By TONY HOSS
In Titus 2:11-13 Paul said, “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; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” In Paul’s inspired message he affirms that God’s grace is a teaching faith. The very same grace is a saving grace and indeed it is saving from the sin and its power. However this is not the only grace that God blesses mankind with. The grace of God that brings salvation teaches us. The salvation here mentioned is obviously salvation from sin and its power. However, there is a grace of God that does not bring salvation from sin. This form of grace benefits all mankind and understanding. It helps us to understand the spiritual grace that God offers.
Grace simply means “favor.” Therefore, we see that by God’s favor we have air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink, and even life itself. We should note that this awesome grace by which we exist is unmerited. In other words, humanity does not inherently deserve the grace of God. Also there is nothing that mankind can do to or ever has done to force God to extend His grace towards us.
Since this is true, when God’s grace is offered we cannot be passive towards it. God offers mankind food, water and air to breathe; but mankind must eat, drink and breathe on his own. God will not force anyone to eat, drink or breathe. The same is true in the spiritual real as it is in the physical.
We must remember that Paul said, God’s grace teaches. Paul’s statement is in agreement with every other passage in the Bible having to do with man’s salvation. God chooses to reveal his plan of salvation (offer His grace) through teaching. Paul said, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” 1 Corinthians 1:21 KJV. Mankind simply cannot devise in his own wisdom a way to reconcile himself to God. This being true God through grace gave the world His only Son. Jesus said, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). From these passages and many others throughout the Bible we learn that God reveals His grace in the gospel and those who refuse the gospel cannot be saved. This is what Paul has reference to when he said, “By grace are ye saved through faith.” This is the grace Paul spoke of in Titus 2:11, the grace “that bringeth salvation.”
With such a plan in place there is no doubt why God gave the great commission (Matt. 28:19, Mark 16:15-16). There is no doubt that teaching or preaching the gospel was the means by which God’s grace was to be revealed to humanity. If mankind rejects the gospel he rejects God’s salvation through grace. Teaching the gospel is necessary, but teaching alone cannot save anyone. People must hear and accept the teaching of the gospel to receive salvation through grace (Romans 10:17, Matt. 13:14). We must use caution in hearing and applying the word of God in our spiritual lives.
In next week’s article I will continue to consider the subject of God’s grace.
(Tony Hoss is minister at the Centerview Church of Christ, Elizabethton. He can be contacted at 423-737-2287 or by email at: CenterviewCOC@comcast.net)