How does Titus 3:3 connect with Ephesians 2:1-5 about transformation? Seeing Who We Were — Titus 3:3 “For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all kinds of passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.” (Titus 3:3) • Paul writes in the first-person plural—“we too”—reminding every believer that no one starts off righteous. • Five blunt descriptors underline our pre-conversion reality: foolish (spiritually dull), disobedient (willfully defiant), misled (easily duped), enslaved (powerless addicts to sin), and hateful (relationally destructive). • Scripture presents this condition as fact, not exaggeration; it is the literal diagnosis of the human heart apart from Christ (see Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-12). The Twin Passage — Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world… we all lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.” (Ephesians 2:1-3) Notice the overlap: • Dead vs. Foolish — spiritual insensitivity. • World-conformed vs. Misled — going with the sinful flow. • Flesh-driven vs. Enslaved — ruled by cravings. • Children of wrath vs. Hateful — living under judgment, producing hostility. Paul uses different vocabulary, but both passages paint the same bleak canvas: utter inability to rescue ourselves. But God Stepped In — Ephesians 2:4-5 & Titus 3:4-7 Ephesians 2:4-5: “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ—even when we were dead in trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved.” Titus 3:4-5: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” Shared truths: • Divine initiative: “But God… But when the kindness….” • Motivated by love and mercy, not our merit. • Salvation equals new life—“made us alive,” “rebirth and renewal.” • The Holy Spirit applies the work of Christ personally (see John 3:5-8). Key Takeaways on Transformation 1. We were not sick but dead; therefore, salvation is resurrection, not self-help. 2. Grace interrupts our trajectory; we contribute nothing but the need. 3. The gospel produces both status change (from wrath to favor) and nature change (from enslaved to renewed). 4. Ongoing sanctification flows from the same grace that saved (Philippians 1:6). Echoes Throughout Scripture • 2 Corinthians 5:17 — “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” • Colossians 2:13-14 — God “made you alive with Christ” and canceled the record of debt. • Romans 5:8 — “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” • Ezekiel 36:26-27 — Promise of a new heart and Spirit, fulfilled in the new birth. Living the Difference • Remember the pit: gratitude grows when we recall who we were (Psalm 40:2-3). • Rest in grace: the God who saved by mercy sustains by mercy (Hebrews 4:16). • Reflect Christ: the hateful become loving, the enslaved become servants of righteousness (Romans 6:17-18; Galatians 5:22-23). Both Titus 3:3 and Ephesians 2:1-5 trace the same arc—from total ruin to total renewal—highlighting God’s astonishing power to transform anyone who trusts His Son. |
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