|
Introduction
There are two great doctrinal passages in the Book of Titus
– Titus 2:11-14, and Titus 3:4-7. In these two passages we
find...
·
Soteriology – the doctrine
of salvation (3:5a)
·
Pneumatology – the
doctrine of the Holy Spirit (3:5b-6).
·
Christology – the doctrine
of Christ (2:13)
The teaching of doctrines is important because they are the
bases for our understanding of the Christian faith.
Christian conduct must be grounded in and motivated by the
power of God’s revealed truth.
The Grace of God Appearing…Holy Living
(2:11-12)
Grace is the unmerited favour God extends to sinners by
which He saves us from condemnation. In the context of Titus
2:11, the “grace of God that bringeth salvation” is our Lord
Jesus Christ (Luke 2:29-30; 3:6; John 1:14).
The Bible does not teach universal salvation.
Christ’s death and the shedding of His blood is efficacious
for the salvation of all men. The phrase “all men” (2:11b)
refers to all types of sinners, regardless of age, gender,
status.
A. Denying Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts
Saving
grace demands the lives of Christians be consistent
with
the nature of our Saviour. So the grace of God that brings
salvation also teaches. This teaching has two aspects.
The
grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly
lusts. To deny is to turn away totally (Heb 11:24).
Ungodliness is a lack of reverence for God. Worldly lusts
describe all things that draw us away from God and distract
us from our devotion to Him.
+
Are you living with devotion for God?
B. Living Soberly, Righteously, Godly
The grace of God teaches us to live soberly, righteously,
and godly, in this present world (2:12).
·
To live soberly is to have
self-control. It describes a person’s personal life.
·
To live righteously is to
live in accordance to the Word of God. It describes a
person’s relationship with others.
·
To live godly is to live
in the presence of the Almighty God (Ps. 97:10; Col. 1:18).
It describes our relationship with God.
As Christians, we are to live soberly, righteously, and
godly, in this present world (age). God does not change the
culture to make it easier for Christians to live in. God
changes the believer.
+ God
has “given unto us all things that pertain unto life and
godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us
to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3). Does your life reflect
the new nature that God has given you?
The Glory of God Appearing…Hopeful Living (2:13)
Christians are to live by waiting expectantly for the
fulfillment of that blessed hope. The blessed hope and the
glorious appearing are one and the same event. Paul is
referring to our Lord’s second coming; when He will appear
in glory, that appearing will be our blessed hope.
The great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ are one
and the same person, meaning to say that our Lord Jesus is
the great God. Jesus Christ is God. He is not the
incarnation of the archangel Michael as taught by the
Jehovah Witnesses. He is not a created angel and older
brother of Lucifer as taught by the Mormons. Jesus Christ is
the great God and Saviour (Isa. 9:6; Luke 1:16, 35; Isa.
40:12). However, the great God will dwell in the heart of
every contrite sinner (Isa. 66:1-2; 57:15)
+ Do you know Jesus
as your Saviour? What will Christ be to you – your Saviour
or your Judge?
The Goal of God’s Appearing…Fruitful Living (2:14-15)
The redemption of Christ has a two-fold purpose. First, our
Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself as the ransom to redeem us
from iniquity (lawlessness). Second, our Lord Jesus Christ
redeemed us so that He may purify unto Himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works.
We are God’s “peculiar people” in the sense that we
belong to Him (Exod. 19:5; 1 Pet. 2:9). As the peculiar
people of a great God, we must show forth great works. Titus
is a book that strongly emphasises the need of good works in
the lives of Christians (2:7; 3:1, 8, 14)
+ Does your life show
a pattern of good works?
“Be ye holy for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:15-16). It is God’s
will that His people should be holy as a testimony of His
holiness before an unholy world. Holy living is evidence of
the victory that our Lord Jesus has given us (1 Cor. 15:57).
+ Our Lord Jesus has
set us free from the power of sin. Does your life reflect
that victory? |
