Bringing Salvation for All People

Sep 21

Do you ever go back and think about how different your life could have gone if just a couple key decisions went differently? If you missed the event where you met your spouse, if your acceptance letter got lost before going to the mail, if the timing was just a little different for your children coming along. Any of these things would have had a profound effect on your life that you can trace. We can work out those implications pretty easily.

But today, we are going to look at the most profound event in your history, my history, and the history of the world, the arrival of Christ. This one event has shaped you more than your decision to get married or to have children has had on your life. Or at least, it should.

So Christ has appeared, And today we are going to look at Christ's appearing as the purpose of history, and What that real history means for us today

Christ's appearing as the purpose of history

We covered last time the idea that our life is a story that is unfolding, and that story is not our own. I thought it would be a good idea to remind ourselves of why that is good news, why this is the best story that we could possibly tell, by looking at the person whom this story is all about. Let's learn what it means that Christ arrives.

Paul is coming down from what the Christian life looks like in practical detail, and now he is looking at the doctrinal foundation for it. This is something of a reversal of how he usually does it (Knight III,318). Usually Paul lays out the theology first like he does in Ephesians, and then hits us with a big ole "Therefore," and lays out what the application of that theology looks like. Here it is the reverse. We've been given all the things to do, for, or because of the following. In other words, all those things that we are talking about roles of men, women, slaves, pastors, all of these roles are put in place because something has historically happened. What is that?

Paul tells us as he opens this section by saying, "for the grace of God has appeared." What is grace? It's a word we Christians say a lot, but have you ever thought about what it means? In the dictionary definition sense, grace is rather straightforward. The definition that I had growing up was getting something good you didn't deserve. You were a brat most of the day, yet your parents decided to let you have the ice cream at the end of the day anyway. You don't deserve it, yet you are given good things. Your parents showed you grace.

That may capture at least some of what the word means, but what does grace —from God—mean? How has God shown us favor?

We cannot even begin to talk about this without reference to Jesus. One commentator spoke of grace not as an object but a person, "Grace is as personal as he is. In fact, Christ is grace." (Chapell, 339). This is why Paul can talk about grace "appearing." Jesus Christ is God's favor toward us incarnate. For him to just appear among us is a grace beyond all measure. Can you imagine what that must have been like to look in Jesus' eyes and know that behind those eyes lies the fullness of deity? The culmination of the purpose of the world?

Jesus is God's favor to us despite our sin.

What that real history means for us today

He brings salvation to all people

But he doesn't do just that. He comes bringing salvation for all people. What does that look like? It isn't some airy fairy spirituality. He is saving us from something to something. From sin and to righteousness. From destruction to wholeness. From despair to joy. Paul will explain exactly how in just a second, but he jumps right into present effects of that salvaiton.

He trains us to live in the present age.

How does he do this? Well, he trains us. The word here for training can bring a lot of different things to mind. But the nuance of this word is "on the behavior and customs resulting from the education" rather than just information dumped on you (Chris Byrley). It is the difference between listening to a seminar on healthy living versus working with a personal trainer in the gym. Yes, the trainer is giving you information on your form to do the exercise correctly, but the main point isn't actually that you do the exercise perfectly per se, it's that you grow into a strong and healthy person.

In a similar way, what Jesus' training is doing here for us is more than just a list of dos and don'ts. It is building a godly life.

Renouncing Sin

Now, that said, there are things we aren't supposed to do. In fact this passage calls us to renounce, deny (Chapell), ungodliness and worldly passions. In other words, we are supposed to say no to those things that are opposed to God's purposes. We are to say no to the priorities of the sinful world even as those priorities well up in ourselves.

When it comes to worldly passions, we are all born with and are surrounded by Burger King theology: have it your way. We are called to renounce that. So when was the last time you did that? When was the last time you had a juicy gossip story to tell and you just...didn't, for the sake of Christ's work? You had the opportunity to deliver that knock-out verbal blow and just...didn't? You had the opportunity to walk past yet another helping of food you weren't even hungry for and just...said no? One commentator put it If our understanding of the grace of God fails to teach us to say no to ungodliness then we are living in the same condition as the rest of the world." (Chapell, 345). Holiness is hard. Sanctification is challenging.

But it isn't just saying no.

Living Godly

Instead, God wants to help us live self-controlled, upright, godly lives. One commentator put it that these words describe the way we live our lives, these are adverbs. Uprightly, godly, self-controlled(ly) living. (Bray, 523). The difference here is that Paul isn't putting down precise, specific points of what "upright" looks like here, but is putting down principles (ibid, 523). This is the way of life. Other commentators notice that this is living rightly in oneself (self-controlled), towards others, (uprightly, or justly), and towards God. Another commentator put it this way, "By adding the word godlyto the ways grace teaches us to live, the apostle reminds us of the Christian life is one of dependence on God.… It is a relationship with God that results in a life honoring to God.… Involving oneself, one's relationship to others, and one's relationship with God." (Chapell, 340)

Waiting Hopefully

We do all of this in the present age while we wait. The word here conveys the sense of eagerly waiting to receive. When you are kid on your birthday, are you indifferent to when it is time to open the presents? You can't wait. You don't know what to do with your energy! As adults we learn to mask our excitement because eagerness isn't mature...until we become grandparents, then all of a sudden its ok to be eager again. The return of Christ, getting to see into those eyes of our great God and Savior is something to be excited about.

That is what motivates us. John Piper picks up a similar idea in that it is the promise of future grace that motivates us. We don't do good things because, "Well, Jesus did a lot, so I guess I kinda owe him," You would hope that isn't why your spouse loves you. No one likes guilt giving! Yes, it is better to do the right thing out of duty than not at all, but come on, people, we are going to see Christ! He is going to walk with us the whole way, wouldn't you rather enjoy the trip? He's training us to do that.

And he did it at great cost to himself. This is the gospel in a sentence right here in verse 14 "gave himself for us to redeem us." He is buying us back. From Satan? No. From God's just wrath. We were dead to rights. Jesus stepped in and brought us home. Far from sticking our noses in it or talking about how awful we were and how much trouble all this was, it says here that he has bought us to be his own, a special possession.

Guys, Jesus really does love you. That's what keeps us going. That's Christianity. He loves you, He died for you, He's made you His own, you're secure, you're forgiven, and in light of all of that, renounce the evil that clings, pursue godliness knowing that one day you will see grace face to face. Note that order. This is what it looks like to have already received grace, not what it looks like to earn grace. One cannot do so! One cannot earn Christ! What on earth do you think you would have to do to earn the Son of God dying for you? You can't. You can only receive it.

And contrary to how we might treat those who sin against us as mess up once and you're done, hear from God as written, Ezekiel 18:23: "Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?" That's God's heart. That heart is what trains us to renounce ungodliness. So when sin comes up, it is fine—good even!—to be broken and contrite, for such a heart God does not despise (Psalm 51:7), but don't stay there. Come back to the One who loves you and gave himself for you.

So what's the takeaway? Maybe you're just worn down from doing the right thing. Remind yourself not just what Christ did but what Christ will do. I know you're tired, but the fact that you are still here even listening to this tells me that Jesus is with you. Continue to lean into Him, Who else can hold you? We are almost there. Joy is coming.

Maybe you are sitting there beating yourself up about something wrong that you did. Thinking that maybe if you get mad at yourself enough, you'll change. As my brother James has counseled friends who do this said, that's not what is offered as the solution in this passage. It is remembering God's grace to you, yes you sin, but God loves you through it, and if that love has penetrated your heart, that will be the greatest motivation to continue back to the road of godly living.

Mark Jessup