The Grace of God!

Titus 2:11-12, For the Grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present age.

This passage in Titus is all about Jesus, being the Grace of God; bringing salvation; He has appeared; to teach us; to deny ungodliness, and worldly lusts; to live soberly, righteously and godly; in this present age.

The word “deny” has the idea of disregarding one's own interests, by forsaking, or renouncing a thing, whether evil, or good... IF it is ungodly and a worldly lust.

"Soberly" suggests “the exercise of that self-restraint that governs all passions and desires, enabling the believer to be conformed to the mind of Christ” -according to Vine’s Dictionary.

It’s interesting... the word here being translated “lusts” in the KJV, another translates as “sinful pleasures.” Most others translate it as “worldly desires.” One very strict translation renders it broadly as, “all the sinful pleasures of this world.” The word in the Greek, is not always rendered as being evil, as in Luke 22:15 where Jesus said, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”
The key word to consider is “worldly” meaning “belonging to this evil age.” The world is satan’s to use to seduce and corrupt those who he doesn’t already possess.

Worldly passions are hard to give up on our own. It is for me.
I “desire” many things in the flesh, and I don’t mean the sordid things. I’ll call them the “ignoble” things... but, then again, they’re probably all sordid. For me, it’s rock and roll music (I grew up in it and played in bands). To be fair, it’s not just rock and roll. I like almost ALL music. But all music that is not Godly, is ungodly. I also “like” (my word for lust) different kinds of cars, for different reasons; I like various forms of art; I like hunting and fishing; a big one is eating. To be honest – I am gluttonous. These are all “worldly” desires. The reason, for me, is not being spiritually mature. Therefore, I am carnal.Does the Lord save carnal believers? A rhetorical question. But I am not satisfied to be "conformed" to the status of every other carnal believer, but to the image of His Son.

The Apostle Paul said in Phil. 3:8, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

If it takes time away from serving God... it is ungodly; and we were saved to love and serve Him. Does anyone want to know the meaning of “serving” God? Look to the missionary. So many would say, “We can’t all be missionaries.” Oh? We can’t?

There are many superlative words to describe God’s character or attributes, such as merciful, compassionate, forbearing, just, loving, faithful, forgiving, sustainer, protector, and you could add many more. These are words which define Grace as well. Grace is mercy shown to the sinner, Grace is compassionate to those who are sickly, Grace forbears those who disobey, Grace is just and justifies, Grace loves, Grace is faithful, Grace forgives, Grace sustains, Grace protects.

Grace is the

dynamic of God

at work in

Redemption

Grace takes on different meanings for different religions. For example, the religion I came out of teaches one has to work for Grace. They are all for the “doing” of the ten commandments. Other religions teach that Grace is all for “certain” people and absolutely not for others, because God has pre-ordained who will be saved and who will not.

Grace is personified in Jesus, from His birth...
In John 1:14 we read, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Grace is a gift of love from God for whosoever will accept it.
Eph. 2:4-6 says, God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Salvation is all of the Grace of God, from beginning to end. There is no salvation from the corruption and penalty of sin except for the Grace from God for His elect. If God has loved me once, then He will love me forever!
Charles Spurgeon once said, “If grace does not make us different from others, then it is not the Grace which God gives.”

One commentary I read says, "The power of God in the resurrection of Jesus not only raised a body back to life, but transformed that body into a glorified spiritual body as the second Adam, Who transmits to His spiritual seed both a renewed soul and a glorified body, as the first Adam transmitted a sinful nature and a corruptible body to his natural seed."

1 Cor. 15:42-45 says, So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam “became a living being” (Gen 2:7). The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

Psalm 84:11 says, He will give grace and glory.
Spurgeon again... “But sooner or later, we shall be glorified! The glory of heaven, the glory of eternity, the glory of Jesus, the glory of the Father... the Lord will surely give to His Elect.”

Romans 5:20–21 says, Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.
Did the Law come in to increase sin? As Paul would say, “God Forbid!” The Law actually introduced the understanding of the need for the Grace of God.

 Now... if we know GRACE, let us look at the cross for JUDGEMENT and WRATH, which were poured out on Jesus, (Isaiah 53), and to these emblems before us on this table which memorializes His giving of Himself for us, that we might have Grace.