Living in Light of God's Will

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God’s Purpose for Us

Titus 2:11-15

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.”

                  We often struggle to understand and know God’s will. It is estimated that the average adult makes 33,000 to 35,000 decisions every day regarding what to do, what we will say, where we will go, and the list goes on. Often our life changes on the decisions we make that at the time seem unimportant. Yet these decisions set in motion a chain of events that radically shift the direction of our lives.  While we carefully consider a few of the significant decisions we make, most decisions are just a reaction rather than a carefully thought-out response.  This confronts us with the question, how do we live in light of God’s will when we do not know what decisions will change our lives and what will be irrelevant?

                  In this passage, Paul gives us the foundation of God’s will, and if we do these things, then we can know that we are living by God’s purpose and plan for our life.  Knowing the will of God begins by understanding His redemptive purpose.  God’s ultimate desire is that we might experience the salvation that He offers.  However, this salvation is not just a mental agreement with the facts of Christ’s death and resurrection.  Salvation is an act of faith that results in a complete reorientation of our lives.  It changes our desires and actions.  Genuine faith involves the rejection of ungodliness and worldly lusts.  In other words, we agree and follow the moral standards of the Bible, and we reject the desires and passions of the world in which we live.  These desires and morality are driven by that which is contrary to God’s character and His moral law. 

                  Having rejected the morality of our world, we are to live sensibly, righteously, and godly.  The word sensibly refers to a manner of life that maintains self-control over one’s passions and desires. It is to bring our desires under the umbrella of God’s character.  This is further highlighted by the words “righteously and godly.”  Both of these words point to the moral standard and character of God.  Today, our society forms its morality by popular opinion.  We determine whether or not abortion is permissible by the vote of the people.  Marriage is defined by what people want it to be.  However, if we live a life in line with God’s will for us, instead of turning to the popular culture marked by sin (Romans 3), we are to turn to the pages of Scripture where God has revealed His moral law.  To live within God’s will is to live by His moral and social standards. Our attitudes, actions, and ethical beliefs are to be determined by God.  This requires conscience and deliberate thought and action in which we daily conform to God’s character and moral law rather than listen to the world. The reason we are to live differently stems from our recognition that Christ will return.  For those that surrender to Christ, His appearance is the “blessed hope.” We look forward to His return, for He is the only one who can bring the remedy for this broken world.  However, for those who reject Christ, His appearance will bring fear and judgment. 

As we make decisions, what must undergird our actions and attitudes is that we belong to Christ, so we desire to live life in a way that honors and pleases him.  Instead of giving in to our desires, we are to surrender to his desires; then, we will make the right choices in life. 

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