The Source of Good Citizenship

Part 5

Text: Titus 3:3-7

Introduction/Review

I.    Remember the duties of good citizenship (3:1-2).

II.   Remember the source of good citizenship (3:3-7).

A.    Remember your pre-conversion state of bondage. 3:3

B.    Remember your post-conversion state of salvation. vv. 4-7

1.    The (efficient) cause of the believer’s salvation. vv. 4-5a

2.    The basis of the believer’s salvation. v. 5a-b

3.     The means of the believer’s salvation. vv. 5-6

Lesson:

4.    The Purpose of the Believer’s Salvation. v. 7

 a.     Justification

“Justification is the primary blessing, because it meets our primary spiritual need. We all stand by nature under God’s judgment; His law condemns us; guilt gnaws at us, making us restless, miserable, and in our lucid moments afraid; we have no peace in ourselves, because we have no peace with our Maker. So we need the forgiveness of our sins, and assurance of a restored relationship with God, more than we need anything else in the world; and this the gospel offers us before it offers us anything else.”    J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 187

b.    Inheritance

 Reflection:

Because God the Father has saved us-justified us- we live in hope (i.e., a sure expectation) that one day we will receive our full inheritance, that we will come into unhindered fellowship with our Triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—as well as one another in the new creation—the new heavens and new earth (Rev. 21-22).

© John Fonville

Permissions: Permission is happily granted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not revise the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on Paramount’s website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by John Fonville.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Fonville