Titus 3:8

The "trustworthy statement" (1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Timothy 3:1; 1 Timothy 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11) Paul referred to is probably what he had just written in Titus 3:4-7. The first "these things" in this verse are the things that he had just described in those verses. Titus was to speak about these great truths confidently (cf. Titus 2:15). The intended result was to be that those who have trusted God for salvation would practice good works (cf. Ephesians 2:8-10; James 2:14-26). The second "these things" in the verse refers to these good works. This verse summarizes the point Paul made throughout this epistle. Good works, he added, are essentially excellent as well as profitable for everyone on the practical level.

"The best way a local church has to witness to the lost is through the sacrificial service of its members." [Note: Wiersbe, 2:268.]

Some successors of the Protestant Reformers (e.g., Theodore Beza in Geneva, and Williams Perkins in England) argued that a true believer in Jesus Christ will inevitably persevere in faith and in good works. This appears to have been an overreaction to the Roman Catholic accusation that justification by faith alone leads to antinomianism. If the professing Christian does not continue to persevere in faith and good works, these reformers contended, such a person was never really saved in the first place. [Note: See R. T. Kendall, Calvin and English Calvinism to 1649; idem., Once Saved . . ., pp. 207-17; and M. Charles Bell, Calvin and Scottish Theology: The Doctrine of Assurance.] Paul’s strong exhortation for believers to maintain good works indicates that he believed it was possible for genuine Christians not to maintain good works.

"The purpose of the epistle to Titus was to instruct him about what he should do and teach in the Cretan churches. A special theme of the letter is the role of grace in promoting good works among God’s people (Titus 2:11 to Titus 3:8)." [Note: Litfin, p. 761. Cf. Mounce, p. 452.]