The Grace of God Has Appeared

Grace is a recurring theme in the Bible, especially the New Testament. It is an essential ingredient to our salvation. A simple definition of grace is that it is unmerited favor – a gift from God that we do not deserve. Many assume this means that grace is given unconditionally, yet this is not a necessary part of it. In our text, Paul reminded Titus of the grace of God – what it does for us AND what it requires of us. Many like to think of what we receive, not what we must do. We need to accept all of it.

The Grace of God Has Appeared

• The fact that it has appeared implies a couple of things
  • It was previously hidden – God showed grace before (Deuteronomy 6:10-12; 7:6-8), but it was fully realized in Christ (John 1:14-17)
  • It could not be found without God revealing it – we were “helpless” without it (Romans 5:6)
• The grace of God brings salvation (Ephesians 2:8) – salvation from sin (cf. Romans 6:23); since all have sinned (Romans 3:23), it is impossible to be saved without God’s grace
• This grace has been extended to all men – Jesus died for all, not just a few (John 3:16); God is impartial (Acts 10:34-35); He has not arbitrarily selected some to be saved and the rest to be lost

The Grace of God Instructs Us

• Many think of grace as nothing more than the gift of salvation – there are also instructions
• Why would instructions be part of God’s grace? – because salvation by grace is conditional
  • Offering salvation, but not telling us how to obtain it, would not help us
  • Conditional for non-Christians – grace has been extended to all, but not all will be saved (Matthew 7:13-14); there are certain things we must do to be saved (Hebrews 11:6; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 2:38)
  • Conditional for Christians – it is possible to “receive the grace of God in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1); after becoming a Christian, we must be “faithful until death” (Revelation 2:10)
• We are to deny certain things – Paul mentioned two, but they encompass all that is condemned
  • Ungodliness – acting in a way that is contrary to God’s nature or character; sin (Romans 3:23)
  • Worldly desires – lust after those things that are contrary to God (1 John 2:15-16; cf. James 1:15)
• We are to live a certain way – “in the present age” means NOW, not waiting to start sometime later
  • Sensibly – soberly; we give thought to what we are doing; do not act aimlessly
  • Righteously – in harmony with the standard of righteousness revealed in God’s word
  • Godly – in harmony with the character and nature of God

The Grace of God Provides Hope

• Paul described this as a “blessed hope” – this means a blessing from God (i.e. grace); we have no hope otherwise (Ephesians 2:12)
• It will be realized when the Lord returns (1 Peter 1:3-5) – we eagerly wait for this (cf. Philippians 3:20-21)
• While we live godly lives now, the reward will be in the next life – false teachers promise earthly rewards (1 Timothy 6:3-5); Jesus did not (John 16:33)

The Grace of God Is Seen in Jesus’ Sacrifice

• Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate demonstration of God’s grace
  • No greater love (John 15:13) – grace is extended because of love (Ephesians 2:4-5)
  • From the Father – He was willing to send Jesus to die on the cross (John 3:16)
  • From Jesus – He was willing to lay down His life on the cross for us (John 10:17-18)
• What Jesus’ sacrifice did – Paul mentioned three things
  • Redeemed us from every lawless deed – so we will not receive the wages of sin (Romans 6:23)
  • Purified us – provided forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7)
  • Made us His own possession – we now belong to Him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
• We must now be zealous for good deeds – we cannot live any way we want; we must keep His commandments (John 14:15; 15:13-14)

Conclusion

• The grace of God makes it possible to be saved – sadly, not all will be saved
• If we want to take advantage of God’s grace, we must meet the conditions He has given
• Once we do that, we must continue in faithful service to Him