Good Works, Grace, and Growing in Christ

January 4, 2026|Good Works, Grace, and Growing in Christ|Titus

JD Cutler

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You know, it’s funny, but even though we know that it is only a way to mark the passage of time, even though we know that there really isn’t a significant difference whether it’s December 31st or January 1st, there does seem to be an instinctual sense of newness that accompanies a new calendar year.

It feels like a good time for evaluation, new initiatives, new routines. I know that for many of us it is often a time that we pause to evaluate the last 365 days and think about the next 365 days. 

For our family it looked like this past New Year's Eve sitting around a fire-pit and just talking. I asked what was their favorite part of last year to get the conversation going. What was interesting is that the conversation started slow while we tried to think back over what happened, what we experienced, and what we did over the last year. The year seemed to fly by and it was hard to even remember the details of what happened. Fortunately, we have all carry around these amazing little devices. I pulled my phone out and scrolled through the last year of pictures and were reminded of everything that happened over the past year. So many life changes and experiences can happen over the period of a year. We were amazed at just how much had happened and how much we had experienced over the last year. 

I don’t know about you but the older I get, the faster time seems to move. I have learned that if I don’t slow down long enough to evaluate it can pass me by. If you haven’t done it yet, spend some time reflecting over the last year. For our family, we laughed, we sighed, we teared up as we walked through the memories of last year. In the same way, if we don’t slow down and reflect over our spiritual walk in the last year, life can fly by unevaluated and we won’t be much further along in our walk next year than we are this year. In our times of reflection, we need to make sure we are evaluating our spiritual walk as well.

Questions like…

Did I finish my Bible reading plan?Did I maintain a healthy prayer life?Did we as a family have healthy rhythms of family worship?Did I care for the poor and needy in meaningful ways?Did I make a habit of gathering with the saints?On and on we could go.

I know for me and I am sure for all of us when we do that there will be things we wished we had done and things we know we should have done that were left undone. When that happens, we can respond in a couple of ways.

We can shrug it off and hope to do better this year even though we know hoping that we will magically do better is not a strategy.

We can make a list of resolutions for the year. While this is a better strategy, as Pastor Will mentioned last week, most resolutions fail by February.

While there are many reasons given for why this is the case, one of the primary reasons listed is that motivation isn’t enough by itself. Unless we have strong habits, willpower alone isn’t sufficient to overcome challenges. For lasting change we need to address not just our heart, but our minds, and our hands.

On our last Sunday before Christmas we looked at Titus 2:11-14 as we looked in a general sense at life between the epiphanies or appearances of our Lord and how God’s grace operates in our lives. I will remind you of what Paul says there as we begin this morning. 

Titus 2:11–14 ESV

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training 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.

This morning, as we begin a new year I want to pick up one of our divisions from that Sunday and look at it a little closer. We talked about Paul’s primary purpose in writing this letter to his protege Titus, he had left Titus in Crete to appoint elders and help these fledging churches get established in the truth in both what they believe and how they conduct themselves. 

I want to focus in one the idea of good works this morning. In particular how we grow in good works this year.

As I begin, I want to confess that I have spent so much time in my ministry making sure that those whom I was responsible for in the church understood that good works do not earn salvation that I have erred on the side of minimizing them or even downplaying them. Most of the time I have mentioned good works, it has been in the negative sense of making sure that we understand that good works do not save us or contribute to our salvation. As I was reading through Titus, Paul had no such problem. Yes, in other places he is careful to teach that salvation is by faith alone and not by works. But here in Titus, speaking to someone who knew that, he doesn’t put any asterisks on good works, he doesn’t seem to feel the need to be careful that he is not misunderstood. The words good works appear time and time again in this letter. 

He first introduces good works in chapter 1 verse 17 creating tension between those who belong to Christ and those who don’t in reference to good works when he says, 16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. Then he calls Titus to be a model of good works in chapter 2 verse 7, uses it again at the end of verse 14 that we just heard when he says, people who are zealous for good works to describe Christians. He goes on to mentions it twice more in this brief letter before he reaches his conclusion and then once more as he concludes his letter. This morning in particular I want to focus on a trio from chapter 2:14 to 3:8 that forms a kind of progressive formation.

