SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1185

“Deny, Live, and Look”

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ – Titus 2:11-13

What is grace? The classic definition is that grace is the free, unmerited favor of God. The operative words are ‘free’ and ‘unmerited’. Grace does not come from our works. We cannot earn it or be good enough or righteous enough for God to owe it to us. Grace comes to us by faith and even that faith came as a gift to us from God.

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. – Ephesians 4:7; Romans 12:3

Let us examine our reference Scripture.

We are saved by Grace: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— Ephesians 2:4-5

Grace teaches us to deny our flesh: training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. – Matthew 16:24

Grace teaches us how to live: live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.

Having been saved by grace, we are then justified and sanctified by grace in this life preparing us for eternity with Him.

and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith… – Romans 3:24-25

Grace teaches to wait in anticipation and look forward to Christ’s appearing. It is by God’s Grace that we will be glorified with Him:  waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

May you have a teachable spirit and an obedient heart so that you may learn by the grace of God to deny ungodliness, live a self-controlled life, and look forward to eternity with our Lord, Jesus.