Titus 2:11 to 14, ‘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 the blessed hope, and glorious appearing of
the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he
might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous
unto good works.’
Salvation comes from grace and not faith.
Many a time we have taught or been taught that we are saved by faith yet that
is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that we are saved BY
GRACE
through faith. In Eph 2:8 Paul writes, “For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” you see it is
not faith that saves but it is the grace of God that saves us. Faith is just
the tool or means we use to appropriate this salvation.
The Bible says that the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all mankind.
This grace has not been sent to some but to all people. In other words grace
has brought salvation to everyone. It is not any form of grace that brings
salvation. It is the grace of God which brings salvation to everyone and
not the grace of man. When this grace has brought salvation man must the use
faith to appropriate the salvation.
Upon appearing to all and sundry with
salvation the grace of God teaches the whole world to:
1.
deny ungodliness and worldly
lusts,
2.
live soberly, righteously and
godly, in this present world;
3.
look forward to the blessed
hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ
4.
be eager to do good works
There is an abnormality in many Christian
circles that once under grace there is nothing that we are expected to do. It
is taught that unlike people who are under the law, people who are under grace
are free and nothing more is expected from them. Surprisingly in Paul’s epistle
to Titus we are told that grace in point of fact teaches us to do something. In
writing to the Ephesians after elaborating that salvation is of grace and not
works so no one has a reason for boasting, Paul goes on to write in Eph. 2:10,
“For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works
that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.” In other words God has
ordained good works which must be performed by people who are under grace.
Usually when we talk about not being under
the law we make the wrong assumption that the law is no longer of any effect
yet Jesus himself said in Matt 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish
the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill
them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest
letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes
place.” Some claim that Jesus spoke in such a manner because he was still in
the Old Testament yet that is not entirely true. Jesus never operated in the
Old Testament whilst on earth and that is why he was an enemy of the Pharisees,
Seduces and the then priesthood. He was on record of having said, “ye have
heard of old …. but I say …” In fact Jesus tells us when the Old Testament
ended by saying in Luke 16:16 “The law and the prophets were in force until
John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and
everyone is urged to enter it.” The Old Testament was until John and the New
Testament was ushered by our Lord and savior Jesus Christ because, “the law was
given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” John 1:17
Paul writes, “What shall we say then? Is
the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had
not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” Rom 7:7. Again
in Gal 3:24 Paul writes, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us
unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” From these quotations it is
clear that the law does not in any way provide salvation. The law merely shows
that one is a sinner who is in need of a savior.
The law condemns a sinner and brings no
salvation with it. Moses brought the law and through it by means of figures and
symbols he prophesied about the coming of a savior who would wipe out the
scourge of sin. Through the symbol of the brazen serpent he pointed out that the
savior would become sin in the same manner that brass became a serpent but
through that process bring salvation to slaves of sin. John 3:14-15; 2
Cor.5:21. Christ was aware of man’s predicament and the fact that apart from a
savior man could not extricate himself from the bondage of sin. Christ
therefore by grace brought salvation to man. Salvation is therefore entirely
depended on the grace of Christ and not the works of the law. In any case Paul
says that the law is our tutor, who brings us to Christ so that by the grace of
Christ we may be justified by faith,
A person who breaks the law is under the
law but a person who does not break the law is not under the law. It is only
thieves who are affected by laws which outlaw theft. They are the ones who are
under such laws. People who respect the sanctity of other people’s property are
not under antitheft laws because those law do not regulate the way they live
because whatever such laws outlaw does not affect them in any way. In the same
vein people who live righteous and godly lives are not under the law because
they already live lives that are not outlawed by the law. This is the reason
why the grace of God teaches us to:
1.
deny ungodliness and worldly
lusts,
2.
live soberly, righteously and
godly, in this present world;
3.
look forward to the blessed
hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ
4.
be eager to do good works
When we deny ungodliness and worldly lusts
we will start to live lives that are not controlled by anti-covetous laws.
“Thou shalt not covet” applies to lustful persons. Prostitution, greediness,
selfishness, corruption and all worldly vices stem out of ungodliness and lust
hence all people who practice them are still under the law. In my book Saints
Made Merchandise I point out that the apostle Paul says, ‘the good that I would
do I do not: but the evil I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not,
it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.’ Sin can therefore render
our desire and ability to do good works powerless. When we get rid of sin, good
must flow out of us freely and abundantly. That is precisely why Paul said the
grace of God that brings salvation causes in us a passion for good works. Has
Christ delivered us from the law of sin and death? If he has then we have no
justification for not doing good acts. He thus has every reason to either
commend us or upbraid us for not sharing with others that which we possess. It
is thus imperative that we deliberately deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and
because of that the grace of teaches us to precisely do that.
The grace of God does not only teach us to deny
ungodliness and worldly lusts but it also teaches us to live soberly,
righteously and godly, in this present world. Grace does not teach us to live
soberly, righteously and godly in the world to come but in this present world.
