Jesus was giving himself for us

JESUS WAS GIVING HIMSELF FOR US
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
TITUS 2:14 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.
Christ’s Marvelous Giving
BY SPURGEON
“Who gave Himself for us.”
Titus 2:14
WE have once more, you see, the old subject. We still have to tell the story of
the love of God towards man in the Personof His Only-BegottenSon, Jesus
Christ. When you come to your table, you find a variety there. Sometimes
there is one dish upon it and sometimes another, but you are never at all
surprised to find the bread there every time and, perhaps, we might add that
there would be a deficiencyif there were not salt there every time, too. So
there are certainTruths of God which cannotbe repeated too often, and
especiallyis this true of this master Truth, that, “God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespassesunto them.”
Why, this is the Bread of Life–“Godso loved the world that He gave His only-
begottenSon, that whoever believes on Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.” This is the salt upon the table and must never be forgotten!
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, “thatJesus Christ
came into the world to save sinners, even the chief.”
Now we shall take the text and use it thus–first of all we shall ask it some
questions. we shall surround it witha setting of facts. we will endeavorto press
out of it its very soul as we draw certain inferences from it. First then–
1. WE WILL PUT THE TEXT INTO THE WITNESS BOXAND ASK IT
A FEW QUESTIONS.

There are only five words in the text and we will be content to let it go with
four questions. “Who gave Himself for us.” The first question we ask the text
is, Who is this that is spokenof? And the text gives the answer. It is “the great
Godand our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us.” We had offended
God. The dignity of Divine Justice demanded that offenses againstso good
and just a Law as that which God had promulgated should not be allowedto
go unpunished. But the attribute of Justice is not the only one in the heart of
God. God is Love, and is, therefore, full of mercy. Yet, nevertheless, He never
permits one quality of His Godheadto triumph over another. He could not be
too merciful, and so become unjust–He would not permit Mercyto put Justice
to an eclipse. The difficulty was solvedthus–God Himself stoopedfrom His
loftiness and veiled His Glory in a garb of our inferior clay. The Word–that
same Word without whom was not anything made that was made–became
flesh and dwelt among us! And His Apostles, His friends and His enemies
beheld him–the Seedof the woman, but yet the Sonof God, very God of very
God, in all the majesty of Deity–and yet Man of the substance of His mother
in all the weaknessofour humanity, sin being the only thing which separated
us from Him, He being without sin and we being full of it! It is, then, God,
who “gave Himself for us.” It is,then, Man, who gave Himself for us! It is
Jesus Christ, co-equaland co-eternalwith the Father, who thought it not
robbery to be equal with God–who made Himself of no reputation, and took
upon Himself the form of a Servant, and was made in the likeness ofsinful
flesh and, being found in fashion as a Man, humbled Himself and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross!It is Christ Jesus, the Man,
the God, “who gave Himself for us.” Now I hope we shall not make any
mistakes here, for mistakes here will be fatal! We may be thought
uncharitable for saying it, but we should be dishonest if we did not say it, that
it is essentialto be right here–
“You cannot be right in the rest
Unless you think rightly of Him.”
You dishonor Christ if you do not believe in His Deity! He will have nothing to
do with you unless you acceptHim as being God as well as Man. You must
receive Him as being, without any diminution, completely and wholly Divine,
and you must acceptHim as being your Brother, as being a Man just as you
are. This, this is the Personand, relying upon Him, we shall find salvation!
But rejecting His Deity, He will sayto us, “You know Me not, and I never
knew you!”
The text has answeredthe question, “Who?” And now, putting it in the
witness box again, we ask it another question–“ What.” It was a gift. Christ’s

