“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). I wonder if any of us stop to consider righteousness as an aspect of God’s grace. In writing to Titus, Paul emphasized the grace of God teaches us to live righteously “in the present age,” today. God’s grace is not just about heaven, but for the here and now, how we live day by day in this life. It is by the grace of God that we can have an abundant life now (John 10:10).
As God is our Creator, it makes sense for us to live righteously, by what is right. His will is the right way to live, revealed to us in Scripture. To do otherwise is to live in sin, which only creates problems, individually and as a nation. Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4), and it leads to more lawlessness (Romans 6:19). No one who is an alcoholic thought that was where drinking would lead. No one who is a drug addict imagined that getting high would do this. No one who has a sexually transmitted disease imagined being sexually immoral would do that. No one caught up in financial crisis thought the cumulative effect of greed would lead to this. However, Scripture points out, “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption” (Galatians 6:8). As the saying goes, “Too often trouble starts out by being fun.” There is pleasure in sin, but it is only for a season; it passes and the consequences are all that is left, harsh and cruel as they may be (Hebrews 11:25).
One look at the world around us and the lack of righteousness, along with its suffering, is obvious. This is not the kind of life God wants for us! He wants us to live in His image (Genesis 1:27; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We need to be renewed in our thinking (Romans 12:2) and in righteousness, which brings a transformation of character (Ephesians 4:22-24). What does this offer? How about peace and joy (Romans 14:17)? The very things people so desperately want but cannot find are available in Christ. Unrighteousness only brings pain and suffering. Why not seek the way of God, and find what life can be in Him? It is part of His grace for us today. “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12 emphasis added).
