Latest / Reformed Thinking / Once We Were Foolish: The Gospel Humiliation (Titus 3:3)

Transcript

Once We Were Foolish: The Gospel Humiliation (Titus 3:3) · Reformed Thinking

0:00
Welcome to Reform Thinking, a deep dive into the historical
0:03
and theological realities of the Christian faith.
0:06
You know modern culture is constantly flattering you.
0:10
Oh yeah, absolutely. It really is.
0:11
It tells you from like almost every single screen, every book
0:15
and every billboard, that human nature is inherently good.
0:19
We are conditioned to believe that all the time.
0:21
Right, the message is always that we are basically fine at
0:24
our core. Yeah, and if we do have flaws or
0:27
if society has huge problems, well, those issues are born out
0:30
of bad circumstances or maybe a lack of education or just a poor
0:34
environment. Yes, the prevailing narrative
0:36
insists that you just need the right life coach.
0:39
Right, A life coach or a better diet, or a more optimized
0:44
morning routine to reach your maximum potential.
0:46
It is a very appealing message, very soothing.
0:49
It is, but today we're going to look into a mirror that
0:52
completely shatters that flattering illusion.
0:54
We really are. It is a tough text.
0:56
We are looking at 2 extensive theological commentaries focused
1:00
on a single sobering verse that is tight as 3.3.
1:03
Such a weighty passage. Yeah, and the text we are
1:06
pulling from are Once We Were Foolish, The gospel, humiliation
1:11
and the Mirror of rebellion and the modernism of Grace.
1:14
Two really excellent treatments of this verse.
1:17
So our mission for this deep dive is to look honestly into
1:20
this unflattering mirror and comprehend the absolute ruin of
1:24
the human past, Because grasping that ruin is the only way to
1:28
genuinely understand the blinding light of sovereign
1:31
Grace. That is a vital starting point.
1:33
If we misdiagnose the disease, we will never appreciate the
1:36
cure. Precisely.
1:38
We have to know how sick we actually were.
1:40
And that starting point is entirely necessary here, because
1:43
when readers first encounter Titus 3.3, the natural reaction
1:47
is to just flitch. Oh for sure, the language is
1:49
brutal. It is very unyielding, the
1:51
Apostle Paul writes. For we ourselves also were
1:54
sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts
1:57
and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one
2:00
another. I mean, it reads like an
2:01
aggressive accusation. It does.
2:03
It sounds like someone shouting at their enemies.
2:06
What stands out to anyone studying this text, however, is
2:09
that Paul is not hurling an insult over the fence at
2:12
unbelievers. That is the shocker right there.
2:14
Yes, this is a confession placed deliberately in the mouths of
2:18
the redeemed. It is a historical and
2:21
experiential reality for every single member of the human race.
2:25
So he is talking about the church.
2:27
He is Paul includes himself, He includes Titus.
2:30
He includes every single person sitting in those early
2:32
congregations. Wow.
2:34
He establishes A baseline that no one is exempt from this total
2:38
depravity. We cannot fully grasp the grace
2:41
that follows in the subsequent verses until we confess this
2:44
shared wretched pedigree. Let's step back into the
2:47
historical canvas for a minute, because the commentary spend a
2:50
massive amount of time detailing where this letter was going.
2:53
The background is fascinating. It really is.
2:56
Paul left Titus on the island of Crete to organize the early
2:59
churches. And Crete was not just, you
3:00
know, another stop on a Mediterranean cruise.
3:02
No, not at all. It was synonymous with absolute
3:05
moral rot in the ancient world. The author's reference A
3:09
philosopher named Epamenides from the 6th century BC.
3:13
Right, the famous quote. Yeah, he famously stated Cretans
3:16
are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies, And Paul actually
3:20
validates that quote earlier in the letter to Titus.
3:23
He says the testimony is true. Yeah, we are talking about a
3:26
place where the very word cretanize meant to lie and
3:31
cheat. That was literally a verb in
3:33
their language. The historical setting is the
3:35
key to unlocking the weight of this letter.
