The Amazing Grace of God

276

No doctrine of Scripture is more precious to mankind than the doctrine of salvation. And no word is more crucial to the doctrine of salvation than the word grace. That the sovereign God of creation would reach down from heaven and rescue undeserving sinners from the bondage and slavery of sin, from spiritual death and eternal separation from God in a place called hell, can only be described in one word: grace.

Salvation is a wonderful doctrine of the Bible. It is a badly misunderstood doctrine as well, especially as it relates to our understanding of the work of Christ and how it applies to sinners. It is not popular in our day to claim that Jesus is the only way to God. Modern culture and theologies see this as too narrow and restrictive, intolerant, unloving, and unworthy of the God we imagine God to be.

Three theological ideas dominate the contemporary religious scene when it comes to the issue of salvation. First, universalism, and the277 related term pluralism, teaches that there are many ways—or even an unlimited number of ways—to God. This is the idea that all roads lead to God, and therefore everyone will eventually be saved and make it to heaven. This is a popular position among more liberal theologians as well as among those who embrace New Age ideologies. This view is well represented by theologian John Hick, who says,

Most New Testament scholars today do not believe that Jesus, the historical individual, claimed to be God incarnate. The old exclusivist view that only Christians are saved has been abandoned by the majority of Christian theologians and church leaders. There is, in fact, a basic moral outlook which is universal, and I suggest that the concrete reality of salvation consists in embodying this in our lives in a spiritual transformation whose natural expression is unrestricted love and compassion. The basic moral teaching of the religions remains the same. It constitutes the universal ideal. What are called the conflicting truth-claims of the religions do not in fact conflict, because they are claims about different human awarenesses of the divine. We are living today in a time of transition which amounts to a move to a new paradigm of Christian thought. ("Only True Religion?" 3-11)

Second, inclusivism affirms that Jesus is the only Savior but that it is possible to be saved by Jesus even though you may never have personally trusted Him for salvation. Inclusivism teaches that salvation can be received through a positive response to God's revelation in nature and conscience (called general revelation) or possibly even through other world religions. Although other religions have an imperfect understanding of the one true God, the truth that they do possess is seen to be adequate to save a person. It is said that we may be able to recognize these "anonymous Christians" (a phrase coined by the Roman Catholic theologian Karl Rahner) by the good deeds they do. Hence, belief in a works salvation often accompanies this position. Clark Pinnock and John Sanders are representative of this perspective. Pinnock writes:

According to Acts 4:12, then, Jesus has done a unique work for the human race, the good news of which needs to be preached to the whole world. But this uniqueness does not entail exclusivity.... The Son through whom all things were made is constantly at work in the world. The Spirit of God broods over278 the whole creation and over history. We should not think of God as absent from the world except where the name of Jesus of Nazareth is pronounced. Although for many evangelicals the finality of Christ spells exclusivism, I believe our high Christology can also create space for openness and generosity to the world's peoples. We do not need to think of the church as the ark of salvation, leaving everyone else in hell.... I have always been impressed by the view put forward at the Second Vatican Council to the effect that the person who dies having sincerely sought after God, but not having learned about Jesus, will not be automatically condemned in the judgment but will be given the opportunity to plead the blood of Christ. ("Acts 4:12," 112-14)

Sanders is even more clear in how he believes someone can get to heaven without personally trusting Christ:

The Father reaches out to the unevangelized through both the Son and the Spirit via general revelation, conscience and human culture. God does not leave himself without witness to any people. Salvation for the unevangelized is made possible only by the redemptive work of Jesus, but God applies that work even to those who are ignorant of the atonement. God does this if people respond in trusting faith to the revelation they have. ("Inclusivism," 36)

Third, exclusivism is the teaching that has been held by the majority of the church for most of its history. It is the orthodox, evangelical position, teaching that salvation comes only through a personal faith commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. This does not exclude those who never reach an age of moral responsibility and accountability, such as infants and small children, or those who are incapable of moral discernment, such as mentally handicapped people. Evangelicals have overwhelmingly held the view that these individuals are the objects of God's saving grace and mercy.28 But exclusivism does affirm the absolute uniqueness and finality of God's revelation in Jesus. He alone is the one and only Savior, as taught in John 14:6; Acts 4:12; and 1 Timothy 2:5.279 Only in Him can one be saved. God would not have sent His only Son to die on a cross if He could have saved us by some other means. The cross of Christ is God's great testimony that Jesus is the exclusive way to the Father. The preaching of the gospel is how this great testimony is made known for salvation throughout the world (Rom 10:9-17).

