Lessons #49 and 50
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Basis for the instructions on believers’ conduct (Titus 2:11-14)
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 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 glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, 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.
The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul has conveyed to Titus the various instructions he is to give to the various groups of Christians in Crete. As Titus pondered on the instructions and as he delivered the instruction to the various group of believers, it is possible that he and the audience would wonder why the Holy Spirit has given these instructions that are not easy to carry out. To put to rest that kind of wonderment, the Holy Spirit through the apostle supplied to Titus and his audience the basis for such teaching. Thus, our passage conveys to Titus and his audience that believers are expected to live the way specified in this epistle because of grace of God in salvation and what it teaches.
It is our assertion that the passage before us is one that gives the basis for the instructions of this epistle that preceded it or even the ones to follow. This is because of the very first word “for” that begins verse 11. It is translated from a Greek conjunction (gar) that is used in different ways in the Greek. It can be used as a marker of cause or reason so that it may be translated “for.” This seems to be the sense in which the NIV and majority of our English versions translated it. I used the word “seems” because the meaning “for” can be a translation of another usage of the Greek conjunction. Another usage of the Greek conjunction is as a marker of clarification in which case, it may be translated “for, you see.” It seems that it is this second usage that is reflected in the NJB since the translators begin verse 11 with the expression You see. Still another usage of the Greek conjunction in our passage is as a marker that signals transition to another point or to an important point in which case, it may not be translated or if it is translated it has the meaning “then, well, you see.” It seems that the translators of the CEV and the CEB adopted this meaning since they left the conjunction untranslated so that they begin verse 11 with no connectives to the preceding section. While it is possible that the apostle could have wanted to make an important point in verse 11 but it is unlikely that he was making a transition to another point since verse 12 is still concerned with conduct of believers. Therefore, it is better to interpret our Greek conjunction as one that gives reason or explanation for the preceding instructions concerning the conduct of various groups of believers although an interpreter takes it as the reason for referring to God as the Savior in verse 10. This notwithstanding, it is our interpretation that the Greek conjunction is used to provide the basis for the instructions requiring believers to conduct themselves in a manner that is befitting to those who are believers in Christ. This being the case, it is more logical to conclude that the passage before us is concerned with the basis or the reason believers should live the way that has been demanded in this section. I think that the translators of the NCV seemed to have captured the connection between our present section and the previous in that they linked our present section with the previous when they introduced the concept of conduct since they began verse 11 with the clause That is the way we should live, because. This translation indicates clearly that the apostle linked what is given in the passage before us with what preceded and then that what follows is the basis or reason for what preceded. In other words, the basis for the demand of the kind of moral conduct expected of Christians in the preceding section is what is stated in the passage we are about to consider.
The basis for demanding Christians to live a moral life is focused on the important word “grace” in the phrase of Titus 2:11 the grace of God. The apostle reminds Titus of the excellence or the well-known concept of grace that he used in the Greek a definite article before the word “grace” to describe the basis of the instruction for the Christian moral living. The word “grace” is an important word in the Scripture but especially with Apostle Paul in that of the 154 occurrences of the Greek word translated “grace” in the NT, 113 of these are by Apostle Paul. Thus, we can say that when the apostle used the definite article before the word grace that he either meant to convey that grace is a well-known concept as far as his ministry was concerned or that in a sense it is a word that as far as he is concerned is in a class by itself.
This grace is associated with God in the phrase the grace of God. This phrase the grace of God is subject to various possible interpretations. It could be understood to mean “gracious God” or as “God who shows grace” or “grace that originated from God.” Each of these interpretations makes sense in the passage. The meaning of the “grace that originated from God” makes sense, especially, because in the introduction of the epistle the apostle had clearly stated that grace is that which originates from God, as he stated in Titus 1:4:
To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Despite this support, it is probably that the apostle had in mind both senses of God who shows grace and grace that originates from God since it is difficult to differentiate both meanings. This is because grace that God is the source cannot be realized without God displaying it.