3:37
Crete was notorious across the entire Mediterranean basin.
3:41
So they were famous for being awful.
3:42
Universally famous for it, the ancient historian Polybius
3:46
documented that it was almost impossible to find characters
3:49
more steeped in deceit, treachery and greed than in
3:52
Crete. That is quite a reputation.
3:54
It was well earned, he observed, that their civic laws
3:56
practically encouraged avarice. It was a culture that venerates
3:59
the acquisition of wealth by any means necessary.
4:02
So lying to get rich was basically a cultural value.
4:06
Yes, it was expected. Cicero, the Roman orator,
4:10
documented their culture of maritime piracy and lawlessness.
4:14
Oh, even Cicero wrote about them.
4:16
He did, and this behavior was all wrapped up in their local
4:19
religion. They worshipped Cretan Zeus.
4:21
OK, let's talk about that. Because their version of Zeus
4:24
was different, right? Very different.
4:25
The mythology surrounding Cretan Zeus was unique.
4:28
He was a deity character, as by trickery, lust and betrayal, the
4:33
people of Crete use the mythology of their own gods to
4:36
justify the most unhinged licentiousness.
4:39
Oh, that makes sense. If the Supreme Deity lies and
4:43
cheats to get what he wants, then lying and cheating become
4:46
virtues for the people. Precisely this was systemic
4:49
cultural degradation functioning under the umbrella of a corrupt
4:53
Roman imperial system. That brings up a very practical
4:56
question for me. I want you, the listener, to put
4:59
yourself in the in the shoes of a 1st century Christian living
5:02
in that environment. It would be terrifying.
5:04
It would You are part of a tiny, fragile group of new believers.
5:08
You are trying to live an honest, holy life in an
5:11
environment where lying, cheating and greed are quite
5:15
literally the cultural oxygen. They are completely surrounded.
5:18
Yeah, if your neighbors are constantly deceiving you in the
5:21
marketplace and the Roman magistrates are taking bribes
5:24
all day long, wouldn't the natural human instinct be to
5:27
either isolate entirely in some desert commune or just strike
5:31
back with anger? It absolutely would be.
5:34
Right. I mean, how could a fragile
5:35
church possibly survive when the entire society is built on
5:39
deception? The human instinct is absolutely
5:41
to fight back or flee. We see that throughout history,
5:45
groups either form militant factions or monastic communities
5:48
to escape corruption. Sure, we see that all the time.
5:50
But Paul's pastoral strategy is counterintuitive.
5:53
And the verses immediately preceding our text versus 1 and
5:56
2. Paul commands these believers to
5:58
be subject to principalities and powers.
6:01
Wait. Subject to those corrupt
6:03
politicians, Yes. He commands them to obey
6:05
magistrates and to show meekness to all men.
6:08
That is a tall order. It is a staggering command.
6:11
This was not abstract philosophy for Paul.
6:14
It was urgent daily instruction. Right, because they had to live
6:18
this out on Tuesday morning at the market.
6:20
Exactly. He is telling them that they
6:22
must live visibly transformed lives right in the middle of
6:25
this entrenched paganism, and they have to do it without
6:28
becoming angry separatists or violent revolutionaries.
6:32
I really want you to picture that scenario.
6:35
Imagine trying to live an honest, gentle life in a society
6:39
that aggressively rewards deception and punishes honesty.
6:43
It goes against every survival instinct it.
6:46
Does you were instructed to be gentle to the merchant who just
6:48
swindled you? Telling persecuted marginalized
6:51
people to be meek and gentle to their abusers sounds impossible.
6:55
It almost sounds unreasonable to the natural.
6:57
Mind, it really does. And that tension leads US
7:00
directly into why Paul issues this staggering command.
7:03
He does not just tell them what to do, he provides the
7:06
theological engine for how they can possibly do it.
7:08
And that engine is found in the structural genius of the text.
7:12
Break that down. Verse 3 begins with a vital
7:14
explanatory conjunction. In the Greek it is the word gar,
7:18
translated As for. OK, so a connecting word.
