‘Because the grace of God that brings salvation has been manifested to all men, teaching us that, renouncing impiety and worldly desires, we live in the present age with sobriety, justice and piety’ (Titus 2:11-12). In these verses Paul says that the same grace that appeared to us at salvation also teaches us how to live. The word translated ‘teach’ is paidfrom where we get the word pedagogue, which means teacher.
This is very interesting, because in another place Paul compares the law to a teacher (see Galatians 3:24-25). And he says that when a person comes to faith in Christ, he is removed from being under the law; they no longer need this pedagogue. We are free from the law and people telling us what to do.
Here we see why. We have another pedagogue, the Holy Spirit.
But there is a big difference. Under the old covenant the teacher was external to us, but under the new covenant our teacher is internal. The Holy Spirit lives within us and teaches us how to live. He guides us step by step, like a pedagogue.
When God saved us, he did not give us a law, he gave us a life; the life of Christ. And this life comes to us by the Holy Spirit to effect transformation.
It teaches us to say ‘no’ to:
- impiety. Impiety is when we do not take God seriously; when he is ignored. The strict sense of atheist is not the one who does not believe in God but the one who lives without Him. Before we were saved we were like that; we were wicked But now the Holy Spirit teaches us to live God-conscious, God-centered, and God-dependent lives.
- worldliness. Worldliness means being absorbed in this temporary material world with no regard for the things of God. As natural, unredeemed people, this is how we once lived. But now the Holy Spirit teaches us to set our minds on the things of the Spirit, that is, our newly created life in Christ (see Rom.8:5-9).
The consequence of this is that we will livesober, just and pious in the present age’ (Titus 2:12). All this is the work of grace.
In my observation, some pastors, preachers, and church leaders are reluctant to embrace the teaching of grace because it means they have to trust the Holy Spirit to do His work in God’s people. Some apparently think they can do the job better than He. They want to be the pedagogue!
It is true that Paul instructs Titus to teach others how to live, but there is a big difference between explaining God’s Word and trying to enforce it. It is one thing to teach God’s people, and another thing to watch over them!
We must trust the Holy Spirit to teach believers how to achieve their salvation in the day-to-day details of their lives. He is much more capable than us. Jesus promised, ‘But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I have told you. (John 14:26).