Time for a Great Tozer Quote: Christianity’s Surrender

 

Back to Basics (A Study of Titus 2): Part 9

The Apostle Paul has much to say about the Christian life in Titus 2:

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. ¹⁵ These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

Thus far in our study of Titus 2 we have seen that God’s grace not only brings salvation, but it teaches us how to live.  Negatively, it instructs us to deny ungodliness and worldly passions.  Positively, it teaches us to live soberly, upright, and godly, in this present age!  Right now!

In our last post, we said that our world hates Christians “imposing” their values on culture.  It also criticizes Christians for being “so heavenly-minded that they are of no earthly good.”  The world can’t have it both ways!  Perhaps the following chart may be helpful: 

It seems to me that we Christians have three options when it comes to how we live in this world. We may live a private life of INSIGNIFICANCE, a life we live to ourselves, by ourselves, without any effort to impact our culture. We may seek to live a life of IMPOSITION in which we strive to take over the world for Jesus, getting angry because our culture is becoming more and more ungodly, and thinking that we will Christianize our society for the Savior. These two options, it seems to be, lack biblical warrant.

Jesus calls us to a third option — to be salt and light in our world. We are to seek to INFLUENCE our culture for good. Salt preserves what is good; light illumines the darkness. Both preservation and illumination are important in a just and good society. Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mt. 5:16) (to be continued)