Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness (Titus 3:1-8)

This sermon was preached to Grace Church Guildford on 6 August 2023. The audio recording of the sermon can be found below along with the transcript.

What would you like your life to look like? I’m not sure if you have been to a Build-A-Bear shop before. Perhaps you’ve walked past one of their stores on the high street, or gone in with a child to buy one of their teddy bears. In any event, the idea of Build-A-Bear is simple. You pick whatever stuffed animal you want, in whatever size you want, and make them wear whatever accessories you want. Basically, you get to design your own teddy bear. Now, I want you to imagine you could do that, not with a teddy bear, but with your life. I want you to imagine you could be whoever you wanted to be. Live wherever you wanted to live. Do whatever you wanted to do. If you had a blank canvas, could write your own story any way you wanted, what would that story be? What would your life look like? I’m sure there would be many differences between how we might all design our lives. Just as everyone coming out of a Build-A-Bear shop has a slightly different product. And yet, I’m sure all our dreams would share some similarities. We would all likely want to have a good job, own a good house, have a good marriage, belong to a good family, be surrounded by good friends, experience good health and enjoy a good retirement. In short, we would want our life to be a good life, where everything is pleasant and pleasing and goes to plan, a life that is full of goodness.

This morning, we continue our series on the fruit of the Spirit. If you’ve been with us over these last two months, you will know that in Galatians 5, Paul outlines 9 different characteristics that God’s Spirit cultivates in his people. And this morning, we come to number six. For having considered love, joy, peace, forbearance and kindness, we turn to goodness. In many ways, I think this is the most difficult of the nine concepts to understand, for the term ‘goodness’ can seem a bit ambiguous, it can be hard to articulate what ‘goodness’ is. And looking in the dictionary isn’t a great deal of help either. For when you look it up in the Oxford English Dictionary, you get a list of 121 different meanings! There are 121 ways to define the idea of ‘good’ or ‘goodness’!

Which of these 121 definitions does Paul mean when he speaks of goodness in Galatians 5? Well, we are going to see that by ‘goodness’, Paul means the positive moral quality characterized by an active interest in the welfare of others. That is how we are going to define goodness this morning: the positive moral quality characterized by an active interest in the welfare of others. That is why Jamie suggested last week, that ‘goodness’ overlaps with the qualities of kindness and love. If you somehow combined the concepts of love, kindness and generosity all together, you would get this goodness.

This is exactly what we see in Titus 3, the chapter we will spend most of our time in this morning. I’m not sure if you noticed earlier, but our passage is set out like a sandwich: two bits of bread with something in between. In the middle of our text, in 3:3-7, we are told about God’s Goodness. And then, at the beginning and end, in 3:1-2 and 3:8, Paul speaks of Our Goodness. So that’s what we will look at together this morning: (1) God’s Goodness (3:3-7); (2) Our Goodness (3:1-2, 8). And in doing so, we will see that ‘a good life’ isn’t necessarily having a good job or house, good friends or health. For indeed we can have lives full of goodness without having any of those things.

1.     GOD’S GOODNESS (3:3-7)

Before considering our goodness, we need to think about God’s goodness. This is true for all nine characteristics in Galatians 5. As Jamie reminded us last week: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, the fruit of the Spirit, are all attributes of God. Before they are true of us, they are true of him. And so, to understand any part of the fruit of the Spirit, we need to go to God and see how a particular quality is part of his perfect character. If we want to understand our goodness, we must first look at his goodness. And in the Bible, we see that goodness is right at the core of God’s character. Indeed, if a single quality could be said to be preeminent, if one attribute of God could be elevated above all others, you could argue it is goodness.

Why do I say that? Well, cast your mind back to that moment we covered earlier this year in Jamie’s series in the book of Exodus. In Exodus 33, Moses finds himself alone with God on Mount Sinai, and he asks for something no one had ever asked for before. Moses asked God to show him his glory. That is, he asked to see God in all his greatness! And you do you know what God showed him that day? Do you know what it was Moses gazed on? It wasn’t God’s power and might, it wasn’t even his purity and holiness. No, in Exodus 33:19 we read that the Lord caused all his goodness to pass before him. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God showed him his goodness.

