by Pastor Steve Ellison
Titus 2:11-14 is a concise tribute to the marvelous effects of God’s grace, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” (NASU) God’s grace makes salvation available to all men. God’s grace provides instruction to all men for godly living. God’s grace assures us of the fact that our Savior is coming back to gather us home. Warren Wiersbe summarizes this passage: “Grace Redeems, Grace Reforms, Grace Rewards.” Grace is the vehicle by which Jesus Christ, our Kinsman Redeemer, redeems us. God’s commands which reform us are pure grace to us. Grace that tells us of Christ’s sure return causes us to live in blessed hope which is really blessed assurance.
Surely verse eleven does not mean that all people will somehow be saved but it does indicate that salvation is made available to all people. It is a shame that we often take that fact for granted. The fact that our God is full of marvelous grace, allowing even the most evil among us to repent and be saved is almost inconceivable. In fact, our gracious God took the initiative and paid the penalty for our redemption while we were still his enemies. He did not wait until we repented and sought forgiveness. He paid in advance while we were still opposed to Him and His purposes.
We might not think that “instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires” to be an act of grace but it most certainly is. Verse twelve and verse fourteen speak of how God’s grace makes it possible for us to live righteous and godly lives, not just in eternity but here and now. Please note that Christ died “to redeem us from every lawless deed”. Excusing my sin by stating that I am merely human is simply not acceptable. There is no excuse for any sin.
Also, we would do well to remember that every command from God is a blessing. Each and every instruction from God is for our benefit both now and in the hereafter. Some Christians seem to have bought into the lie that obedience to God’s commands somehow limits their fun, happiness, or fulfillment. Nothing could be further from the truth. In addition, this wonderful grace transforms us into a purified people set aside for Christ’s special possession. Not only does He treasure us, but He also separates us out for a special blessing and purpose. He gives us the awesome privilege of joining Him in His work.
Grace not only makes salvation available and frees us from bondage to sin; it also encourages and enables us to look forward with great anticipation to the return of the King.
Grace gives us confidence that Christ is “our great God and Savior” who is preparing a place for us to live with Him forever. Grace reminds us of the reward waiting for us in the hereafter. Streets of gold will be nice. No more pain, no more sickness, no more tears, no more sorrow will be great. None of that compares to the pleasure of eternally searching the unfathomable, indescribable, immeasurable riches of the Person of Christ Jesus, the dispenser of such marvelous, matchless Grace. Hallelujah for such Grace.
