TITUS
2:11-15
“THE
DIVINE INFLUENCE
UPON
THE HEART”
Titus
2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Susie: The
grace spoken of here is Grace personified in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Jesus lived among men in the flesh as God’s only begotten Son and made
salvation available to all kinds of people, not only the Jews but the Gentiles,
not only the rich, but the poor, not only the free, but the slave.
Galatians
3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is
neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Susan: Paul
is not saying that all of mankind will be saved but that all categories of
people are offered salvation through Jesus Christ.
Titus
2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Susie: The
Lord taught us to repent, to turn away from the things of this world, the sin
that corrupts us, and trust in Jesus to usher us into the Kingdom of God.
Matthew
4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand.
Susan: We are
incapable of turning from sin until the Holy Spirit of God draws us to Himself,
and our eyes are opened to the magnitude of our sinfulness. As the spiritual
scales drop from our eyes, the Holy Spirit illuminates our deep need of the
Savior, Jesus Christ. Once we surrender our lives to Him, we are saved from
being condemned by the Law and God deems us as righteous because we are clothed
in the righteous of Jesus. This gift was made available by His death on the
cross as the ransom to bring us out of the prison of sin. Then the Holy Spirit
begins the life-long process of sanctifying us, helping us to become more and
more like Jesus. This is not just putting on a little spiritual make-up to look
good in front of others but involves a total transformation of our lives from
the inside out. The change God effects in our hearts by His grace will flow out
through our lives.
The
New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible:
5485-charis
– grace: the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.
Susie: Becoming
more Christlike in our day to day lives involves living sober-mindedly
(seriously and self-controlled), righteously (upright, in right relationship
with God and others), and godly (behaving according to the precepts found in
the Bible). Note that all this does not wait until we are in our heavenly home,
but happens “in this present age.” The Kingdom of God is at hand because we are
citizens of His kingdom even now if we trust in Jesus. That is why we were
instructed to pray:
Matthew
6:10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Susie: Eventually,
Jesus will reign on earth, and those of us who have believed on Him for
salvation will reign with Him. But even now we are to live as citizens of His
kingdom wherever we live on earth.
2
Timothy 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he
also will deny us
Titus
2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God
and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Susan: I like
verse 13 in the Complete Jewish Bible:
Titus
2:13 (CJB) . . .while continuing to expect the blessed fulfillment of our
certain hope, which is the appearing of the Sh’khinah of our great God and the
appearing of our Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah.
Susan: God’s
work is being manifest in us here on earth every day, but we live looking up
expectantly, eagerly anticipating the sky to split and to see the Lord Jesus
coming on the clouds in all of His radiant glory, majesty, and power.
Susie: We
were delivered from sin’s condemnation of us the moment we trusted Jesus. We
are in the process of being delivered from sin’s power over us as we daily walk
in the Holy Spirit’s transforming power. But on that glorious day, we will be
delivered completely from the presence of sin as we are overshadowed by the
presence of God.
Titus
2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and
purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Susie: Jesus
laid down His life, shed His own blood, was both High Priest and Sacrificial
lamb in order to transform us into a people set apart to glorify His name. We
were not saved by good works, but we are saved unto good works. The Holy Spirit within us gives us an insatiable
desire to please and serve the Lord who saved us.
Ephesians
2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which
God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians
5:27 (VOICE) He has given Himself so that He can present the church as His
radiant bride, unstained, unwrinkled, and unblemished—completely free from all
impurity—holy and innocent before Him.
Hebrews
7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first
for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he
offered up himself.
Titus
2:15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man
despise thee.
Susan: Titus
was to preach or testify to the truth of the scripture and the Apostle’s
teaching. He was to exhort, to encourage believers to live according to the
principles he was teaching. If any did not adhere to his teaching, he was to
rebuke (correct) them with the goal of bringing them into a right understanding
of the scriptures and right relationship with God and His church.
Susie: Titus
could speak with authority because he spoke the scripture, the word of God.
Therefore, he should not back down when people rebelled against his teaching or
despised his words. He should stand firm in the truth of the Gospel.
Susan: Paul
was telling Titus to preach boldly, tenaciously, and unwavering when he brought
the word of God to the people. Paul urged Titus to persevere with all
diligence, never backing down.
QUESTIONS
1. Who is
God’s grace, love, and kindness personified?
2. In
light of God’s grace in sending Jesus to die for us, how are we to live?
3. For
what are we hoping?
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