7:21
Yes, and this tiny word is the literary hinge of the entire
7:25
argument. Paul commands gentleness and
7:27
submission in verses one and two.
7:29
Then he pivots for we ourselves also were once.
7:34
Oh wow, he loops them right back in.
7:35
The grammar forces humility on the reader instantly.
7:39
He uses the imperfect tense Immen Garpete Cajimas.
7:44
The imperfect tense. What does that signify there?
7:46
Because this is crucial because the imperfect tense denotes a
7:49
continuous past state. So it wasn't just a brief
7:51
mistake. Right.
7:52
This was not a brief lapse in judgement, a bad weekend, or a
7:55
temporary phase of useful rebellion.
7:57
This was their settled habitual condition.
7:59
That is a heavy realization. And remember.
8:01
Who was writing this? Paul includes himself, the great
8:03
apostle who previously murdered Christians, and he includes
8:06
Titus, the facial pastor. No one gets an exemption here.
8:10
That little word for changes the entire dynamic.
8:13
I was thinking about an analogy for this.
8:15
It is like being a Co conspirator in a massive
8:18
financial fraud. Oh, I like that.
8:20
Imagine you and your colleagues embezzled millions, ruin lives
8:24
and were caught red handed. The judge has all the evidence.
8:29
You are facing life in prison. So you are completely guilty
8:33
with 0 defense? Exactly.
8:35
Then the governor steps in and gives you a full, unmerited
8:39
pardon. You are set free, your records
8:43
expunged, but your former colleagues are still in the
8:46
courtroom, still guilty, still acting out their crimes right.
8:50
You cannot look down on them. You cannot stand in the gallery
8:53
and boast about your freedom or your clean record because you
8:56
know your fingerprints are all over the exact same fraudulent
8:59
document. Yes, you did the exact same.
9:01
Thing you know the exact mechanics of the crime because
9:03
you committed it to your freedom is entirely a gift.
9:06
That captures the dynamic perfectly.
9:08
The grammatical link executes self-righteous pride on the
9:11
spot. It leaves no room for arrogance.
9:13
None at all. It creates an absolute mandate
9:15
for empathy. When a believer looks at the
9:17
hostile, deceptive world around them in Crete, the text demands
9:21
that they remember their own history.
9:23
They have to look in the mirror before they look out the window.
9:25
That is a great way to put it. The separation between the
9:27
Christian and the world is a real separation, but it is
9:30
caused entirely by Divine Mercy, not by native superiority,
9:35
right? Is not because they were smarter
9:36
or better people, no. You do not show meekness because
9:39
the world is innocent. You show meekness because you
9:42
know you were just as guilty. That flips.
9:44
To the script on how we naturally judge people.
9:46
It does. The authors of the commentaries
9:48
point out that a congregation that forgets this shared history
9:51
of rebellion will inevitably become harsh, proud and
9:54
censorious toward the outside world.
9:57
So having established that this verse applies to everyone, that
10:00
we are all holding the same criminal record, to use the
10:03
analogy, we need to diagnose the exact nature of this past ruin.
10:08
Yes, the text gives us a very detailed diagnosis.
10:12
The outline of the verse is fascinating.
10:14
It starts from the inside out. The text begins with two very
10:17
specific descriptors of the internal state, foolish and
10:20
disobedient. Let's break down the mechanics
10:23
of the mind first. The Greek terms here are anoto,
10:26
toy for foolish and a pithis for disobedient.
10:30
Let's start with Foolish because that word carries a lot of
10:33
baggage today. It does.
10:35
We have to be careful with the English word foolish.
10:37
In modern vernacular, it usually implies a low IQ, a lack of
10:41
formal education, or someone making a silly mistake.
10:45
Right, like forgetting your keys or something?
10:46
Yes. But biblical foolishness is a
10:49
description of spiritual insanity.
10:52
Spiritual insanity that is intense.
10:55
It is a mind alienated from divine truth.
