by J.D. Greear
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.
Titus 2:11–12

What produces the ability to do all the things listed in Titus 2:11–12? The grace of God.
The problem is not that the power of sin is too strong. The problem is that your love for God is too weak. If your love for God grew, it would bring into captivity all of these things. How do our passions for God grow? Not by being told that they’re supposed to grow, but by marveling at what God has done for us. The key in that verse is the word appeared. The grace of God has always been there, of course, but it has appeared to the heart of the hearer, because when God opens our eyes to behold the glory of God in the gospel, the passions of our hearts change so that we live godly, self-controlled lives.
So when I’m talking to the high school girl who just lost her virginity, I’m not telling her about the dangers of STDs or how much she’s screwing up her chance at a happy marriage. I’m telling her there is a God who cares enough about her that He came to earth to pursue her, to die in her place for her sin, and that He loves her more than any dirtbag guy ever could. And if she would understand the love of the Father, which she’s been seeking everywhere but in Him, then the seductions she faces in high school would not be nearly as strong over her.
When I’m dealing with the young man who is overwhelmed by pornography, I’m not just telling him how much he’s messing up his heart and poisoning his future relationships. I am telling him that God created him to be a man of righteousness, that God shed His blood so he could become exactly that. Commands don’t break the power of canceled sin; the acceptance God gives in Christ does. There is no way to believe and behold the gospel without also becoming more like Christ.
Grace is heavier than sin, and if we will lean into it, God’s Spirit will help us live as those who are freed from the bondage of these lesser satisfactions, the ones that kill.

Thought to Remember for Today

Martyn Lloyd-Jones said the ultimate measure of our spirituality is our amazement at the grace of God. Growth in godliness is most fundamentally growth in our awareness of our need for grace. Christian growth this side of heaven is not getting to a point where you don’t really feel like you need grace. Christian growth this side of heaven is becoming more intimately aware of how desperately you need it.

Fitzpatrick, E. (2016). Grace untamed: a 60-day devotional. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook.