The above words represent a steady effort upon the part of the religious world to deny responsibility on the part of man. The passage in Romans 6:23 is often cited to put forth the idea that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord. Use of the word “gift” implies to those of the religious world that man can do nothing to bring about his salvation. We can show them from Acts 2 that the apostles inspired by the Holy Spirit told their audience to “save themselves” from this untoward generation (Acts 2:40). If the Spirit of God uses the words, “save yourselves” it would be foolish for man to say you can do nothing.
Many years transpired wherein the theme was man is saved by “faith only”. This false doctrine was met over and over again with passages from the book of James. We tried to show them that faith without works is dead (James 2:24). In the same chapter it was pointed out that the devils believe and tremble (verse 19). Hence, belief alone cannot save one. Some of the rulers of the synagogue believed on Jesus but they would not confess Him (John 12:42). Paul said that Agrippa believed but he certainly was not saved. Using these and similar examples we tried to show the religious world how wrong that faith only is.
Then some men found the word grace and begin to use it in a way not backed up by scripture. The religious world began to write and preach about grace as if they had found something new. It was not something new in their use of the word. For in time they added the word “only” and, hence, man could be saved by “grace only”. Having already established the false doctrine of “faith only”, now they had to be able to add grace to the mix and still keep the word “only”. Hence, we began to hear things like this. Man is saved by grace only through faith only in Jesus alone. It is hard to imagine intelligent people not being able to see that when you use the word “only” it excludes. How then can one have “grace only” (which would exclude all other things) and faith only and not find a conflict?
For years the religious world has camped out on Eph. 2:8,9. They use these two verses to assert that man is saved by grace through faith. Their conclusions have been wrong but at least they stayed away from using the word “only”. Back in verse 5 of Ephesians 2, Paul said that men are saved by grace. There should be no argument about truth on this issue. No man can be saved unless there is the grace of God. The grace of God allows Him to extend mercy. If I ask the question, will all men be saved, the answer from most would be “no” (Matt. 7:13,14). There is therefore, some effort on the part of man to explain how that God extends mercy to one and not to another.
The appearance of Jesus the Christ on the earth taking the form of man was for the purpose of saving man (Luke 19:10). He, Jesus, is the Savior of the world, not Mohammed or Moses (Matt. 1:21). It should be of interest to all that neither Moses nor Mohammed claimed to be the Savior. Jesus on the other hand said that no man can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Luke writes there is salvation in no other (Acts 4:12). Paul describes Jesus coming as being the appearing of the grace of God (Titus 2:11). I read where some Jews rejected Jesus and Paul used their rejection to say that they had judged themselves unworthy of eternal life (Acts 13:46). What we have then is the appearance of the grace of God and men rejecting that grace.
It is therefore consistent with truth for Paul to also tell Titus what was required when men accepted the grace of God. Followers of Jesus were expected to deny ungodliness and worldly lust and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Let us reason about this. Are not denying and living efforts on the part of man? Is denying the wrong and living for the right, something more than just mental acceptance of Jesus? The grace of God cannot be extended unless there is a means to obtain that grace, otherwise, all men will be saved.