"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." Titus 2:11-14 (NIV)
These words were part of a letter written by the Apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, for his protege, Titus, and the people that he pastors. Paul's point was that the people of God practice self-denial. They should deny themselves the worldly pleasures and anything that is ungodly. They should live in a godly manner while they await the return of Christ, who died and paid the price for their sins so they could be with Him.
Salvation brings about a personal transformation, believers are changed and become new creatures. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We are no longer to walk worldly, we are to deny worldly lusts, and take up our cross daily and follow Christ. (Matthew 16:24) We are to do good during our earthly lives, while we await His glorious return. We are to live holy lives because He is within us and He is holy. (1 Peter 1:16) We should be eager to do that which is good because our good works are our way of showing Him that we appreciate His gift of salvation. (James 2:14-26) By our good works we give God glory. (Matthew 5:16)
No comments:
Post a Comment