Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Titus 1-2 and Psalm 8

The Letter to Titus is another product of Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. Titus had been assigned by Paul to pastor and teach the fledgling Church on the island of Crete, and to appoint elders who would provide long-term oversight and leadership to the Church there.

It seems that the culture on the island was a particularly ungodly one, so Titus really had his work cut out for him. His efforts to disciple the young Christians came up against the opposing forces of those who taught legalism (i.e. one attains right standing with God only through obeying Jewish Law) and those who taught antinomianism (i.e. one attains right standing with God by grace so you can behave however you like, without any restrictions). Titus needed to remain faithful to the truth, which is not represented by either of those views. Paul states the truth beautifully in Titus 2:11-14:

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ 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.

Essentially the true Gospel of Grace is that we are saved from sin and death purely by the grace of God. But this is not a mystical salvation with no real-world effect. It radically impacts our daily lives. It opens our eyes to see that all sin separates us from God, the source of True Life, and so it “teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions” and it teaches us “to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age“. It places within us a deep desire to be entirely surrendered and committed to “our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ” and to have Him purify us through and through.

Obedience to the Law cannot save us, because we can never obey perfectly. We are only ever saved by the grace of God. But being saved by grace means that we are liberated from the life-controlling power of temptation and sin (“all wickedness“), and come under the life-leading and -shaping power of Christ, whose grace teaches us “to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives“.

Life application: Is there some ungodliness that has taken root in your life? Search your heart and life today with the help of the Holy Spirit, and ask Him to empower you to leave behind any and all forms of ungodliness. Ask Him to grow you into the image of Christ.