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, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. Titus 2:11‭-‬14

In the first ten verses of Titus 2, Paul underscores the importance of how everyone should be living if they know Jesus. Paul touches every age group, gender, and cultural status. Salvation is for all and Jesus makes it available to everyone who will believe in Him.

The Blueprint of New Life

Our lives have been transformed by the power of Jesus Christ and His resurrection. But does that new life begin automatically? Not really. But for too many believers, their new life was a shove into the world to try to figure it out as they go. There were no instructions or any accountability as they tried to grow in the Lord.

Peter in his writings speaks of the Christian learning as a small child and growing in the Lord (1 Peter 2:2). The apostle John does the same in his letters (1 John 2). Because we’ve been given a new life, it’s now time to live like we have new life. It’s one thing to say you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, it’s another altogether to live like it every day. In this passage, Paul brings us a blueprint of what this new life should look like.

God’s grace instructs us on how we should be living. This instruction looks like a two-sided coin. One side shows us the negative side or what not to do; then, the positive side shows the right thing to do.

The Negative Side

• Deny ungodliness – Grace teaches to reject the lifestyle of ungodly living. The definition of this behavior is “a lack of reverence for God that expresses itself in a complete disregard for God in thought and in actions.”
• Deny worldly desires – Grace instructs to reject the world and its ideals. Satan does everything he can to keep us ineffective as believers by throwing all the world has to offer.

The Positive Side

• Live sensibly – Other translations interpret this as “self-controlled.” This positive view of grace’s instruction relates in a personal area. It gives us a strategy through the power of God we can overcome problem areas in our lives.
• Live righteously – This could be translated to live ethical or upright lives. Grace helps us to live this way in regard to others. Integrity and character sometimes may be our only testimony others may ever see.
• Live godly – This view of grace’s instruction deals with the relationship we have with God. This way of life is not to live better than others, but to live as though God is the only audience of our lives.

Grace instructs us to say, “No!” to ungodliness and the desires of this world. However, grace also teaches us to say, “Yes!” to live sensibly, righteously, and godly. We can resoundingly say “No” and “Yes” in the same breath.