Titus 3:1-9
What Is Our Cause?

Remind them [Titus' congregation] to be in subjection to rulers and to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all humility toward all men. For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior; that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This saying is faithful, and concerning these things I desire that you affirm confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men; but shun foolish questionings, genealogies, strife, and disputes about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

World English Bible

To Paul and Titus, the cause for Christianity was humility, good works, and kindness, all made possible by God's Love. I see nothing in Paul's list that would make it unique to the island of Crete, which is where Titus was carrying out his ministry. Likewise, the explanation Paul provides for this cause does not limit its applicability to the first century. We today, like those in Titus's congregation, are to be eager to do good works, show kindness, and demonstrate humility towards all people.

Paul wrote words of warning about competing causes that would hinder and damage the effectiveness of the church in Crete, just as they would other churches both then and now. Avoid foolish questionings, Paul warns, because those questions distract and isolate followers. Jesus likewise criticized some of the questions asked of him when the questions failed to recognize the more important issues. Paul instructed believers to ignore genealogies, because we are all God's children. The Greek verb tells us to turn completely around in order to avoid strife, not because we will not stand up for our beliefs, but because we want to treat every other person with dignity and respect. This instruction is similar to Jesus' command to "turn the other cheek" when struck, so that we are demonstrating not our own pride but God's love at all times. Paul, the former Pharisee, even instructs Titus to encourage his flock to avoid disputes about the Law, for they and we are to worship the One who fulfills the Law rather than to seek to further define and contain the Law. Jesus taught us that the entirety of the Law is contained in the commandments to love God and to love each other.

Paul's explanation to Titus doesn't sound like the kind of conversation two renown evangelists would be having. Paul willingly admitted to his sins and failures, and we also know of our foolishness, our selfishness, our rebelliousness, and our ill will towards other people. Even with our sinful practices, God responded to us with compassion, with grace, and with forgiveness given to us in abundance. We have become the children of Love, and we are compelled to live in this Love.

It is a constant challenge for Christian churches and ministries to follow Paul's directions. Ministries that are dependent on mass media often feel compelled to embrace controversy, because controversy attracts attention, and attention attracts donations—but Paul taught us to turn away from strife. Often, Christian leaders seek to harness the political process to make changes intended to support the growth of the church, but in the polarization of politics and the compromise required to build a consensus, leaders sometimes fail to heed Paul's warning not to pursue disputes about the law—at the unavoidable consequence of turning away from their "first love". It is extraordinarily difficult to run a large organization and show all humility toward all men, since the last quality that would apply to most every successful leader in our society is "humility".

As sensical as these actions appear to be, common sense fails us on these issues, as it often does in matters of faith. We might choose to trust our common sense, and assure ourselves that God simply must agree with our reasonable approach.

The better choice is to trust God and obey Paul's instruction to Titus. The better choice is to take on a cause that does not demand attention and boldly force itself on society, but instead "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things". We stand for humility, good works, and kindness, because we serve Love.