Be that as it may, an important question is to understand what is meant by “grace” in our passage. The word “grace” is translated from a Greek word (charis) that is most commonly translated “grace” but it has several nuances. The word “grace” can mean “charm” or “winsomeness, that is, attractive or appealing”, so that the word refers to that winning quality or attractiveness that invites favorable response. This is particularly the case regarding speech that is generally pleasing and engaging, often because of a childlike charm and innocence. It is this meaning of “grace” that is reflected in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul in Colossians 4:6:
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
The meaning of “grace” in this context is “winsome” or “pleasant” thus, the instruction let your conversation be always full of grace could be rendered let your conversation always be winsome. The translator of the TEV captured this meaning of Greek word translated “grace” in Colossians 4:6 since they translated the instruction Let your conversation be always full of grace as your speech should always be pleasant.
Grace can refer to a beneficent disposition toward someone hence refers to “care or help.” It is this meaning that is most appropriate in the action of the church that sent Paul and Barnabas to mission field in Acts 14:26:
From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.
The church in Antioch committed Paul and Barnabas to the care of God as they embarked on the mission field so that “grace” in this passage refers to “care.” This meaning is reflected in the translation of the CEV that instead of the phrase the grace of God of the NIV used the phrase God’s care.
Grace may refer to kindness or goodwill. It is in this sense that the word is used in Romans 3:24:
and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
It is in this sense of “kindness” or “benefit” that Apostle Paul used the Greek word translated “grace” to describe the generous contribution of the Corinthians to the believers in Jerusalem in 2 Corinthians 8:6:
So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.
The phrase act of grace may be understood as “benevolence” or “act of kindness” and so may mean work of generosity, as it is rendered in the NEB.
Grace can mean practical application of good will so means “gift” or “favor” or “generosity.” It is in this sense that the word is used in 1 Corinthians 16:3:
Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.
Grace can refer to exceptional effect produced by generosity. This effect refers to that which is produced by divine beneficence which goes beyond that associated with a specific Christian’s status. It is in this sense that grace is used in 2 Corinthians 8:1:
And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
Grace in this passage refers to God’s action in the lives of the Christians in Macedonia that caused them to be generous toward others.
We have noted some of the meanings of the Greek word translated “grace” in Titus 2:11, the problem is to determine in what sense it is used in our passage. It is in the sense of a disposition that leads to performing acts of kindness and love towards someone, hence “favor, goodwill, kindness” that the word is used in our passage. In effect, it is the kindness or goodwill or favor of God that the apostle is concerned although it appears that he personified the word.
This goodwill or kindness of God, the apostle declared has been shown to mankind. The apostle was excited about this display of kindness of God that he wanted to emphasize it. We say this because, it is not normally the case to begin a Greek sentence with a verb unless the author wants to emphasize the action of the verb. Verse 11 in the Greek begins with a Greek word (epiphainō) that may mean to cause light to shine upon some object, in the sense of illuminating it hence “to illuminate, to shine upon”, as it is used in Zechariah’s song, as recorded in Luke 1:79:
to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
The word can mean “to appear” as Apostle Paul used it later to describe God’s kindness and love in Titus 3:4:
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,
It is in the second meaning of “to appear” that the word is used in Titus 2:11. The apostle used a passive voice in the Greek indicating that someone is responsible for the appearance of grace, that is, the kindness or favor or goodwill that is the concern of the apostle. The One responsible is God. It is not the intention of the apostle to make a distinction of persons in the God head as he did with the source of grace in his introduction where he indicated the Father and the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ as its source.
It seems that the apostle had in his mind a specific period or event about this appearance of grace or God’s kindness or goodwill, as he penned down the verbal phrase of Titus 2:11 has appeared. We say this because the apostle used what is known as aorist tense in the Greek. In our passage, its usage implies an action that occurred sometimes in the past. The apostle merely was concerned that this appearance occurred as a fact although that occurrence is one that took place in the past. It is very likely that as the apostle wrote the verbal phrase has appeared that the Holy Spirit flooded his thought with the time of incarnation. In other words, that the apostle’s mind went to the time when God became flesh as the time this grace of God appeared. In effect, the Holy Spirit would have brought in the mind of the apostle the same truth He conveyed through Apostle John, as recorded in John 1:14:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The point we are emphasizing is that the Holy Spirit brought in the mind of the apostle the concept of incarnation that occurred at a specific time in human history when God took on human nature so He appeared in the person of Jesus Christ on this planet. It is at that instant of virgin birth that grace or kindness of God appeared so while the apostle did not explicitly state the time of the appearance of grace he had in mind, we contend that he thought of the incarnation when he penned down the verbal phrase has appeared.
