Skid Marks and Grace

“for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you” (1Tim 6:21)

You can tell a lot at an accident scene when you look at the skid marks. What’s left of the car may be still smoking in the ditch, but the burnt rubber left on the road will tell you where the trouble began. That’s why police investigating any wreck will carefully examine and measure when and where the tires made their black marks on the pavement. 

At the very end of his letter to Timothy, Paul looks over the skid marks of another accident scene. It was a terrible crash. No, there wasn’t six chariot pileup on some Philippian freeway. He’s talking about the wreck of the Ephesian church. It all happened when a team of false teachers distracted folks from following Jesus with a lot of pointless discussions they claimed was essential to the faith. The result was tragic. “For by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you” (v21). 

When you take your eyes off grace, you’re going to leave skid marks.

As Paul wraps up his note, he personally encourages Pastor Tim to “guard the deposit entrusted to you” (1Tim 6:20). The apostle is talking about protecting the purity of the Gospel. When you compare spreading the Good News to reporting, it’s critical to maintain journalistic integrity. This goes for pastors, ministers, Bible teachers, as well as folks like you and me. We must make sure the message of Jesus remains untarnished, untainted, and undiluted. This is Paul’s call to quality assurance. And by guarding it, he doesn’t mean hoarding it. I’m to share it readily and generously.

Just a quick reminder of exactly the key ingredients of the crystal clear Gospel of grace. In an incredible moment of generosity, God created a perfect universe and put us in it. It wasn’t long before we jacked the whole deal up by thinking He was holding out on us. We continually rejected His goodness and repeatedly ignored His loving guidance. 

In order to save us from ourselves and restore creation, God personally got involved. His Son left heaven and went on the greatest search-and-rescue mission in all of history. Jesus lived the perfect life we should have lived. He died the death for our sin and rebellion we should have died. He rose to new life we don’t deserve. Christ restores our broken relationship with God for us. 

We simply trust in what He did for us that we could never do on our own. We follow His leadership as an act of gratitude and worship. I must keep my eyes locked on Jesus who not only starts and ends my rescue. When I’m distracted and start thinking it’s up to me to save myself, I headed for trouble. BIG trouble. When I take my eyes off grace, I’m going to leave skid marks.

Meanwhile back in Paul’s epistle, he stands at the accident scene knows exactly what happened. It all started when some of these spiritual hucksters began making promises they couldn’t keep. He writes how they were “professing it” (v21). “It” being the “irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (1Tim 6:20). He uses a Greek word (Gr. epaggellomai) to describe what they said that describes someone promising publicly what will occur. The term literally means to “pre (epi-) announce (-announce).” They asserted openly and emphatically how things would go down. You may remember back near the beginning of the letter how Paul these religious con artists had a bad habit of talking about all sorts of goofy stuff “about which they make confident assertions” (1Tim 1:7). 

Check out how writers use this word in the NT. When Judas cooks up the plot to throw Jesus under the bus, religious leaders “were glad and promised (Gr. epaggellomai) to give him money” (Mk 14:11). Despite being well a VERY old man, Abraham put his trust in God’s covenant pledge to give he and Sarah a son because he was “fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised (Gr. epaggellomai)” (Rom 7:5). In the opening lines of his letter to Titus, Paul tells him how everything hinges “in on the hope of eternal life, which God who never lies, promised (Gr. epaggellomai) before the ages began” (Titus 1:2). A promise is only as good as the one making it. Hint, hint. Trust God’s promises!

You can bet when we take our eyes off Christ, we’ll hear squealing tires very soon. Folks in Ephesus saw it happen with their own eyes. Paul and Tim remember that horrible time false teachers made empty promises and “some have swerved from the faith” (v21). “Swerved” is the Greek verb astocheo, which describes someone who completely misses the target. Picture a distracted driver while texting who veers wildly into your lane and off the road (because we know neither one of us would EVER do something so stupid, right? RIGHT?!?).

Earlier in this letter, Paul reminds Tim how folks who once had a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith, “by swerving (Gr. astocheo) from these, have wandered away into vain discussion” (1Tim 1:5-6). In his followup note, the apostle tells Tim how two false teachers named Hymenaeus and Philetus “swerved (Gr. astocheo) from the truth” by claiming the resurrection of the dead has already happened (2Tim 2:17-18). Pastor Tim is certainly used to seeing skid marks at spiritual accident scenes. 

The man from Tarsus signs off his letter to his spiritual son by writing, “Grace be with you” (v21). No, it’s not “yours truly.” Not “sincerely.” Not “regards.” It’s “grace.” This is no automatically generated signature at the bottom of an email. If you’re familiar with our man Paul, you know God’s amazing grace is a big deal. A VERY big deal. Some folks call it God’s descending, one-way love. Paul Zahl says it’s “love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return…Grace is being loved when you are unlovable.” It’s God’s overwhelming and overflowing goodness to each one of us who really deserve a one-way ticket to the far side of hell instead. 

