The Illuminating Grace of God

​Titus 2:11 ~ “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.”
 
Oh, the kindness of Almighty God who brought to light His grace that brings salvation. We consider on this day the richness of God’s loving mercy that brought to mankind the gospel of grace. Understand, dear reader, that the gospel is not a formula of religious observance or a set of rules that will bring the achievement of salvation once accomplished, it is the living LORD Jesus who, as the perfect man and chief representative for mankind before His Father, took our judgment upon Himself, received in full force the entire measure of God’s holy wrath, and substituted His life for ours. He died on that cruel cross as He was scorned and brutalized. And three days later He rose from the grave victorious and vindicated, and secured for all time the means and the right to offer salvation to those who come to Him by faith.
 
And that is the grace of God which has appeared. Like the full moon cast upon the backdrop of a velvet-black sky, the grace of Christ Jesus illuminates the love of God for sinful man and brings to light the salvation He offers. It is a fool’s errand for anyone at all to look for another source of hope. There is only one grace that shines upon this sin-darkened habitation of man. And it has appeared and not been shrouded by the clouds of human works. God did not put any barrier between the eyes of mankind and His grace that shines from Christ. And God, who opens the eyes of the blind, has shone into our hearts as 2 Corinthians 4:6 states, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Dear reader, if you have not yet opened your eyes to the LORD Jesus, then turn to the pages of Scripture and read in the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, and learn of Jesus who died and rose again to redeem you from your sin.
 
And it is grace which has appeared. There is no measure of works that you could begin to accomplish that would bring you into good standing with the Judge of all mankind. To attempt it would be to declare God a liar and believe that you have the means by which you could elevate your condition in His eyes in order to avoid the simple, and absolute need to trust in Christ. All other religions in this world, whether they are the worship of a false God or the worship of the true God in a false way, are anchored upon the premise that there is a work you can do to achieve what God would give you freely if you believe in Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” But God’s rich kindness is available and a complete pardon has been paid in full through the death and resurrection of Christ. It is grace, the unearned, unmerited, undeserved favor of God given to all who yield themselves to Jesus Christ.
 
And such grace is bringing salvation for all people. It is not forcing salvation upon any man, nor is it giving salvation to all men, but it is revealed from Heaven in Jesus Christ the LORD that salvation is available to all men. We know that not all will be saved, for there are many who reject the LORD Jesus and despise His Person, His people and His ways. And yet, with open hands the LORD has reached out upon the earth to bring salvation for all people. There is not one disenfranchised group of people upon this earth who are left out of the offer to be redeemed. Revelation 7:9 illuminates this, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” Will you be standing in the great crowd of humanity who are before the Lamb of God, giving Him praise for His redemption? If so, then even now rejoice! Let your voice be heard amongst the congregation of the saints that you are born-again and are filled with the joyful hope of everlasting life. And if you know not whether you are saved, then go to God’s word. Read of Jesus Christ. Discover who He is and what He did to pay off your eternal judgment and satisfy the wrath of God on your behalf. Then trust Him and what He did and surrender your life to the King of kings—the LORD Jesus.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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