Redemptive Grace

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

– Titus 2:11

Grace seems to be one of the Apostle Paul’s beloved words. Out of the one hundred and fifty times it is referenced in the New Testament, Paul uses it one hundred times. Regarding grace, Peter encouraged us to be “good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). In God’s diversity, His grace is used as an expression with multiple meanings in Scripture. It is His manifold grace.

This manifold grace has many facets to it. J. C. Ryle wrote, “Sometimes it signifies the free favor of God, as when we read, ‘By grace are ye saved, not of works’; sometimes it means the operation of the Holy Spirit in a man’s conversion, as when St. Paul tells the Galatians, it was ‘God who called me by His grace.'” In his letter to Titus, Paul is referring to Redemptive Grace. The grace that leads to repentance.

Every person’s heart comes with a desire to know about the afterlife (Ecclesiastes 3:11), driving questions regarding eternity. These questions come to us like waves. They roll in and crash into our hearts. At times rendering us unconscious of truth and feeling left in the dark. But when God’s unmerited favor is delivered, it appears out of the shadows and steps into the light. It exposes the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross. This is the truth that is offered to all!

We are all born into sin. It is universal. Salvation is not. Although there is no universal salvation, there is a universal opportunity (John 3:16-17; John 10:9; Romans 10:9-13). This is what makes redemptive grace so essential and precious. May we receive this treasured gift and hand it out to others.

“It might be said that Christ’s atonement is sufficient for the whole world but is efficient only for those who believe.”

– John MacArthur