10:58
A person might be a brilliant mathematician, A gifted artist,
11:02
or a highly successful Roman politician, yet be entirely an
11:06
otoy. So they are brilliant in worldly
11:08
things, but completely blind to the reality of God.
11:12
Yes, they cannot judge reality correctly because their
11:16
cognitive faculties are corrupted in that spiritual
11:18
realm. That is a huge distinction.
11:21
The mind is fully functional when calculating the trajectory
11:23
of A or building an aqueduct, but it is completely short
11:27
circuited when it comes to perceiving the glory of God.
11:29
I have to push back on something here, or at least raise a major
11:32
point of friction with how we think today.
11:34
Go ahead. This goes against a massive
11:36
assumption in our modern secular world.
11:38
The prevailing thought since the Enlightenment is that the human
11:41
mind is a blank slate and evil is just a byproduct of
11:45
ignorance. Yes, the idea that we just lack
11:48
the right information. Right.
11:50
People assume that if we just educate everyone, if we give
11:53
everyone enough data, better schools and more information, we
11:56
will eradicate evil. But this text is arguing that
11:59
the problem isn't a lack of data, is it?
12:01
The problem is absolutely not a lack of data.
12:04
That is why the next word in the sequence is a pithus, which
12:07
means disobedient. So it moves from the mind
12:10
straight to the will. Exactly.
12:12
This means being unpersuadable and actively obstinate.
12:16
The human will is not in some neutral state, sitting in a
12:18
chair waiting for the right information to be presented so
12:21
it can make an unbiased, logical choice.
12:23
It is already biased. Highly biased.
12:26
The will is actively hostile. It is committing treason against
12:29
its creator. Wow, active treason.
12:32
The authors highlight that fallen humanity suppresses the
12:34
truth. The Sinner does not just this
12:36
understand God's law. The Sinner hates it and refuses
12:40
to submit to it. So more data just makes them a
12:43
more informed rebel. Precisely, education alone
12:46
cannot cure the condition. You can educate a rebel, give
12:49
him the finest rhetorical training in ancient Rome and you
12:51
will just produce a highly educated rebel.
12:53
The core issue is untouched. Yes, the mind is darkened and
12:57
the will is locked in an antagonistic posture toward
13:00
authority. That distinction between lacking
13:03
data and actively suppressing truth is staggering, and here is
13:08
where it gets highly vulnerable for the individual.
13:10
Because of the vacuum it creates.
13:12
Right when your mind cannot see the truth and your will actively
13:15
rejects God's authority, you are primed to be captured.
13:19
It creates a massive vulnerability.
13:21
It leaves the door wide open. This brings us to the illusion
13:24
of freedom described by the next two words, deceived and
13:28
enslaved. How do those internal mechanics
13:31
of a darkened mind lead to this state of captivity?
13:34
The. Progression in the text is
13:35
incredibly precise. The Greek word for deceived is
13:39
plenominoy, and it is formulated in the passive voice.
13:41
Oh. Passive voice.
13:43
Why does that matter? This means that unregenerate
13:45
people are acted upon by external forces.
13:49
They are being LED astray by something else.
13:51
So they are victims of a sort. Yes and no.
13:54
Those external forces include the cultural systems around
13:57
them, like the deceitful culture of Crete, false teachers and
14:01
spiritual adversaries. They are LED into error.
14:04
OK, but where does personal responsibility come in?
14:06
Well, because of their corrupt nature, they participate
14:09
willingly. They love the lie.
14:11
They welcome the deception because it validates their
14:14
rebellion against God. So they are LED astray, but they
14:17
are following eagerly. Exactly.
14:19
Then we reach the word duliantes, which means serving
14:22
as slaves. This points to habitual
14:24
captivity. A constant state of being
14:26
chained, yes. And what are they enslaved to?
14:29
The text says desires epithemiae and pleasures Hosni which are
14:33
manifold or poikulase. Think about the analogy of a
14:37
chronic addict for a second. That is a very fitting parallel.
14:40
If you talk to an addict in the depths of their struggle, they
14:43
will often boast about their autonomy.
14:46
They will look you in the eye and claim, I choose to do this.