Righteous living is for now and not for the future. Jesus Christ became sin for
our sakes so that we may become the righteousness of God in Christ. It
therefore means that in order to live righteously we must allow Christ to live
his life through us. When this happens good will naturally flow from our
innermost beings according to the Lord’s plan for us. Again in my book Saints
Made Merchandise I write, “Good works do not in themselves bring righteousness to a person
but they are in reality a product of righteousness. Therefore it is not
good works that produce righteousness but it is righteousness, which produces
good works, and the good works are the evidence of that righteousness. Since
alms are a by-product of good works it follows that alms deeds are acts of
righteousness. In his doctrine our saviour and Lord said, ‘seek first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness … Sell that you have, and give alms,
provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that
faileth not…. And you yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord….
Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching.’
Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:33-37…. Good works do not save and cannot produce
righteousness, as has already been said, but arise from righteousness and the
grace, which saves us through faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore anyone who is
unrighteous has no fellowship with the Lord. Even the righteousness that is by
human standards is insufficient to please God. One prophet and writer of
ancient years once said that all our righteousness is like filthy rags before
the Lord. Even the righteousness which is by the observance of the law is inadequate
on its own as was shown in the story of the rich young man who asked the Lord
what he had to do in order for him to inherit everlasting life. It is said that
the young man had observed and obeyed the law of God, given through Moses,
since his childhood but Jesus indicated that perfection could only come after
repentance. A teacher of the Law of Moses who was righteous according to the
standards of the Sanhedrin was told that he had to be born again so that he
could inherit the kingdom of God. In both cases Jesus was hinting that the
righteousness of God is not the righteousness of men.
The
righteousness that pleases God is the one, which is by godly standards. When
God therefore noticed the shortcomings of men as far as righteousness is
concerned he decided to impart his own righteousness to men. Jesus, the Word
that became flesh, lived on earth for thirty-three solid years as human and
with all human limitations. Of the thirty-three years he devoted three and a
half to teaching the word of God doing good and healing all those who were
sick. One Passover week he became sin, by bearing all our iniquities in his own
body, so that we would become the righteousness of God through him. Since then
all those who believe on him automatically become the righteousness of God
through Christ. It is not of works but of faith.
The
righteousness of human standards is of works while the righteousness, which is
of godly standards, is of faith. Good works brings about human righteousness
whereas Jesus Christ the righteous king himself brings godly righteousness and
it produces the good works. Good works do not produce it. Instead of good works
giving birth to righteousness, it is righteousness that must give birth to good
works. God’s order is righteousness first and good works later.
When we reverse the order we mostly end up in hypocrisy. According to Ephesians
chapter 2 grace brings salvation through faith first, which salvation
brings the righteousness of Christ, and then good works are expected later,
an indication that genuine good works are a product of righteousness. Paul’s
words in Ephesians 2:8-10 read, ‘for by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man
should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good
works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.’
It is clear
here that if our salvation was a result of our own good works, we would have
something to boast about but that is not the case because our salvation and
righteousness is dependent on God himself through Christ. It is further without
controversy that verse 10 states that God predetermined us to do good works
and walk in them. It follows then that all who believe in Christ must
walk in good works. It therefore means that when God imparts his
righteousness on us, the righteousness will lead us into good works which is
the reason why James says that pure and undefiled religion before God will
cause us to do good. I trust that is why the tenth verse of the second chapter
of the apostle Paul’s epistle to the Galatians makes it a requirement of every
Christian to do good works. I also suppose that is the reason why Paul claims,
in his epistle to Titus that the grace of God, which brings salvation, teaches
us to do good works. The righteousness of God will make us zealous of good
works.
Those who
claim that good works have no place in a Christian’s life greatly err because
God expects us do good. Revelation 22:32 makes it clear that our rewards shall
be according to works. Since alms deeds are part of good works it consequently
means that they are a product of the righteousness of God. Alms giving was
natural in the early Christian church because the righteousness of God had
first place in the believers’ lives. Those who have the righteousness of God
find out that giving is normal. It was because of this righteousness that early
Christian believers gave each other in such a way that no one amongst them
lacked. We do alms out of righteousness and not to attain righteousness which
reason makes this form of giving a pleasure and a delight to the saint.” For
more details concerning this book visit http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Made-Merchandise-Analysis-Offerings/dp/0797469141
or
Grace does not only bring salvation as it
also brings us hope teaching us to look forward to the blessed hope, and
glorious appearing of the great God and our savior Jesus Christ. The good news
is that Jesus Christ is coming back again to judge both the living and the
dead. We look forward to that great day when the last enemy, death, will be
vanquished. That will be a great day when the dead in Christ will rise again
and we who will be alive will be caught up to be with the Lord forever. The apostle
wrote, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them
which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the
Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not
prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and
so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these
words. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write
unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a
thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they
shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of
the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep,
as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the
night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are
of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an
helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we
wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves
together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”
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