Evangelism, Good Works, and the Current Age: Why Paul can inform us on how Evangelicalism is to witness to a secular culture.

 I am not a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ by vocation. I do not have a theological education. I am not a deacon like Andrew is, a pastor like Alex is, or “worship” leader like Bethany may be referred to. I am by all means a layman in the church in which these dear people serve faithfully and for them I am very thankful. On a recent Wednesday night our church gathered to devote time to prayer, singing, and reading of the Christian Scripture. During this time I offered up the following passage that seems relevant to the church in evangelizing the communities around us and within. I preface this post with noting that I don’t intend to give an expositional verse by verse analysis here but instead intend to pull from this text implications that I believe Paul is giving for evangelicalism today. 

Titus 3:1-7
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 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. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 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, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The church has always faced challenges from every culture that it has penetrated and evangelicalism today is no exception. I think that as a second preface to this post it is important to keep in mind Titus 2:7-8 in which Paul pleads for the church to be a model of good works, to show integrity, dignity and sound speech in teaching that cannot be condemned in order that there may be “nothing evil to say about us”.

1) We must be the kind of people who understand authority and submission. We live in a culture that is antithetical to the very notion of authority and submission. Christians ought to be the kind of people that model what it means to be submissive to civil authorities, authority in the church, and in the family. This doesn’t mean that Christians ought to obey government orders that are unbiblical but it does mean that when the government is operating within its God-given powers that we are to submit. Arguably more important though for our purposes of evangelicalism is an understanding of authority and submission within the family unit and within the church. Paul is reminding them that in order to be shown blameless, to be shown living a faithful gospel witness they ought to remember these things. In modeling submission to authorities, to being people who understand obedience the church is preparing themselves for every good work because submission in obedience and understanding authority is reflective of the nature of God.

2) We must be the kind of people who engage in verbal godliness. Verbal godliness looks like being gracious and kind. There has been no shortage of hate-filled speech associated with professed Christians in the media, whether that is in protests, on bumper stickers, in the bars, or sometimes in pulpits. Paul writes, “to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people” (v.2) because in modeling good works the furthering of the gospel through evangelism is evident. This could mean that Christians stop joking about matters that are issues of deep identity to others. This could mean crucifying all legalistic thinking that we are better than anyone else for any reason.

3) When engaging in sanctification, the growing in godliness through the work of the Holy Spirit and the grace found in Christ, there is a logical reason why we ought to adhere to the words of Paul. The church ought to speak in grace and gentleness because they were no different. Paul says we were foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to passions and pleasures, malicious, envious, and drowning in hatred (v.3). Paul looks at the legalistic churchman who is whispering insults at that drunkard and says you were just as hopeless. He looks at the frustrated parent whose son is doing drugs in their bathroom thinking that they are too far gone and tells them you were just as hopeless. He looks at the businessmen driving home from downtown disgusted at that prostitute on the corner and says to him you were that hopeless. He looks to that self-righteous clergyman who is preaching hell but no cross to sexually immoral teenagers and tells him you were that hopeless. The Bible doesn’t set any man up for boasting in their own merit. On the contrary, all that man’s merit brings him is self-exaltation and eventual condemnation. Part of evangelizing to the world is to understand that people are indeed sinful, all people, all inclusive, everyone. There is no one who escapes this reality. There should be no such thing as a believer in Jesus Christ who doesn’t understand being gracious toward nonbelievers. The nature of your heart is that you were in the exact same crisis that everyone else was in. Every human being is born with an identity crisis; every human being is born worshipping their own desires. Every human being is born ultimately following after their heart.

4) The gospel of Jesus Christ is still true. There is no better message in the world than that when God looked down and saw sin and suffering in the world that he sent Jesus. When Jesus appeared, Paul writes, that he rescued us from our grave. We were spiritually dead and he saved us. Not based on our own works of righteousness but “according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (v.5). In this lavishing upon those who believe and trust in Jesus for the salvation of their sins they become heirs. Evangelicalism in dealing with the challenges of evangelism today will find no other fount than the blood of Christ. For here, and here alone, is where the hopeless find hope.