Titus 2:7-8
7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
A while back, Netflix released a series called The Crown, which traced different seasons of Queen Elizabeth II’s life. One of the themes that caught my attention in the early seasons was Elizabeth’s struggle between personal expression and public responsibility. She was not simply an individual with private preferences; she was also the face of the monarchy.
As an American with a fair bit of individualism baked into me, I bristled at how managed her life seemed to be. At times, it felt like she was barely allowed to have a personality of her own.
But as she grew into her role, and as national crisis followed national crisis, the importance of her vocation became clearer. Through her presence, speech, restraint, and service, she represented something larger than her own opinions or individuality. In unsettled times, people could look to her as a sign of continuity and stability.
In Titus 2, the Christian community is being called to a similar awareness. They are reminded that their lives represent more than themselves. This is not a command to earn salvation. It is an invitation to let their public lives display the freedom, integrity, and goodness that flow from the Gospel.
After all, the Apostle Paul writes in Galatians that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,” and then adds, “Against such things there is no law.”
That matters because the church was living in a society that was often looking for reasons to accuse them, dismiss them, or push them back into familiar religious and cultural boxes. In that kind of environment, lives marked by the fruit of the Spirit were not only wise; they were a witness to the One who had saved them.
The same is true today. Christians still live under a microscope, and sometimes for good reason. Because of that, we have a meaningful opportunity to live as people who belong to Jesus: to practice love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control with everyone we meet. Not to make ourselves look impressive, but to point others toward the source of our freedom. As Paul says, “against such things there is no law.”
– Pr. Jason
Jesus, thank you for changing me from the inside out. Let my life in you become a witness to the watching world that there is more to life than merely existing. Form in me love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, so that my life may help fashion communities of love and grace. Amen.