14:49
I can stop whenever I want. I am completely free to live my
14:53
life. It is the great deception of
14:56
addiction. It is they are entirely blind to
14:59
the fact that the chemical habit dictates their every move,
15:03
drains their bank account and destroys all their
15:05
relationships. They think they are the master,
15:08
but they are the servant. Right.
15:10
And the world today operates on a similar frequency.
15:12
We call following all your inner desires freedom.
15:15
The cultural mantra is follow your heart or live your truth.
15:19
It sounds so liberating on the surface.
15:21
But the text exposes that as a cruel slave market.
15:24
Yeah, you aren't free. You're just obeying a very harsh
15:27
internal master. The addict analogy captures the
15:30
dynamics so well because it highlights the illusion of
15:32
control. This raises a critical point
15:35
about modern psychological and therapeutic models.
15:37
How so? The commentaries note how
15:39
thoroughly this text refutes the idea that humanity's deepest
15:42
problem is a lack of self esteem or needing better coping
15:45
mechanisms to deal with societal stress.
15:48
So it is not just an issue of needing better emotional tools.
15:51
No Therapeutic models often try to soothe the conscience and
15:55
manage the symptoms, attempting to make the slavery more
15:57
comfortable without addressing the fundamental bondage.
16:00
Wow, making the slavery more comfortable.
16:02
Yes. A slave cannot achieve freedom
16:05
simply by rearranging the furniture in their cell.
16:08
They require a Redeemer from the outside to break the door down.
16:12
That is a stark picture. The text insists we are not free
16:15
agents choosing between equal options.
16:18
We are captives to manifold lusts.
16:21
The word manifold means multi colored or diverse.
16:24
So it looks different for everyone.
16:25
Very different. Some are enslaved to the pursuit
16:28
of wealth, others to sexual immorality, others to the
16:31
approval of men or even to their own intellectual pride.
16:35
The outward chains look different from person to person,
16:38
but the inward bondage is identical.
16:41
If individuals are internally enslaved and deceived like that,
16:45
it makes perfect sense that they cannot possibly form a healthy,
16:48
cohesive community. It is sociologically impossible.
16:51
Right. If everyone is acting as a slave
16:53
to their own diverse competing desires, they will inevitably
16:57
collide with one another, and that leads directly to the
17:00
outward social collapse described in the next part of
17:03
the verse. The horizontal ruin.
17:05
Yes, we move from the internal ruin of the mind and will to the
17:09
horizontal ruin of society. The text moves to the phrase
17:13
living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
17:16
Let's look at those specific words.
17:19
The Greek word diagantes means spending one's life or passing
17:22
the time. This is the settled sphere of
17:25
existence for the unregenerate world.
17:27
It is where they pitch their tent.
17:28
Yes, malice kakia is a disposition that finds a twisted
17:33
delight in evil or actively desires a neighbor's harm.
17:36
Enjoying someone else's pain. Yes, and envy, phonos, is the
17:40
bitter grief over someone else's blessing.
17:42
It is the exact inverse of love. So instead of rejoicing, you are
17:46
grieving their success. Biblical love rejoices when
17:49
others are blessed. Envy mourns when others succeed.
17:52
And then we hit the word stigatoi.
17:54
That sounds harsh. It is a highly unusual word.
17:57
In the Greek New Testament, it means objectively detestable.
18:01
It describes a condition that inspires dread and revulsion in
18:04
the eyes of a holy God. I have a question about the
18:07
mechanics of this societal collapse.
18:09
Why does vertical apostasy meaning the rejection of God?
18:13
Why does it always result in this horizontal societal
18:17
destruction? That is the big question, isn't
18:20
it? You hear philosophers and
18:21
secular humanists argue today we can build a perfect society
18:25
based on human reason, empathy and mutual cooperation alone.
18:29
We don't need a divine authority.
18:30
Utopian thinking. Yeah, why can't a society reject
18:33
God but still maintain a utopia of mutual respect and peace?
18:37
Why does it always devolve into malice and envy?