As we think about the doctrine of salvation, several important texts in the Word of God address various facets of our salvation. In John 3 Jesus teaches us about spiritual birth. Romans 3 teaches us about justification by faith in Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5 we learn about reconciliation with God. Galatians 3 teaches us about deliverance from the curse of the law. Hebrews 7-10 tells us about Jesus our great high priest and His perfect sacrifice for sin. In 1 John 2:2 and 4:10 we see His propitiatory work of atonement. In Titus 2:11-15 we learn about the grace of God that brings salvation to all men!

In Titus 2:11-15, Paul highlights the grace of God and the glory of God. What he discusses concerning these two realities can also be summed up in one word: Jesus. So, what does God want us to know and embrace when it comes to the "glory of the One and Only Son..., full of grace and truth" (John 1:14)?

God's Grace Teaches Us How to Live

God's Grace Teaches Us How to Live

Titus 2:11-12

The conjunction "for" ties the weighty sentence of verses 11-14 to the practical instruction of verses 1-10. It shows us that God's commands are rooted in His grace. Here then is the doctrinal foundation for the practical instruction. In this instance belief follows behavior, and yet, in a real sense, belief and behavior continue to be woven together in a beautiful tapestry of biblical teaching in the text before us. From this we are assured that what God demands of us is possible because of what He first has done for us and in us.

God's Grace Has Come to Us (Titus 2:11)

The "grace of God" refers to His unmerited favor, His goodness and kindness, His compassion and mercy demonstrated toward undeserving sinners. This grace of God "has appeared with salvation" or "brings salvation" (NKJV), the deliverance and rescue from sin and its judgment. The crucial point is clear: no grace would mean no salvation. Mounce writes, "'Grace' is a one-word summary of God's280 saving act in Christ, given freely to sinners who believe (cf. 1 Tim 1:2)" (Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, 422).

Salvation by the grace of God "has appeared... for all people." That is, He has made this salvation known in a way previously unknown, and He has made it known for all the world to see. The perfect atonement of Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God made all men savable. There is a universal and unlimited provision. Every sin of every person has its answer in Jesus. No nation, tongue, people, or person is excluded from His saving work. Those who perish in the horrors of hell must walk over a blood-stained cross that bears their name. By His nature our God is a saving God. His gracious gift of salvation has appeared for all. That includes you and that includes me. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

God's Grace Must Change Us (Titus 2:12)

There has been a dispute among certain evangelicals called the "Lordship Salvation" debate. In its most extreme those who oppose lordship salvation say the following:

1. Repentance is not necessary for salvation.
2. Faith is simply intellectual assent to a proposition.
3. The will is not involved in the act of conversion.
4. Good works may or may not follow faith, i.e., one should separate salvation from discipleship.
5. Apostasy of a saved person is possible via what is called "dead faith" (a bizarre understanding of James 2:14-26).

I would submit that Titus 2:12 deals a death blow and puts to an end once and for all "to any theology that separates salvation from the demands of obedience to the Lordship of Christ" (Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, 423). Without calling for perfection, Paul says that a new direction in a person's life is the outgrowth and expectation of God for those experiencing His salvation.

