This post by kathylarkman was originally published at GRACE PLACE
Sharon Durant, contributor for today’s blog
Excerpt from notes on study: Titus 2:15-3:2 by Sharon Durant
If we believe that Jesus has lived the Good Life, the BEST life in fact, and then sacrificed himself for us and poured out grace upon us… if we believe that grace is training us and making us more holy like Jesus… if we believe that this life is not all there is, that heaven is where we’re going and that holy character lasts for eternity…
We will be willing to listen to the Holy Spirit. To throw off the things that distract us. To bite back a cutting remark that is just slanderous. Because my life is not lived for my glory, it’s lived for God’s, and to tell people about his grace through the way I live my life.
Don’t make light of sin. The only thing that separates us from those outside the Church is God’s grace. And God’s grace came to us not because we were nice, or we graduated top of the class, or earned a particularly large bonus, No God’s grace came to us by God’s gift. Through the humility of Jesus Christ. So we show humility not just to our friends, or people in the church, but to all.
How can we live Christ-life without Christ’s life inside of us? How can we live a life of grace without God’s grace in us?
So we don’t make light of sin. These 6 commands(Titus 3:1-2) we’ve looked at tonight set the standard of holiness high. But remember we come to the Cross, where Jesus poured out grace upon us, and we receive grace upon grace (James 4:6). We come to Christ who gladly pours out his spirit in our hearts (Luke 11:13, Rom 5:5). Grace trains us every day.
(For entirety of notes, click on 2018-2019 Bible Study-Titus: The Good Life, 5 Notes by Sharon Durant)