BEGIN WITH GRACE – END WITH WORKS!

BEGIN WITH GRACE – END WITH WORKS!

Titus 2:11-14

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;

13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

This is another of my favorite portions of scripture. It makes you think. It stretches your mind. It begins with grace and ends with works! Maybe that’s the way it should be!

In the English New Testament grace is always a translation of (charis), a word that occurs in the Greek text over 170 times and in both Biblical and secular Greek it is used with far more meanings than can be represented by any one term in English. But the word has abundant use in secular Greek in the sense of unmerited favor, and Paul seized on this meaning of the word to express a fundamental characteristic of Christianity.

n  International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.

For the Apostle Paul, GRACE was defined by experience.

Acts 9:1-5

9:1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. It is dangerous and it will turn out badly for you to keep kicking against the goad [to offer vain and perilous resistance].  AMPLIFIED

Paul’s spiritual and emotional condition remained vile and violent. He travelled with evil authority; letters from the high priest. He was obsessed with a wicked intent, to bring believers into captivity. SUDDENLY, and without any initiation of goodness on his part, the resurrected and glorified Jesus met Paul and CHANGED him forever. That is grace!

But our original portion ends with the words… “a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” What about that? How do we reconcile the seemingly opposite aspects of grace and works? Well, one is the prod and the other is the product!

Jesus purchased us away from a cruel and abusive master, cleaned us up, healed our wounds of abuse and gave us honorable assignments. What servant would not joyfully engage in labor for such a kind Master as Jesus? So, beginning with GRACE we engage in WORKS.

Dear Lord, thank you for purchasing me away from a cruel task master and giving me duties that are a joy to perform! AMEN