In continuing his letter to Titus, Paul instructed him on the types of things that he should be teaching the people on the island of Crete. Paul had left Titus there to finish the work that they had started together, going from one group of believers to another, from town to town, to appoint elders and leave leaders behind within the churches.
Among other teachings, Paul admonished Timothy to be sure to return back to the Gospel, to return to the truth that God had done the work of salvation, for those who would accept and allow Jesus to be both Savior and Lord over them, that would change their lives completely.
First, in chapter 2, Paul explains it this way:
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Titus 2:11-14
Paul says that God has been gracious and merciful. In his grace and mercy, he offers salvation to everyone. It is an offer, like any other offer, that can be accepted or denied. We can say No to the world and instead accept God’s offer, living godly lives now. Or we can choose, instead, to prefer the world that we are living in, living based on the passions that are within our flesh and that we seek to satisfy through the things of this world.
This is the offer. God has done the work. We cannot work harder. We cannot do more religious acts. We cannot do things that will make God more happy with us and therefore allow us to enter into heaven. No, it doesn’t work like that. God has done everything that needs to be done already. Now, in faith, we either choose to accept his offer or not. We choose Jesus. We value him. We put him above all other things. Or not.
But if we do, Paul later describes what will happen. He says that we will have eternal life. We will live forever with Christ. He has gathered a people for himself through his death and resurrection. He paid for our entrance into the kingdom of God through his death on the cross, and so we will not only live physical lives now, we will live spiritually forever with Christ even after our physical death. Here is how Paul describes it to Titus in chapter 3:
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:3-7
Paul is clear that we are not saved because of what we have done, but because of the grace and mercy that God has had upon us. God gives us his Holy Spirit because we have believed and live for him. He washes us. He changes us. He renews us. He justifies us because of his grace.
Because we have received the Holy Spirit of God, we can live, despite our circumstances, producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit, full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. That is the ongoing choice that we make, to listen to and live for God, and he produces this fruit within us.
But even further, we get to live with Christ both now and into eternity. We get to move one day from a hope for eternal life to a life eternally with Christ.