The Grace of God

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 this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us so that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to Himself a special people, zealous of good works.
(Titus 2:11-14)

Some thoughts on this passage:

1. God’s grace is very important, because it is the means by which we are saved. Therefore, it is important that we correctly understand grace.
2. It is the grace of God that brings salvation. It is not something that I can do on my own. Also, salvation is not something that I can keep on my own. It is only by the grace of God that I can obey Him and follow Him. This does not mean that I am not responsible to obey God, and that God will do all the work while I sit back and relax. What it means is that I need to look to God for the power and strength to obey Him, and thank and glorify Him for His working in my life.
3. Grace is not a license to sin. Nor does it mean that God overlooks some of our faults. Grace is actually a gift from God that teaches us not to sin.
4. God’s grace works in the heart of every believer to teach them how to obey Him.
5. Everybody knows that Jesus came to save us. Save us from what? From our sin and iniquity. If Jesus has saved us from sin, why in the world would we think that He would allow us to continue in it?
6. Jesus did not merely come to pay the price for our sins, but also to save us out of sin and purify us so that we can walk in His way.
7. Jesus’ commands are not arbitrary guidelines, laid down to see how well we can toe the line. They are actually for our good. They are designed to give us a better life, as well as eternal treasure and rewards in Heaven that we will be able to enjoy for all eternity.
8. To merely classify grace as “God’s unmerited favor” doesn’t even come close to describing the incredible gift of God’s grace. Grace is power and liberty from God. Wow! (That is not necessarily a complete description.)
9. The grace of God is not something that we can achieve on our own by living soberly, righteously and Godly. It is a gift from God to help us achieve soberness, righteousness and Godliness!
10. Jesus is perfect, holy and righteous. Therefore, He wants us to be holy and righteous as well. He loved us so much that He was willing to die for us so that He could redeem us from the power of sin and purify us to live for Him and be His special people. That is true love!
11. Jesus’ desire for us is that we would be purified, not remain in our sin. He is willing to take in the vilest sinner, but because He loves us, He doesn’t want us to remain vile sinners. He wants to clean us up!
12. Jesus wants us to be zealous of good works. In other words, He wants us to be excited and enthusiastic about doing what is right and living for Him. This is a desire that Jesus seeks to implant in each of us. An by the way, it is not something that we can whip up on our own. If we lack zeal for good works, we should ask Jesus to give it to us.
13. In order to follow Jesus whole-heartedly, we have to have hope of reward. Therefore, God’s grace also teaches us to look forward to the blessed hope of Heaven and Jesus’ return. Do not be afraid about Jesus’ return and the events surrounding it. Be excited about it!

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