Brothers and sisters, do you see what that means? What is it about God that should cause us to worship him? What is it that right now is striking awe into the angels around his throne? Well, Exodus 33 tells us that it is his goodness. That the glory of God is chiefly seen in the goodness of God. If you could descend into the depths of the Godhead, into the very heart of God, you would find that it is goodness that is at the core of who he is and all he does. As the puritan, Stephen Charnock put it, ‘goodness is... a choice perfection of the divine nature... All the names of God are comprehended in this one [that God is] good.’ Christian, that simple truth, summed up in those 3 words, ‘God is good’, that truth should never grow old or cold for us, for it is at the heart of who God is and all he does.

Maybe you are here this morning investigating church, trying work out what Christianity is all about. Well, if so, then the first thing you need to know about God, is that God is good. And from this goodness all his actions flow. Indeed, this is what the whole Bible is all about. Again and again it shows us God is good. Think of how the Bible begins. God created the world in six days, and what was it that he said at the end of each part of creation? On the first day, he created light, made day and night. And what was it that he said about that work? In Genesis 1:4, we read that ‘God saw that it was good.’ On the second day, God separated the sky from the earth and on the third he distinguished the land from the sea, and again we read that God saw that it was good. On the fourth day God put the stars in the sky, and saw that it was good. On the fifth day, God filled the sea with fish, and saw that it was good. And on the sixth day, God placed animals on the land and made mankind, Adam and Eve. And seeing all that he had made across the six days, we read in Genesis 1:31, ‘And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.’ All of creation, from start to finish, declares God’s glory because declares his goodness.

We earlier thought about what we would do if we had a blank canvas, the ability to write our own story any way we want. Well, here we see that when God was given a blank canvas, when he picked up his pen to write the story of this world, of which we are all apart, when he made the earth and all that is in it, he made it good. The goodness of the Creator overflowed into the goodness of creation. And it didn’t stop there. For the story of this world not only commenced with God’s goodness, but it is one long story of God’s continued goodness. As we heard at the beginning of our service from Psalm 145:9, God ‘is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.’ From the moment creation, right up to this very minute, God pours out his goodness upon this world. As we read in James 1:17, ‘Every good and perfect gift is from above’. Friend, whatever good things you enjoy in your life right now, whether a good job or house, a good marriage or family, good friends or good health, the Bible says it is part of God’s goodness to you. As we will hear from Psalm 16 tonight, ‘apart from [God we] have no good thing.’ The first thing we need to know about God, is that he is good. God is good in himself. And he is good, so good, to us.

And yet as we turn to Titus 3, we see the second thing we need to know. For Christianity not only teaches us that God is good, but it also teaches us that we are not. God may be good, but we are not. Paul summarises this truth in Romans 3, by explaining ‘no one does good, not even one.’ However, here in Titus 3 he describes it in detail, shows every part of us has been corrupted by sin. In 3:3, Paul says, ‘At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.’ As we go down that list, we see that sin has tainted our minds, our desires, our emotions, our actions and our relationships. The Bible not only teaches that God is entirely good, but it also teaches that we are totally sinful, that evil infects everything we do. And this has a devasting impact on our relationship with God, on the connection between the Creator and his creation. For just as light and dark, black and white, cannot co-exist, there can be no friendship, no relationship, between good and evil. Between a good God and a sinful people.

We see it so well even in that great moment on the mountain in Exodus 33, when God’s goodness was revealed to Moses. For that day, though God did show Moses something of his goodness, he could only glimpse it from behind a rock, for because of his sin, Moses could not gaze at God’s goodness, see God’s face, lest he be consumed, destroyed by the holy goodness of God. Yes, God is good. And yet, because of our guilt, his goodness means he must judge us, condemn and destroy us. For good cannot ultimately exist with evil. And so, a good God must judge a sinful, evil people.

If you are here this morning, and you doubt whether this is true, disagree with what I have just said. Ask yourself, does this not explain why the world is the way it is? Does the story of the Bible not make sense of what you see all around you? How is it that both beauty and horror can exist in this world? That we can experience such joys and sorrows? That men and women can do both wonderful and terrible things? Do you not see the Bible provides the perfect explanation? That though this world was made good, and mankind was created good by a good God, we all turn away from him, and so even our best actions are stained by sin. For while God is good, we are not. He has given us good gifts, and yet we have responded with evil thoughts and actions towards him and one another.

