Someone is bound to ask you: Just what is so “good” about The Good News? Titus 2:11-14

Titus 2:11-14 New King James Version

Trained by Saving Grace

¹¹ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, ¹³ looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ 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.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

What are your thoughts about this statement?

Living into God’s Great Commandment; The grace that saves is the grace that works through our relationship with ourselves, with neighbors and with God.

When we hear the Gospel or the Good News, what comes to our mind?

Do we think of a heavenly real estate deal that after signing up we are now assured of a place in heaven?

Do we think of a divine fire insurance that after putting our name on the dotted line we can now heave a deep sigh of relief because we are skipping hell?

Is it as simple as ABC?

Accept Believe and Confess?

Is that all there is to the Good News?

In studies of contemporary religion in America, sociologists have found a disturbing trend among teenagers.

For them, “God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem…

The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.” [1]

[1]“Death by Deism” by Collin Hansen (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/aprilweb-only/116-11.0.html?start=1)

Simply put, relationship with God became a religion about Him.

But I think that point of view is not just held by teenagers and it is not just found among Americans. Is that it? Is that what the Good News is all about?

So, when that one person asks; What’s so good about the Good News, anyway?

Of course, when we put our faith in our Lord Jesus as Savior, we have eternal life. But there’s more to the Good News than just making sure we would enjoy heaven and won’t endure hell.

Yes, when we believe, we will find peace. But the Good News is not just about peace. It’s not at all just about feeling good. There’s more to the Good News than that. There’s more to it than just making a decision for Christ and then proceeding with our lives as usual. So, what’s so good about the Good News?

Titus 2:11-14 gives us the answer.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Here we see that the reason the good news is good is because the Good News involves all aspects of our life.

Why? Because the grace that SAVES is the grace that WORKS.

In the Greek, Titus chapter 2 verses 11 to 14 are actually one long sentence.

Titus was the pastor of the church in that place called Crete.

The Cretans or those who live in Crete have a bad reputation.

In Titus 1:12, we read that “Even one of their own prophets has said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.’”

Now that they became believers, they should live differently. But there are some people who “claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are so detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”

There are people like that today. People who claim they are believers yet we wonder as we look at their lives if they really are believers. Now before we think I am referring to that person to your left or to your right, consider first if the person sitting where you are seated right now is genuinely a Christ follower.

First, let us talk about the grace that saves.

Verse 11 tells us, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” Circle the phrase “the grace of God.”

Grace is God’s kindness that He freely gives us even if we are not worthy to receive it.

His grace “brings salvation”.

We read this in Ephesians 2:8-9. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

We can’t do anything to earn salvation.

It is only made possible by grace not by good works.

We receive it through faith in our Lord Jesus.

If that is not clear enough, look at Romans 11:6. “And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”

Grace is God’s gift. If you have to pay for a gift, if you have to earn it, you wont, if you have to deserve it, you never will. (Romans 3:21-24) it’s no longer a gift.

We are saved by grace, not by works.

What does it mean that “the grace of God… has APPEARED to all men”?

We got the word “epiphany” from the Greek word used here for “appeared,” which either means “the sudden realization or leap in understanding” or “the appearance of manifestation of God.”

In the Greek, it means “the dawning of light upon darkness” or “to become visible or known.”

But the grace that appeared here is not just an idea we suddenly understood.

Paul used the same Greek word in verse 13: “the glorious APPEARING of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”.

Here in our context, the grace that has already appeared refers to our Lord Jesus.

Verse 11 talks about His first coming and verse 13 refers to His second coming.

He is grace in the flesh.

When we talk of grace here we are talking of a person, not a principle.

We don’t just talk about the Lord.

We connect with Him.

That’s what so good about the Good News. Christianity is a relationship, not a religion… an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

Here He is called “our great God and Savior”. This is one of the clearest and strongest verses to prove that Jesus is equal with the Father, that He is God.

Some people would say that “great God” refers to the Father and “Savior” refers to the Son. But it did not say “our great God and OUR Savior”.

If the verse is phrased as such, that would mean that Paul was referring to two persons. But it says “OUR great God AND Savior.”

Literally in the Greek, it goes like this: “the great God and Savior of us Jesus Christ”. Thus, it refers to one person, “Jesus Christ”.

Jesus was not the Father but He is equal with God. And the fact that He is God means that He is Lord, the Master and the Boss of our entire lives.

Verse 14 tell us Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Note that it says He “gave himself for us”.

He voluntarily gave Himself for us.

People did not have to force Him on the cross.

He willingly died for our sins.

