“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). The law did not require this of Christ, rather, the law said: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39; etc.). This is quite a different thing. Many teach that our justification rests upon Christ’s obedience to the law; thankfully it does not. The law knows nothing of the love that led our Savior to the cross. There has been no greater display of love, acting in the midst of evil, than at the cross. This is grace and this is our example. Jesus laid down His life for us and we are to follow in His footsteps.
Paul sent Titus to the Isle of Crete to put the things in order that were lacking. The Cretians had a reputation of being “liars, evil wild beasts, lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12 JnD). This was quite the indictment! The Christian, however, was not to appear so before the world. God gave the dearest object of His love, His only begotten Son, and delivered Him up for us all so that we might be saved. For His part, the Lord Jesus Christ “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father” (Gal. 1:4). As we consider the great cost of our salvation, and all that we have been delivered from, any thought of returning to those habits, or national characteristics, will be offensive to our new sensibilities. Grace, therefore, teaches us. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12). Grace shows me that I am to live soberly—with personal self-control; righteously—interacting with others with integrity; godly—holy and reverent before God. This isn’t merely an external thing set before our intellect. Grace teaches us, by that work God has accomplished in us, what is abhorrent and what is acceptable to Him.
All of this is in view of that day when Christ shall appear in His glory. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:11-14). The saints of God will appear with Christ. Paul told the Thessalonian saints: “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” (1 Thess. 2:19). If this was recompense for the Apostle’s labors, how much more so for Christ, when we are displayed with Him as the trophies of His grace. This motivates us in our life and walk.
The saints in Corinth were wealthy, but they were not generous. The Corinthians were puffed up in their own self-importance, glorying in their spiritual gifts, reigning as kings, and, as a result, they were indifferent to evil. Self-sufficiency and pride shut out the grace of God—although, they owed everything to it: “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in everything ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge” (1 Cor. 1:4-5). The second epistle was written in response to the report Paul had received from Titus. The Corinthians had responded favorably to the rebuke of his first letter, having been rightly grieved by it. The word grace occurs eighteen times in the second letter—it is the restorative grace of God at work. In the eighth and ninth chapters, the Apostle exhorts them to be generous, provoking them by the gift he had received from the impoverished assemblies of Macedonia—not for his benefit, but for the poor (2 Cor. 8:19-20; Rom. 15:26). Throughout these two chapters the word grace appears many times; sometimes in the sense of gift, sometimes meaning thanks, but it is always grace punctuating the chapter. It is here amidst this prosaic, but necessary exhortation, that we find this wonderful treasure: “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). It is the grace of God working in us, and teaching us, as to practical ministry. Earlier in this epistle, Paul had to write: “O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels” (2 Cor. 6:11-12). The effect of grace is to enlarge our affections; legality has quite the opposite effect (Gal. 4:15-16).