Titus 2:11-12 KJV
[11] For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, [12] teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
God cannot be seen to be unfair. No matter the dispensation or generation, we find God giving men the opportunity to know and submit to Him of their own freewill. God does not compel anyone to love Him, otherwise He will have only subjects, and not love and loyalty. That is the premise of the first part of the verses above. There is grace available for all men, no matter the dispensation or generation. We refer to the Old testament as a time of the law, but if not for grace, would men like Moses be forgiven after such a blatant action of disobedience as he did? Would a man like David enjoy so much of favour if not for grace? It is still the same God through all generations, and as He dealt with the people of old, so does He continue to deal with us today. There is grace available for all.
This grace is what offers salvation to all men. It is grace that considers my past, yet offers me a new, fresh start. It is grace that overlooks my previous errors, and as I come to the source of grace, I am forgiven, cleaned up and set up to show off the effects of the grace that I have received. It is grace that makes forgiveness and restoration even more potent, because the recipient knows that there could not have been any other reason why grace would be given. And ALL men have been given access to this grace, otherwise, God would be seen as unfair. He does not judge without first warning, and His warnings are laid out clearly in His Word. It pays to know what God's mind is, so I can be careful of the things I do, and how I do them.
This grace does not leave me ignorant of God's will. It teaches me to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and replaces those desires with the heart to live soberly, righteously and Godly in this present world. Nature abhors a vacuum; something must fill a man's heart, because His life must produce in line with his response to grace. Grace does not condone sin; in fact, it is forbidden to expect that a man will continue in sin and expect the grace of God to continue to abound. My heart will not be able to cope with such confusion and contradiction. And God is patient to teach, if I am humble enough to listen and be taught. The impact and effect of God's teaching will have both earthly and eternal consequences. This present world is getting steeped in sin, yet God never leaves His own without help. He is there for us, if only we will trust Him with our lives. God's time of favour is here.
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