Our Blessed Hope

Titus 2:11-14

Our New Testament reading out of the Book of Common Prayer lectionary for this week of Christmas takes us to the letter St. Paul wrote to Titus.  Titus was an early Christian missionary and church leader. He was a Gentile (non-Jewish) young man, who had been converted by Paul on an early missionary trip.  Titus assisted Paul in his ministries, and often was his courier in bringing his letters to the various churches. He was later appointed by Paul to lead the churches established on the island of Crete.  The book of Titus in the Bible is a letter Paul wrote to him, advising him in his responsibilities of supervising the churches in Crete.

At the start of our passage today, Paul tells us that salvation has appeared and is available to be known to all people (vs. 11).  Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross was sufficient to cover every sin of everyone who believes, thus making salvation available to everyone.  However, salvation becomes effective only when one accepts it by faith. Not everyone will be saved. There is no universal salvation for everyone, regardless of whether they believe or not.  Some people reject Jesus’s provision for their sins and the forgiveness He offers. Out of all humanity, only those who believe will be saved.  Those who refuse to believe and accept His provisions must bear the full penalty for their own sins.  Those who refuse God’s grace will not automatically be granted salvation. They have chosen to reject God.

Paul continues in his epistle to tell us that our behavior and conduct must match our salvation testimony (vs. 12).  Salvation transforms us, producing a new life, where the power of sin has been broken. Christians should not only renounce all ungodly and evil behavior, we should also live actively for God. Years ago there was a campaign here in the U.S. of “just say no to drugs”. We can say the same here - say no, or as Paul says, “deny” the temptations that come upon us, and also say yes to living our lives in service for Jesus.

In verse 13 we read of something that as believers we should be eagerly looking forward to and anticipating, and that is the second coming of the Lord Jesus. Paul refers to this as our “blessed hope”. This refers not only to the return of Jesus, but also to the resurrection and reign of believers with Jesus in glory. How eagerly are we awaiting the return of Jesus? Do we look at this coming event as something that we know will happen, but hope won’t happen soon, as we have too many things going on in our life right now that we wouldn’t want interrupted by Jesus’s return?  Perhaps some don’t want him to return soon because of some special sins in our life we don’t want Jesus catching us at, but which we don’t want to give up, either. (Jesus knows about it anyway, so that’s not even a valid excuse.) When a spouse or other loved one has to leave for an extended period of time, we eagerly anticipate their return. Believers should be just as eager and anxious to see our Savior again at His return!

Paul continues on in verse 14, speaking of how Jesus redeemed us from a life of sin under Satan’s control, from a life of “lawless deeds”. To redeem someone was to release a person who was held captive by the paying of a ransom. Jesus redeemed us by paying a ransom of His precious Blood, which satisfied God’s justice.  We weren’t redeemed to just sit around and idly wait for Jesus to return. Once we are saved, we are to be zealously pursuing the work the Lord has called us to do (Ephesians 2:10). We are not saved through performing good works.  However, once we are saved, good works and obedience to the Lord should be evident in our lives.

As we grow as believers to become more in the image of Jesus, our behavior and conduct should become less like the world around us. Christians should be known for their good and moral behavior. As believers, God has given us power and understanding to live according to His will, and to do good.  When we are living according to His will, we can look forward to Jesus’s return with eagerness and hope.