offering of Himself forus was voluntary. He did it of His own will. He did not
die because we merited that He should love us to the death–onthe contrary,
we merited that He should hate us! We deserved that He should castus from
His Presenceas obnoxious things, for we were full of sin! We were the wicked
keepers ofthe vineyard who devoured, for our own profit, the fruit which
belongedto the King’s Son, and He is that King’s Son, whom we slew with
wickedhands casting Him out of the vineyard! And He died for us who were
His enemies. Rememberthe words of Scripture, “Scarcelyfora righteous man
will one die; perhaps for a good, a generous man, one might even dare to die;
but God commends His love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for the ungodly.” He gave Himself! We cannotpurchase the love
of God! This highest expressionof Divine Love, the gift of His own Son, was,
in the nature of things, not for sale. What could we have offered that God
should come into this world and be found in fashion as a Man and should die?
Why, the works of all the angels in Heavenput togethercould not have
deservedone pang from Christ! If forever the angels had continued their
ceaselesssongs andif all men had remained faithful, and could have heaped
up their pile of merit to add to that of the angels–andif all the creatures that
ever were, or ever shall be, could eachbring in their goldenheap of merit–yet
could they ever deserve yon Cross? Couldthey deserve that the Son of God
should hang, bleeding and dying, there? Impossible! It must by a gift, for it
was utterly not for sale!Though all worlds were coined and minted, yet could
they not have purchaseda tear from the Redeemer–theywere notworth it. It
must be Grace!It cannot be merit! He gave Himself!
And the gift is so thoroughly a gift that no prep of any kind was brought to
bear upon the Savior. There was no necessitythat He should die, exceptthe
necessityofHis loving us. Ah, Friends, we might have been blotted out of
existence and I do not know that there would have been any lack in God’s
universe if the whole race of man had disappeared!That universe is too wide
and greatto miss such chirping grasshoppers as we are!When one star is
blotted out, it may make a little difference to our midnight sky, but to an eye
that sees immensity it can make no change. Know you not that this little solar
system, which we think so vast, and those distant fixed stars and yon mighty
masses ofinterstellar dust and ash, if such they are, and yonder streaming
comet, with its stupendous walk of grandeur–allthese are only like a little
corner in the field of God’s greatworks? He takes them all up as nothing and
considers them, mighty as they are and beyond all human conceptiongreat–to
be but the small dust of the balance which does not turn the scale!And if

theywere all gone tomorrow, there would be no more loss than as if a few
grains of dust were thrown to the summer’s wind!
But God Himself must stoop, rather than we should die! Oh, what
magnificence of love! And the more so because there was no need for it. In the
course of Nature, God would have been as holy and as heavenly without us as
He is with us–andthe pomp of yonder skies would have been as illustrious had
we been dashed into the flames of Hell as it will be now! God has gained
nothing, exceptthe manifestationof a love beyond an angel’s dream, a Grace,
the heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths of which surpass all
knowledge ofall creatures!God only knows the love of God which is
manifested in Jesus Christ. He gave Himself! We will leave this point, now,
when it is fully understood that Christ'sdying to save sinners and giving
Himself for the ungodly was a pure actof gratuitous mercy! There was
nothing to compel God to give His Son and nothing to lead the Sonto die,
exceptthe simple might of His love to men. He would not see us die. He had a
Father’s love for us! He seemedto stand over our fallen race, as David stood
over Absalom, and we were as bad as Absalom–and there David stoodand
said, “Myson, my son! Would God I had died for you, my son, my son!” But
He did more than this, for He
did die for us! And all for love of us who were His enemies!–
“So strange, so boundless was the love,
Which pitied dying man–
The Fathersent His equal Son
To give them life again.”
‘Twas all of love and of Grace!
The third question is, “ What did He givefor us.” And here lies the glory of the
text, that Hegave not merely the crowns and royalties of Heaven, though it
was much to leave these, to come and don the humble garb to come and dwell
among the groans and tears of this poor fallen world! He gave up not only the
grandeur of His Father’s court–though it was much to leave that to come and
live with wild beasts and men more wild than they, to fastHis forty days and
then to die in ignominy and shame upon the tree! No, there is little said about
all this. He gave all this, it is true, but He gave Himself! Mark, Brothers and
Sisters, whata richness there is here! It is not that He gave His righteousness,
though that has become our dress. It is not even that He gave His blood,
though that is the fount in which we wash. It is that He gave Himself–His
Godheadand Manhood both combined. All that that word, “Christ,” means
Hegave to us and for us. He gave Himself! Oh, that we could dive and plunge
into this unfathomed sea–Himself!Omnipotence, Omniscience, Infinity–

