GraceLife Thoughts – Grace That Brings Salvation

Grace Thoughts

GraceLife Thoughts – Grace That Brings Salvation

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men …

One of the questions I hear from non-Christians is how Titus 2:11 can be true given that millions of people now and in the past have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. They ask how the salvation of God has “appeared to all men” when all people haven’t seen Jesus or heard about Him. This question should be addressed and answered. The answer is in understanding the intent of the Author, the Holy Spirit.

God is Triune, which means He is one Being and three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each Person of the Trinity is involved in the process of salvation appearing to all people:

God the Father sent God the Son to live perfectly, die, rise from the dead, ascend to Heaven and return to rule the world at a future time (Gospels, Acts, Apostolic Letters)
God the Son sent God the Spirit to testify about Jesus and His salvation through convicting the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8)
God the Spirit testifies about Jesus, convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, saves sinners and seals them as a guarantee of our inheritance until we are with God in Heaven (Ephesians 1:13-14), and sends the redeemed to tell others about the appearance of God’s Salvation through faith in Christ (John 14; Acts 1; 2 Corinthians 5; Romans 10).

Two-thousand years of Christianity demonstrates that the Holy Spirit has been, and continues to be, highly effective in reaching nations with the Gospel of Salvation. History also demonstrates the opposition from Satan to the Gospel. The devil opposed the birth and childhood of Christ (Matthew 2) and the ministry of Christ (Matthew 4). Satan also opposes all Christians in their lives and ministries (Ephesians 6; 2 Timothy 2; 1 Peter 5). Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, are taking the Gospel that has appeared to all men to all men (humans), but Satan opposes them. The fact that not all people in the world have heard the Gospel does not mean that the Grace of God that brings salvation has not “appeared” to all men. The Gospel is available to the entire world and Christians are and will continue to be involved in getting the Gospel message to a great multitude of “all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues” (Revelation 7:9).

God the Father did His work of sending His Son to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). God the Son did His work of giving His life as a ransom for many and giving the Holy Spirit to those who believed in Him (John 20:22; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4). God the Spirit did His work of testifying about Christ (John 15:26), convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8), saving us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5), and sealing believers as the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:13-14).