Foundations of Godly Men (A Titus Reading Plan)Sample

Gospel

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.” (Titus 2:11 CSB)

The only way we become the people God intended us to become and live the way that God calls us to live is by having our lives deeply rooted in the Gospel. You can only become a godly man when your life is built on the foundation of the Gospel.

The amazing thing about the Gospel is that a child can believe it and a theologian can never mine the depths of it. We must build our lives on four Gospel truths.

First, sin has enslaved you. You are a broken person. Deeply and painfully broken. Every man is. No exceptions. No man can become a godly man unless he first admits that he is a godless man. As Ephesians 2 reminds us, we were born spiritually dead, disobedient, and doomed. Without Christ, every attempt we make to be better will ultimately fall short. We don’t just need external change, we need internal change. Because our biggest problem is a sin problem.

Second, God is pursuing you. We have a God who is good, loving, kind, and gracious (Titus 3:4). Yes, as those who have rebelled against God and rejected him, we are under the righteous wrath of God. We deserve eternal hell. But as God's creation, we are cared for by God. He wants to see us saved and restored, and He is pursuing us to that end. The reason this is such good news is that none of us would pursue God if left to ourselves (Romans 3:10-17). Any desire you have for God is because God is pursuing you.

Third, Jesus came to redeem you. To “redeem” means to release a captive, like a prisoner or a slave, through the payment of ransom. Jesus came to purchase us with his very blood and free us from the bondage of sin. He released us by purchasing us with His blood. That is what this text tells us: he gave himself—for us—so that we might be released. His ransom was our redemption. Through Christ, we can not only be saved from sin but saved from the just wrath of God. Titus 2:11 tells us, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.”

Finally, salvation restores you. Jesus did not come merely to save you from hell; He came to put you on a path toward restoring your true identity in Him. Salvation is a present-tense reality in which every day you choose to trust and follow Jesus. As you do, God takes you further down the path of restoration.