Titus 3 Devotional

When Kindness Appeared

“He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”Titus 3:5 (BSB)

Titus 3 begins with how believers should act toward the world around them: submit to rulers, be ready for every good work, slander no one, and be gentle and considerate toward everyone (3:1-2). Then Paul gives the reason, and it is humbling. We too once lived foolishly and disobediently, ruled by our desires and caught in cycles of envy and hatred (3:3). No believer has grounds to look down on anyone.

What changed was not our effort but God's kindness. God our Savior showed his kindness and love. He rescued us, not on the basis of anything good we had done, but out of mercy, giving us new birth and making us new by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out richly through Jesus Christ (3:4-6). Justified by his grace, which means declared right with God as a gift, we have become heirs with the hope of eternal life (3:7). Only then does Paul urge good works (3:8, 14). Gentleness toward difficult people grows from remembering who you were when God was kind to you.

To think about: Who do you find it hardest to be gentle with, and how does remembering God's kindness to you change how you see them?