The Greek simply states a fact that grace has appeared without stating to whom it appeared despite the translation of the NIV that reads the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. The Greek literally reads the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. Of course, the phrase all men is to be understood as all people. This is because the word “men” in the literal translation is from a Greek word (anthrōpos) that no doubt means “an adult male” but its usage here is a reference to a person of either sex and so means “human being.” The word “all” enables us to understand that the apostle meant all human beings without exception. That aside, the problem is whether the verbal phrase has appeared should be associated with the phrase all people or in the words of the NIV all men. It does not seem that the intention of the apostle was to declare to whom the grace of God appeared. He simply stated a fact that happened at a specific but undefined time in the context, which we have indicated refers to the time of incarnation. Therefore, the interpretative translation of the NIV does not seem to be what the apostle intended although it is one possible way of relating the word “appeared” to something else. Nonetheless, I am not sure the reason the translators of the 1984 edition of the NIV rendered verse 11 in the way they did that implies grace appeared to all people although true. However, the 2011 edition of the NIV has corrected this in that it reads the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
In any case, as we stated previously, the apostle was excited to announce the appearance of God’s grace but he was equally excited in what this grace means that he proceeded to describe what it does. His first description concerns what grace of God has done with respect to salvation. He declared that it brought salvation to all people as in the verbal phrase of the NIV of Titus 2:11 brings salvation or more literally bringing salvation. This is because we have a Greek word (sōtērios) that if used as a noun may mean “salvation”, as the word is used in Ephesians 6:17:
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
But when the word is used as an adjective, as it is used in our passage of Titus 2:11, then it pertains to salvation and so means “saving, delivering, preserving, bringing salvation.” Thus, the best meaning in Titus 2:11 is “bringing salvation.” Hence, the apostle tells us that the first and foremost thing we should know about this grace of God is that it brings salvation. We say this because without salvation the other description of what grace does is not possible.
The apostle states literally from the Greek bringing salvation to all people. This verbal phrase causes problem in that on a surface reading it may imply that salvation is for everyone on this planet. So, how should we understand this assertion of bringing salvation to all people? To answer this question, we need to briefly consider what salvation involves.
Salvation as a word refers to the act of deliverance from something, physical or spiritual. Although we do not discount the physical, but the primary emphasis of the Scripture is that of deliverance in a spiritual sense, especially in the NT. Thus, humans may be delivered from the wrath of God as Apostle Paul conveys in Romans 5:9:
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
Humans may also be delivered from sin as conveyed by the angel that announced the birth of Christ in Matthew 1:21:
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Consequently, salvation is specifically used as a comprehensive word that involves God’s complete deliverance from sin and eternal death through the person and work of Jesus Christ. The implication of this explanations is that salvation involves a change in a person’s relationship with God, renewal and transformation of the nature of an individual.
The change in a person’s relationship with God involves peace with God. We humans are separated by God because of our sins as Prophet Isaiah declared in Isaiah 59:1–2:
1 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Being separated from God implies firstly, that we forfeited the likeness of God that we are supposed to have as He created us in His image. This loss of the likeness of God is referred to as falling short of His glory in Romans 3:23:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Secondly, we became the object of His wrath, as Apostle Paul states in Ephesians 2:3:
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
This being the case, salvation involves the change of a person’s status with God. So, salvation would mean that a person’s status with God changes so that the person will have peace with God and access to Him as the Holy Spirit declared through Apostle Paul in Romans 5:1–2:
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Another thing that salvation, as it involves one’s relationship with God, means is that the individual receives the right to become a child of God, as stated in John 1:12:
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
This right to become a child of God means that the individual has become adopted into the family of God although the full realization of the adoption is still in the future, as we can gather from Romans 8:22–23:
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
It is because the one who has received God’s salvation is adopted into His family, so to say, that believers are described as citizens of heaven in Philippians 3:20–21:
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
These things that define change of status of an individual with God because of salvation are possible because of forgiveness of sins through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, as indicated in Colossians 2:13:
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
Salvation, we also indicated will include renewal and transformation of the nature of an individual. Consequently, an individual who is the recipient of God’s salvation becomes a new being or a new creation, as implied in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Salvation that involves transformation of an individual implies also that the person participates in divine nature, as stated in 2 Peter 1:4
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
The participation in divine nature means primarily to have some characteristics of God, specifically, immortality and incorruptibility. Of course, it is possible to understand it as sharing in the life and nature of God Himself. That aside, the point is that change in nature of the one saved implies having a nature that bears something of God. Thus, it is not surprising that a recipient of salvation has the Holy Spirit, according to Romans 8:10–11:
10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes the one saved to be different from what the person was prior to salvation. This is also possible because of the new birth that implies new nature and transformation. This new birth is through the word of God as one exercised faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as implied in 1 Peter 1:23:
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
There is more to what salvation involves but the brief treatment is sufficient to see the problem that is presented in the literal phrase of Titus 2:11 bringing salvation to all persons.
