For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age… —Titus 2:11-12.
In a world that has chosen to have no absolutes and that seems to have abandoned any moral standards, salvation by the costly grace of the Father beckons us to change our lifestyles in response to his grace, regardless of society’s values (1 John 3:1-3). All who receive grace and refuse to pursue righteousness demonstrate their ignorance or hardness of heart. In our day, in our time, to be saved must mean that we pursue righteousness — not so that we may earn our salvation, but so that God’s saving grace will not be fruitless in us (1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:2). You see, to have Jesus as our Savior also means to have him as our Lord and we tune our lives to his will, his character, and his example.