing, intelligence warping, tear generating, praise inducing, simply incredible Gift from God.
Justification, though not without contemporary controversy, is one of the greatest gifts of God to us as His children. God's message to this woman, if she is truly a Christian, is that not only are you forgiven, my dear child, but you are righteous in my sight.Kay over at Thrive Christians engages us in Half Baked.
Reading in Hosea I found a wonderful verse: "Ephraim is a cake unturned." Hosea 7:8. The only way to fully cook a "cake" in a pan over a flame is to turn it so that heat gets all the way through.Albert Schweitzer: reverence for life is presented to us by Change Therapy.
I've got to admit I have been "half-baked" more than I want to admit. If I were a "cake" I'd probably be burned on one side and raw on the other. I can get so caught up in one area of my life and totally disregard another. In seeking to thrive in the Lord I am finding the need to seek God's leading so that I am balanced and He is the center of all of my life.
albert schweitzer vowed never to kill an animal again, unless he needed to. and i, seeing this, was in awe, touched deeply by the magic of the transformation that took place for that little boy.Standing Straight claims What is that Smell?
I may be off base, but don't you think that the Church's use of the Greek word "Christ", instead of the Hebrew "Messiah", has needlessly put an additional barrier in the way of Jewish acceptance of him? We know there is a veil, but this extra covering might well be taken away, and anything which contributes to sight promoted.Jennifer at Diary of One submits America: the good, the bad and the ugly.
This next weekend ushers in the birthday of the United States of America! Here are a few word pictures from this past week from me, in small town America, 232 years and still going. I’ve included the good, the bad, and the ugly, but as you’ll see, in America, we take the good with the bad and roll with it, and even the ugly - well, it’s a free country and we can call ugly if we want.Richard Anderson shows up with this thoughtful post on Blindness in Luke-Acts.
Lack of understanding is an important theme in Luke-Acts. It provides an interpretative guide to the work from the beginning to the end.Allan from Journey Across the Sky makes his presence known with Is there a Doctor in the house? Here's a tidbit from his post, read on to see where he takes it.
Inside this miserable excuse for a human being lies a true doctor. Although addicted to pain killers and dealing with his own demons, “House” remains focused on the patient before him and tirelessly works to find a cure. It is his “inside doctor” that redeems an otherwise hopeless individual. Many who did not know the doctor inside Gregory House might easily dismiss him as just a rude, nasty person. Even those who think House is totally out of control have to stop and marvel at his unsurpassed ability to cure what seems to be the incurable.Annette over at Fish and Cans (hey! that's here) :) lends us this post God Doesn't Lie.
Think about this... God cannot lie.Ken from C. Orthodoxy graces us with this post on Inclusivism and Injustice.
No white lies. No lies at all. None of this.....lest shade the truth a bit so that this person doesn't get hurt feelings, or get angry or whatever.
God does not lie.
One the one hand, I don't think God is as much concerned with our particular beliefs as he is with our trust in him, with our love for God and neighbor (see, for instance, Matthew 22:37-40).Unashamed to Follow is shared with us by Inner Fulfillment.
This week at Light Along the Journey John thinks about what makes for a really worthwhile read in his post Four Words in Every Great Book.This year the theme at our church has been ‘unashamed to follow’ with an emphasis on discipleship and the importance of not being scared to share our faith outside of the walls of our church.
This used to be such a challenge for me. I have loved Jesus since my early teens but until a few years ago I was not very open about my beliefs, only answering questions or saying something once I knew where the other person stood in their life.
Brian Russell of the Real Meal blog wrote Divine Presence and Mission.I had just finished reading a really great book, Crazy Love (here is my review of it). It was one of those books that really blew me away, made me think, made me cry. I was thinking, “What was it about this book that was so great? What made it worth reading?”
Four words came to my mind, four words that summed up what I most appreciated about that book. And as I thought about it, I realized those four words were the standards that I wanted to use to judge any book.
Lisa hands us A Time to Cry and a Time to Laugh.We all laughed about this change of perspective. But she learned a key lesson. You can overcome fear when the right person accompanies you. Such lessons make it easier to act boldly from the outset in the future.
In the Scriptures, God repeatedly promises “I will be with you” to those whom He calls to serve in his mission:
A breakthrough was made and the owners were utterly amazed to see a turn-around in the dogs behavior.Everyday Liturgy shows up with Why one Abandons Christian
Radio.What is so destructive about Christian radio and TV is the wall built between congregation and individual. The whole media of worship as radio or TV disconnects one from the body. Paul has written that we are tied together as one body in community, and these ties should be made of hand-shakes, holy kisses, hugs, tears, singing, prayer, silence, and communion. None of those things happen over the radio or TV.Have to admit, this post on Immunosurveillance seemed a bit beyond me. The title threw me. :) Written for us by Glado Mentis, it was a good read none-the-less. :)
Not only do believers have no reason for complacency, we have no right to it. An immune system that helplessly watches the cancer spread is worthless. The immune system doesn’t just grumble about the constant influx of tiny cancers, it obliterates them. Philosophically, intellectually, and culturally, we ought to be waging war on cancerous ideas, while they’re manageable. To do otherwise invites catastrophe.
This is part of a larger project reviewing commentaries on each book of the Bible. Follow the links from that post for more information on the series, including explanations of what I mean by some of the terms and abbreviations in this post. This is not an exhaustive list, just the commentaries that I think are most worth paying attention to.This post name gave me borg flashbacks. :) Prepare to be Assimilated by Tiffany.
First of all, allow me to mention that my husband has exposed me to inordinately large quantities of Star Trek of late. Thus, the title of this post. However, I am not talking about the Borg, here. I do want to broach the subject of being assimilated into religious Christianity. What does that mean? Well, let's explore it together.Participatory Bible Study Blog lends to us this post on Romans 8:1.
Tom gives us Ehrlich Was Wrong.So there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. — Romans 8:1
Oh how we long to get to this verse in studying the Bible. If we’re reading through, we may be tempted to rush it. It’s like working forward through a tragic book to the point at which we know there will be a happy ending.
World population growth is leveling off. We are not birthing enough children to replace ourselves as we age and die. The health revolution hides this trend for now: increased lifespans mean that total population is not falling yet. It is aging instead. The social and economic results appear dangerous if not catastrophic.Jody Neufeld hands us God: Mystery.
All I need is a Miracle by Rodney Olsen.What is it about a ‘mystery’ that makes most of us feel the need to solve it? Mystery novels, movies with a mystery (some special effects and an alien or two – and don’t forget a love story!), and TV CSI shows are very popular! Why? Mysteries keep our interest. They give us a sense of adventure as we run to see what is around this turn or behind a door. We like to see how the characters around the mystery will respond and react.
God is a mystery. There are many, many facets of God that have challenged and confounded theological detectives for centuries.
If we’re to believe the hype, we live in an increasingly secular society that is losing its religion. Atheism is on the rise and less and less people have a belief in God. But is that really what’s going on?Wickle gives us Listening to Each Other.
If we really want to learn anything, then we need to do two main things:Thanks all for your contributions. I don't think I missed anyone. Two posts weren't included because they either weren't blogs or contained no obvious Christian influence. Talk with me if somehow I missed you.(1) Listen to what the other side is really saying, not just what we can pretend that they’re saying to attack them.
(2) Look to Scripture for the right answers.
