Grace Teaches Us

I suppose that there is as much said about the grace of God found in the writing of the apostle Paul as anywhere else in scripture.  In one very significant passage Paul writes, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”  (Titus 2:11-12)

While there are several important matters about grace mentioned in this text, there is one thing in particular that I would like to emphasize.  The grace of God teaches us—it teaches us to live.  On the negative side, grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust—that is, to remove these things from our lives.  Then, on the positive side, grace teaches us to “live soberly, righteously, and godly”—that is, live an upright life both morally and religiously.  This teaching us how to live is every bit as much a part of salvation by grace as is the forgiveness of sins.

What about you?  Are you letting the grace of God teach you?  It is not enough just to look to God’s grace for the forgiveness of our sins; we must also let grace lead us out of the practice of sin and into right living.  This is the true grace of God.  Salvation by grace is not to save us in sin, but rather, to save us from sin.

 

 Claude