In the Classroom of Grace
Have you ever learned something important in an unexpected way? Most of us have people in our lives we expect to learn from: our parents, an older sibling, a grandparent, a teacher, a pastor. All of these influential people in our lives can provide meaningful insight and important life lessons, but they do not always share their wisdom in the ways we anticipate. I remember in the sixth grade I overheard a conversation between a teacher and a student. I cannot remember the exact circumstances, but I do remember we were right outside the school auditorium. Standing in line with my classmates, I can picture one of them (we will call him Steve) being called out by the teacher for misbehaving while in line. She took him aside and gave him a stern talk about the right way to behave in school.
The problem was that Steve was not actually the one who had done wrong. Some his friends had been fooling around, but since he was the perennial troublemaker of the class, the teacher thought he was at fault. I can still picture in my mind poor Steve crying in front of the teacher protesting his innocence. Then the teacher told him something I have never forgotten. After apologizing for wrongly accusing him, she said something like, "Steve, if you keep misbehaving in life, people are always going to assume you are doing wrong." Thankfully, I had parents who taught me well enough not to be a troublemaker in school. But that lesson has stuck with me ever since. The teacher did not direct those words to me. To this day, she probably does not know that I overheard that conversation. But it was a life lesson that I took to heart as a young person. I should not have a reputation for wrongdoing, otherwise I may be blamed for crimes I did not commit.
Do you have any experiences like this? Have you learned any important lessons in a surprising way? I want to share an essential truth for the Christian life, so essential that it should go without saying. This truth will not be new, but it may come packaged in a surprising way. Let's take a look at Titus 2:11-14 as we discover the believer's relationship to the grace of God. Grace is a Bible word we hear so much that we forget what it means. Grace means "unmerited favor." It refers to an act of blessing or benevolence that is undeserved, so it is not contingent on how one party behaves or responds. This describes what God has shown to us - though we are sinful and rebellious, he still bestows his richest blessings and favor on us.
We should be grateful for what God's grace has accomplished for us, but did you know that grace is also our teacher in the Christian life? In the passage we will look at, Paul tells us that the grace of God has appeared to all people, and it teaches us vital truths for our lives in this present age. This seems unexpected: how does the grace of God teach us anything? Grace is an abstract concept, like love or goodness. What does grace have to say to us? Let's step into the classroom of grace and pay close attention to what Paul says grace has to teach us. Like any good teacher, grace gives us the foundation for what it will teach so we can build more truth on top of it. We will find the basic building blocks in the gospel. On that foundation, we will unpack this central idea in Paul's message to Titus:
God's favor on us teaches us to live differently from the world.
The Central Idea of Titus
This epistle comes to us in the context of a seasoned man in church ministry giving pastoral advice to a young pastor. Titus had the responsibility of selecting pastors to lead the small assemblies of believers on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece. Like Timothy, Titus had Paul as his mentor. Paul wrote to Titus so he could instruct him in important truths and principles for pastoral ministry.
In the pastoral epistles, we see Paul highlighting problems that these young pastors would face with false teachers and erroneous ideas within the church. In order to combat that, Paul emphasized the importance of biblical preaching and godly living. This latter emphasis we find in Titus 2. Paul's focus in this chapter is moral obligations and duties for various cross sections of the church in Crete. This included older men (2:2), older women (2:3-5), young women (2:4-5), young men (2:6-8), and slaves (2:9-10). By following these right patterns of behavior, believers of all ages and stages of life would glorify God and his truth, rather than bringing shame and disrepute to him.
Here's how God's grace came to us.
In the context of teaching the believers in this church how to live, Paul reminds them of how the grace of God first appeared to them. What does he mean by this? Let's look at the clues in verse 11. The word "appearing" in this verse is the Greek word epiphano. We get the word epiphany from it. Today, it still means an appearance or a manifestation, especially of a deity. From this, we know he is referring to a particular event because the grammar of the verb "has appeared" highlights a point-in-time event. Whatever Paul is talking about, he has a clear event or occurrence in mind.
The verse offers us other helpful clues. We know that this grace "brings salvation" and that it has appeared to all people. It is worth noting that the grace of God has the ability to bring salvation, that is, God's spiritual deliverance from the power of sin and death. He has not given this saving grace to all people, but it has appeared to everyone. Everyone can benefit from it.