Flip back to the opening lines of this epistle. Paul starts with a prayer for God’s goodness to Tim. “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (1Tim 1:2). And now it ends celebrating His divine generosity to every follower of Jesus in the church. The apostle bookends every letter with grace (Rom 1:1; 16:20; 1Cor 1:3; 16:23; 2Cor 1:11 13:14; Gal 1:1; 6:18; Eph 1:1; 6:24; Phil 1:2; 4:23; Col 1:1; 4:18; 1Tim 1:1; 6:21; 2Tim 1:1; 4:22; Titus 1:4; 3:15; Phm 3, 25). Every. Single. One. See for yourself. I’ll hum the music to Final Jeopardy while you do.

Our journey with Jesus starts with grace. And it ends with grace. Why not open and close every conversation I have with a reminder of God’s undeserved and unmerited favor for you and me? Our relationship with our Heavenly Dad begins and ends with grace. His very act of creating the entire universe out of zilch for us to enjoy is certainly an example of it. It all starts with His grace and ends with His grace.

Paul constantly reminds us of the incredible impact of Jesus’ one-way love on his life. “The grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1Tim 1:12). Remember, the apostle formerly known as Saul was a one-man wrecking crew on a search-and-destroy mission to kill the followers of Christ before our resurrected Savior blindsided him outside of Damascus. From murderer to missionary. From assassin to apostle. Now THAT’S grace!

When it comes to my own salvation, I bring nothing to the table except the sin that makes it absolutely necessary. Or as Paul tells his Ephesian friends, “Saving is all His idea, and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play a major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing!” (Eph 2:8-9 The Message). I absolutely love Tullian Tchividjian’s description. “Grace is unconditional acceptance given to an undeserving person by an unobligated Giver.” And if I don’t keep my eyes on His grace, I’ll swerve and wreck myself too.

There’s something curious about the very last word of the letter: “you” (v21). It’s actually plural. At the very end of this very personal note, Paul’s talking to the entire church. For those of you from the south of the Mason-Dixon line, you can read this as “y’all.” Well, the apostle is originally from southern part of Asia in the city of Tarsus. This is a powerful reminder that while our relationship with Jesus is very personal, it is certainly NOT private. We do it together. In other words, we’re carpooling in our journey with Christ. I’m not traveling solo. If I don’t focus on His grace I could easily end up careening and crashing. Just like that horrible accident in Ephesus. You can still see the skid marks.

It's ALL Good!

“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (1Tim 4:4-5).

Somewhere along the line we fell for a lie. We bought into the goofy idea that God is holding out on us. For years, I pictured Him as some supernatural Ebenezer Scrooge. Knowing Jesus meant no fun. I thought accepting the Good News was goodbye to the good stuff. 

But nothing could be any further from the truth about the Truth. God is the ultimate Giver. It’s at the core of who He is. He gives so we can enjoy. John Piper likes to say, “He is most glorified in us when we are the most satisfied in Him.” He gave us Creation to enjoy. He gives us His Son so that we may have overflowing and abundant life to enjoy. God is the Great Giver. It’s ALL good!

There are folks who try to perpetuate the lie of a stingy God. They try to tell us that the only way to true holiness is through denial and rejection of anything that brings us pleasure. It’s the doctrine of “if it feels good, DON’T do it!” It’s self-salvation by subtraction. Self-righteousness by rejection. They dupe us into thinking the way to please God is by grabbing a monk’s robe and taking a vow of poverty. I hate to think “Celibate Good Times” is the number one tune down at the local monastery. 

Religious con artists have been selling this scam for centuries. False teachers had distracted the followers of Jesus to avoid not only marriage and the all-you-can-eat buffet (1Tim 4:1-3). Don’t touch this. Don’t eat that. Don’t even think about enjoying anything. Self-salvation by subtraction. Self-righteousness by rejection. 

Paul says that may sound super duper spiritual but it couldn’t be any further from what the Great Giver has for us. “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (v4-5). He’s no Almighty Miser. God is the Great Giver! He gives so we can enjoy. It’s ALL good!

The apostle makes his point to Pastor Timothy by going back to the beginning. Not the beginning of the letter. Not the beginning of the year. I mean THE Beginning. Creation. “For everything created by God is good” (v4). Paul flips back to the opening pages of Scripture when our Creator gets busy crafting the universe. Grab a front row seat for the first moments of history. Each time our great big God speaks, great big stuff happens (Gen 1). Light. Night. Day. Oceans. Land. Outer Space. Plants. The Sun. The Moon. Animals. Our first parents. It’s all good!

I mean, it’s ALL good. Every. Single. Thing. If God made it, it comes with a supernatural stamp of approval. Moses makes the point six times in Genesis (Gen 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). Paul drives it home once again to Tim. “For everything created by God is good” (v4). In case you’re wondering just how much of God’s handiwork he’s talking about, the apostle says “everything.” This is the Greek word pas. When you do an exhaustive word study using all the lexicons and dictionaries, you find out it means “everything.” The whole enchilada. It’s ALL good!