18:40
It comes down to the nature of human worship and finite
18:42
resources. When human beings lose the fear
18:45
of God, they lose the only objective, infinite source of
18:48
satisfaction for the human soul. Because God is infinite, there's
18:51
enough of him for everyone. Exactly.
18:53
The soul is designed to be satisfied by the Creator.
18:56
Creator is rejected. The soul turns to the created
18:59
world for that satisfaction, has to worship always.
19:02
People seek their ultimate fulfillment in wealth, power,
19:05
status, or relationships. But the created world's
19:08
resources and honors are finite. There is only.
19:11
One CEO position right there. Is only so much wealth.
19:14
There's only so much status because these things are
19:18
limited. Neighbors immediately turn into
19:20
competitors or obstacles. I.
19:22
See the collision course now if my highest.
19:24
Goal is my own pleasure or advancement, and you stand in
19:27
the way of that. Malice and hatred are the
19:30
inevitable result, because you are.
19:32
Blocking my salvation, essentially my worldly
19:35
salvation. Yes, the.
19:36
Authors point out that even in the most polite, civilized
19:39
boardrooms, academic institutions or political
19:42
arenas, envy and malice are the driving forces is just dressed.
19:46
Up nicely, people may. Smile at each other and use
19:48
highly refined language while secretly plotting their rivals.
19:51
Ruin. Utopias fail because they
19:53
attempt to build a flawless society out of deeply flawed,
19:57
sinful material. You cannot build a structurally
20:00
sound house using rotting wood. I want you to evaluate.
20:02
Your own circles. For a moment, think about the
20:05
places where grace is absent. Notice how quickly relationships
20:09
disintegrate when the pressure is on.
20:10
It happens so. Fast Families.
20:13
Tear each other apart over inheritances, nursing grudges
20:16
for decades. Co workers subtly sabotage each
20:19
other for promotions. It is a daily observable
20:23
reality. It was the human.
20:24
Condition playing out but this dark.
20:26
Text does not exist just to depress us or to offer a bleak
20:29
sociological critique. The deep dive shifts here to
20:32
show how this incredibly dark diagnosis points directly to the
20:36
person and work of Christ. This is where the light.
20:38
Breaks in. It sets up an.
20:39
Astonishing contract. The Christological.
20:41
Connection Here is the turning point of the entire epistle.
20:44
Christ is the exact perfect inversion of every single word
20:48
in Titus 3.3. Every single.
20:50
Word. Yes, the verse.
20:51
Operates as a negative silhouette of the Savior where
20:54
we were foolish on OTOY. He is the infinite wisdom of
20:57
God, speaking perfect truth where we were disobedient Keith.
21:01
This he rendered perfect act of obedience.
21:03
He declared that His very food was to do the will of the
21:06
Father, so he never. Had a moment of active
21:09
rebellion? Never.
21:10
Where we were deceived, He is the way, the truth and the life,
21:14
entirely unswayed by the lies of the enemy, he saw through.
21:17
All the deception, absolutely. Where we were enslaved to
21:21
diverse pleasures, He was the perfect servant of righteousness
21:24
who denied himself entirely for the glory of God.
21:27
What about the malice? And envy where we were.
21:29
Marked by malice and envy, he lived a life of unblemished
21:33
self, sacrificing love, healing his enemies and washing the feet
21:36
of his disciples. We have to clarify.
21:38
Something vital here. It isn't just that Jesus is the
21:41
opposite of us acting as a good moral example, No that.
21:44
Would not be gospel right if. You were just a perfect example.
21:47
That would actually be terrifying because it would just
21:50
highlight our failure even more. The commentaries focus heavily
21:54
on the concept of substitution, the heart of the.
21:57
Matter, he actually stepped. Into our place, didn't he?
21:59
How does that mechanism work judicially?
22:01
The concept. Of substitution is the beating
22:03
heart of the gospel. He is not a contrast meant to
22:06
shame us. He is our substitute meant to
22:09
save us. He took the.
