Introduction
Last week we saw that the lives of Christians are to be characterized by submission and self-control. This is the kind of life that is in “accord with sound (literally health-giving) doctrine” (vs. 1). Though the world sees this as pure restriction and slavery, to those who know God, submission and self-control are the path to true life. In fact, notice that what Paul says of the faithful slave in vs. 10 is an accurate way of summing up the goal of each of our lives: “so that in everything [we] may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” But where does the motivation for this sort of life come from? Saying that a person should be submissive and self-controlled doesn’t provide the ability or motivation for such action. In fact, without the power and the goal, ethical duties are just another self-improvement scheme that becomes burdensome and wearying. All we can say to failure is “try harder!” In fact, this is what most people think religion is all about: Trying to become something you’re not by working hard. This couldn’t be further from what the Bible actually teaches.
The Engine of the Good Life
The engine for the Christian life that Paul sets out here is described in terms of two “appearings.” In fact, the Christian life can truly be said to be a life defined by what has taken place behind us and what our lives are headed toward. The engine, which is the source and motives of the good life, is powered by the grace and glory of God, manifested in Jesus Christ (Tim Chester). Let’s look at how this works:
Defined by Grace
First, notice that the grace of God has brought salvation to all people (vs. 11). What does this salvation-by-grace teach us to do? “To renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age….” Literally, it trains us to say “no!” to sin and “yes!” to the life of goodness we looked at last week. That’s what we are saved to do, but Paul supplies the powerful reason why as well. Jesus, the incarnate grace of God (John 1:14), “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (vs. 14)
- Why? Because Jesus gave himself to do for us two things that we could not do for ourselves: (1) to set us free from slavery to lawlessness, and (2) to make us into a people who are holy and clean like Him. Our new identity is a gift of His grace.
- Finally, Paul is deliberately drawing our attention to the way Jesus’ coming is a fulfillment of the promise he made to His people Israel.
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” (Deut. 7:6-8)
This is the heart of the Christian gospel: Just as with Israel, God’s love comes for us when we had nothing to offer but the rags of our slavery and the pollution of our sinful hearts. And he does this all because He is full of love for us even when we were unlovely. God loved us so much that He gave himself. He incurred the cost of our rebellion. He paid what was necessary to redeem and set us free from slavery to sin and to make us his own sons! “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are!” (1 John 3:1)
God’s love and grace had given us a new identity that dramatically changes the way we relate to His commandments. Remember the Judiazers, identified in 1:10-14, taught that keeping the law (what we do) leads to our acceptance in God’s sight (who we are). The gospel of grace says the opposite: What God has done for us (who we are) leads to an obedience life of freedom (what we do). It’s precisely this new identity that teaches us to say No! to ungodliness. Because we are children of God, we become like Christ Himself, eager to do the will of the Father (John 6:38).
Waiting for Glory
In the Bible, the appearing of God’s glory is not automatically good news (re. Moses). The appearing of God’s grace makes it good news. It is the identity given by God’s grace that makes us look forward to the appearing of God’s glory.
“Through [Jesus] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Rom. 5:2-5)
What is the glory for which we wait? 2 Corinthians points the way:
“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.” (2 Cor. 4:6)
Because Jesus came in humility to take our shame and guilt upon himself, we now face the glory of His coming with bold anticipation. We long to see Him and to be like Him. This is a hope that purifies.
“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3)
All of this teaches us how to live between His comings: First, anchor your soul on the foundation of God’s grace. Saturate heart and mind with who God says you are because of what He has done for you. Second, look forward to the blessed hope of Jesus glorious appearing and cherish the character of your Father, by saying No! to everything that dishonors Him and say Yes! to what delights hims. Honor and treasure the Scriptures, because it is His word and is, therefore, the path of true life (Psalm 16:11).