ByWhat is grace? It’s unmerited favour from God to man. That is, getting what you didn’t deserve. For example, we are saved by grace through faith. We didn’t merit salvation, but by grace, everyone now has access to it through faith (Ephesians 2:8, Titus 2:11). That’s great. But is that all about grace? No.
There are dimensions of the functionality of God’s grace, and the apostle Paul spoke about six things grace teaches in Titus 2:12-13. Today, I’m taking them one by one to look into them. But before that, let’s take a look at the scriptures.
“[11] For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,” [12] teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, [13] looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, [14] who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
Titus 2:11-14 (NKJV)
1. Deny ungodliness
According to Titus 2:12, grace teaches us to deny ungodliness. Ungodliness, as used in the context of that Bible verse, means wickedness. So clearly, grace teaches us not to engage in wicked acts. That means that God’s grace doesn’t give us a license to sin as many thinks, but rather the empowerment to deny sinful acts as we live unto God.
Grace gives us the empowerment to deny sinful acts as we live unto God.
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God won’t tell you to do anything that doesn’t glorify Him. Wicked acts don’t glorify the Lord, and hence His grace teaches us to deny them. If you’re struggling to overcome an addiction, receive the grace to renounce it in Jesus’ name. Amen.
2. Deny worldly lusts
Enlisted amongst the things grace teaches is the capacity to deny worldly lusts. Lust means a desire for what is forbidden. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:23 that,
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.
1 Corinthians 10:23 (NKJV)
That means that as far as we are in the world, we have access to many things as required by law. However, not all of them are good to inspire us. As children of God, we must use what is in this world for the glory of God and the benefit of His kingdom, not to amass them unto ourselves.
It’s grace that will teach you how to use something everybody uses, but this time, with purpose. For example, while many young adults use their phones to watch porn, you’ll use yours to watch sermons. When that happens, it means grace is at work in your life.
3. Live soberly
Thirdly, in the same Titus 2:12, God’s grace teaches us also to live soberly. In other words, grace teaches us to live with a sound mind. So, in essence, we’ll be mindful of leading a quiet life in Christ.
According to 1 Thessalonians 4:11, to lead a quiet life means to be engaged in two primary activities.
- Minding your own business.
- Working with our hands.
If you’re living a life filled with grace, you should be so mindful about fulfilling your divine purpose that you’ll have no time to gossip about others or take offences to heart. There are too many things in life that come purposely to distract us. Depend on God’s grace to live soberly unto God.
4. Live righteously
Fourth on the list of virtues that grace teaches, according to Titus 2:12, is how to live righteously. Yes, each believer is indeed the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). But there’s a difference between being righteous and living righteously. The former speaks of your identity, but the latter speaks of the practical living of eternal life in Christ.
There’s a difference between being righteous and living righteously.
Righteous living means making right doing a norm in your life, even with no supervision. If we live like this as children of God, there are so many problems we’ll not fall in. You don’t have to allow bad culture to mislead you. Make a secret oath unto yourself that you’ll do what’s right from your heart no matter where you are, because service to God isn’t just in ministries and religious organisations, but in homes and workplaces too (Colossians 3:23).
5. Live godly lives
Also, grace teaches us to live godly lives. That means that grace teaches us how to live unto God and uphold his standards no matter where we find ourselves.
Godly living is scarce in our generation because many live to please others rather than God. God is your Creator. You exist because of Him. In Him, you live, move and have your being (Acts 17:28). So you must be concerned about pleasing Him.
Living unto God is not burdensome because the Holy Spirit will help you. No matter how many bad people are around your life, receive grace to remain incorruptible in your mind in the name of Jesus.
6. Look forward to the blessed hope of the coming of Jesus
Lastly, God’s grace teaches us to look forward to the blessed hope of the second coming of Jesus. Life on earth is temporary. Many people become less conscious of this truth, so they spend their lives building for themselves earthly things that’ll corrupt with time. Don’t do that. Be eternity conscious in all that you do. However, note that I’m not speaking about becoming too heaven-conscious that you neglect living well on earth. Instead, I’m saying that attach the mind of God to whatever you do.
For example, if you’re eating well, think about God giving you food to preserve your body which will directly lengthen your physical life to fulfil your divine purpose, not just to satisfy your hunger. There is always a way to connect whatever you’re doing now and then to purposeful living. Study and apply what you learn from the scriptures. Shalom.
