Page 18 - October 2026 - Truth & Tidings

Then in a positive way, God’s grace is generate humanity who live as they like,
teaching us to “live soberly, and righ- governed only by the sinful flesh within.
teously, and godly, in this present age.” All believers have the indwelling Holy
“Soberly” would be primarily selfward, Spirit of God, which is a fundamental
to be characterised by sobriety, soundness reason and power to be different than the
of mind, living discreetly, not behaving unregenerate. The teaching ministry and
frivolously, consistent with those who are transforming moral power of the grace of
to represent God and Christ in this world. God, as it is brought to bear upon us by
“Righteously” would include that which the indwelling Spirit of God, every day
is manward, living justly and honour-
ably before all men. “Godly” would be implores believers to be distinct and to
our highest relationship Godward, to be be godly in this present ungodly world.
characterised by a godly manner, always By God’s grace there is a liberty, not to do
reverencing Him, regarding God in our as we please, but to live godly lives that
lives in every way, obeying His Word, will please God and bring glory to Christ.
always considering what will be pleasing “Teaching us” is a present continuous
to our God. participle, which indicates that this is to
The grace of God is to empower us be a continuous process of education and
to live differently from the masses of training day by day in believers’ lives.
ungodly people in this world, consistent It has been said that Christians “never
with our deliverance from “this present graduate from the school of God’s grace
evil world [age]” (Gal 1:4) by the death in this life.” For whatever time we have
2
of Christ. The believers amongst which down here, and as we await our Saviour
Titus worked lived on the Greek island of coming again for us, we must determine
Crete, renowned at that time for its ease to display more of the grace of God in our
of living and morally unlawful behaviour. lives, respond to the teaching ministry of
Paul quotes one of their own prophets, God’s grace, and know much of its trans-
“The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts,
slow bellies” (1:12); there must have been forming moral power. By God’s grace, we
great pressure upon the believers in Crete were assuredly saved for heaven the very
to conform and become like all the people moment we first believed. But if I am still
around them. Previous writers have noted today the same character of person that I
the direct contrast of that three-fold de- was that moment I believed, something
scription of the ungodly Cretians with is not right. The grace of God that gave
the three-fold exhortation to believers in me entrance to salvation at the strait gate
2:12. If we are living “soberly,” then we should also empower me to walk the nar-
will not be like those stereotypical “slow row way of godliness each day. This is
bellies” (lazy gluttons) from Crete. If we what it means to “grow in grace, and in
are living “righteously,” then we won’t the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
be like those lawless “evil beasts.” If we Jesus Christ” (2Pe 3:18).
are living “godly,” we will not be habitual
“liars,” because God “cannot lie” (1:2). 2 David West, What the Bible Teaches: 1
As we live “in this present age,” we Thessalonians – Titus (Kilmarnock, Scotland:
are expected to live differently to unre- John Ritchie Ltd., 1983), 436.

306 TRUTH kTidings October 2026