"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath 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 that blessed hope, and the 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 of good works."
Titus 2:11-14
Part 2
Yesterday:
“For the grace of God,”
This speaks to God’s gracious character. He loves His creatures; therefore, He is gracious to them.
“That bringeth salvation,”
Salvation only comes through His grace.
“Hath appeared to all men,”
Jesus, the embodiment of grace has come to save those who will trust Him as their Savior.
Today:
“Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,”
There are instruction and training in God’s grace for us. His grace disciplines us with at least two specific lessons about things that we need to put away from our lives.
1. Because we are saved by the grace of God, we now must deny ungodliness. We were living in sin as Hell-bound sinners. Now that we are Heaven-bound, we reject the old sin and live for Christ. We discipline our lives as believers.
“It [His grace] guides us daily—to ‘true repentance and His Holy Spirit’—that we may ‘live a godly, righteous and sober life.’” [1]
2. As God’s children, we also deny worldly lusts. Those things that the lost world is hungering for, we say no to.
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:15-17).
“We should live soberly, righteously, and godly,”
How do we live as believers in this lost world? He tells us three things to help us understand His will for each child of God.
1. To live soberly. A clear head.
This word soberly today has a very different meaning than the ancient word in the New Testament. While living a lifestyle of sobriety is taught in the scriptures, this is not what it means here. The word Paul used means “with sound mind, soberly, temperately, discreetly.” [2] (Thayer). We gain a “sound mind” by being in God’s Word daily for our spiritual sustenance. Then we will learn temperance and discretion.
2. To live righteously. A clear heart.
The Greek word translated here as “righteous” means, “just, agreeably to right…. properly, as is right… uprightly, agreeable to the law of rectitude” [3] (Thayer). The person who is “righteous” has a heart that is right with God and with others. This person is not holding sin in his heart. He treats people right.
3. To live godly. A clear testimony.
The “godly” person is one who is genuinely “pious and godly.” He’s not “faking it.” He is the kind of “what you see is what you get” person. His testimony matches his godly walk with the Lord. His life story points to God, and he is faithful in what God has for him to do (as well as how he lives).
“In this present world;”
You may have heard of a person “who is so heavenly minded, they are of no earthly good.” This is not the believer who is “sober, righteous, and godly.” This person lives each day in this present world for the glory of God. He is a witness to the lost, and an encouragement to the believers. He doesn’t waste his life but uses it for the Lord.
What is this kind of believer’s great desire? Come back tomorrow and let’s continue our passage.
[1] Cambridge Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] J.H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
[3] Thayer, ibid.