Our church has been working our way through Titus 2 lately. We've been learning about how Christians in the church should behave and what character qualities and activities are becoming to different classes of people in the church. I've been enjoying learning what we should be striving for, but I have struggled with my own motivation to grow in those areas.

Sometimes it feels like I'm just getting hit over the head with a bunch of things that I don't do well and that I need to do better. And sadly, I find myself not wanting to. Growing up, I labored under such an elaborate, self-constructed legalism that I fear trying to make myself meet the standards that Titus 2 lays out. I know that my own attempts would only do violence to the Scriptures by redefining the requirements so that I could keep them. I've already spent to much of my life trapped in that guilty/prideful prison to ever want to go back, but sometimes it feels like the passage is just dooming me to failure.

I know my own trip from legalism into freedom revolved around fixing my view of Christ and the benefits of justification. When a person becomes justified by the choice of God, the blood of Christ and the call of the Holy Spirit, he immediately enters into a state of positional holiness in God's eyes. The law condemns the sinner, and the Holy Spirit gifts him with belief and repentance. In the eyes of the righteous Judge, there is no longer the unlawful deeds of that sinner but rather the perfectly lawful work of Christ. God is perfectly pleased with the work of Christ in the redeemed's life. No longer is the law a condemning force, though it does continually draw us back to gaze upon our redemption. To the saved, the law becomes the instruction manual on how to love and glorify our Redeemer better.

In Titus 2, my temptation is to look at the expectations for people in the church and ask why. If these things are lacking in my life, how and why should I concern myself with growing in them? At first glance, the reasons seemed weak and underwhelming. "That the word of God may not be reviled" (vs.5). "So that the opponent my be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us" (vs.8). "So that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior" (vs. 10). I thought to myself, "Why should I care what the opponents of God say about His Word or children? Why should a strive to adorn the doctrine of God?" People will revile me no matter what as Matthew 5:11 says. Even writing these questions now makes me realize just how foolish and impudent I can be at times. Praise Jesus for his humbling work.

The more I think about it, the more I realize the motivation. Knowing what God expects of me should send me straight back to the cross. Even Paul, inspired by the Spirit, knew this is where we would need to go.

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our 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 lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." (vs.11-14)

It is because of the miraculous grace that I have received that I want to grow in these things. It is for the glory of Christ, my Redeemer, that I want to grow. It's because Christ desires me to be zealous for good works. When I gaze again upon the glory of the cross, the reasons that before seemed week are suddenly more motivating that I ever imagined.

I never want anyone to misrepresent the people I love. For example, I know how wonderful my wife is, and I will not idly stand by while people misrepresenting her character. How much more should I be jealous of what people say about my Savior, about what He declares about Himself in His word, and about His children! Christ has shown me infinite love, and then shown me that these are ways to love Him back, to "adorn the doctrine of God my Savior."

And even as I know how incapable I am of growing in these things, vs.14 shows exactly who is really at work. Christ "gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness [justification] and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works [sanctification]." It is Christ who is at work bringing these things about; it is Christ who is responsible for this work, not me. I am free to follow His lead, to love Him as he brings about His work in my life.

How motivating is that?