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Titus was an assistant to the apostle Paul, and was described as a “loyal child in the faith” (Titus 1:4). Having departed, Paul wrote to him, “I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5). He also instructed Titus to silence “rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers” (Titus 1:10-11), and to “teach what is consistent with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). Admitting that “we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray,” Paul said that “when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us” (Titus 3:3-5). He expressed thanksgiving for the gift of the Holy Spirit, which God “poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:6-7). Paul wanted to remind Titus of the valuable inheritance they would receive.
Across the United States, an enormous movement of money will occur in the next few decades. Trillions of dollars will move from the oldest generation of Americans to their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The problem is, many people are not prepared to manage an inheritance. Recent studies have found that many heirs quickly dispense with the wealth they have received. According to Market Watch, a third of people who received an inheritance had negative savings within two years. “The vast majority of people blew through it quickly,” said Jay Zagorsky, an economist at The Ohio State University. Sadly, the story of many heirs is not rags to riches. It is rags to riches … to rags. They don’t know how to handle an inheritance.
While a gift of money is always appreciated, Paul’s letter to Titus speaks of another kind of wealth: An inheritance of eternal life (Titus 3:7). Jesus came to earth at Christmas to bring us salvation, a gift which God offers us “not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy” (Titus 3:5). Unlike the gifts of Santa Claus, salvation isn’t based on whether you’ve been naughty or nice. Instead, it is a gift of grace, from the “goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior” (Titus 3:4). Salvation is generated by the mercy of God, and is available to anyone who trusts in God’s Son Jesus.
Across the United States, many people are struggling with debt and don’t see any way to rise out of it. They are anxious for an inheritance that will lift their finances from the negative to the positive. In similar manner, many of us feel mired in sinful and self-destructive behaviors, and don’t know how to escape them. We find it impossible to live as Paul recommended to Titus: “to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle” (Titus 3:2). Our sins feel similar to a crushing financial burden, which is why many versions of The Lord’s Prayer include the line, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” God’s salvation is the help we need, designed to save us from our sins, forgive us our debts, and wipe our slate clean. God saves us from the endless struggles of this life, promising us an endless life in heaven. And God does this according to his mercy, not because of any works of righteousness that we have done. All we have to do is trust in God’s Son Jesus, the one God sent to bring us forgiveness and new life.
One of the ways that we can better handle our inheritance from God is to remember our baptism, the sacrament which includes “the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). We are much more likely to waste our spiritual inheritance if we forget that we are baptized children of God, eternally connected to our brother Jesus Christ. Remembering that we are forgiven, reborn, and renewed can help us to hold on to the precious gift of salvation that God has given us. The Reformer Martin Luther had a challenging and stressful life, and one of the ways that he pushed back against despair was to scribble on his desktop, “I am baptized.” By remembering that he was baptized, he was able to recall who he was and even more importantly, whose he was. His baptism reminded him that he had been reborn and renewed, saved by grace through his faith in Jesus Christ. He knew, in the words of Paul, that God’s Spirit is “poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:6-7).
Baptism helped Martin Luther to handle his inheritance. It reminded him that God’s Spirit had been poured out on him richly, gave him the assurance that he had been justified by grace, and marked him as an heir, according to the hope of eternal life. This passage from Titus is one of the Bible’s greatest hits because it reminds us that we are heirs of God as well, challenged to handle our inheritance in a responsible way. We don’t want to blow through it quickly, like so many recipients of financial windfalls today. Instead, we should continue to see the value of Jesus as we trust him to continue to give us forgiveness, rebirth, renewal, and eternal life.
Questions:
1. What kind of an inheritance would be most valuable to you?
2. How is sin a debt, and what can be done to eliminate it?
3. In what ways are you helped by remembering that you are baptized?
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