Paul is essentially going to look at good works from three different vantage points this morning, each one helpful in our understanding of the relationship of good works and being a Christian, but also how they interrelate to help us fulfill our purpose laid out for us in Ephesians 2:10 “10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” 

My prayer for us this morning is that each of us would commit ourselves to walking in good works this year by understanding how rhythms of good works are built into our lives. 

Picking up where we left off on Christmas, let’s look at Paul’s statement in verse 14 under the heading…

I. Zealous for good works. 

Titus 2:14 ESV

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.

As we saw when we looked at this passage, Paul describes the results of God’s redemptive plan in Christ in two ways. Christ gave himself for us to redeem us and to purify us. One describes the freedom we have in Christ as we experience freedom from the chains of sin and death that are a result of sin, the other describes God’s purposes in freeing us, so that he might purify for himself a people of his own possession. 

This radical exchange, the righteous for the unrighteous, death for life is the heart of the gospel. It is described in various ways throughout scripture.Through Christ we who were once alienated and hostile in mind, dead in trespasses and sins, living in the passions of our flesh, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, have been reconciled to God, made alive together with Christ, and brought near. But perhaps the greatest summary is one that Peter uses when he says ‘We who were once not a people are now God’s people.’This describes the reality of every person who has been redeemed in Christ. 

So how does the Apostle Paul describe this kind of person in his letter to Titus?

A people who are zealous for good works. 

If you claim to be redeemed by Christ then according to Paul you should be zealous for good works. Your life should be marked by an eagerness to do good to others. I would argue that I see that in many of you here at EBC. Whenever there is a need, whenever someone needs meals, or a ride, or help with something, our church comes alive with people willing to serve. 

For the people of God there ought to be this inner desire to do good. As recipients of God’s great grace, mercy, and love we are transformed into new creations who desire to pursue good works. Which begs the question what are good works? What is it that we should be desiring?

In verse 1 of chapter 2, Paul exhorts Titus to teach what accords with sound doctrine. Then in verse 10, he says that our manner of living may adorn the doctrine of of God our Savior. Sandwiched between these two are practical commands for various groups of people.

In short, we don’t define good, God does.

Older men are called to lead well and live faithfully, older women are called to reverent and temperate lives, to be teachers of what is good, younger women to love their husbands and children, to submissive, younger men are called to live self-controlled lives, servants are called to be submissive and show good faith. The general gist of the list is to live in such a way that God’s word is not reviled, God’s people are holy, and God’s truth is beautifully displayed to the world through our lives. 

Good works are things that conform to the truth of God and points people to the truth of God. This is what Paul says God’s people will be zealous for.

Spurgeon, picking up on Paul’s use of zealous, comments…

We are not only to approve of good works and speak for good works, but we are to be red-hot for them. We are to be on fire for everything that is right and true. We may not be content to be quiet and inoffensive, but we are to be zealous for good works.

As I have already said, I see a willingness to do good to others, to meet needs, to serve in our church. As Paul would say, see that you do it all the more!I pray that God would fan that spark into a flame in each of us that is not content to wait for opportunity but that we would be so passionate for good deeds that we seek them out, that we would be constantly searching for ways we can adorn the doctrine of our Savior by our actions.

Not even just for the good of the works themselves but because of the glory they bring to God and to the way they make the truth of God appealing to the world. Writing at the end of the four century,John Chrysostom reminds us…

“The heathen do not judge of the Christian’s doctrines from the doctrine, but from his actions and life”

This is what I think Paul means by our actions adorning the doctrine of God. We should have a deep desire for God’s name to be magnified and his truth to be proclaimed by our words and our lives.

However, being zealous for good works is the beginning, it is not the end. Many of us have our hearts engaged, we have a zeal for good works, but it is not enough to desire good works. If it never moves beyond our hearts we will not walk well in the good works prepared for us, which brings us to our next division. 

II. Ready for good works. 

Paul says there is a difference in being zealous for good works and being ready for every good work when he says…

Titus 3:1 ESV

¹ Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,

As people of God, there is a zeal for good works in us, even if it has been crowded out by concerns of this life, or dampened by disobedience, it is there. Paul doesn’t tell them to be zealous for good works, he says that every believer is created to be zealous for good works. However, he does say we need to be ready for every good work. 

