Live Soberly, Righteously, and Godly Titus 2:12 - Equipped for Battle

As a Christian, the way we live before others is important. Our lives become the only Bible that some people read. Paul the apostle has been sharing with Titus who is the pastor of the island of Crete about responsible behavior. The importance of aged men, aged women, young men, young women and Titus himself living with sound doctrine is valuable to the gospel of Jesus Christ Himself. Today Paul continues his thoughts in this area in Titus chapter two and verse twelve where he wrote:

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Because the way we live is crucial, Paul says it is “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts” is critical first. Paul has noted that as Christians we have been saved by the grace of God, and through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross for our sins, we have come into a relationship with God. We now have fellowship with Him, and now “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts” should be a natural part of who we are. We must “deny ungodliness”. In other words, we should not be a part of ungodly behavior. Our attitudes must be reverent toward God, and we should not show impiety in any of our ways.

Paul also says we should “deny worldly lusts”. We must not have a desire, craving, or longing for what is forbidden. There are parts of the world in which we should not be involved or entertained. Participating and desiring worldly lusts makes us no different than anyone else in the world, and the Christians who do so often bring reproach upon the gospel of Jesus. Paul emphasizes the way Christians are to live in the following portion of this verse.

Paul wrote, “we should live soberly” which means having a sound mind, clear headed, temperately, and not altered by outside influences. We should live “righteously” which denotes a life that is just, right, and agreeable to the law of rectitude. We should also live “godly”which means to live with piety, and like unto god. In other words our lives should be reflections of the God we serve.

Note finally where we are to live this way, “in this present world.” The idea is that we are to manifest godly behaviors and attitudes within the world around us. Paul says we are to live in the world before others in a manner that draws people to the gospel of Jesus Christ rather than in ways that push them away from it. The importance of the gospel message is such that our lives becomes witnesses to its affect. When we are changed by the salvation offered by God, and Christ enters our lives, we become a reflection of Him, and people watch us.

Knowing these things, what kind of people should we be? Let's ask the hard questions of ourselves today: Do we deny ungodliness? Do we deny worldly lusts? Do we live soberly, righteously, and godly in this world? If our answers are similar, we desire to fall on our faces before a Holy God to seek His help in living out these ominous words from Paul. And may we evermore seek the face of the One who is the only one capable of helping us in this manner.

Next time we will discover our “Blessed Hope” as Christians, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

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