Titus 2:13-15 - Encourage and rebuke with all authority

2:13

It might seem unrealistic to live good lives in the present age when so much of the present age is working directly against godliness. Surely we need to compromise, or to go along with the flow? But this age will not last forever, its time is strictly limited. We “wait for the blessed hope”, which is “the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ”. The return of Christ is fundamental to the gospel, and is a fact that should greatly influence how we live now, and how we feel now.

2:14

Jesus gave Himself for us, and He did this with a purpose. “Jesus loves you” is a hopelessly inadequate and misleading statement. Yes, Jesus loves us, more than we can ever imagine, but He loves us with a purpose and for a purpose. He gave Himself for us in order to redeem us from all wickedness, and to purify us for Himself. He gave Himself up for us in order to create a people “that are His very own, eager to do what is good”.

2:15

These were the things that Titus was to teach the people. He was to “encourage and rebuke with all authority”. We are to do both. We do not just encourage, that is to miss out half of the gospel. We do not just rebuke, that will only discourage people, and is only half the gospel. And he was to do this with “all authority”. When we faithfully preach and teach the gospel some will try to despise us, even people within the church, and definitely people in the world. We are not to take this despising on board, and are not to let it influence how we live.