Being a Christian is a full-time job. All who believe in Christ are constantly employed in this full-time job of living as Christians in a non-Christian World. Being a Christian affects us constantly in the way we live, from day to day, at home, at work, and even at play. It demands constant attention, diligent effort and mental and spiritual energy. It is something we have to keep working on (Philippians 2:12, 13). It will not come about by itself.

But it is gainful work, because it yields important results. It is this kind of consistent, daily Christian living that exerts a great influence on those around us: our family, our friends and colleagues. The influence we have on others can make an important lasting impact on them. Being Christians means living lives that consistently display God’s work and power. It means consciously making a good impression on those around us, by our godly influence, so that they too will want to know and follow Christ.

If we live in an ungodly way, influencing those around us to think negatively about our Saviour, then there might be something terribly wrong about our claim to be Christ’s followers. There are many today who make such a claim but their lives obviously contradict it. This is a real problem that is growing in many churches today.

But it was also a problem in the time of the Apostle Paul. He had to deal with it when he wrote the letter to Titus, his close friend and disciple, whom he had put in charge of a new, growing church on the Island of Crete. In Paul’s epistle to Titus, he refers to a group of people who were part of the church. He says, "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." (Titus 1:16). There were people in the church who professed to know the Lord, but they were living lives that were not a godly influence on others at all.

In answer to this, Paul describes the kind of qualities that will be found in a person who truly knows God. These are qualities that will be found in all, regardless of how old a person is, whether man or woman, no matter what sort of personality he or she has, and no matter what rank in life, as long as they truly belong to Christ. In chapter 2 Paul mentions each category of persons: aged men (v.2), aged women (v.3), young women (v.4), young men (v.6), and servants (v.9). And the qualities described for each of them are not entirely different.

For instance, Paul mentions the quality of sober-mindedness. This means thinking sensibly and seriously, and not wildly and irrationally. This quality is mentioned with regard to aged men (v.2), young women (v.4), young men (v.6). The quality of love is described with reference to young women (v.4), and it is called charity with regard to aged men (v.2). The quality of obedience is also to be found in young women (v.5) and in servants (v.9). Besides these, Paul mentions other specific related qualities for the various age groups, like self-control, patience, holiness, gravity, sincerity, wholesome conversation, fidelity and honesty.

Finally he summarises all these in verses 11 and 12. The subject of these two verses is now "all men" — and in this context it means all the different kinds of people that can be found in a church – men and women, old and young, servants and masters. No matter who or what we are, these things mentioned here must be found in our lives. No one is exempted from exhibiting these qualities. They are for every Christian.

Our lives should deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (Titus 2:12). Our lives should also be lived soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. The qualities mentioned in this verse summarise all the rest of the qualities that were mentioned from verses 1 to 11. There are at least 2 compelling reasons why we should be making every effort to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live righteously, soberly and godly in this world.

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (v.11). The grace of God is the unmerited favour and undeserved kindness that He has shown to us in saving us from our sins. And this grace of God was fully revealed to us through Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. God sent His Son into the world to save unworthy sinners by taking all their sins upon Himself and dying on the cross at Calvary.

And now that this grace of God has appeared to us, our lives can no longer remain the same. Such wonderful grace which we have received, must surely teach us to respond not only with gratitude, but also with godly living. It constrains us toward godly living. If it does not produce this response then this grace is received in vain.

We tend to forget how much the Lord has done for us. We tend to lose the sense of wonder and appreciation of just how gracious, kind and loving God has been to us. We forget that without the grace of God, we would be eternally lost in our sins, destined for hell and eternal punishment.

We need to get back to the basics again: How did God show His love for us? What did He do for us? There are perhaps no words that describe this more fully than Titus 3:3-6 – "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost: Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour."

Can you see how gracious the Lord has been to us? This grace of God is so much more than anything we have received or can ever receive from anyone. And what makes it all the more amazing is that we received it even though for being a sinner filled with ungodliness and worldly lusts, we deserved the very opposite. How can it be?

We may never be able to fully understand why God was so gracious and merciful to us, but this one thing we do know: Such great grace surely deserves a good response from us. Such great grace must induce us and instruct us to respond in an appropriate manner. And how should we respond to that grace that has been shown to us? Titus 2:12 gives the answer plainly and clearly: "teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." Godly living becomes the only correct response we can give for the grace we have received from the Lord. Any other response would be a mismatch, and even an insult to God’s grace.