22:10
Hit for us, He stepped. Into the redemptive arena on our
22:13
behalf, on the cross, Christ bore the judicial weight of our
22:17
spiritual insanity, our act of rebellion, and our detestable
22:21
malice. All that ruin.
22:22
Was placed on him he endured the.
22:24
Curse that we rightly deserved, the authors break break this
22:27
down into two theological categories, passive and active
22:30
obedience. Let's talk about the.
22:31
Passive part first his. Passive obedience refers to his
22:35
suffering and death. He willingly submitted himself
22:38
to the wrath of God to satisfy divine justice and cancel the
22:41
debt of our cosmic treason. So that wipes.
22:43
The slate clean Yes, the. Penalty is paid, but a clean
22:47
slate isn't enough. To enter heaven.
22:49
You need a perfect record of righteousness.
22:51
That is where his act of obedience comes in.
22:54
His actual lived life, right? His act of obedience refers to
22:57
his perfect, sinless life. He fulfilled every requirement
23:01
of God's law. That perfect record of obedience
23:04
is then credited or imputed to us.
23:06
So it is like. He deposits his perfect score
23:09
into our empty bank account. Exactly.
23:12
Because we had absolutely no obedience to offer, He offered
23:15
His own record on our behalf. When God looks at the redeemed
23:19
Sinner, he does not see the ruin of Titus 3.3.
23:23
He sees the perfect righteousness of Christ
23:26
recognizing. This total rescue changes
23:28
absolutely everything about how a person lives today.
23:31
It has to. If you realize you.
23:32
Contributed nothing to your salvation except the sin that
23:35
made it necessary. Your entire posture toward the
23:37
world shifts. Your pride evaporates.
23:40
The ground is. Level at the foot of the cross.
23:42
Let's extract. The practical daily applications
23:44
from the commentaries. How does this theology hit the
23:48
pavement in our daily lives? The Commentaries.
23:50
Layout several vital applications.
23:52
The 1st is eradicating what we might call respectable sins
23:55
within the Church. Oh.
23:57
That is a convicting phrase. Respectable sins.
24:00
Yes, believers. Cannot baptize old hatreds,
24:02
envy, or bitterness in religious language.
24:05
What does that look? Like practically, well,
24:07
sometimes. People in religious circles
24:08
excuse their uncontrollable anger as righteous seal, or they
24:13
mask their deep seated envy as discernment.
24:15
Oh wow. So they make it sound holy.
24:17
They wrap their. Malice in theological
24:19
terminology. But Paul is stating that malice
24:22
and envy belong to the graveyard of your past.
24:25
You must put them off. You can't.
24:27
Keep carrying those around, no? You cannot harbor secret
24:31
resentment toward another person's blessing or success
24:33
while claiming to walk in the light of grace that hits.
24:37
On a very sharp, uncomfortable reality, we often categorize
24:41
sins. We look at outward scandalous
24:43
sins like theft or public immorality and judge them
24:47
harshly, while we let the internal sins of malice, gossip,
24:51
and envy thrive in our own hearts and communities we
24:54
tolerate. The very things that mark the
24:56
unregenerate world. The second.
24:58
Application mentioned by the authors is Evangelistic patients
25:01
A. Very crucial outcome when you
25:04
are. Dealing with a hostile neighbor,
25:06
a difficult family member, or someone actively mocking your
25:09
faith, You cannot react with fleshly anger.
25:12
You have to realize they are acting according to their
25:14
nature. It changes.
25:15
Your whole perspective. You wouldn't yell at a.
25:17
Blind man for stepping on your foot in a crowded room, you
25:20
would understand he lacks the capacity to see right It is a.
25:23
Capacity issue similarly. An unregenerate person lacks the
25:27
spiritual capacity to understand the things of God until the
25:31
Spirit opens their eyes. You cannot.
25:33
Despise an unregenerate person for acting unregenerate.
25:36
It is an irrational expectation. It really is.
25:39
This understanding leads to a firm rejection of modern secular
25:42
philosophies that try to divide humanity into artificial
25:46
sociological categories. Like what kind of?