Himself. He gave Himself–Purity, Love, Kindness, Meekness, Gentleness–that
wonderful compound of all perfections, to make up one perfection–
HIMSELF! You do not come to Christ’s House and say, “He gives me this
House, His Church, to dwell in.” You do not come to His Table and merely
say, “He gives me this Table to feastat,” but you go farther, and you take Him
by faith into your arms and you say, “Who loved me, and gave Himself ! It is
the love of a husband to his wife, who not only gives her all that she can wish,
daily food and raiment, and all the comforts that can nourish and cherishher,
and make her life glad, but who gives himself to her! So does Jesus. The body
and soul of Jesus, the Deity of Jesus, andall that that means, He has been
pleasedto give to and for His people! "Who gave Himself for us.”
There is anotherquestion which we shall ask the text, and that is, “ For whom
did Christ give Himself?” Well, thetext says, “Forus.” There are those who
say that Christ has thus given Himself for every man now living, or that ever
didor shall live. We are not able to subscribe to the statement, though there is
a Truth in it, that in a certain sense He is “the Saviorof all men,” but then it is
added, “Speciallyof them who believe.” At any rate, dear Hearer, let me tell
you one thing that is certain. Whether Atonement may be said to be particular
or general, there are none who partake in its real efficacybut certain
characters–andthose charactersare knownby certainInfallible signs. You
must not saythat He gave Himself for you unless these signs are manifest in
you! And the first sign is that of simple faith in the Lord Jesus. If you believe
in Him, that is a proof to you that He gave Himself for you! See, if He gave
Himself for all men alike, then He did equally for Judas and for Peter. Care
you for such love as that? He died equally for those who were then in Hell as
for those who were then in Heaven? Care you for such a Doctrine as that? For
my part, I desire to have a personal, peculiar, and specialinterestin the
precious blood of Jesus–suchan interest in it as shall lead me to His right
hand and enable me to say, “He has washedme from my sins, in His blood.”
Now I think we have no right to conclude that we shall have any benefit from
the death of Christ unless we trust Him–and if we do trust Him, that trust will
produce the following things–“Who gave Himself for us, that He might
redeem us from all iniquity.” We shall hate sin. We shall fight againstit. We
shall be delivered from it–“and purify unto Himself, a peculiar people, zealous
of goodworks.” I have no right, therefore, to conclude that I shall be a
partakerof the precious blood of Jesus unless I become in my life, “zealous of
goodworks,” Mygoodworks cannotsave me, cannot even help to save me–
but they are evidences of my being saved–andifI am not zealous for good
works, I lack the evidence of salvationand I have no right whatever to

conclude that I shallreceive one jot of benefit from Christ’s sufferings upon
the Cross!
Oh, my dear Hearer, I would to God that you could trust the Man, the God
who died on Calvary! I would that you could trust Him so that you could say,
“He will save me. He has savedme.” The gratitude which you would feel
towards Him would inspire you with an invincible hatred againstsin! You
would begin to fight againstevery evil way! You would conform yourselves,
by His Grace, to His Law and His Word, and you would become a new
creature in Him! May God grant that you may yet be able to say, “Who gave
Himself for me”! I have askedthe text enough questions, and there I leave
them. Fora few minutes only I am now going to use the text another way,
namely–
II. PUT THE TEXT INTO A SETTING OF FACTS.
There was a day before all days when there was no day but the Ancient of
Days!A time when there was no time, but when Eternity was all! Then God,
in the Eterna1 Purpose, decreedto save His people. If we may speak so of
things too mysterious for us to know them, and which we canonly set forth
after the manner of men, God had determined that His people should be
saved, but He foresaw that they would sin! It was necessary, therefore, that
the penalty due to their sins should be borne by someone. Theycould not be
savedunless a substitute were found who would bear the penalty of sin in
their place. Where was such a substitute to be found? No angeloffered. There
was no angel, for Goddwelt alone, and even if there had then been angels,
they could never have dared to offer to sustain the fearful weight of human
guilt! But in that solemn councilchamber, when it was deliberatedwho should
enter into bonds of suretyship to pay all the debts of the people of God, Christ
came and gave Himself a Bondsman and a Surety for all that was due from
them, or would be due from them, to the Judgment Seatof God! In that day,
then, He “gave Himself for us.”
But Time began, and this round world had made, in the mind of God, a few
revolutions. Men saidthe world was getting old, but to God it was but an
infant. But the fullness of time was come and suddenly, amidst the darkness of
the night, there was heard sweetersinging than before had come from mortal
lips, “Glory to God in the highest; on earth peace;goodwill to men!” What lit
up the sky with unknown splendor and what had filled the air with chorales at
thedead of night? Look, the Babe upon its mother’s breast, there in
Bethlehem’s manger! “He gave Himself for us.” That same One who had
given Himself a Surety has come down to earth to be a Man, and to give
Himself for us. See Him! For 30 years He toiled on, amidst the drudgery of the