That is what Paul explains in 3:3, and yet praise God that is not where he ends. Yes, God is good, and we are not. But, as Paul explains in 3:4, ‘when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.’ The ESV translates those opening words of 3:4: ‘when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared’. That’s a great translation, and what it talks about is a great illustration of what goodness really is. This active interest in the welfare of others, working for the good of others, is seen best not at creation, but at the cross. For there, God appeared in all his goodness, in the person of his Son, and suffered for the sins of his people. Oh yes, at Mount Sinai, Moses was not able gaze upon full goodness of God. And yet, at Calvary, the goodness of God appeared for all to see, for it was personified in the person of Jesus Christ. As we sung together earlier, ‘there was no other good enough to pay the price of sin’. Because God and God alone is good, it was God and God alone who could suffer for our sin and save his people.

If you are a Christian here this morning, have believed in Jesus for forgiveness and are obeying him as Lord, do you see what this means? Do you see here no matter what circumstances or situations you face, you are living a life under God’s goodness. No matter what job you have or where you live, no matter if you have good family or friends, no matter whether you experience good health or not, in the person of Jesus, you have experienced, indeed you are experiencing, the goodness of God.

Brother or sister, every time you wake up in the morning, another day of God’s goodness to you begins. Whether that day brings great joy or sorrow, whether it is a day where your dreams come true or good desires remain unmet. In one sense, every day for a Christian is a good day, even when they have a bad day. For God is good every day. And as we sung earlier from the end of Psalm 23, he has promised his people that goodness and mercy will follow them all the days of their lives. Brother or sister, when you are struggling this week, in the middle of another bad day, remind yourself of those words from Psalm 23:6: ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.’

If you are here this morning, and not yet come to Christ as your Saviour, believed in him and declared that faith through baptism, then can I invite you, urge you, to come and experience this goodness for yourself. Oh yes, you have experienced the goodness of God in whatever measure of health you have, whatever talents and opportunities you have, the Bible teaches us that every good thing in your life is a gift to you from a good God. And yet, unless you come to Christ, take Jesus as your own Saviour, then you have yet to receive the greatest gift that God gives, you have yet to experience his eternal goodness, taste the sweetest parts of his character, seen the marvels of his salvation, of sins forgiven, of shame and guilt removed, of adoption into his family and living every day of your life under the smile of your heavenly Father, and the certain presence of his goodness and mercy the rest of your life. This morning you have heard me say that God is good. Now can I urge you, as the Psalmist does in Ps 34:8, come, ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good!’ Receive God’s goodness for yourself, and see what a difference [...]

2.     OUR GOODNESS (3:1-2, 8)

This is where we can really see the difference that Jesus makes in our lives. Oh yes, God is good and we are not. And yet, by faith in Jesus, we can not only receive the goodness of God, we can also reflect the goodness of God. For as Christians, this goodness is not only something we can experience, it is also something we should embody.

Paul presents this so powerfully in our text, by placing two lists right beside each other. We have already thought about the second list in 3:3, with seven examples of a life of guilt. However, did you notice that just before that, there is another list, a list that describes not seven features of a life of guilt, but seven aspects of a life of goodness. In 3:1-2, we read: [READ] In 3:1-2, Paul describes in detail what a life of goodness looks like. It is showing kindness and love towards those around you. Just as we defined it earlier, a life of goodness is a life characterized by an active interest in the welfare of others. You see, in the end, a good life is not determined by what you get, but is all about what you give. It is not simply about having a good job or a good house, good family or health. No, a good life is all about having good works. This is what Paul emphasis again and again in this whole section of Titus. Back in 2:14, we speaks of Christ as he writes: [READ]. As Charles Spurgeon summarised: ‘Christ gave himself for us that we might give ourselves for him.’ We see it twice in our text as well, there in 3:1 Paul instructs Christians ‘to be ready to do whatever is good.’ And again, in 3:8, we read, ‘I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.’ [3:13-14] Paul wants us to be eager, ready, devoted to doing good. Here we see our focus in life should be far less on the good things we get, and far more on the good deeds we do. The ways we can spend ourselves in the service of others.

Brother or sister, is that how you measure the quality of your life? Not by what you can get for yourself, but what you can give to others? When you think of a good job, do you primarily see that as a job that enables you to serve others? Whether it is being able to give generously financially because you are paid generously at work? Or it is being able to give your time to discipleship and evangelism, because you have days off in the week or evenings free? Whether it is being able to even serve others through your job, caring for their physical or medical needs, or even their spiritual needs by serving in ministry? You can ask the same question about any other area of your life. Our standard for what is good, is not what best serves ourselves, but best serves others. For ultimately, a good life is not a life filled with good things, but a life filled with good works. A life eager, ready, devoted to doing good.

