After ten verses of instruction on “the things which are fitting for sound doctrine” (2:1), Paul explains to Titus the reason why our lives ought to accord with the gospel. It’s very simple: because God’s grace has appeared.
In the doctrine of God our Savior (2:9), grace has shone forth. The Light has come into the world. Where? How? In the birth of our Lord and Savior.
In Christ, God’s grace in salvation “was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim 1:9). But now, in history, God’s gracious purposes in saving darkened, sin-bound souls has been made gloriously visible in the appearing of our Christ.
By His appearance, He has abolished death – He died so that we would not perish eternally. Not only that, but by His death and resurrection, Jesus “brought life and immortality to light through His gospel” (2 Tim 1:10). So now in Him, we have eternal life, and we have the hope of an indestructible, incapable-of-sinning body, just like the one He has.
And the dawning of this sin-piercing grace is for “all men” – so that many, you and me, from every tribe and tongue and people and nation would be among those whom Christ has purchased for God with His precious blood (Rev 5:9).
The fruits of a life remade by this grace are inevitable and undeniably present in every believer. But in order to live such a life, we must always be attaching ourselves to this grace. We must be anchored by it (Heb 6:19), tasting it (1 Pet 2:3), seeing it (2 Cor 3;18), and letting it dwell in our hearts richly (Col 3:16).
And take heart, we didn’t make the first move in any of this…God did. His grace in His glorious Son appeared to us, with us, and for us. His grace always makes the first move, always pursues sinners, and always forgives and restores those who respond to it by humble faith.
That’s what Christmas reminds us – where sin abounds, grace super-abounds (Rom 5:20). And nowhere did it super-abound more brilliantly than in a lowly virgin’s womb and then nine months later, in a manger in Bethlehem. This is how God chose to have His grace come to us…let that fill us with wonder and with worship.
