For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Titus 2:11-14
The passage above should produce a blend of gratitude and gravity as we come to know what God has done through His Son and what He expects of us in response. These two elements are essential as we strive to put off the works of the flesh and produce the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:16-24). Gratitude produces contentment which reduces the appeal of the forbidden things with which Satan hopes to entice us (1 Timothy 6:6). Gravity reduces the tendency to minimize the deadly effects of rebelling against God in sin (Romans 6:23a; Hebrews 10:26).
Gratitude naturally follows when we grasp the nature of God’s grace. Three key principles of this marvelous truth will facilitate this gratitude: 1) the meaning of grace, 2) the cost of grace, and 3) the blessings of grace. This three-fold view of grace should deepen our understanding of God’s love for us and strengthen our love for Him (1 John 4:19).
The basic definition of grace is unmerited favor meaning we are underserving of God’s favors and blessings. He bestowed these favors upon us while we were at odds with Him due to our rebellion (Romans 5:6-10). It is one thing to receive the favor of those we have treated well. It is another thing altogether to receive the favor of the One against whom we were once rebellious. The price of grace further magnifies this truth.
Titus 2:11-14 and Romans 5:6-10 tell the tremendous price of God’s grace. That price was the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. With this truth in view, someone has created an acronym from the word grace that succinctly describes what it is: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Without this amazing grace, we would be separated from God for eternity, suffering the terrors of hell (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
Thankfully, His grace granted eternal blessings in Jesus the Christ. Referring again to Titus 2:11-14, we see four distinct blessings: 1) salvation, 2) redemption, 3) purification, and 4) peoplehood. God’s grace appeared bringing salvation (vs. 11; cf. Luke 19:10). Christ gave Himself to redeem (ransom) us from every lawless deed (vs. 14; cf. Romans 6:16-18). Through His redeeming blood, He purified us for His purposes (vs. 14; Hebrews 9:14). In so doing, He made us His own special people (vs. 14; cf. Exodus 19:5-6). How could we be anything but grateful for such gracious gifts?
That said, gratefulness must be united with gravity. We must recognize that God’s grace is not without condition. Conditions of reception and retention of these blessings do not detract from the reality that grace is unmerited and unearned. The New Testament is clear that there are conditions attached to these blessings. All spiritual blessings are in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3; Romans 3:24; 6:23; 8:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 3:26-28). If all spiritual blessings are in Christ, then no spiritual blessings are outside of Christ. If the Bible demands any action to put one in Christ, that action is a condition of receiving His grace. Galatians 3:26-28 combines faith and baptism as conditions to being in Christ.
Titus 2:11-14 promotes repentance and holy living as demands of those who have received His grace (cf. Romans 1:5; 16:25-26; Ephesians 2:10). Many find it impossible to reconcile this demand for obedience with the fact that salvation is a gift of grace. The Lord saw this difficulty coming and preempted the notion that grace gives a license to continue in sin (Romans 6:1-2, 15-16; Jude 3-4). The consequences of continuing in sin after receiving His grace are severe (Hebrews 2:1-3; 10:26-31). For this cause, we must proceed with the proper blend of gratefulness and gravity.