ONCE UPON A TIME, WE WERE
Titus 3:1-4 NKJV
1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
The epistles were originally written as letters, not in chapter and verse. Therefore, it is not uncommon for a theme to continue even through a chapter break. The chapters were later created by men for reference sake. Today's chapter is a continuation of Paul talking to Titus regarding the conduct that is expected of believers.
Paul reminds Titus to remind the people to be subject to the governing authorities. Some believers, knowing they were part of God's Kingdom, did not want to submit to local authorities. This would sometimes include paying taxes. Instead, Paul exhorts them to obey and always be ready to do what is good.
During the 2020 pandemic, I came face to face with this verse when the mask and social distancing mandates came from the government. We complied with the government and caught some heat, primarily from believers. My arguing point was this verse and the fact that the government mandates had nothing to do with my ability to preach, pray, or spread the gospel. I was not violating my Christian conscience by complying. That being said, if they ever try to close church down again, I will have to conscientiously object. But that's another story.
Paul goes on to state that we should speak evil of no one. That's a broad statement. Saying that we should not speak evil is not saying we have to agree with everyone. We can adamantly oppose someone's philosophy or position without having to crucify their character. Given the current political and social environment, this will require some grace and some discipline. Calling someone an idiot because of their beliefs is not okay. And Paul does not stop with our position on silence. We are to be peaceable and gentle while we are not speaking evil.
What we are to do is show all humility to all men. This word implies mildness and forbearance. Forbearance is defined as a good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence. Forbearance is a delay in enforcing rights, claims, and privileges to refrain from acting. This is a definite departure from our current society. But this is a difference that should show up in those of us who profess Jesus as Lord and Savior.
"For we ourselves were also once…" Once upon a time, before Christ, we were all foolish, disobedient, deceived, and the list goes on. Nothing in verse three is positive. Before the Lord was in our life, we served our fleshly desires. We were hateful and unkind and envious of one another. This is why we are to show all humility to all men. Before the Lord, we were just like them, so thank God for His kindness and love. God's kindness and love when we were undeserving was the game changer for us. So now we are grateful to Him and peaceable, gentle, and showing humility to others. God was good to us, so we can be good to others. We were once where they are now.
APPLICATION
The Lord has used this verse to remind me to be good to people. To not get religiously haughty and act as if I was never in their shoes. Were it not for the grace of God, I was worse in many respects.
So now we are grateful people and humble people. We remember once upon a time before Christ.