The ESV uses “created” to translate the original Greek ktisma. It describes the result of God’s creative activity, any creature or part of creation. The term emphasizes forming and shaping out of nothing. God started from scratch…except WITHOUT the scratch! He generously created the entire universe from total nothingness. Smart folks who know Latin call it ex nihilo. That simply means “out of nothing.” Creation didn’t come with a starter kit. The recipe is simple. God+Nothing=Everything. And it’s ALL good!

Paul’s words here in verse 4 echo the scene at end of God’s first work week. On Friday afternoon, our Creator kicked back to take it all in. “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (Gen 1:31). Forget an endorsement from Consumer Reports. Don’t worry about a five-star review on Yelp. God gives creation His divine stamp of approval. Take His word for it. When he creates everything. It’s ALL good!

So where did we get the wonky idea that God is stingy and that a lot of stuff is taboo? Once again, let’s go back to Eden and check in on our first parents. Let me refresh your memory. Our Creator had given them the entire garden to enjoy with the exception of the fruit of one single tree (Gen 2:16). God graciously rolled out the red carpet for them to the greatest all-inclusive resort the universe has ever seen. And do I need to remind you about the part where their naked (Gen 2:25)? Yeah, it’s ALL good!

That’s when satanic snake conned Adam and Eve into thinking God was holding out on them (Gen 3:1-5). Just a quick observation here. If you happen to run across a talking snake, run away and run away quickly. But they didn’t. They listened. They rebelled. They ate (Gen 3:6-7). In the process, they fractured humanity’s relationship with God and invited sin into His perfect creation. The result was a broken world. And we’re the ones who broke it. “Everything created by God is good” (v4). Whatever is bad about the universe is our fault. 

Flipping back to 1 Timothy, Paul tells Tim that “nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (v4). If God made it, it’s good. There’s no list of banned foods or activities. Sure, there was that time Yahweh gave Moses dietary restrictions for His chosen people (Lev 11). But that all changed the day God dropped a giant picnic blanket down in front of Peter filled with all sorts of kosher AND non-kosher goodies (Acts 10:11). Not once, but three times. The disciple Jesus called Rocky told our gracious God thanks but no thanks (Acts 10:14). The heavenly voice made it clear to Pete, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15 NIV). In other words, bacon is back on the menu.

Whatever God makes, we’re shouldn’t reject but receive and ENJOY! We’re to be grateful to the Great Giver. Paul instructs us to do so “with thanksgiving” (v4). This is the Greek noun eucharistia, which means gratitude, appreciation, and recognition of the gift. It’s where Roman Catholics get their term Eucharist for the Lord’s Supper. The word literally means “good (eu-) grace (-charistia).” Good gracious is God gracious! Be grateful to the Great Giver for everything He provides. Thank Him for it all because it’s ALL good!

The apostle writes that all our Creator gives us “is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (v5). Does reading the Bible to my peanut butter sandwich and then praying over it do the trick? I’ve got a sneaking suspicion here that “the word of God” here isn’t talking about Scripture. Remember the method Yahweh used to create back in Genesis 1? “And God said” (Gen 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 29). He simply made the divine command and stuff happened. “And it was so” (Gen 1:7, 9, 11, 15, 24, 30). Everything from nothing simply through the incredible power of God’s words. He created it all holy by His very words. 

One of the most important ways that we acknowledge the goodness of His gifts to us is through “prayer” (v5). There’s no real magic in saying grace before you eat. You won’t find that command anywhere in the Bible. But it IS a wonderful opportunity to thank our Great Giver for all that He’s done. Jesus thanked His Dad for the seven fish sandwiches He used to unleash a seafood buffet for 4,000-plus people (Mt 15:16). Tell God how much you grateful you are for His generosity. Thank God. It’s ALL good!

So how do we apply Paul’s words here in a letter to a first century pastor? First of all, remember that “everything created by God is good” (v4). Don’t buy the lie that He’s holding out on us. He’s MUCH more generous than we could ever believe. Receive His good gifts. Don’t reject what He has for you. Life is to be enjoyed! 

Jesus didn’t come to give you a bland and narrow life. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). Life overflowing. Life without limits. Now don’t miss the point that He gives us give us restrictions and guidelines for our own benefit. The beauty of obedience to His rules for life lead to abundance. Who saw THAT coming?!? Thank our Great Giver. The bottom line in applying this truth? Life is to be enjoyed! It’s ALL good!

Messy Grace

“And the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1Tim 1:14).

Grace is messy. Wonderfully messy. Beautifully messy. My friends with OCD are cringing right now and looking for something to clean up this spectacular spill. Maybe you think it’s not like God to be sloppy. Isn’t cleanliness next to godliness? That’s in the Bible somewhere right? Nope. Sorry. As a matter of fact, Paul goes WAY out of his way to tell his buddy Timothy about how Jesus poured so much of His goodness into his broken life that it was running down the sides of the glass and all over the counter! “And the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (v14). You see Jesus isn’t shy when it comes to giving out His grace. It’s messy. Very messy. Wonderfully messy. Beautifully messy.