carpenters shop! What is He doing? The Law of Godneeded to be fulfilled,
and He “gave Himself for us,” and fulfilled the Law! But now the time comes
when He is 32 or 33 years of age and the Law demands that the penalty shall
be paid. Do you see Him going to meet Judas in the garden, with confident,
but solemnsteps? He “gave Himself for us.” He could, with a word, have
driven those soldiers into Hell, but they bind Him–He “gave Himself for us.”
They take Him before Pilate, Herod and Caiaphas, and they mock Him, and
jeer Him, and pluck His cheeks, andwhip His shoulders! How is it that He
will smart at this rate? How is it that He bears so passivelyall the insults and
indignities which they heap upon Him? He gave Himself for us! Our sins
demanded smart–He bared His back and took the smart. He gave Himself for
us! But do you see that dreadful procession going through the streets of
Jerusalem, along the rough pavement of the Via Dolorosa?Do you see the
weeping women as they mourn because ofHim? How is it that He is willing to
be led a captive up to the hill of Calvary? Alas, they throw Him on the
ground! They drive accursediron through His hands and feet! They hoist
Him into the air! They dash the Cross into its appointed place and there He
hangs–a nakedspectacleofscornand shame, derided of men, and mourned
by angels!How is it that the Lord of Glory, who made all worlds, and hung
out the stars like lamps, should now be bleeding and dying there? He gave
Himself for us! Can you see the streaming fountains of the four wounds in His
hands and feet? Can you trace His agonyas it carves lines upon His brow and
all down His emaciatedframe? No, you cannot see the griefs of His soul. No
spirit can behold them. They were too terrible for you to know them. It
seemedas though all Hell were emptied into the bosom of the Sonof God, and
as though all the miseries of all the ages were made to meet upon Him, till He
bore–
“All that Incarnate God, could bear,
With strength enough, but none to spare.”
Now why is all this, but that He gave Himself for us till His head hung down in
death? And His arms, in chill, cold death, hung down by His side–andthey
buried the lifeless Victor in the tomb of Josephof Arimethea? He gave
Himself for us!
What more now remains? He lives again! On the third day He comes from the
tomb and even then He still gave Himself for us! Oh, yes, Beloved, He has
gone up on high but He still gives Himself for us, for up there He is constantly
engagedin pleading the sinner’s cause!Up yonder, amidst the glories of
Heaven, He has not forgotten us poor sinners who are here below, but He

spreads His hands and pleads before His Father’s Throne and wins for us
unnumbered blessings, for He gave Himself for us!
And I have been thinking whether I might not use the text in another way.
Christ’s servants needed a subjectupon which to preach, and so He “gave
Himself for us,” to be the constanttopic of our ministry! Christ’s servants
needed asweetCompanionto be with them in their troubles, and He gave
Himself for us. Christ’s people need comfort–theyneed spiritual food and
drink, and so He gave Himself for us–His flesh to be our spiritual meat, and
His blood to be our spiritual drink. And we expect, soon, to go Home to the
land of the hereafter, to the realms of the blessed, and what is to be our
Heaven? Why, our Heavenwill be Christ, Himself, for He gave Himself for
us! Oh, He is all that we need, all that we wish for! We cannotdesire anything
greaterand better than to be with Christ and to have Christ, to feed upon
Christ, to lie in Christ’s bosom, to know the kisses ofHis mouth, to look at the
gleaming of His loving eyes, to hear His loving words, to feelHim press us to
His heart, and tell us that He has loved us from before the foundation of the
world–and given Himself for us.
I think we have put the text now into a setting of certain facts. Do not forget
them, but let them be your joy! And now the last thing we have to do is to–
III. TURN THE TEXT TO PRACTICAL ACCOUNT BY DRAWING FROM
IT A FEW INFERENCES.
The first inference I draw is this–that He who gave Himself for His people will
not deny them anything. This is asweetencouragementto you who practice
the art of prayer. You know how Paul puts it, “He that spared not His own
Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not, with Him, also freely
give us all things?” Christ is All. If Christ gives Himself to you, He will give
you your bread and your water, and He will give you a house to dwell in. If He
gives you Himself, He will not let you starve on the road to Heaven. Jesus
Christ does not Give us Himself and then deny us common things. Oh, child of
God, go boldly to the Throne of Grace ! You have got the major–youshall
certainly have the minor! You have the greater, you cannot be denied the less!
Now I draw another inference, namely, that if Christ has already given
Himself in so painful a way as I have described, since there is no need that He
should suffer anymore, we must believe that He is willing to give Himself now
untothe hearts of poor sinners. Beloved, for Christ to come to Bethlehem is a
greaterstoopthan for Him to come into your heart! Had Christ to die upon
Calvary? That is all done and He need not die again! Do you think that He
who is willing to die is unwilling to apply the results of His passion? If a man