What event do you think Paul is describing? I think Paul is using the "grace of God" as a phrase to summarize the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. In the life of Jesus, we have all the vital information we need in order to understand and receive the saving grace of God. In his death, we see God's grace put on full display - the life of the God-man laid bare on a bloody cross so he could offer salvation to Jews and Gentiles alike. In Jesus Christ, we know the grace of God in its fullness. Paul brings up this point later in the book. Notice in Titus 3:4, just a few verses later, the find same word “appeared” like in verse 11. He sees the first coming of Jesus as the embodiment and manifestation of God's love. John the Apostle in the opening of his Gospel also shows us that in Jesus, we do not find the law of Moses, but the grace of God (John 1:17).
Jesus is the centerpiece of our salvation. Without his sinless life, bloody death, and glorious resurrection, we do not have a gospel message. Because of what he accomplished, we can say without disclaimer that the unmerited favor of God has been showered upon all people. Not everyone has received this grace, but everyone can benefit from it if they will only believe on the name of Jesus. Then like John we can say, "of his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace" (John 1:16).
If you have not received the fullness of God's grace, then open the Scriptures and see for yourself the grace that God offers to guilty sinners like you and me. He offers freedom from sin and its consequence of an eternal existence without him. He offers forgiveness for sin, redemption from sin's slavery, and adoption into his spiritual family. All of this and more is available in the person of Jesus Christ and the work he did to rescue your soul.
Grace teaches us how to live now.
Paul could end his point there on the grace of God appearing to all people, but he elaborates further. He writes that grace teaches us. This word "teaching" appears elsewhere in a familiar verse, 2 Timothy 3:16. In this passage, Paul tells us about the value of the Scriptures and what they can do for us. He tells us that they are "God-breathed" and profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. The word "instruction" is the noun form for "teaching" in Titus 2:12. It is a word that focuses on the training given to children in Greco-Roman society. It refers to the instruction they received to prepare for life in the real world. Grace, then, is a teacher that instructs us as children of God. His grace, as embodied in the life and ministry of Jesus, gives us important lessons and training so we are prepared for life as Christians in a sinful world.
Grace teaches us first to deny "ungodliness and worldly lusts." This is what grace tells us we should avoid. The importance of this phrase in verse 12 is that it is the condition for the positive commands later in the verse. So, if we want to live a life pleasing to God, we must first make a habit to abstain from certain behaviors that have nothing to do with grace. Those behaviors are summed up by Paul in "ungodliness and worldly lusts." Ungodliness refers to impious thoughts or actions, any behavior or attitude that is clearly against God. This is further expressed in our lusts, or desires. Our desires can be harnessed for good, but when under the sway of the world, those desires run amok and grieve the heart of God. The world wants us to give into our desires to the uttermost degree by enjoying and indulging every sensual experience. This goes against the teaching of grace.
Many prominent Christian leaders today teach that since we are under the grace of God, we are permitted to live as we wish. They get this idea from passages like Romans 6 where Paul says we are "not under the law but under grace" (Rom 6:14). Many Christian thinkers take from this passage that while the law was restrictive on our behavior, God's grace liberates us to choose the lifestyle we want. We do not need to be concerned with what we eat, what we wear, what we watch, what we listen to, etc.
It is true that God's grace is liberating. As Christians, we have many freedoms we can enjoy that OT saints did not. However, in no way should we think that Paul was endorsing a sinful, licentious lifestyle in Romans 6. In fact, his whole argument in that chapter is that we must not use our new standing in Christ to indulge sinful choices (Rom 6:1-2). He makes the same point here in Titus 2:12. God's grace does not justify ungodly behavior. As Christians, we must not bank on his favor on our lives so we can live as we please. The good news of Jesus leads us to a simple conclusion: we must deny the godlessness and wicked desires of the world.