And why should it be anything else for Paul? His life before Jesus was a hot mess. He readily admits how “formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” of the Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee (1Tim 1:13). But one crazy day outside of Damascus, everything changed. Jesus drenches the man known then as Saul with a tidal wave of His grace. He radically transforms this enemy into His friend. Next thing you know, Saul the assassin becomes Paul the apostle. Murderer becomes missionary. This incredibly messy life is healed under the flow of God’s incredibly messy grace.

I’ve got a sneaking feeling that some of you are just having a hard time thinking Jesus is sloppy with His salvation. Christ may generous, but He’s not careless. What Paul wants us to know is that Jesus radically generous. He tells Tim how “the grace of our Lord overflowed for me” (v14). First of all, remember God’s grace is His descending one-way love that we did nothing to deserve. We do absolutely nothing to earn or gain God’s goodness (Rom 3:23-24; Eph 2:7-9). Zip. Zilch. The big fat zero. The great preacher Jonathan Edwards does say there is one particular item we provide. “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” Without our Savior, the only thing we’re generous with is our sin. Ouch. 

Despite bringing less than zero to the table, Paul describes how Jesus’ grace “overflowed” in his direction. In doing so, he uses a Greek word that only appears once in the New Testament: huperpleonazo. It’s compound verb which literally means “super (huper-) excess (-pleonazo).” Picture filling a glass to the point of overflowing. Receiving something to the point of ridiculous excess. God does not hold back when He delivers the incredible abundance of His goodness. Put away the measuring spoons. You’ll need more than a bucket. That dump truck is nowhere big enough. His grace is BEYOND measure and never-ending! The Amplified Bible pumps up the volume and reads “the grace (unmerited favor and blessing) of our Lord [actually] flowed out superabundantly and beyond measure for me” (v14 AMP). Jesus doesn’t just splash you once and move on. Picture yourself standing under a spectacular waterfall of His generosity. Ahhhh!

How do we know when we have some understanding of what God has done for us? The apostle says we overflow “with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (v14). His tsunami of grace opens my mind to trust in all that my Savior has done for me that I could never do for myself. He lived the perfect life while I drove it in the ditch. He died the death for my disobedience in my place. He rose to a new life when I did nothing to deserve it. You see, messy grace makes for messy faith. I trust in Jesus even when my life is a total dumpster fire. It’s about Him, not me. Messy grace makes for messy love. I love the people in my life when they are the most unlovable. ESPECIALLY when they are the most unlovable. It’s about them, not me. Remember, Christ loved you and me while we were still shanking our fists at heaven (Rom 5:8). You see that idea front and center in the New Living Translation. “Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that comes from Jesus Christ” (v14 NLT).

His waterfall of grace creates followers who become fire hydrants of faith in Him and love for others. Because of His incredibly messy grace, His church is a wonderful mess. Maybe you’ve bought the lie that church is filled with folks who’ve figured it out. People who are neat and clean. People that have their stuff in one bag with a twist tie. Wrong. The truth be known, the body of Christ is full of jacked up, messed up, and goofed up people. It’s less like a black tie formal at the country club than the freak show at the carnival. Messy grace. Messy faith. Messy love. 

That’s exactly what happens when Christ is radically generous with His grace. Dare I say promiscuously generous? Did he just say THAT word when talking about Jesus? You bet I did. And you can bet that He is!! His grace is spilling over into our lives. It’s bursting at the seams. His grace is flowing everywhere. When there’s a boatload of sin, you need boatload of grace. “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom 5:20). So put down the rag. Drop the mop. Don’t worry about cleaning it up. Instead, let it go an let it flow! Be messy with your faith in Christ. Be messy with your love for others. Grace is messy. Very messy. Wonderfully messy. Beautifully messy.

God's Fire Hose of Grace

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Too many times my prayers sound like Oliver Twist begging for more gruel. “Please, sir. I want some more.” I’m willing to ask God but for some stupid reason I picture Him as a stingy Mr. Bumble from Charles Dickens’ classic novel. Where did I get this horrible picture of my amazingly generous Heavenly Dad?!? He’s a far cry from some heavenly tightwad who only dolls out room temperature porridge by the thimbleful. 

Here in the closing verses of his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul paints a picture of God’s overwhelming grace to His kids. “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (v19). This isn’t some kind of twisted fundraising letter from some prosperity gospel televangelist promising you a six-figure salary if you just send him a check for his new private jet. Far from it. This is a letter from a prisoner in Rome (Phil 1:7, 13) to one of the most broke congregations around (2Cor 8:1-2). 

Now read this verse one more time. God won’t just give you a little bit here and there. He’ll “supply EVERY need” (v19 emphasis added). And He’s not looking at a limited budget during financial crisis. He’ll make it happen “according to His RICHES in glory” (v19 emphasis added). It’s just another stunning example of one of the Bible’s mega-themes. Paul desperately wants us to know and experience God’s mind-blowing generosity. When we rely on God, buckle up. He’ll blow us away with His fire hose of grace.

Every. Single. Time.

