“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” (Titus 2:1 ESV)
“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, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
“Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.” (Titus 2:11-15 ESV)
What is sound doctrine? We can read about it right here. God’s grace to us is not free license to continue in a lifestyle of sin without guilt or remorse. It is not just an escape from hell and the promise of heaven when we die. Jesus Christ died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave himself up for us (2 Corinthians 5:15).
Jesus died so that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us who no longer conduct our lives according to the flesh, but who walk according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1-14). He died that we might forsake our former lives of living for sin and self, that we might be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and so we might be given new lives in Christ, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:17-24; cf. Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 2:20; Luke 9:23-26).
Therefore, if we say we have fellowship with God but we continue to conduct our lives in darkness (in sin), we are liars (1 John 1:5-10). And if we live our lives according to the flesh, we will die, but if by the Spirit we put to death the deeds of the body (of the flesh), we will live (Romans 8:13).
For God’s grace teaches us to say “NO” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return. Yet, so many people today, and not just preachers, but these spies and false sheep and false shepherds who are everywhere (in the institutional church, on the internet, etc.), are teaching a false grace absent of the cross of Christ in our lives.
They are teaching a “soft” gospel which lacks backbone and which is easily pliable to human ways, is worldly, is not firm in the faith as taught by Christ and his apostles, is neither hot nor cold, and demands nothing of us – no repentance, no obedience, no submission and no surrender to God.
And it attacks those who are walking the “straight and narrow” by accusing us of being too religious, judgmental, disunifiers, narrow-minded, bigots, hate-mongers, and extremists. They want us to be more pliable, and to be less firm in our beliefs, and to compromise, and to blend in with the rest of the world, and to join in with this all-inclusive religion, which is why they are increasing the pressure on us right now to conform and to compromise.
Now we don’t all have the authority of a man called of God to be over the people in a spiritual capacity, especially if we happen to be female, but as the chosen of God, and as a royal priesthood, we have the authority of Scripture on which we can take our stand and by which we can speak, and we should stand strong on that and not bow to pressure to compromise.
For we are God’s possession, bought with the blood of Jesus which was shed on the cross for our sins. We should follow our Lord Jesus Christ in absolute surrender and devotion, and call on him in truth, and listen to his voice speaking to our hearts, and obey him, and not bend to human pressure to back down on what we know is the truth about Christ and his gospel. By the grace of God, and in his strength within me, I will not yield to such pressure.
Walk With Me
By Al Langdon and P.J. Zondervan
Walk with me, walk with me,
Lest mine eyes no longer see
All the glory, all the story of Your love;
Talk to me, talk to me,
Like You spoke so tenderly,
When You talked there,
When You walked there by the sea.
Talk to me, talk to me,
Lest mine ears no longer hear
All the wonder, all the beauty of Your grace;
Walk with me, walk with me,
As You walked so lovingly,
When You walked there,
When You talked there by the sea.
Let me follow in the footsteps
That trod the shore of Galilee,
Let me learn to pray like He did
In the Garden of Gethsemane;
Take my hand, take my hand,
Teach me Lord to understand,
All the duty, all the beauty of Your love.
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