The idea of ‘to be ready’ is to be prepared to do something. It implies a readiness to act in a moments notice, a preparedness that only comes from intentionality.

How do we prepare ourselves for every good work?

How do we move from being zealous for good works, engaging our heart, to being prepared for good works, engaging our mind?

Now, I think this is interesting, because I might be tempted to make a very different list than Paul does here. Surrounding this exhortation for Timothy to remind them, or put them in mind to, be ready for every good work, Paul addresses being submissive and obedient to rulers and authorities.

Submissive is the same word Paul uses when he talks about submitting to one another, of wives to husbands and the church to Christ. As we have dealt with that before, let me just remind you that the word submission in the New Testament deals with a willing and voluntary alignment under the leadership of another. To be subject is in the passive tense, this is a decision made that has continued implications. The other word Paul uses is to be obedient which is the active tense. One deals with our attitude and one with our actions. 

Don’t miss the parallels that Paul is painting here. At the end of chapter 1 addressing the false teachers he says, 

16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Detestable, disobedient and unfit or worthless for any good work. Now he calls Christians to be submissive, obedient, and ready for any good work. Paul is not giving Titus a simple checklists but is speaking into the complexity of public life in Crete.

Paul has already quoted one of their prophets in verse 12 and 13 in chapter 1.

12 One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true.

The people of Crete were known to be a rough, wild, and rebellious people. Why is this significant? Paul essentially tells Timothy to remind them that they are no longer who they were as Paul says, including himself, we are no longer who we once were.In verse 3 Paul lays out who we were before Christ, 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, Paul says, the goodness and loving kindness of God our savior appeared, saving us according to his own mercy.

It seems that Paul ties our preparedness for every good work with our understanding of who we were, how we were saved, and who we are now. Paul calls us to engage our mind with the gospel. To think rightly and not just feel passionately. To use discernment to understand what things no longer fit with our new life, to understand the greatness of mercy and love extended to us through Christ, to understand who we have been created to be and what kind of things fit with our new identity. Why would Titus need to remind the Cretan believers of these things? Why would he have to encourage them over and over to remember who they were, how they were saved and who they are now?

For that matter, why do we need constant reminders of who we were before Christ, how Christ saved us, and who we are now in Christ?

Two words, Gospel amnesia. A phrase made popular by Paul David Tripp. He frames it as the tendency of believers to forget the gospel’s central reality in daily life despite knowing it intellectually. It’s losing sight of what the gospel means for everyday choices, relationships, and struggles.

I think southerners used to call it ‘losing your religion’. We can know the gospel, we can understand that we are new creations, we can understand our lives ought to be different, we can understand all of that, and even have some zeal for good works in our lives, and in the day to day live as though we have forgotten it altogether. I know that I can do something, say something, act in a certain way, and afterwards think, what in the world? I know better than that.

I know that never happens to you, but it happens to me sometimes. When I make a wrong choice, or the engage with a family member poorly, or give in to something I know I should resist. When that happens, I have lost sight of the gospel and what it means for me and my life. 

So, how do we combat gospel amnesia?

Especially in the midst of a culture and a world that encourages us to live lives radically different than what the Bible describes?

We have to preach the gospel to ourselves daily, we have to get involved with others who can stand in the gap for us when we fail to, who can lovingly remind us of who we are in Christ. To be ready for good works is to saturate our minds with the gospel, to keep the truth of God at the forefront of our thinking so that our lives are lived in such a way that we are prepared to walk in good works. 

But, just like being zealous for good works isn’t the goal, being prepared for good works isn’t the finish line either. What is in our hearts, what is in our minds, has to find a way into our hands, our actions, which we are going to look at under the heading. 

III. Devoted to good works.

Let’s pick up in verse 8 of chapter 3.

Titus 3:8 ESV

⁸ The 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.

Paul essentially says, Titus you want to know what is excellent and profitable for the people you are responsible for?

Do you want to know what is best for them in light of who they are?

You know what I want you to insist on in the churches you teach in?

That they would be careful to devote themselves to good works.