The man from Tarsus starts off this jaw-dropping idea by pointing back to his intimate and personal relationship with Almighty God. The one behind all this is “my God” (v19). He doesn’t just know a guy. He’s got the Creator of the universe on speed dial. When he writes to his various recipients, Paul always thanks “my God” for his friends and for how the Lord is  working in and through them (Rom 1:8; 1Cor 1:4; Phil 1:3, Phm 4). He’s already made it clear that pursuing anything other than a deeper relationship with Jesus is total waste of time (Phil 3:7-11). For the apostle, He’s “my God” (v19). Are you able to make the same claim? Is Christ your God too? 

Paul’s God is the ultimate source who “will supply every need of yours” (v19). When he talks about this supernatural provision, he’s NOT talking about God dolling out a few bread crumbs or making minimum payments. When we see “supply” in the ESV, the apostle uses the Greek verb plero’o. It means to fill up completely, cause something to become full, and provide the complete amount. We’re talking fill to the top. Supply liberally. Gorge. Stuff. Fill full. To the brim. Overflowing. God is ready and waiting to provide an endless supply. He loves it when His kids belly up to His divine all-you-can-eat buffet.

We’ve just read the very same word in the previous verse. Paul tells his friends back in Philippi “I am well supplied (Gr. plero’o) having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent” (Phil 4:18). Back in the opening moments of this letter, Paul prays that his friends in Philippi will be absolutely “filled (Gr. plero’o) with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:11). He also encourages them to fill his joy to the rim by being united in the Gospel (Phil 2:2). Check out a few other appearances of this fill-it-to-the-brim-and-overflowing verb. Jesus says God’s kingdom is like a net so full of fish it’s about to break (Mt 13:48). When our Savior first pours out His Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the jet engine roar completely filled every corner of the house (Acts 2:2). Sometimes when you go to a wine or beer tasting the amount in your glass barely gets your tongue wet. When God does the pouring, He doesn’t hold anything back. Talk about a generous pour!

One reason for God’s lavishness is His unlimited goodness. He’s able to do this “according to His riches in glory in Jesus Christ” (v18). You see, it’s not up to Paul. And it’s not up to the Philippians. It’s not based on what’s in their checking account or their 401k. The source of this over-the-top supply is God’s glorious riches. If you’ve not been paying attention, let’s take a quick look at His divine portfolio. He owns the universe. Take a look around. If you see it, it’s His. Cattle on a thousand hills, check (Ps 50:10). As a matter of fact, He owns the hill the herd is standing on (Lev 25:23). He also holds the minerals rights to His creation (Hag 2:8). Just in case you something might slip through the divine cracks, King David wrote a hit song about God’s total ownership (Ps 24:1). And if you’re a follower of Jesus, He paid a high price for you too (1Cor 6:19-20). So it’s not like He’s running out of grace. Jesus isn’t worried about having too much month left at the end of His money. There’s no budget crisis when it comes to Christ. And He’s ready to share. He wants to make His endless resources available to you and me.

This verse is STRONGLY related to Paul’s earlier statement about how he’s learned the secret of surviving and thriving in any and all situations (Phil 4:11-12). By finding his satisfaction in his Savior, the apostle is like an ATV of contentment. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). He desperately wants the folks back in Philippi to realize the very same truth. Our incredibly gracious and liberally generous God will absolutely blow our socks off when we find our contentment in Christ.

Maybe you’ve still got your doubts about God’s totally reckless generosity. I get it. I’ve been there. But just check out what His Word has to say. The whole deal starts with one of the most over-the-top acts of grace in history. Creation (Gen 1-2). The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are completely and totally satisfied relationally in the Trinity. God certainly didn’t create the universe and humanity in His image because He was bored and lonely. He did it out of His amazing grace.

His radical goodness starts on the opening pages of Scripture and rolls like a tsunami of generosity. David sings, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want…My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Ps 23:1, 5-6). Later the same king cranks up another rock anthem about the party at God’s house. “They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights” (Ps 36:8).

God’s one-way love we call grace keeps flowing into the New Testament with the gift of His Son on our behalf (Jn 3:16). Jesus told His followers that if you really want to see His Dad get crazy with His goodness, start being generous yourself. “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put in your lap” (Lk 6:38). Our Savior didn’t come to put us on a tight budget of limited resources. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10).

This is all part of God’s incredibly promiscuous plan to save you and me. Almighty God doesn’t use threats to soften our rebel hearts. It’s His incredible kindness that leads you and me to repentance (Rom 2:4). Once our Heavenly Dad entices us back into relationship with Him through His Son, He doesn’t suddenly cut us off. “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:32). And His grace just keeps on coming. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2Cor 9:8). At one point, Paul seems to give up trying to write about God’s overwhelming grace because he can’t wrap his feeble brain around it. “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the work within us” (Eph 3:20). 

Paul wants us to know God is anything but Mr. Bumble. He’s NOT greedy. He’s NOT stingy. As a matter of fact, He’s anything but!! You see, when we rely on God, buckle up. He’ll blow us away with His fire hose of grace.

Every. Single. Time.

Don't Fast Forward

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (v2).

