Should We Teach Good Works?

Titus 2:11–12 NKJV For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

I once heard it said that since the Bible says that “the grace of God has appeared, teaching us that... we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,” then there is no need for Christian leaders to teach people to live righteously. Rather, all they should do is teach people the “grace of God”, and this “grace of God” would somehow teach them to live righteously. However, is this a fair conclusion to draw from Titus 2:11–12? I do not think so.

Verse 11 starts with the word “because” which gives a reason for what came before. This means that we cannot properly understand this passage in question without first looking at the context of the preceding verses. In verse 1, Paul exhorts Titus to “be speaking the things proper to the healthy teaching.” What are “the things proper to the healthy teaching”? They are all kinds of good works as Paul laid out in verses 2–10. In other words, Paul was instructing Titus to teach people to live righteously. Already, this contradicts the idea that Christian leaders should not be teaching people to live righteously.

The word “because” in the next verse (v. 11) indicates that the training of the grace of God is the very reason and basis that Titus—and every elder, for that matter—is to be teaching people to live righteously. Paul is saying: “Titus, teach your people to live righteously because the grace of God is training them to live righteously!” In other words, this training by the grace of God does not happen automatically or mystically. Rather, according to the text, the grace of God is training us to live righteously through the teaching of human leaders like Titus.

So, when we properly read Titus 2:11–12 in its entirety and in its context, it becomes clear that the training of the grace of God is precisely the reason why Christian leaders should be teaching their people to live righteously! Furthermore, there are many other places in his writings where the Apostle Paul exhorts his target recipients to live a life of practical righteousness. In order to conclude from Titus 2:11–12 that Christian leaders should not teach their people to live righteously, one has to ignore the context of these verses as well as the rest of the Scriptures.