As I admitted up front, I haven’t always had this emphasis in my ministry, and it feels a little silly to say that out loud, when scripture is so very clear here that the best thing for you as believers under the care of under-shepherds is that we would spur you on to good works, that we would insist on these things. 

I want to show you how the progression we have been talking about is stated in this one sentence.

Those who have believed in God- those who have been redeemed and are zealous for good works.

May be careful- literally the word is thoughtful (give thought to)

To devote themselves to good works- to give attention to, sometimes translated as to engage in some english translations. 

A zealous heart, coupled with a prepared mind should lead us to a devoted life.

Its a progression because you can’t work your way backwards. As we talked about in the beginning, sometimes we try and make grand resolutions. Paul is not asking us to decide to devote ourselves to good works. You can’t just decide that from now on your life is going to be one long line of good works. If you don’t think rightly by saturating your mind with the gospel truths, your actions will not be consistent and some may even not be good works at all. In the same way, if you don’t have zeal for good works in your heart, you won’t desire a transformed mind and you certainly won’t live a transformed life. 

Paul’s point is not that good works is the goal of Christian living, good works flow from Godly living. When God’s grace transforms us, our hearts are changed, then we bring our minds into alignment with God’s word through the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, and then has our hearts and minds are aligned to God, our actions flow from that change, not the other way around. 

So what does it mean to be devoted to good works?

Why do so many of us struggle to walk in good works?

The simple answer is that we have not oriented our lives around being obedient to God.

And when I say orient our lives around being obedient to God, I am not saying that we all have to be missionaries, that we all have to stop our corporate jobs and come on staff at a church, I am not saying that we have to sell everything we have to care for the poor. Now, God may call you to do anyone of those and praise God for our missionaries, church planters, pastors, and those who live radical lives to care for the poor. We need more of that not less. But that’s not what being devoted to good works looks like for every person. To be devoted to good works, you just need to live the life God has called you to, faithfully and consistently. 

It’s not complicated. Find a local church, become members and be faithful to participate in the gathering and use your gifts where you can. Love your spouse, raise your children in the faith, work honestly and diligently, follow the law, be kind, be gentle, be courteous to all people. Say no to excess and consumerism, and rather be good stewards and generous givers. Serve others. Husbands lead your families well and love your wife like Christ loved the church, wives respect your husbands and encourage him in his leadership role. Children obey your parents. Employers, treat your employees well and with kindness, employees work in whatever you do as unto the Lord. Don’t confuse the big things or the spotlight things with good works. They may very well be, but for most of us, good works are going to look like simple, everyday, consistently lived lives of faithfulness to God in Christ.

To be devoted to good works is to make your home, your work, your church, and your neighborhood a better place because you lived a Godly life before a broken and lost world. 

To be devoted to something implies intentional, sustained engagement, where good works become a pattern in your life not an exception.It is not in grand gestures but in consistent living that adds up to a life well lived. 

This is the key to not only caring for one another but living a fruitful Christian life.

Listen to one of the last things Paul says as he closes this letter. Titus 3:14 “14 And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.” 

Be devoted to good works so as to help cases of urgent need- because we are zealous and prepared and devoted, not urgent need will be unmet.And not be unfruitful. Good works are not the root of our salvation, but they are absolutely the fruit of it. 

As we close this morning, let me say it this way.

We should not be timid in calling one another to good works. We should have hearts so affected by grace that we are zealous for good works, we should have minds so trained by grace that we are ready for good works, and hands so directed by grace that we are devoted to good works. 

We need to do better at paying attention to our own lives and the lives of those we are accountable, encouraging, recognizing, and celebrating the evidence of salvation in the production of good fruit. 

If you were not able to look back on 2025 and say that you were devoted to good works, do you want to look back at the end of this year and be able to say it? That your hands were engaged with godly living? That the world around you knows God’s truth better because of the way you lived?

Then we need to saturate our minds with the truth of the gospel over and over, we need to cultivate a holy zeal and passion for good works and righteous living. We need to ask God for his grace to form us, train us, and direct us in our lives so that they may be beautiful living testimonies to the wonderful salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May God make it so in the new year.

Let us pray.