13.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• The thirteenth mark of a mature Christian is that he is a lover of good. 
• In his Word, especially in the Ten Commandments, God tells us what “good” looks like.
• Christ died to free us from our lawlessness.
• Now, by the power of Christ, we can turn away from lawlessness and learn to love good!
• A mature Christian always aims to fill her life with more and more good works.
  - This is her way of thanking Christ for his salvation.

13.2 Titus 1:7-8 (ESV)←⤒🔗

^7. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,

^8. but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

© NET Bible

13.3 Titus 2:11-14←⤒🔗

^11. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.

^12. It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

^13. as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

^14. He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good.

© NET Bible

13.4 The thirteenth mark of maturity: A lover of good←⤒🔗

What do you love? That is an important question to think about. As people, we were created to love. All of us love something. And when we love something, that thing shapes our lives.

We are still looking at Titus 1:5-9, where Paul tells Titus what kind of men should become overseers in the church. He gives Titus a list of “marks of maturity.” Many of these marks are found also in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. But six of them are found only here, in Paul’s letter to Titus.

In this lesson we are looking at the third of these six marks. That is: a mature Christian is “a lover of good” (Titus 1:8).

In the churches where Titus worked, there were some people who pretended to be spiritual leaders and teachers of God’s Word (Titus 1:10-11). They were busy with many, many things¾but not with good. They were “unfit for any good deed” (Titus 1:16).

These people could not do good, because they did not love good. Later, in his second letter to Timothy, Paul warns Timothy against such people. He writes,

But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money…opposed to what is good…loving pleasure rather than loving God. They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. 2 Timothy 3:1-5a

Here Paul is not writing about people who are outside the church. He writes about people who are part of the church! They have “the outward appearance of religion.” But they have no love for God and no love for good.

That is why we should sometimes stop and ask ourselves, “What do I love?”

13.5 What does it mean to be a lover of good?←⤒🔗

From Titus 1:8 we see that God wants us to be lovers of good. But what does it mean to be “a lover of good”?

God alone is good (Mark 10:18). Therefore, he alone can tell us what good is. That is what he does in his Word¾especially in the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments tell us that “good” looks like this:

• Putting all your trust in God and worshipping him alone (first commandment).
• Worshipping God in the way he tells you to worship him (second commandment).
• Honouring God’s name in all that you say and do (third commandment).
• Honouring the Lord’s Day through rest and worship (fourth commandment).
• Honouring those whom God has placed in authority over you (fifth commandment).
• Not harming, but rather protecting and caring for other people’s lives (sixth commandment).
• Being faithful in marriage and sexually pure (seventh commandment).
• Not stealing, but rather protecting and caring for other people’s possessions (eighth commandment).
• Speaking only words that are true, loving, and helpful (ninth commandment).
• Staying away from sinful desires and desiring to do only God’s will (tenth commandment).

These are the things that a mature Christian loves! A mature Christian can say to God, “The law you have revealed is more important to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver” (Psalm 119:72). And, “O how I love your law! All day long I meditate on it” (Psalm 119:97).

13.6 From lawlessness to loving good←⤒🔗

“What do you love?” we asked at the beginning of this lesson. From Titus 1:8 you saw that God wants you to love good. You should love worshipping him, glorifying his name, helping the people around you, speaking the truth, and doing all the other things he commands in his Word.

If you and I are honest, we must confess that we struggle to love good. Like the people of this world, we are often lovers of ourselves, lovers of money, and lovers of pleasure (2 Timothy 3:2, 4). We think about ourselves and our own interests much more than we think about God and the people around us!

Even the writer of Psalm 119 did not love good at all times. There were times when he had to confess to God, “I have wandered off like a lost sheep” (Psalm 119:176).

But Jesus Christ came for lost sheep–for people like this writer and for people like you and me! As we read in Titus 2:11, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation.”

Then, in Titus 2:13-14 we read these words:

He [Christ] gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good.

Our lives were full of lawlessness (full of deeds that are against God’s law). But Christ died to set us free. By his blood he paid for our lawlessness. By his Holy Spirit, he is changing us into “a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good.”

This means that by the power of Christ, you and I can turn away from lawlessness and learn to love good! That is Christ’s purpose for us, his people. That is what he is patiently teaching us, day by day.

Led by the Spirit of Christ, Paul speaks about good works three more times in his letter:

• In Titus 3:1 he says to Titus, “Remind [all the believers] to be…ready for every good work.”
• In Titus 3:8 he says that believers should be “intent on engaging in good works.” (This means that they must always be busy doing good.)
• In Titus 3:14 he says that believers must “learn to engage in good works to meet pressing needs and so not be unfruitful.”

A mature Christian is not satisfied only to stay away from serious sins. No, she always aims to fill her life with more and more good works. At home, at work, at church, and wherever she is, she is busy meeting the needs of others. She loves doing good. It is her way of thanking Christ for his wonderful salvation!