leaps into the waterto bring out a drowning child, after he has brought the
child alive on shore, if he happens to have a piece of bread in his pocket, and
the child needs it, do you think that he who rescuedthe child’s life will deny
that child so small a thing as a piece of bread? And come, do you think that
Christ died on Calvary, and yet will not come into your heart if you seek
Him? Do you believe that He who died for sinners will ever rejectthe prayer
of a sinner? If you believe that, you think harshly of Him, for His heart is very
tender. He feels even a cry. You know how it is with your children–if they cry
through pain, why, you would give anything for someone to come and heal
them! And if you cry because your sin is painful, the Great Physicianwill
come and heal you! Ah, Jesus Christ is much more easily moved by our cries
and tears than we are by the cries of our fellow creatures. Come, poorSinner,
come and put your trust in my Master!You cannot think Him hard-hearted.
If He were, why did He die? Do you think Him unkind? Then why did He
bleed? You are inclined to think so harshly of Him! You are making great
cuts at His heart when you think Him to be rough and ungenerous. “As I live,
says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, but rather that
he would turn unto Me and live.”
This is the voice of the Godwhom you look upon as so sternly just! Did Jesus
Christ, the Tender One, speak in even more plaintive tones, “Come unto Me,
all you that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest”? You working
men, you laboring men, Christ bids you come to Him! “All you that labor.”
And you who are unhappy, you who know you have done wrong and cannot
sleepat nights because ofit! You who are troubled about sin and would gladly
go and hide your heads, and get–
“Anywhere, anywhere out of the world”
–your Father says to you, one and all, “Run not from Me, but come to Me, My
child!” Jesus, who died, says, “Flee notfrom Me, but come to Me, for I will
acceptyou. I will receive you. I castout none that come unto Me. "Sinner,
Jesus neverdid rejecta coming soul, yet, and He never will! Oh, try Him! Try
Him! Now come, with your sins about you just as you are, to the bleeding,
dying Savior and He will sayto you, "I have blotted out your sins; go and sin
no more; I have forgiven you.” MayGod grant you Grace to put your trust in
Him “who gave Himself for us”!
There are many other inferences which I might draw if I had time, but in this
last one, we have drawn to be so applied to your hearts as to be carried out–
and it will be enough. Now do not go and try to do goodworlds in order to
merit Heaven. Do not go and try to pray yourselves into Heaven by the
efficacyof praying. Remember, He, “gave Himself for us.” The old proverb is

that “there is nothing freer than a gift,” and surely this Gift of God, this
Eternal Life must be free, and we must have it freely, or not at all. I
sometimes see put up at some of our doctors that they receive “gratis
patients.” That is the sort of patients my Masterreceives!He receives none
but those who come gratis. He never did receive anything, yet, and He never
will–exceptyour love and your thanks after He has saved you! But you must
come to Him empty-handed. Come just as you are and He will receive you,
now, and you shall live to sing to the praise and the glory of His Grace who
has acceptedyou in the Belovedand, “who gave Himself for us.” God help you
to do it. Amen.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Purport And Extent Of Christ's Saviorship
Titus 2:14
T. Croskery
Mark -
I. THE PERSONWHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US. "Our great God and
Savior Jesus Christ." Here the atonement is connectedwith the Deity of the
Savior, as if to showythat the true Godheadof the Songave infinite value to
his sufferings.
II. THE ATONING WORK. "Who gave himself for us." Two things are here
implied.
1. Priestly action. Forhe "gave himself" freely, the language being borrowed
from Levitical worship. That typical economycould not unite priest and
victim as they were united in Christ. The Father is often said to have given his
Son; but the Son here gives himself, the priestly actionexhibiting at once
immeasurable love and voluntary obedience. He is himself "the unspeakable
Gift " - the best of all gifts to man.
2. It was a vicarious action. For he "gave himself for us," the words in the
original signifying rather for our benefit than in our stead;but, from the
nature of the case, the gift was substitutionary, that it might be for our

