For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Something important has happened and it has implications for all of life. What has happened? The “grace of God has appeared” and it brings “salvation for all people.” What is the grace of God? It is the divine love and favor of God that has provided a way of salvation. Specifically, God’s love and favor sent Jesus Christ into the world so that “whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16). What has happened is that a way to escape eternal darkness and destruction has appeared, a way to participate in eternal redemption and restoration has been made available.

If we take advantage of this grace by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then it trains us or teaches us certain things. What does it teach us? According to the Apostle Paul, there are three things. First, it trains us “to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions.” Since God’s grace is ultimately intended to redeem us and restore us, partaking of it teaches us to say “no” to these sins of the sinful self. What are these things? “Ungodliness” refers to the failure to properly acknowledge and obey God. “Worldly passions” refers to the failure to properly relate to our fellow human beings and other elements of creation. Together, the two pretty much cover every kind of sin there is.

Second, it teaches us “to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.” God’s grace helps us to say “no” to the sinful nature and it also helps us to say “yes” to every positive virtue. Instead of ungodliness, we learn godliness. Instead of worldly passions, we learn to be self-controlled and upright. God’s grace, in other words, trains us and helps us to turn our lives around from the fruitless and destructive way we once lived.

Finally, God’s grace teaches us to wait for “our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” God’s grace has begun a good work in us, but it needs completion. We must wait, then, for the day when “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ,” (Philippians 1:6).

God’s grace has appeared and it is working in us and changing us, preparing us to receive the fullness of our hope.

By John Huisman, friend of Bible League International