Paul’s final admonition to Titus and the church in Crete was that the people must learn to devote themselves to do good works in order to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive. Paul is unambiguous: the purpose of salvation, beyond the restoration of our relationship with the ONE who made us, is to do the work of the gospel. This stands at the center of Paul’s understanding of the gospel- it is not simply me and my buddy Jesus. Rather, it is the power of Christ made available to us for the transformation of the world.