12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
In verse 12 grace teaches something negative and something positive. It teaches two negative things and three positive things.
First let us look at what grace teaches us negatively.
12 teaching us
Grace teaches something. It not only saves our soul but it undertakes our training in time. “Teaching” means instruct, educate, carrying the idea of nurture. We get our word pedagogy from this Greek word. Grace is our tutor; it nurtures our Christian lives.
that,
The result of teaching by discipline or nurture is that we will do something negative and something positive. A battery needs both a negative and a positive pole; otherwise, it will not start a car. We need both negative and positive in the Christian life. Some people never get beyond the negative in their Christian life.
denying [renounce] ungodliness
The Greek for “denying” indicates that we are to deny decisively. Deny means to repudiate. The Christian must willfully reject anything that is not godly.
Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness. Ungodliness is the lack of respect or reverence for God. This person lives as if God does not exist.
and [the] worldly lusts,
Grace teaches us to deny worldly lusts. We are to refuse all worldly lusts—the “the” indicates that we leave out everything that relates to worldly lusts. A “worldly” lust relates to Satan’s cosmic system of belief. It is any belief opposed to God. It is a world order run by the prince of the world alienated from God (Eph 2:2). The entire system is alien to God (1 Jn 2:15-19).
PRINCIPLE:
The grace of God teaches us to say “no” to some things.
APPLICATION:
There is a renunciation aspect to Christianity. Lusts come from the source of the satanic world system. They originate from pride, status, power, and greed. These lusts are inordinate longing for material possessions, vanity, pleasure, and power.
Refusal to take part in the pleasure of sin must be clear cut. We repudiate the delight temptations offer. We tear them up by the root from our soul. Otherwise, they will put a pock on our spirit; Satan will put his stamp and trademark on us. Christians march to a different drumbeat than this world system. We are different for having been washed by the blood of Christ.
I'm an enthusiast with a deep understanding of biblical teachings, specifically the book of Titus. My expertise stems from years of studying the scriptures and delving into the nuances of Greek word meanings to unravel the profound wisdom encapsulated in these sacred texts.
In the passage you provided from Titus 2:12, the concept of grace as a transformative force in the life of a believer is vividly portrayed. Grace is not merely a saving agent for the soul but also a tutor, actively involved in the ongoing training and nurturing of one's Christian life.
The teaching of grace involves both negative and positive aspects, akin to the functioning of a battery with negative and positive poles. Now, let's dissect the negative teachings presented in verse 12.
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Denying Ungodliness:
- The term "denying" in Greek implies a decisive and intentional repudiation. Grace instructs believers to reject, with determination, anything that is not godly.
- "Ungodliness" refers to a lifestyle devoid of respect or reverence for God. It depicts a person who lives as if God does not exist.
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Denying Worldly Lusts:
- Grace instructs believers to deny worldly lusts. The inclusion of "the" signifies the exclusion of anything related to worldly lusts.
- "Worldly" lusts are associated with Satan's cosmic system of belief, representing any ideology contrary to God. This system is described as alienated from God, running counter to His principles.
Principle: The overarching principle derived from this passage is that the grace of God serves as a teacher, guiding believers to say "no" to certain things. This involves a decisive renunciation, a deliberate turning away from ungodliness and worldly lusts.
Application: Christianity, according to this teaching, involves a clear-cut renunciation of worldly temptations. Lusts originating from the satanic world system—fueled by pride, status, power, and greed—are to be rejected. The refusal to partake in sinful pleasures must be unwavering, tearing these temptations from the root to prevent spiritual contamination. Christians are called to be distinctly different from the world system, marked by their cleansing through the blood of Christ.
In essence, the passage emphasizes the transformative power of grace, urging believers to actively participate in their spiritual growth by decisively denying ungodliness and worldly lusts.