I have this bad habit of blowing past the beginning of books and movies. I want to get to the good stuff. I flip past the boring stuff like preface and introduction when I open a book. I fast forward a film until the action really starts. Come on, you do it too, don’t you? Well, maybe you’re a better person than me. Guess what happens when I skip ahead. I miss stuff. Important stuff. Key stuff.

It’s the same when I read the Bible. A letter like Philippians is juicy and joyful. But those opening verses seem like the same old boring blah, blah, blah. I need to pump my brakes and realize this isn’t perfunctory fine print. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (v2). Paul’s opening words here are actually the headline (Hmm, I wonder if he considered using a bigger font). Grace. Peace. From our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus. To you. To me. This isn’t just the big idea in his letter. It’s the big idea of the Gospel. Blah, blah, blah? I say, “NO! NO! NO!”

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (v2). Do Paul’s words look familiar? If you’ve read any of the apostle’s other letters, it should. He uses this very same greeting to kick off every one of his letters. He uses the exact same word-for-word blessing seven times (Rom 1:7; 1Cor 1:3; 2Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; 2Th 1:2; Phm 3). And he only changes it up slightly in his other five notes (Col 1:2; 1Th 1:1; 1Tim 1:2; 2Tim 1:2; Titus 1:4). Paul doesn’t repeat line this as some sort of biblical filler. Writing materials are at a premium in the first century. It’s not like you could swing by Walmart or Office Max for more another ream of paper when you got low. You only wrote down what was essential. The apostle put this greeting in every letter because it’s urgent. It’s the heart of God’s Good News through Jesus. Grace. Peace. It doesn’t get more important than that!

Paul writes to his friends back in Philippi as a prisoner in Rome. Not exactly the kind of situation that would inspire many of us to wax eloquently about God’s grace and peace. The dude has been in a series of jails for FOUR YEARS! He’s now in Rome waiting for Caesar to hear his appeal. I don’t know about you, but I’d be cranky on my good days if that were me. But not our man Paul. The former Pharisee has so much to be thankful for. Just a few years back, folks knew him as Saul of Tarsus. One of the best and brightest. An real up-and-comer in Judaism. Saul was so dedicated to his religion that he personally led a black ops team that traveled from city to city killing the followers of Jesus and hauling others off to jail (Acts 8:3; 1Cor 15:9; Gal 1:13; Phil 3:6; 1Tim 1:13). This rascal was so ruthless that he applauded from the coat check table at Stephen’s murder (Acts 7:58; 8:1). 

But a funny thing happened to this cold-blooded killer while he was on his way to take out another pocket of Christ followers in Damascus. The resurrected Jesus blindsides Saul and knocks him off his horse. In one of the most ridiculous turnarounds in history, our Savior transforms this murderer into a missionary (Acts 9:1-19). He takes His number one enemy and makes him His top spokesman. I’m not sure what you’ve left off your resume and hidden in your closet, but it’s nothing compared to Paul. He knows Jesus’ grace personally. He knows His peace firsthand. That’s why he puts at the top of the page in every letter he writes.

The apostle passes along Jesus’ “grace to you” (v2). Grace. There’s not a word that better sums up Jesus’ incredibly Good News to us. This is the Greek word charis, which describes an undeserved and overly generous gift. Paul’s trying to get across God’s overflowing goodness, His lovingkindness, His delight, His kindness, and His generosity. Tullian Tchividjian calls it “God’s descending one-way love.” The man from Tarsus wraps this little letter in an envelope of grace. Before he sends this note to his Philippian friends, he signs off with “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you in spirit” (Phil 4:23). It starts with grace. It ends with grace. Hmm, that kinda sounds like the Gospel in nutshell!

Paul also passes along God’s “peace” (v2). This isn’t just a lack of war or fighting. He’s talking about a state of harmony, safety, security, without fear. It’s the OT idea of shalom. This is the perfect rhythm of life. Everything working and moving together as God originally designed it. Well, at least that’s the way it was until we broke it. This peace also paints the picture of no fear of God’s judgment. Without Jesus, we’re rebels against God’s kingdom. Terrorists. Enemies of God (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21). We deserve His wrath. We deserve His judgment. We serve the all-out assault of His shock and awe. Instead of wiping us off the face of the planet, Jesus overwhelms us with His grace and peace. Just before His own crucifixion, Christ wished God’s peace on His posse (Jn 14:27). 

I’ve learned my lesson. Don’t blow past the beginning. Don’t skip ahead. Don’t hit that fast forward button. This is the good stuff. This is the best stuff. Jesus’ grace. Jesus’  peace. If anything, why don’t you hit rewind and watch it again. And again. And again.

The Spotlight on My Savior

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared” (Titus 3:4-5)

I was in trouble. Big trouble. Worse than that, I had no idea just how jacked up and desperate I was. I didn’t have a clue. Despite all of that, God still came to my rescue at just the right moment. My Rescuer stepped just in the nick of time. He did it because He drips with the ultimate goodness. He did it because no one loves people like He does. Jesus took center stage in the title role of Savior. That’s the point that Paul is getting across in his instructions to Titus. When it comes to following Jesus, always shine the spotlight on our Savior.