benefit. When we were "in all iniquity," and so exposedto Divine wrath, our
Surety permitted that iniquity to be chargedto himself.
III. THE DESIGN OF THE ATONING WORK OF CHRIST. "To redeemus
from all iniquity, and purify us to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works!" It was a twofold design.
1. A redemption from all iniquity.
(1) The redemption signifies deliverance by the payment of a price. Here there
is a clearcausalconnectionbetweenChrist's blood as the ransomprice and
the redemption. This is Scripture usage (1 Peter1:18; Revelation5:9;
Galatians 3:13).
(2) The scope of this redemption. It is "from all iniquity." This is to be
understood under a double aspect.
(a) The iniquity includes all sin, consideredas guilt and as entailing the curse
of the Divine Law. His redeeming sacrifice dissolvedthe connectionbetween
our sin and our liability to punishment on accountof it.
(b) The iniquity includes all sin as morally evil, and in this sense the
redemption delivers his people from all impurity.
2. The purification of a peculiar people for himself.
(1) The primary signification is sacrificial;for the term "purify," like the
cognate terms sanctify, sprinkle, wash, cleanse, points to the effectproduced
by sacrifice upon those defiled by sin. These are now, by the blood of Christ,
readmitted to fellowship with God. Thus believers, like Israelof old, obtain a
new standing.
(2) The design of redemption is to consecratea people for holy service, for
priestly worship, in separationfrom the world. Thus they are "a peculiar
people," not singular or eccentric, but his peculiar treasure, held to be most
precious, and kept with all Divine care.
(3) This people is separatedto goodworks - "zealous of goodworks,"because
partakers of the Spirit of holiness (Romans 1:4), and of the sanctificationof
the Spirit (1 Peter1:2). This blessedfruit is worthy of a dedicatedpeople.
They must be zealots for practicalholiness, for they Sad their best motives in
two advents. - T.C.
Biblical Illustrator

The grace ofGod that bringeth salvation
Titus 2:11-14
The gospelof the grace of God
T. Raffles, D. D.
I. ITS DISTISGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS. "The graceofGod."
1. The gift.
2. Its objects.
3. Its purpose.
II. THE UNIVERSALITY OF ITS APPEARANCE.
1. Adapted for all.
2. Revealedforall.
3. To be proclaimed to all.
III. THE INESTIMABLE BOON WHICH IT BESTOWS. "Salvation."
1. From the condemning powerof sin.
2. From the defilement of sin.
3. From the love of sin.
4. From the powerof sin.
5. From the punishment of sin.
IV. ITS PRACTICAL INFLUENCE. "Teaching us," etc. The way of salvation
is the highway of holiness and of purity; the unclean may not pass over it; and
within the gates ofthe celestialCity "there shall enter nothing that defileth,
that workethabomination, or that maketh a lie." Wherever this gospelhath
come, "in demonstration of the Spirit and with power," it hath sweptaway
the obscure and execrable rites, the foul abominations, the detestable
practices ofpaganism. Whereverthis gospelhath come "in demonstration of
the Spirit and with power," it hath purified the polluted, it hath made the
dishonesthonest, the intemperate sober, the licentious chaste. It has converted
the monster of depravity into the humble, correct, consistent, temperate
disciple of Christ. The abandoned woman it has purified and refined; and he
who was at once the disgrace, the dishonour, of his family, of society, and of
his country, renewed, reformed, sanctified, made holy, it has placedat the feet
of the Redeemer, like the recoveredmaniac, "clothedand in his right mind."
(T. Raffles, D. D.)