Our foundation is the life and death of Christ. Because of what he did for me, I cannot go back to the sinful way I used to live. Instead, I must choose the way of grace, a life that honors and pleases the one who showed grace to me. That life Paul characterizes by three adverbs - soberly, righteously, and godly. Many have noted that these words probably cover the three areas of life we must consider - relationship with our self, our neighbor, and our God. The first word "soberly" appears on numerous occasions in this book. It speaks to an essential quality of a mature man (2:2, 5), especially those who wish to qualify for pastoral ministry (1:8). Living soberly means "in a self-controlled, thoughtful manner." It is a word that means we do not walk arbitrarily or foolishly. As we have learned from our study of Ephesians, we must walk wisely and understand what God's will is for our lives by studying the Scriptures (Eph 5:15-17).
To live righteously means to behave in a way that is morally right and acceptable. It speaks of an upright character, someone who is not known for doing harm to others. That is how we must treat our neighbor, whether they profess to be a Christian or not. Finally, a godly person is one who is like God in his thoughts, words, and actions. We cannot expect perfection in this, but the character of God is the standard we must strive for. So, in relation to ourselves, we must be careful, thoughtful, circumspect as Ephesians 5 teaches us. In relation to others, we do what is right, just, and decent. In relation to God, we live in accordance with his holy nature. This is how grace teaches us to live.
If this seems like a high bar to live by, you are getting the right idea. The grace of God, as reflected in the life of Jesus, does not make life easy. But as we discover truth from Scripture and apply it to our Christian lives, God equips us with grace. He supernaturally strengthens us so we can live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age. We live in an age of insobriety, injustice, and ungodliness. If we pay attention to the life and death of Jesus in Scripture, it will instruct us to live differently from the world around us. It teaches us to continually make choices that reject the habits and desires of our sinful flesh. Instead, Christ's life directs our attention to our complete inability to please the Lord and his total ability to enable us. In the here and now, let us walk according to what we learn in the classroom of grace.
Grace prepares us for Christ's return.
We have seen that grace prepares us for how to live as Christians who walk in a sinful world. It also prepares us for what to expect in our future with Christ. Not only should we live with certain ethical obligations in mind, but we should also consider the hope we have to look forward to. Indeed, Paul tells us we are "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior." Do you notice the theme of appearing shows up again in this verse? In verse 11, the grace of God appears, bringing salvation. We saw that this refers to Jesus Christ. In verse 13, the same person appears, only this time he does not come bringing salvation. Instead, he comes as "the blessed hope."
All believers should eagerly anticipate the return of Christ. He promised his disciples that he would return in glory (Matt 16:27; 25:31). At his ascension, angels appeared and told the disciples Christ would return the same way he left (Acts 1:10-11). Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians we observe the Lord's Table regularly until he comes again (1 Cor 11:26). He writes later in Philippians we wait for Christ's return because he will transform our mortal, corruptible body into a glorious resurrection body (Phil 3:20-21). At the end of inspired Scripture, the Apostle John quotes the Lord's own words: "Surely I am coming quickly" (Rev 22:20). Throughout the NT, we have this hope and expectation of Jesus coming back. This hope, according to Paul, should be the framework in which we live out the ethics of grace. Since Jesus died and rose again, he verified everything he said about himself, including his second coming. We should live in great anticipation of this blessed hope.
What makes this expectation so special? We finally get to see the full, unfiltered glory of "our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." Without question, Paul is equating God and Jesus in this verse. In fact, many of the newer Bible translations, including the NKJV, make this exceedingly clear. The one who is described as our great God and Savior, the one whose glory will one day appear, the one we will see again someday, is Jesus Christ. The original Greek construction of this verse verifies this, but so does the rest of the NT. Jesus claimed deity for himself when he was here on earth, and many of the apostles who wrote the NT confirmed this. He is our great God and Savior. He proved this by his names, his teaching, his miracles, and most importantly through his resurrection. Paul reminds us that the blessed hope we have is not in a dead man, but in the living God who will return. That is what grace teaches us.
Have you lived this past week in light of Christ's return? Does the blessed hope of his second coming excite you, or terrify you? Does his return thrill your heart, or wrack your heart with fear? If we are living as students of God's grace, as people who have shunned bad works and embraced good works, then we have nothing to fear. We can be hopeful that when he appears, we will not be ashamed. But if our lives are marked with the ungodliness and lusts of the world, then we will have reason to be ashamed. God's favor on us teaches us to live differently from the world. Let's live the way Christ's life teaches us to, expecting his return and ready for our great God and Savior to appear.