The apostle has given the Big T quite a to-do list. He’s left Titus behind on Crete with a lot to get done. The message of Jesus has hit the Mediterranean island like a Cat 5 hurricane. There are baby Christians all over the joint. Something needs to be done and done fast. That’s where Titus comes in. First of all, he’s to find spiritual leaders called elders for all of the local churches (Titus 1:5). Second, he’s to stuff a sock in the team of false teachers that’s stirring up trouble among these new believers (Titus 1:10-11). Third, the apostle’s man is to establish a self-sustaining system of teaching Cretan Christians what it means to follow Jesus (Titus 2:1-10). In the face of this massive assignment, Paul reminds Titus to never, ever forget that Jesus is the One who made it all possible. He’s the One who deserves the applause. Shine the spotlight on our Savior. 

Let’s set the stage of our situation before our Hero made His spectacular entrance. In other words, before I can ever wrap my head around the goodness of the Good News, I have to understand how bad the bad news is. The previous verse reminds me who I was BC (Titus 3:2). Before Christ. Fool. Rebel. Dupe. Slave. Bully. Hater. I had done absolutely nothing to deserve being saved. I bring nothing to the table. I have nothing to offer. As William Temple said, “The only thing of our very own which we contribute to our salvation is the sin which makes it necessary.” To make the situation even more dire, I’m absolutely incapable of getting myself out of this mess. I have as much chance of saving myself as a Slinky does of going UP the stairs. That’s the scene before Jesus takes the stage.

Against this pitch black backdrop of my own stinking pile of sin, “the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior” (v4) sparkles. Just how good is His “goodness?” Paul uses the Greek word chrestotes, which means benevolence, graciousness, kindness, and mercy. It’s doing what is right in the face of all that is wrong. As Paul tells his buddies over in Rome, God’s very goodness that draws like a tractor beam. “God’s kindness (Gr. chrestotes) is meant to lead you to repentance” (Rom 2:4). He doesn’t beat us into submission. He loves us into obedience. Jesus does this despite the fact that “no one does good (Gr. chrestotes), not even one” (Rom 3:12). He’s totally good when we’re totally not. And get this, God’s not doing being good to us. “In the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness (Gr. chrestotes) toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:7). His goodness isn’t just a one-and-done deal. Here’s the part that blows me away. Our good God is doing something good in you and me. As followers of Jesus we’re to dress ourselves in “compassionate hearts, kindness (Gr. chrestotes), humility, meekness, and patience” (Col 3:12). We’re only able to do that because of the incredible change His Spirit is doing in us. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness (Gr. chrestotes), goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22-23). The Good News just keeps getting better! When the spotlight hits our Savior, His goodness dazzles like a disco ball.

Paul also points out our Savior’s “loving kindness” (v4). This is the word philanthropia. Look familiar? Well, it should. It’s where we get philanthropy. It describes friendliness, kindness, hospitality, benevolence, and a friendly disposition toward people. This is a compound word that literally means “love (phil-) of humanity (-anthropia).” The only other place we see this word in the Bible is in Dr. Luke’s sequel we call Acts. The people living on the island of Malta went out of their way to show tremendous hospitality to Paul and the other survivors of the shipwreck through their “unusual kindness (Gr. chrestotes)” (Acts 28:2). Here in Titus, the apostle wants us to know that God has a special place in His heart for the ones He made in His image (Gen 1:26-27). His creation was perfect but God was so stoked after handcrafting Adam and Eve, He things were now “very good” (Gen 1:31). God is a people Person. And that becomes unmistakable when He steps front and center. 

Let’s take a closer look at the Star of the show: “God our Savior” (v4). This idea of Jesus as our Savior (Gr. soter) may have gotten so familiar to us that it’s lost its oomph. The Lord is our Rescuer. He’s the One who saves our bacon. He’s our Champion. He’s our Hero. Forget the brother from Krypton with the “S” on his chest. The dude we call the the Dark Knight ain’t got nothing the Light of the World. The Avengers look like Cub Scouts up against the resurrected Rabbi from Nazareth. Jesus executed the greatest rescue mission the universe has ever seen. He left heaven’s palace to go dumpster diving on our behalf. God and God alone is our Savior. Paul hammers this nail hard six times in this little letter (Titus 1:3, 4; 2:10, 13; 3:4, 6). We couldn’t save ourselves. We desperately need a Hero. We urgently need a Rescuer. When Jesus takes the stage, the crowd goes wild!

We’re overwhelmed by God’s amazing goodness and grace the moment the spotlight hits Him. The apostle describes the moment when Jesus first took the stage during His incarnation as when He “appeared” (v4). He drops the Greek verb epithaino, which means to show oneself, become known, or make visible. It literally means “to shine the light upon” someone or something. It wasn’t until Jesus was in the limelight of His earthly ministry that we began to have any idea about just how awesome and gracious He is. Look back up the page and you’ll see that Paul uses this very same word and this very same idea. “For the grace of God has appeared (Gr. epithaino), bringing salvation for all people” (Titus 2:11). When the spotlight hit Christ in Palestine, He lived the perfect life that I failed to live. He died the brutal death in my place that I should have died. He rose to glorious new life that I don’t deserve. 