The extensiveness ofthe gospeloffers
T. Bissland, M. A.
That the messagewhichJesus was anointedto deliver emanated from the
sovereigngoodnessandeverlasting mercy of Jehovah, whereby before all
worlds He had devised a plan for the restorationof ruined man, and contains
a revelation of His will, is a truth at once most animating and important. It is
a firm conviction of this momentous truth which induces the believerto seta
proper value on the gospelas the messageofglad tidings of greatjoy.
I. Our thoughts are directed, first, to THE SOURCE OF THE GOSPEL, and
that source is the grace ofGod. The proper significationof the word "grace"
is favour — unmerited goodnessand mercy in a superior conferring benefit
upon others. The grace spokenofin the text is the revelation of the Divine will
setforth in the gospel, which, in the strictestsense, may be termed "the grace
of God"; it being a revelation to which man had no title, setting forth
promises of which man was utterly unworthy, unfolding a plan of redemption
which man had no reasonto expect. This grace "bringeth salvation." Herein
consists its importance. "What shall I do to be saved?" "Whatgoodthing
shall I do to inherit eternal life?" "Wherewithshall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before the high God?" These are vitally important questions
— questions which will frequently presentthemselves even to the most
careless, andthey can be satisfactorilyansweredin the gospelalone. The
gospelbringeth salvation, for it points out to man the means of his recovery
from guilt and degradation. This salvationis complete and infinite, including
all the blessings ofthe everlasting covenant — that covenantwhich displays to
us the mercy and love of God the Father;the benefits of the incarnation, life,
crucifixion, ascension, andintercessionof God the Son; and all the
enlightening, enlivening, and sanctifying influences of God the Holy Ghost. In
the possessionofthese consists oursalvation. The gospeldirects man to a
Saviour who has promised, and is able and willing, to bestow any blessing
upon those who believe in Him: it promises pardon, reconciliation, peace;it
unfolds the glories of the eternalworld; and it invites and stimulates the
sinner to strive, through grace, to become meet for the heavenly inheritance.
II. Now considerTHE PERSONSforwhose benefit this grace of God hath
appeared. The apostle says, "The grace ofGod, that bringeth salvation hath
appearedunto all men"; or, according to the translationin the margin of our
Bibles, "The grace of God, which bringeth salvationto all men, hath
appeared";and this rendering I conceive to be the more correct. The gospel,
then, is describedas bringing salvationto all men; that is, as offering to all
who acceptit free and full remissionof sin, through the blood of the Lord

Jesus;as opening to all believers the gate of the kingdom of heaven. The
gospelis preciselysuited for all the wants of a fallen sinner; it meets him in
the hour of difficulty; and, consequently, its offers of mercy are addressedto
every sinner. In the manifestation of Jesus to the wise men, who came from
the eastto worship Him; in the prophetic declarationof the agedSimeon, that
the Child whom he took up in his arms should be a light to lighten the
Gentiles;in the rending of the veil of the temple, when Jesus had given up the
ghost;in the unlimited commission"Go ye into all the world, and preachthe
gospelto every creature";and in their qualification for this important work,
by the miraculous gift of tongues, we discoverthat the new dispensationwas
designedfor the spiritual and eternal benefit of the whole human race. The
rich dispensationof mercy revealedin the gospelbeautifully illustrates the
gracious characterofour heavenly Father. It is calculatedto remove all
erroneous views of His attributes, His mercy, His compassion, His tenderness
towards the works ofHis hands. Why that gospelshould not have been clearly
manifested for so many ages afterthe fall of man — why eighteencenturies
should have elapsed, and millions of our fellow creatures should still be
immersed in the gross darkness ofheathen superstition — is one of those
secretthings which belong to the Lord our God. It is not our province to sit in
judgment on the wisdom of Jehovah's plans to weighthe wisdom of Jehovah's
counsels;neither are we to seek to pry into the mysterious dealings of His
providence. We are, rather, thankfully to acknowledgethe blessings bestowed
upon ourselves, and earnestlyseek to improve them to the uttermost;
recollecting that responsibility is commensurate with privilege.
(T. Bissland, M. A.)
The grace ofGod
T. Manton, D. D.
I. THE ORIGINAL FIRST MOVING CAUSE OF ALL THE BLESSINGS
WE HAVE FROM GOD IS ORATE.
1. Survey all the blessings of the covenant, and from first to last you will see
grace doth all. Election, vocation, justification, sanctification, glorification, all
is from grace.
2. To limit the point. Though it is of grace, yetnot to exclude Christ, not to
exclude the means of salvation.
3. My next work shall be to give you some reasons whyit must be so that
grace is the original cause ofall the bless. ings we receive from God; because it