Praise God, as I look around this congregation, this is exactly what I see. There are brothers and sisters here who have sacrificed much to serve others. You have been generous in both annual giving and meeting one off expenses this church has faced. Some of you have turned down opportunities at work to take up opportunities at church. Many come early to set this building up for services, or stay around late afterwards to lock up. Some of you give up evenings to reach our young people. Volunteer in Communion Crèche to serve parents and children. Praise God, that this congregation serves one another in so many ways, too many ways to count. Brothers and sisters, let us continue to spur one another on to such love and good works.

If you are a new member among us, wanting to get involved for the first time, or a longstanding member wanting to get more involved, keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities to do good to others! Why don’t you come along early to our services, or stay around longer afterwards, to speak to those who are by themselves without anyone to talk to?

Or why don’t you work out how you might be able to serve some of our older members? Do you know that some of our older members struggle to get lifts to and from church. I wonder if could you perhaps help with that? Could you make a 10 minute detour to pick them up and leave them home every few weeks? Or better yet, bring them home every few weeks to your house for lunch! Why don’t you as a family, as a couple, or as a single sister or brother, adopt an older member into your family? Now, I don’t mean legally adopt them. No, I mean regularly including them in your life, have them once a month for Sunday lunch, or for dinner before a prayer meeting or fellowship group. If you would like to do that, but don’t know where to start, think about who is in your fellowship group that you could care for in that way. Or speak to an elder, who will be able to connect you to where there are such needs. For brothers and sisters, these are the kinds of good works that we should fill our lives with. Having all experienced the goodness of God, we should all be embodying that goodness for others.

And not just within these walls, limited to our local church. Yes, as we heard earlier, God’s goodness is primarily seen in the church, through the work of the cross, but also extends out to all, through the work of creation. And so our goodness should do the same. Yes, it should be seen primarily and especially in the life of the local church. And yet, it should also reach out into the streets of Guildford, our homes and workplaces. Just as God is good to all that he has made, we should be good to all that we meet. As we read here in Titus 3:1-2, we are to submit to our rulers and authorities, slander no one and be gentle to everyone. Grace Church, we are to live lives of such goodness, that the lives of our colleagues or classmates are better because we are in them. We should live in such a way, that our friends and family, neighbours and even our government officials, are better off because of us.

Of course, it is important to remember that these good works do not contribute to our salvation. As Paul reminds us there in 3:5, we are not saved because of righteous things we do, but because of God’s mercy. Salvation is by mercy, not by merit. God’s goodness comes first. We see that even in the flow of the passage. For here Paul teaches that we should be good to others (3:1-2), not so that God will be good to us, but because we were not good (3:3) and yet God has been so good to us (3:4-5). Surely, nobody knew this better than Martin Luther, the man who started the Reformation by declaring that salvation is not a result of good works, but wholly of God’s grace. And yet, as Martin Luther famously put it, while God doesn't need your good works, your neighbour does. Grace Church, God does not need your good works, but your church, your family, your colleagues, and your town do.

CONCLUSION

So to close, I’ll ask you again, what would you like your life to look like? Sometimes, we only get a proper sense of perspective when we look back on something. And that’s true in the Christian life as much as it is true in any other part of life. That’s why Jesus spent so much time warning about what was to come, telling parables that put us in the position we will all one day be in: looking back on our lives. In Matthew 25, he tells one such parable about three servants who receive bags of gold from their master before he goes on a long journey. One servant spurns the opportunity to serve his master by using the gold, and instead wastes his time pursuing other interests and pleasures. But the other two servants recognise that one day the master will return from his journey, and so they set about serving him while they can, using all he has given them in the way he wanted. On the master’s return, the wicked unfaithful servant is punished accordingly. But those two servants, who spent their time and energy serving their master, who took all that he had given them and invested and stewarded it wisely, on their master’s return, they instead receive great rewards. And Jesus tells us that they hear their master turn to them and say those wonderful words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’

Brothers and sisters, one day we will all stand before our master, and in that moment, we’ll look back on our lives and see what really matters. In an instant we will realise what a life of goodness looked like. And in that day, it won’t be jobs or houses, friends or family, health or retirement plans that will ultimately determine if we have had a good life or not. That is, it will not be the good things that we had, but the good works that we did. It will not be what we have gotten from life, but what we have given in life that will truly matter. For if you ever want to hear those wonderful words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ You need to live a good and faithful servant now.