The grace of God, the goodness of God, the greatness of God, the glory of God instructs us negatively "to deny godlessness and worldly lusts" and positively "to live in a sensible [toward ourselves], righteous [toward others], and godly way [toward God]." We are called to live this way "in the present age," right now, today. Jerry Bridges summarizes this well:281

Self-control ["sensible"] expresses the self-restraint we need to practice toward the good and legitimate things of life, as well as the outright denial of things clearly sinful. Upright or righteous conduct refers to just and right actions toward other people, doing to them what we would have them do to us (Matt 7:12). Godliness is having a regard for God's glory and God's will in every aspect of our lives, doing everything out of reverence and love for Him. (Discipline of Grace, 88)

And remember: it is grace, God's amazing grace, that teaches us to live this way. I cannot do it in my power, my strength, my genius, my ability. No, His grace breaks the power of cancelled sin! It not only saves, it also transforms. God's grace teaches us how to live.

God's Grace Teaches Us Where We Should Look

God's Grace Teaches Us Where We Should Look

Titus 2:13

Living in this present age (v. 12) is a constant reminder that there is an age to come. This earth is not my home, and this world is not my final destination. With father Abraham we are "looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Heb 11:10), and we look for Jesus "who rescues us from the coming wrath" (1 Thess 1:10).

We Know What to Look For: His Coming

While we live in this present age, we are called to "wait." Waiting or looking speaks of an eager and confident expectation. And what are we looking for? It is the "blessed hope" and the "appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." Thus we have a twofold appearing in this passage of Scripture. There is the appearance of God's grace (v. 11) and God's glory (v. 13). Both appearances speak of the same person: Jesus. The grace that has appeared speaks of His first coming. The glory that will appear speaks of His second coming. With a constant gaze and the experience of grace, our eyes are fixed heavenward with one and only one hope: His coming.

We Know Whom to Look For: Our Savior

We don't look for anyone coming from heaven but someone coming from heaven. It is not Gabriel or Michael or any of the rest of the angelic282 host. No, they simply will not do. They are inadequate for what we hope for and what we need. We look and long for the one who is "our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." Here is a clear and magnificent statement of the deity of the Son. It joins other wonderful direct declarations of this truth like John 20:28; Romans 9:5; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1; and 1 John 5:20.

He is our "great God" not our greater God, for after Him no one is great! He is our great God, the object of our worship, Creator and Savior, forgiver of sins, final Judge, the One to whom we pray, the One in whom all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form (Col 2:9). He is my "Savior," my deliverer, my Redeemer, my rescuer; He is Jesus the Christ, God's Messiah, God's anointed, the One who came in fulfillment of Old Testament promises and the One who is coming again. God's grace teaches us where we should look and to whom we should look as we wait.

God's Grace Teaches Us Who Is Lord

God's Grace Teaches Us Who Is Lord

Titus 2:14

The doctrine of salvation can appropriately be discussed in three tenses: past, present, and future.

• Past: we are delivered from sin's penalty! justification.
• Present: we are delivered from sin's power! sanctification.
• Future: we will be delivered from sin's presence! glorification.

In these verses Paul addresses all three: sin's penalty in verses 11 and 14; sin's power in verses 12 and 14; and sin's presence in verse 13. All of this finds its efficiency in the perfect atoning work of Christ, a work that is put on marvelous display here in verse 14. Consider this fourfold portrait.

Jesus Paid for Us

Jesus "gave Himself for us." This refers to the vicarious and substitutionary nature of Christ's death. The purpose given for His death is "to redeem us from all lawlessness." Here we see the costly and liberating work of redemption (cf. Matt 20:28; Acts 20:28; 1 Tim 2:6; 1 Pet 1:18-19). In the words of Ellis J. Crum,

He paid a debt He did not owe,

I owed a debt I could not pay!283

This is the way Jesus described the reason for His coming: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). The apostle Paul spells it out clearly in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Jesus paid for us.

Jesus Purifies Us

He purchased us to purify or "cleanse" us! His grace takes us out of the pigpen; it does not help us enjoy the pigpen. Sin makes us guilty and dirty. Grace makes us innocent and clean. This is the promise of the new covenant: "I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols" (Ezek 36:25). Jesus cleanses and purifies us by virtue of His vicarious and substitutionary death.