Our brief consideration of salvation clearly reveals that not all humans have the benefits of salvation that we have considered. The implication is that not all humans have salvation. Therefore, the literal phrase bringing salvation to all persons should be understood to mean that God’s salvation is universally available to all human beings but not all will benefit from it. The message of salvation is to be preach to all people everywhere. This is what Apostle Paul implied in his declaration when he preached in Athens, as in Acts 17:30:
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
Anyone who responds to the message of salvation will be saved, as the apostle also implied in Romans 1:16:
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
It is the person who responds to the gospel message that salvation is assured because of the clause for the salvation of everyone who believes. The message of salvation is to be declared to all people with the understanding that not all that hear the gospel message will respond. This is in keeping with the assertion of Jesus Christ in Matthew 22:14:
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Those who are chosen are the elect of God. They are the ones that will respond to the gospel message. Apostle Paul understood this truth that he labored to ensure that everyone hears the gospel message but with the understanding that only the elect will be saved, as that is implied in his statement of 2 Timothy 2:10:
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
Anyway, when the apostle penned the literal phrase of Titus 2:11 bringing salvation to all persons, he meant that God’s grace or goodwill or kindness that He has shown is such that it is capable of bringing salvation to everyone but in reality, only the elect will benefit the salvation that God brings.
The apostle, as we have stated, is captivated by the grace of God or in our specific passage, God’s goodwill or kindness that he proceeded to describe what it does for those who understand it. You see, there are those who misunderstand the nature of God’s grace that they think that it is a license to immoral behavior. Some of those with this kind of mentality seem to misunderstand the declaration of the apostle in Romans 5:20:
The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
That grace increased all the more where sin increased is an assertion of the power of the grace of God so that it can conquer the intensity of sin that is due to the law. Hence, the apostle did not imply that if person wants to see more grace of God that the individual should continue in sin. No! His teaching in this passage of Romans 5:20 is simply to describe the sufficiency of grace to match and supersede sin. It is because the apostle did not mean that grace of God encourages sin that he posed the question given in Romans 6:1:
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
The rhetorical question of the apostle is, as we have indicated, targeted to those who will misunderstand his statement in Romans 5:20. He is saying through this question that he does not mean that anyone should go on sinning so that the individual will then experience more grace of God. It is important that no one should misunderstand the nature of God’s grace as to think that it is a license to sin. There are some Christians who think that grace of God means that they are not to comply to the moral requirements of the Law. These believers tend to live very careless spiritual life, especially as they convince themselves that when they sin it is merely a matter of confessing their sins based on 1 John 1:9:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
I recall many years ago when I had a conversation with a young man who, in effect, asserted that he could do whatever he wanted so long as he confessed his sins because of this passage of 1 John 1:9. But he failed to recognize that this passage is premised on the believer living in accordance to truth, that is, walking in light that is stated in 1 John 1:7:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Anyway, the fact is that there are those who misunderstand the grace of God and so live a careless spiritual life. To these individuals and to those who do not want to misunderstand grace, the apostle explains what true understanding of the grace of God should teach. There are at least two things the apostle indicates proper understanding of grace should teach all believers.
