You've heard about 'Amazing Grace,' but how about 'Negative Grace?'
Titus 2:11-14 (NIV)
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 24: The Sanctification of Sinners
We believe that this true faith,
produced in man by the hearing of God’s Word
and by the work of the Holy Spirit,
regenerates him and makes him a “new man,”
causing him to live the “new life”
and freeing him from the slavery of sin.
Therefore,
far from making people cold
toward living in a pious and holy way,
this justifying faith,
quite to the contrary,
so works within them that
apart from it
they will never do a thing out of love for God
but only out of love for themselves
and fear of being condemned.
So then, it is impossible
for this holy faith to be unfruitful in a human being,
seeing that we do not speak of an empty faith
but of what Scripture calls
“faith working through love,”
which leads a man to do by himself
the works that God has commanded
in his Word.
Summary
We often associate grace with chain-breaking freedom, bringing us from blindness to sight, and from slavery into freedom. These are of course good analogies for grace, but you need to keep Paul's words to young Pastor Titus here in the mix if you're going to fully understand grace properly.
Here Paul reminds that grace gives you the freedom to say "No!" Whereas prior to receiving grace you were enslaved to sin and sarx, now your ability to resist sin has been restored. We already sing about 'Amazing Grace;' perhaps we should be singing just as fervently about 'Negative Grace!'
Of course saying 'no' to one thing means you're saying 'yes' to another. In this case, when you reject "ungodliness and worldly passions," you're committing yourself to "upright and godly lives in this present age" (v12). Notice how Paul doesn't leave any middle ground: you're always choosing one or the other, and the two choices are mutually exclusive.
What stands out here in this passage is that you've been "redeemed from all wickedness" and purified to be God's very own! This means that good works are not a compulsory chore that you have to get done, but rather things that you are "eager to do" (v14).
Dig Deeper
As you go through your day, take note of your attitude in regards to doing "what is good." Does living a "self-controlled, upright and godly" life seem stifling to you? Do "worldly passions" seem much more attractive?
If that's the case - and we all have spells where it is - it's a huge indication that you're lacking grace in your life. Just like if your blood chemistry is out of balance - maybe the iron is too low - so it is when you're spiritual life has become somewhat anemic.
This is common in the summer, where schedules are looser and spiritual disciplines become harder to maintain (although most of us struggle with this all year long). Yet, you're reading this, which means you're reading the Bible - one of the critical daily spiritual disciplines - so that's good! But also be sure to keep up the habit of gathering with the saints each Lord's Day. You need them, they need you, and you both need to hear God's Word proclaimed and to lift your prayers and praises to Him.
Negative grace - being taught to say 'no' to sin - isn't a one and done lesson. Continue learning it daily "while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (v13).
BONUS: Use the comment box below to write a verse to the song 'Amazing Grace' about 'Negative Grace!' Improve on my rendition or start from scratch:
Neg-a-tive Grace, sounds not as sweet; (8 syllables)
It teach' me to say 'no!' (6 syllables)
Instead I'll live all self controlled (8 syllables)
And eager to do good. (6 syllables)
As you can see, that needs lots of help! It doesn't rhyme at all and the second line is a mess! Help me out!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who gives grace "that offers salvation to all people;"
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will keep yourself in a grace-filled environment which makes you "eager to do what is good."
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 23