My Savior is the star of the show. He’s the only One who deserves the applause. He’s the only One who worthy of the ovation. Jesus Christ Superstar? Please. That doesn’t even come close to describing His jaw-dropping glory. He’s not some celebrity on the Walk of Fame. He is THE Hero of THE Story. For everything that He is and all that He’s done for me, it’s my absolute honor to shine the spotlight on my Savior!

Grace in the Spotlight

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

I absolutely love the excitement just before a great concert. Some legendary rock act has rolled into town. You’ve paid WAY too much for your tickets. But in the moments just before they take the stage, that simply doesn’t matter anymore. The house lights suddenly go out. The crowd cheers with anticipation. Suddenly the spotlight pierces the darkness to illuminate the lead singer and the place goes bananas! That’s exactly the scene that Paul’s describing here in his letter to Titus. No, this isn’t his take on the later tour by the Stones, the Who, or Maroon 5. The apostle reminds us how the place went crazy when God shined His divine spotlight on His Son Jesus in the middle of our dark world. 

It’s grace in the spotlight. And the crowd goes wild!

In many ways, this verse sums up God’s VERY Good News. Period. Grace is God’s absolutely undeserved goodness. We can’t earn it. We can’t buy it. It’s only out of His overflowing love and mercy that we’re on the receiving end of this mind-blowing blessing. God saves us just because He’s so incredibly awesome. One of the mega-ginormous themes of the Bible is that God is an amazing Giver. That’s why we call it amazing grace. He offers His unthinkable blessing to a world full of rebels and rejects. Why? Because He’s good and because He’s God. 

Paul tells us our incredibly good God cut on the spotlight to reveal His grace. When the apostle writes “the grace of God appeared” (v11), he uses the Greek verb epiphaino. It means to give light, illuminate, shine on something for everyone to see. It literally means “to shine light upon.” Check out its three other appearances in the New Testament. God uses the father of John the Baptizer to announce to the world that his boy would “give light (Gr. epiphaino) to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Lk 1:79). When the freighter carrying Paul and Dr. Luke to Rome got caught in a massive hurricane, “neither the sun nor stars appeared (Gr. epiphaino) for many days” (Acts 27:20). Just down the page here in this letter to Titus, the apostle once again describes how “the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared (Gr. epiphaino)” (Titus 3:4). When God’s spotlight hits the stage, His grace shines in the darkness.

It’s grace in the spotlight. And the crowd goes wild.

So just what do we see when God hits the lights? Who is standing at center stage? It’s none other than Jesus! When the Trinity pulls back the curtain, Christ is front and center. You see, Jesus is Grace Incarnate. He is God’s ultimate gift of grace to our horribly undeserving world. Grace isn’t so much an abstract concept but a Person. When Christ made the ultimate rescue mission to earth, He was “full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14). The crazy thing is that Jesus is both the Light that shines in the darkness (Jn 8:12; 9:5) but the One it reveals. What does God’s grace look like? The better question is WHO does God’s grace look like? Jesus, the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter.

It’s grace in the spotlight. And the crowd goes wild.

The purpose for focusing the attention of God’s goodness on Jesus is because He’s “bringing salvation for all people” (v11). So just what is salvation? For a lot of us, this is a Bible word that’s lost a lot of its oomph over the years. The word in the original language here is soterios. In its most basic sense, the term describes rescue and bringing safety. Think Superman or the Dark Knight coming to save the day just in the nick of time. Simeon had waited expectantly his entire life for God to send His Messiah. When he took one look at the baby Jesus, he knew without a doubt that his “eyes have seen Your salvation (Gr. soterios) that You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation for the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Lk 2:30). A huge part of John the Baptizer’s prepping the way for the coming of Jesus was announcing that “all flesh shall see the salvation (Gr. soterios) of God” (Lk 3:6).

Here’s what we need to constantly remember. Jesus left the comforts of His heavenly paradise to make the most breathtaking rescue mission the universe has ever seen. It’s the ultimate dumpster dive. He willingly jumped into the most disgusting pile of sin and filth to save us. To save us from our own sin. To save us from God’s wrath. We desperately needed saving. Jesus told His new buddy Zaccheus, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk 19:10). He’s talking about you. He’s talking about me. We needed a Hero. We needed a Savior. Can we get a spotlight on our Rescuer?

It’s grace in the spotlight. And the crowd goes wild.

Who else is on the receiving end of this rescue mission? According to Paul, that would be “to all people” (v11). In the immediate context of this letter, he’s talking about old men, young dudes, old women, young ladies, and slaves. In other words, EVERYBODY! Jesus’ last words before He headed back home to heaven was for us to take this marvelous message of rescue to every people group on the planet (Mt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). The invitation isn’t exclusive. You don’t have to be a member of any particular club or organization. You don’t have to belong to a specific family. You don’t have to live in a certain part of the world. You simply need to know you need to be rescued. 

It’s grace in the spotlight. And the crowd goes wild.