Titus 3:15
15 All [pas] that are with [meta] me [emou] salute [aspazomai] thee [se]. Greet [aspazomai] them that love [phileo] us [hemas] in [en] the faith [pistis]. Grace [charis] be with [meta] you [humon] all [pas]. Amen [amen]. KJV-Interlinear
15 All who are with me greet you.
Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. NASB
Paul closes with his
greetings from those who are with him, and kind words
of affection.
And the very last
phrase is the most important.
Grace with you all.
Paul wishes that
everyone (those in the faith), will remain consistent in this spiritual life
and continue in their advance toward maturity, such that they will qualify as
recipients of grace.
Grace is Gods favor.
Favor is Gods action of
granting benefits and blessings to those who are committed to the pursuit of His
plan for their life namely their spiritual advance to maturity. What does that mean for you?
God is the sovereign of
the whole universe and heaven.That
means that God is the wealthiest individual of all that exist.
Wealth is the vast
holdings which produce riches.Riches
are the vast possessions that produce prosperity. Prosperity is the environment which produces
security.Security brings about
contentment.And contentment manifests happiness.
Bible doctrine, through
Christ, by means of the Holy Spirit, is your means of accessing that result in
your life.
The other day we said
that God gives you grace, but God also places obligations on you.
Most folks will invent
excuses, rationalizing their way out of their obligations. But then God does not depend on you to do His
business, He simply gives you the opportunity to participate.
If you do not fulfill
your responsibilities, someone else will fulfill theirs. And to whom will the blessings of obedience
go?
Yesterday, we saw that
there are those who have pressings needs, and that Paul told Titus to fulfill
those needs by means of engaging in good deeds. And what good deeds are there, that will
cause folks to advance in their spiritual life?
The process of Biblical instruction, resulting in spiritual growth.
The bumper stickers
say, Imagine a world without war. And they
should say, Imagine a world without God.
Without doctrine, there
is no favor.And without favor (grace), there
is no life.You have but one
opportunity, which is this current life, to fulfill your spiritual
destiny.Don t lose it by rationalizing
it away.