Titus 2:11-14 (NRSV)
Read Titus 2:11-14 on biblegateway.com
Verse 11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, Verse 12training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, Verse 13while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Verse 14He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Devotion
He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds. (Titus 2:14)
Our reading begins, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all," and ends with a reference to God’s people being "zealous for good deeds." In the age old discussion about the relationship between God's grace and the place of our good deeds, we sometimes forget that Jesus was actively involved in equipping us for good deeds. Good deeds are not a problem—the purpose of our charitable acts is.
Our text gets it right. Christ's death on the cross, his giving of himself, redeems and purifies us. Then our good deeds, performed as forgiven people, become our grateful response to Christ's act of love. In other words, God doesn’t need our good deeds; God is perfectly capable of saving us apart from them. But our neighbor does!
Prayer
As you have blessed me with your gifts, Lord, make me a blessing to those around me. Amen.