Many who identify themselves as Christians have done irreparable harm to the cause of Christ in the name of grace.  They attempt to justify all sorts of questionable, even bizarre, behavior under the guise of living under grace rather than law.  Although the apostle Paul is certainly unequivocal regarding the effects of the cross on the power of the law to condemn a Christian (“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” [Col. 2:14]), he is equally clear and adamant regarding the nature of grace:  it does not foster or permit an anything-goes lifestyle.  The grace of God does not free the Christian to do whatever he wishes because he is “not under the law” (Rom. 6:14).  In fact, Paul announces that the grace of God explicitly instructs us regarding righteous behavior:  “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Tit. 2:11, 12).  Those who profess the grace of God, then, will surely be learning, practicing, and promoting all that follows in our text.

To deny ungodliness and worldly lusts.  Some would wish us to believe that the gospel of grace contains no negatives.  But the Bible is consistently negative toward sin.  And a genuine believer in any age must reject wickedness in any form.  Furthermore, “worldly lusts,” or desires that have no higher aim than temporal prosperity or pleasure, must also be rejected.  In other words, the grace of God not only dictates against a life filled with overt sin but also against a life focused on pursuing temporal advantage.

To live soberly.  To be sober is to be “sound-minded,” or “sensible.”  The grace of God does not encourage people to throw caution to the winds, to “go for the gusto,” or to have their “best life now.”  Four times earlier in the chapter (vv. 2, 3, 4, 6)”, men and women, young and old are enjoined to be “sober.”  Apparently, grace not only teaches this manner of living, it impresses it forcefully upon those who have been saved from sin by the work of Christ.  A sober-minded person is one who weighs everything in the light of Scripture and lives according to biblical precept rather than personal preference.

To live righteously.  Righteous living requires recognition that God has a standard by which believers’ lives are being measured, and it submits to that standard.  Whereas soberness emphasizes the internal attitude required of those under grace, righteousness underlines the external standard governing the believer’s motives, thoughts, and actions.  In other words, the way of grace does not abandon the way of righteousness.  In that regard, the Old Testament prescription still stands:  “This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isa. 30:21).  Implicit in this expectation is that the Word of God is the standard by which we measure righteousness, not our own whim or that of any other man or institution.

To live godly.  Paul offers a progression from soberness, to righteousness, to godliness (“devotion,” “piety”).  It is not enough to reject ungodliness or impiety; grace both instructs and empowers believers to embrace godliness or piety.  Believers are not called upon to adhere to an external rule but to embrace with love and reverent devotion what has been written on the “fleshy tables of the heart”.  And all this, Paul insists, is to be done “in this present world.”  Believers are not to be influenced by the ethos of the age but to live as citizens of heaven, even now, and to be governed by God’s standard as set forth in His Word.

Is grace teaching us? Are we responding?