Grace reminds us of our new status in Christ.
We have seen that the grace of God has important lessons to give us for our present and our future, but it also has lessons we can draw from the past. Paul goes back to the central act of salvation, the death of Jesus Christ, and points out what that crucial event teaches us. He describes it in similar fashion to Christ in the gospel of Mark - he gave himself for us (cf. Mark 10:45). The same person who will one day come to this earth in his full glory as God was nailed to a cross to give his life as a sacrifice for the human race. He stood in our place and took the full brunt of sin's death blow. By doing so, he opened up a glorious possibility for all those who trust in him: we enjoy a new status as his redeemed people.
What does this new status entail? What are the perks and privileges? According to Paul, Christ gave himself so he could "redeem us from every lawless deed." To redeem in the first century meant that you paid a price to secure someone's freedom. Christ's payment was his life. By laying down his life, he secured your freedom and mine. For all who trust in him, you are free from the slavery of sin. You are no longer bound to obey sin's every whim in your life. The "lawless deeds" that once characterized your life and reputation do not have sway any longer.
Going back to Romans 6, the chapter that tells us we are under grace, Paul gives us the following descriptor about our new life in Christ: as the master of our choices and preferences, sin has been done away with (Rom 6:6). We are no longer slaves to the sinful disposition of our fallen nature. Instead, we are new creatures in Christ with the freedom to love and serve him. So, when grace tells us to shun ungodliness and worldly lusts, we do not rely on our own strength. When grace instructs us to live soberly, righteously, and godly, this is not a lifestyle we generate by ourselves. It is a lifestyle we have been redeemed to live. Jesus purchased you with every intention of receiving what he paid for - a person who reflects his image in their thoughts, words, and actions.
This is underscored by the second perk of your new status in Christ. He not only redeemed us, but he purified us as "his own special people, zealous for good works." Both of these concepts highlight the OT relationship between Yahweh and the nation of Israel. After delivering Israel through the Red Sea, God made a covenant with his chosen people. He wanted to make the nation his own special people (Ex 19:5). Every pagan country had their own patron god or goddess. The true God, Yahweh, had his chosen people in the line of Abraham. Through them, he intended for the world to know his wondrous works. Israel failed in this, but one day, he will reunite and restore his people so that they acknowledge him as their God once and for all (Ezek 37:23).
Just as God will one day purify his people, Jesus has already purified us so that we could be his special people. But his people are not bound to one race or skin color. He composed his church from all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Rather than being characterized by these external traits, God's people share a common bond in what we do. We are zealous for good works. We are passionate and enthusiastic about doing the things God has called us to do in order to advance his kingdom and spread his gospel.
This is what the life and death of Jesus teaches us. His life displayed God's grace. Because of his life, we have been given a new status. We are not bound to commit lawless deeds. We have been redeemed so we are free to serve our Lord. We also are not islands to ourselves. Have you noticed the community emphasis throughout this passage? Grace teaches us, we look for the appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ gave himself for us, he redeemed us. We are a special people called and commissioned for righteous acts that bless and benefit others. That is why we cannot afford to be apart. We must gather whenever we can so the ministry of this local assembly of believers can go forward. We must continue to stir each other up to love and good works, for that is why we have been redeemed and purified.
If you look at the history of the early church, you find a church in the city of Antioch. This church was unique because it was primarily composed of Gentiles. The Jewish leaders of the church in Jerusalem thought this was strange, so they sent a group of men to check out the church. What these men discovered was that the believers were spiritually strong, faithful, and growing in the Lord. In fact, the members of this church had such a well-known reputation for their faith that it was here in Antioch that followers of Christ were first called Christians (Acts 11:26).
I think that account captures so well Paul's sentiment here in Titus 2. The ministry of Jesus manifested the grace of God to us in a whole new way. That grace teaches us to abstain from certain ways of living so we can embrace others. It teaches us to prepare for a future with Jesus forever, our God and Savior. It teaches us that we are his redeemed people, set apart to live as eager ambassadors for him. Live as a Christian this week, one who walks and talks so distinctly from the world that everyone else cannot help but notice. Wear that distinction as a badge of honor, not something to shy away from. That is why Jesus paid so dearly to have you, so that you could reflect him above anything else.