What is godly living? It is not merely confining ourselves within a set of rules and regulations. Godly living cannot be reduced to a list of "do’s and don’ts." It means living in the manner that God wants us to live. It means having the same feelings, attitudes and heart’s desires that God has. It means that we love the things that God loves, care for the things that He cares for, and dislike those things which He dislikes. And since God loves righteousness, a godly person also loves righteousness. Since God hates sin, a godly person also hates sin, whether it is in his own life or in others. A godly person will seek to abandon every sin in his life. Since God wants His own will to be done and to be glorified, a godly person will likewise want God’s will to be done and to glorify God in everything he does. If we have these feelings, attitudes and heart’s desires, we will be quite different from the world we live in. And we will soon come into conflict with the world. Godly living is not easy.

But no matter how difficult it may be to live a godly life in this world it surely is worth all the effort we put in, because the Lord deserves much more than this from us, for all that He has done. When we think of how Jesus gave Himself so sacrificially for us, nothing becomes too great for us to give Him.

About 300 years ago, a rich young German nobleman visited an art gallery. As he looked at the paintings on the wall, one particular one caught his eye. It was a painting of Christ dying on the cross. That painting showed the face of Jesus in great agony with drops of blood and tears streaming down his cheeks. As that nobleman continued contemplating this painting, his eyes looked at the little label that was fixed to the bottom of it. On it were the words, "All this, I have done for you. What have you done for Me?" That young nobleman was moved to tears. He gave his life to the Lord, devoting all his time and treasures to the cause of Christ.

And God used the life of Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf to build up the famous Moravian missionary enterprise, which sent out hundreds of missionaries in the eighteenth century — and inspired countless others. The self-sacrifice, love, and total commitment to evangelisation of the Moravian missionaries who were motivated through Zinzendorf are unparalleled in the history of missions. They also influenced the Evangelical Revival in England through James Hutton and John Wesley.

And now we are to respond to the same gift and answer the same question that Zinzendorf faced: "All this, I have done for you. What have you done for Me?" Titus 2:12 says "that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." Will you do this for Him?

We who live in this present age have an even greater motivation to respond to this gift than those who lived before us: While the grace of God has already appeared to us (v.11), the great God Himself will soon appear to us (v.13)! No one knows the exact time when Christ will return, but would it not be wonderful if He were to come today? Imagine what it will be like if Christ were to return and find us living godly lives for Him. Would you not be glad to see His smile of approval? Let this prospect of seeing Jesus give you added motivation to live for Him now, as verse 13 says, "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."

"(Jesus Christ) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2:14).

The purpose for our salvation is spelled out clearly in this verse. Christ has saved us so that we may become a distinct people, set apart from the rest of the world for His own possession: a special people whom He would not be ashamed to call His own, a people through whom He can reveal Himself to the rest of the world. The apostle Peter said the same thing in 1 Peter 2:9 — "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

This purpose was already in existence from the times of the Old Testament. The nation of Israel was meant to be this special people of God. God had redeemed them out of their slavery in Egypt and had given them the Law. The Law of God consisted of principles and practices that would distinguish them from the rest of the world, and that would also reveal God to the world.

The people of Israel were meant to represent God to the world by what they did, by what they said, and by what they believed and practised. And if they had faithfully followed these things, they would have fulfilled God’s purpose. But because of the problem of sin, they failed to do this. The history of Israel is a record of failure after failure to obey the Law. All of this served to demonstrate the need for God’s grace, which was then revealed through Christ. It is God’s grace that now enables His people to fulfill the purpose of redemption. By God’s grace, His people now have the power to be his peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Now let us see how this relates to us: What God intended to do through the nation of Israel, He now intends to do through us, whom He has redeemed and purified through Christ. We are now His special people, different from the rest. We are the ones to reveal the character of God to this world in our lives. In whatever we do, in whatever we say, in whatever values we hold dear to ourselves, the Lord is revealing His moral character, His godliness to this world.

Did you know that the way you live exerts an influence that affects the people around you? Every moment of your life, you are exerting a tremendous influence that is going to affect the eternal destiny of your family, your friends and the ones you work or study with. You are making an impression on them either for God or against God. The question that you should think about is this: "What kind of impression am I making right now by the way I am living?"

Do people say to you, "I have seen the kind of person you have become since you became a Christian, and I would like to know how my life can be like yours too. Please tell me about Jesus Christ." Or do they say, "You know, the way that you live just confirms in my heart that you Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites. What kind of God do you have anyway that tolerates the things you do?"

We are either stepping stones or stumbling blocks. If our lives help others to make progress toward God, we are stepping stones. But if our lives prevent them from making progress toward God then we have become stumbling blocks. The world needs more stepping stones. Will you be one? —Pastor

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