Articles
The Grace of God
The Grace of God
“For the grace of God hath appeared bringing salvation to all men, instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world; looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good work” (Titus 2:11-14).
There seems to be a prevalent concept that “the grace of God” is a spiritual favor that God will bestow upon an individual on the Day of Judgment, regardless of his or her conduct in life, i.e., saved by grace. This “grace,” of which Paul speaks, does not describe a love and favor of God apart from obedience, but rather instructs: the grace of God instructs as to how to live.
The entire context of Titus 2 instructs the aged men, the aged women, the young women, the younger men, and the servant as to how they are to live, and what they are to be about doing, that, as Paul says to the servant toward his master, “they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things” (Titus 2:10).
Thus, the instructions are: (1) Deny ungodliness: Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament Words, defines this “ungodliness” as “general impiety.” What’s interesting about this is the “Note,” placed alongside the definition which accomplishes a greater understanding of the term in our text. It compares two Greek words, (an-om-ee'-ah) Anomia, which is “disregard for, or defiance of, God's laws,” and the Greek word of our text in Titus 2: (as-eb'-i-ah) asebeia which “is the same attitude towards God's Person” therefore, an inappropriate attitude toward that which deserves reverence. Since an individual can “deny ungodliness,” thus, a man’s attitude toward God is self-willed. (2) Deny worldly lusts: the Apostle John said, “”For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). Therefore, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, the child of God is to (3) Live soberly: Vine’s defines soberly, saying, “it suggests the exercise of that self-restraint that governs all passions and desires, enabling the believer to be conformed to the mind of Christ” (4) Live righteously: that is “in accordance with what is right” (Vine’s), therefore, according to God’s standard. Therefore, as God has instructed man as to how to behave, do these characteristics describe you?
The Apostle Paul said, of the self-righteous, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my supplication is for them, that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:1-3). Do not be that guy. ret
- The_Grace_of_God.pdf (51.06 kB)