25:48
Categories. The authors.
25:49
Of the commentaries, observe that many modern ideologies
25:52
categorize people as inherent oppressors or inherently
25:56
oppressed based entirely on external factors, wealth, or
25:59
historical background. Dividing people up by class or
26:02
status, yes. The authors point out that this
26:05
biblical text conflicts with those frameworks by asserting
26:08
universal total depravity. Everyone is in the.
26:10
Same boat every single. Person, regardless of their
26:13
background, their tax bracket or their social standing, is
26:16
equally dead in sin and equally in need of the regenerating
26:19
power of the Holy Spirit that levels.
26:21
All human hierarchies the biblical.
26:23
Argument is that we do not solve societal issues by creating new
26:26
factions and fostering envy between them.
26:29
We address the root issue by pointing universally condemned
26:32
sinners to a universal Savior. When you are.
26:35
Arguing with a hostile neighbor or watching political chaos
26:38
unfold online? Your reaction reveals your
26:41
theology. It is the acid.
26:43
Test if you get. Caught up in the vitriol,
26:45
screaming back at people, matching their malice with your
26:48
own malice, you have forgotten. Titus 3.3.
26:51
You have forgotten. Where you came from this?
26:53
Passage is the ultimate cure for the outrage culture that defines
26:57
our era. You cannot despise someone for
27:00
acting according to the very same nature you once possessed.
27:04
Remembering your own past slavery turns fleshly anger into
27:07
genuine, prayerful pity it creates.
27:10
A wellspring of patience when you truly grasp the monarchistic
27:14
nature of your salvation, the understanding that God did all
27:17
the work to rescue you when you were his active enemy without
27:20
any cooperation from your flesh. You stop demanding that lost
27:23
people clean themselves up before they come to God.
27:26
You know they can't do. It anyway, right?
27:28
You start praying for God to open their eyes just as He
27:31
sovereignly opened yours. It humbles the believer to the
27:34
dust and raises their gratitude to the heavens.
27:37
It completely short circuits the engine of self righteousness.
27:40
Let's. Summarize the flow of what we
27:42
have uncovered today. We started with the historical
27:44
reality of Crete, a society completely drowning in deceit,
27:48
avarice, and the worship of corrupt deities.
27:51
A dark. Backdrop we walk through.
27:53
The grammar, specifically that tiny word gar, which forces
27:57
every believer to identify with that exact same historical ruin,
28:00
the great. Equalizer we diagnosed.
28:02
The internal collapse of the alienated mind and the hostile
28:05
will, the resulting slavery to diverse and destructive desires,
28:09
and the horizontal destruction of malice and envy in society,
28:12
the full. Anatomy of Ruin and we traced.
28:14
All of that dark reality straight to the glorious,
28:17
unmerited rescue provided by Christ, who lived the perfect
28:20
life we couldn't live, actively obeying the law and dead at the
28:23
death we deserved, passively enduring the wrath of justice.
28:27
The contrast. Is the whole point of Paul's
28:28
argument. The darkness of verse 3 exists.
28:31
To magnify the blinding glory of verses 4 through 7, you need the
28:35
dark. Canvas to see the diamond
28:36
exactly. The ruin is absolute and
28:39
undeniable, but the grace is triumphant and entirely
28:42
sufficient. The Church in Crete could only
28:45
survive by constantly remembering both realities.
28:48
I want to leave you. With a final thought to Mull
28:50
over, we have spent a lot of time looking in the mirror at
28:54
the ruin of our past, but the text says you were those things
28:59
past tense? You are no.
29:01
Longer in that realm. You've been brought into a new
29:03
Kingdom. So when you wake up tomorrow and
29:05
interact with a world that is still very much trapped in
29:08
malice, deception and envy, how will you react?
29:11
A vital question. For every morning, will you?
29:13
Respond with the harshness of a forgetful hypocrite.
29:16
Or will you let the fresh memory of your own past chains dictate
29:20
the staggering grace you extend to the people around you?
29:23
Thank you for joining this deep dive on reformed thinking.