A first thing a proper understanding of grace should teach us is the avoidance of the lifestyle that is not in accordance with God’s word. In effect, if you understand God’s grace, that is, His goodwill or kindness towards you then you will avoid any lifestyle that is contrary to truth. It is this avoidance of lifestyle that is incompatible with truth that is given in the first sentence of Titus 2:12 of the NIV It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions. Literally, the Greek reads teaching us, that having denied the ungodliness and the worldly desires. The word “teaches” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (paideuō) that may mean “to educate,” that is, to provide instruction for informed and responsible living, as the word is used for the education of Moses in Egypt in Acts 7:22:
Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.
It is in this same sense the word is used to narrate the education Apostle Paul received under the great Jewish Rabbi or Professor Gamaliel, as stated in Acts 22:3:
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
The word may mean “to discipline”, especially by God, as it is used in describing what the Lord will do to us believers if we fail to critic ourselves when we sin. In effect, if we sin but fail to own up before God so that we confess our sin, then God would punish us, as stated in 1 Corinthians 11:32:
When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
The word may mean to discipline by whipping or scourging, that, is “to punish”, as the word is used in the offer of Pilate to the Jews as an alternative to killing Jesus, as we read in Luke 23:22:
For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
The Greek word may mean “to correct, give guidance”, as the word is used in the instruction of Apostle Paul to Timothy regarding those who go astray in his local congregation, as we can gather from 2 Timothy 2:25:
Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,
The clause Those who oppose him he must gently instruct is literally correcting those who are opposed with gentleness. In our passage of Titus 2:12, the Greek word is used primarily with the meaning of to train someone in accordance with proper rules of conduct and behavior so that we can say that grace trains believers regarding proper conduct but that is not all, grace gives guidance along with correction when we go astray from the truth. In other words, our Geek word is used with the primary meaning of training, providing guidance that includes correction.
The Greek indicates that the training that includes correction is an action that is habitual or ongoing. In other words, we are not dealing with a one-time action but one that goes on continually. It is not difficult to conceive that the training that includes correcting is not a one-time event if we remember that rearing of children is an activity that involves continuous teaching and correcting. A parent never says, “I have finished training my child because I have already taught my child a specific concept of right and wrong.” No! Teaching is repeated along with correction that may involve punishment. If we understand this then it is not difficult to understand the reason the Holy Spirit directed the apostle to use a present tense in the Greek that implies the training that involves correcting by grace of God is not a one-time dealing but one that is continuous or repeated.
There is something interesting about this training that involves correcting, which is, that it is brought about by the grace of God. Hence, the question is how does grace, that is, goodwill or kindness of God do this? It is first through an inward conviction about the nature of God’s grace or kindness. By this we mean that there is an inward convincing regarding the nature of grace that is brought about by the Holy Spirit as He enables the believer to understand the grace of God that leads to the result of what we have in our passage. When the believer is aided by the Holy Spirit to understand God’s grace, that is, His goodwill or kindness as evident in salvation, then that person would show that understanding by what is described in the rest of the passage. In effect, it is the understanding of God’s grace brought about by the Holy Spirit that begins the inward training that involves correcting of the believer. This kind of explanation is part of what is involved in the declaration that the Holy Spirit is the believer’s teacher in 1 John 2:27:
As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
A believer with this inward training with respect to grace of God will be compelled to the actions listed in our passage. This inward training is similar to the understanding of the love of Christ that Apostle Paul mentioned as compelling him to carry out his ministry, as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:14:
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
The apostle meant that inward understanding of the love of Christ controls and motivates him to live for Christ either in preaching ministry or in his life as a believer in Him. It is this sort of thing that the inward training of grace will do. We are saying that it is only if a person receives an inward training by grace of God that the individual will do what we have in the passage of Titus 2:12 that we are considering. There is a sense that we mean that the way a person can test his understanding of the grace of God is to see if the person complies with what is taught in our passage. Anyway, it is our contention that the primary way the grace of God trains a believer is inwardly through the Holy Spirit. But that is not all, the correcting that is associated with grace of God will involve discipline that God brings on those who are His children, as the Scripture reminds us in Hebrews 12:6:
because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.
Hence, grace of God, that is, His kindness or goodwill brings about discipline to correct us when we go astray. In any event, we contend that the training from the grace of God is first inward before it involves any teaching of the word God from those with the gift.
07/28/17 [End of Lesson #49 and 50]