Jesus Possesses Us

He purchased us, to purify us, to possess us, literally "for Himself a people for His own a possession." Drawing from the imagery of Exodus 19:5, Peter makes this same point:

What security is ours! Once we were Satan's, now we are the Son's. Once we were sin's, now we are the Savior's. Once we were foreigners, now we are family. Now I belong to Jesus:

Jesus my Lord will love me forever,

From Him no power of evil can sever.

He gave His life to ransom my soul,

Now I belong to Him.

Now I belong to Jesus.

Jesus belongs to me.

Not for the years of time alone,

But for eternity.29284

Jesus Prepares Us

As those who are His, we have a holy passion: "eager to do good works." Unlike the Cretans who were disqualified or unfit for any good work (1:16), we have a consuming desire to honor our great God and Savior for His glorious work of redemption. Our works are the natural response to His work. Zeal for Him becomes our daily desire, having been prepared by Him for this kind of life. Grace teaches us who is Lord. Grace empowers us to serve Him as Lord.

God's Grace Teaches Us What We Should Learn

God's Grace Teaches Us What We Should Learn

Titus 2:15

Verse 15 concludes chapter 2 and opens the door for chapter 3. John MacArthur says verse 15 "is one of the clearest and strongest statements in Scripture about the spiritual authority of men whom God calls to minister His Word and shepherd His people" (Titus, 125). Beginning with the verb "speak" or "say," Paul follows up in rapid-fire succession with three more imperatives of command: "encourage... rebuke... let no one disregard." The man of God could speak in this way "with all authority" because of His authority: the great God and Savior Jesus Christ. From what Titus was to teach we can see what we should learn.

Learn Doctrine

The command given is continually to "say" or "speak" these things. "These things" certainly refers to 2:11-14, but it is likely that it refers to the entire letter, a letter filled with "sound teaching" (1:9; 2:1). Believers must know what they believe about the person and work of Jesus Christ, salvation, the church, and the future.

Learn Duty

Four of the fourteen imperatives in Titus are in this verse. "Encourage" addresses our duty before God and men. Paul encourages; he comes alongside to challenge us in the way we should live as we look for "the blessed hope" (2:13).285

Learn Discernment

If "encourage" speaks to us about the way we should go, "rebuke" (1:13) admonishes us concerning the way we should not go. "Encourage" has as its primary audience the faithful. "Rebuke" has as its primary audience the unfaithful. When we confront and correct, we do so with all authority. We do not compromise or kowtow. We do not dialogue or debate. Discerning both the error and the danger in our midst, we shepherd our sheep, we protect our sheep, with a firm and steady hand.

Learn Dedication

Speaking the truth will not always be popular, but it will always be necessary. It will require courage, conviction, and "Christ-confidence." This will enable you to stand humbly tall, refusing to be intimidated by naysayers and opponents. You will not let anyone "disregard," despise, look down on you, for you are looking upward and heavenward for your orders from your great God and Savior.

Conclusion

Conclusion

This passage shows us that the grace of God is the foundation for godly living in the here and now. It is rooted in Christ's past work on the cross and the promise of His future return. Martin Luther summarized how we ought to live in light of this passage. He said, "I live as though Christ died yesterday, rose again today, and is coming again tomorrow."30 Our present pursuit of godliness is sandwiched in between the death and resurrection of Christ and His second coming—the grace of His first coming and the glory of His return. Our hearts should well up with praise in response to the grace of God. It truly is amazing grace. Consider the words of this old hymn and respond in praise to our great God and Savior Jesus Christ:

Wonderful grace of Jesus, Greater than all my sin;

How shall my tongue describe it, Where shall my praise begin?

Taking away my burden, Setting my spirit free,

For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.286

Wonderful grace of Jesus, Reaching the most defiled.

By its transforming power Making him God's dear child.

Purchasing peace and heaven For all eternity—

And the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.31287

The amazing grace of God! I am so glad it reaches me! Aren't you glad it reaches you?

Reflect and Discuss