Circle the conjunction “to.” It can be translated “in order that” or “so that.”

It gave us the reason why Christ gave Himself for us. He did it in order that He can “redeem us”.

In the Greek, the word “redeem” means “to obtain release by the payment of a price, to ransom”.

For slaves, that word is very precious.

We are no longer bound by sin or wickedness. Christ has set us free.

He Himself is the ransom.

We deserve death.

But He died in our place.

We can’t save ourselves.

He saved us.

Notice here too He Himself redeemed us from sin with Himself as the price for Himself. That other than redeeming us from wickedness, another reason He gave Himself for us is “to purify for himself a people that are his very own”.

Literally, “his very own” is “his own possession”.

We now belong to Jesus.

He Himself redeemed us from sin with Himself as the price for Himself.

We are now His prized possessions Who would do His bidding.

It is clear here that there is a dual purpose why Christ gave Himself for us.

It is “to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

He saved us from wickedness or bad works.

And He saved us for good works.

Underline the last clause: “eager to do what is good.”

The word “eager” means we are to be zealous in doing what is right.

We are to be passionate for good works.

Good works do not save us.

But once we are saved, the moment we belong to Him, that means He saved us for good works – living into and outward from God’s Greatest Commandment. 

Matthew 22:34-40 Revised Standard Version

The Greatest Commandment

³⁴ But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sad′ducees, they came together. ³⁵ And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” ³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”

Let us now talk about the grace that works.

Grace makes works possible.

Note that “the grace of God… teaches us”.

It means that grace instructs or disciplines us.

It is like how a parent trains a child.

Grace leads, guides and directs us to do good works.

We can’t accept Christ and still live the way we once lived.

Now that we are in Christ, we live according to His ways on His terms.

If a person claims to be a believer and yet we don’t see any change at all in his life, we have reasons to doubt his claim.

I am not saying that we become sinless but we look at our lives and see that we sin less.

That’s why the book of James tell us “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead… faith without deeds is dead.”

If Jesus is our Lord, we are to obey Him.

The call to faith in Christ is the call to follow Him.

That’s a pattern in the book of Titus.

In his greeting to Titus, Paul talked about “the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness”.

Later, in Titus 3:8, Paul gave this instruction to Titus:

“I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.”

So, the grace that saves is the grace that works.

It’s not that we need to become holy and pure by our own efforts in order to earn salvation.

Rather, the salvation Jesus freely gives to us also teaches us and forms us into people who live holy lives out of gratitude.

Salvation comes first, and holy living is a result.

The good news for people every­where is that Jesus gives salvation to all who confess with all their It’s not that we need to become holy and pure by our own efforts in order to earn salvation. Rather, the salvation that Jesus freely gives to us also teaches us and forms us into people who live holy lives out of gratitude. Salvation comes first, and holy living is a result.

The good news for people every­where is that Jesus gives salvation to all who confess with their whole heart their belief in him. But the good news gets even better. In addition to giving us salvation, Jesus gives us new life right now.

The gospel is not just about living with God after we die; it’s also about living in holiness and purity with God right now. We can receive the grace of holy living as we follow Jesus each day. believe in him. But the good news gets even better than that. In addition to giving us salvation, Jesus gives us new life right now.

The gospel is not just about living with God after we die; it’s also about living into and outward from our holiness and purity with God right now. We can receive the grace of holy living as we follow Jesus each day if we’ll accept it.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let’s Pray,

Psalm 119:1-16 Revised Standard Version

The Glories of God’s Law

119 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
    who walk in the law of the Lord!
² Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with their whole heart,
³ who also do no wrong,
    but walk in his ways!
⁴ Thou hast commanded thy precepts
    to be kept diligently.
⁵ O that my ways may be steadfast
    in keeping thy statutes!
⁶ Then I shall not be put to shame,
    having my eyes fixed on all thy commandments.
⁷ I will praise thee with an upright heart,
    when I learn thy righteous ordinances.
⁸ I will observe thy statutes;
    O forsake me not utterly!

⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure?
    By guarding it according to thy word.
¹⁰ With my whole heart I seek thee;
    let me not wander from thy commandments!
¹¹ I have laid up thy word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against thee.
¹² Blessed be thou, O Lord;
    teach me thy statutes!
¹³ With my lips I declare
    all the ordinances of thy mouth.
¹⁴ In the way of thy testimonies I delight
    as much as in all riches.
¹⁵ I will meditate on thy precepts,
    and fix my eyes on thy ways.
¹⁶ I will delight in thy statutes;
    I will not forget thy word.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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