is most for the glory of God, and most for the comfort of the creature.(1)It is
most convenient for the glory of God to keepup the respects of the creature to
Him in a way suitable to His majesty.(2)It is most for the comfort of the
creature. Grace is the original cause ofall the goodwe expectand receive
from God, that we may seek the favour of God with hope and retain it with
certainty.
II. GRACE IN THE DISCOVERIESOF THE GOSPELHATH SHINED
OUT IN A GREATER BRIGHTNESSTHAN EVER IT DID BEFORE.
1. What a darkness there was before the eternal gospelwas brought out of the
bosom of God. There was a darkness both among Jews and Gentiles. In the
greatestpart of the world there was utter darkness as to the knowledge of
grace, and in the Church nothing but shadows and figures.
2. What and how much of grace is now discovered? I answer —
(1)The wisdomof grace. The gospelis a mere riddle to carnalreason, a great
mystery (1 Timothy 3:16).
(2)The freeness ofgrace both in giving and accepting.
(3)The efficacyand power of grace.
(4)The largenessand bounty of grace.
(5)The sureness ofgrace.
III. THE GRACE OF GOD REVEALED IN THE GOSPELIS THE GREAT
MEANS OF SALVATION, OR A GRACE THAT TENDS TO SALVATION.
1. It hath a moral tendency that way; for there is the history of salvationwhat
God hath done on His part; there are the counsels of salvationwhat we must
do on our part; and there are excellentenforcements to encourage us to
embrace this salvation.
2. Becauseit hath the promise of the Spirit's assistance (Romans 1:16). The
gospelis saidto be "the powerof God unto salvation," notonly because it is a
powerful instrument which Godhath appropriated to this work, but this is the
honour God puts upon the gospelthat He will join and associate the operation
of His Spirit with no other doctrine but this.
IV. THIS SALVATION WHICH THE GRACE OF GOD BRINGETHIS
FREE FOR ALL THAT WILL ACCEPT IT. God excludes none but those
that exclude themselves. It is said to appear to all men —
1. Becauseit is published to all sorts of men; they all have a like favour in the
generaloffer (John 6:37).

2. All that accepthave a like privilege; therefore this grace is said to appear to
all men. There is no difference of nations, nor of conditions of life, nor of
lesseropinions in religion, nor of degrees ofgrace. See allsummed up by the
apostle (Colossians 3:11).
(T. Manton, D. D.)
The Epiphany and mission of grace
W. H. M. H. Aitken, M. A.
To this important statementthe apostle is led up by the considerationof
certain very homely and practicalduties which fall to the lot of Christians in
various walks oflife, and these matters he refers to as "the things pertaining
to sound doctrine." He has a word of practicalcounselfor severaldistinct
classesofpersons;for he knows the wisdom of being definite. In the
connectionindicated by that little word "for" we have both an introduction
to, and a striking illustration of, the greattruth that the passageis designedto
setforth. It is the gospelwith its wondrous revelation of grace that is to
provide us with new and high incentives boa life of practicalvirtue and
holiness. It is because we are not under the law, but under grace, that the
righteousness ofthe law is to be fulfilled in us. To destroy the works ofthe
devil, and to restore and perfect the grandest work of God on earth, was
indeed an undertaking worthy of such conditions as the Incarnation and the
atonement. The apostle speaks ofgrace itselfbefore he proceeds to indicate
the effects ofgrace, and of the first grand objectand work of grace before he
proceeds to enlarge upon its ulterior effects. He begins with the assertionthat
"the grace ofGod which bringeth salvationto all men hath appeared." In
these opening words, first our attention is invited to this centralobject, the
grace ofGod, then to the fact of its epiphany or manifestation, and then to its
first most necessarypurpose and mission — the bringing of salvation within
the reachof all men.
I. ALL TRUE AND EVANGELICAL RELIGION MUST HAVE ITS
COMMENCEMENTIN THE APPREHENSION OF DIVINE GRACE, AND
THEREFOREIT IS OF NO SMALL IMPORTANCE THAT WE SHOULD
ENDEAVOUR CLEARLY TO UNDERSTANDWHAT IS DENOTED BY
THE WORD. Divine grace, we may say, is the child of love and the parent of
mercy. The essentiallove of the greatFather's heart takes definite form, and
accommodatesitselfto our need; reveals itself in facts, and presents itself for
our acceptance;and then we call it grace. Thatgrace receivedrescuesfrom
the disastrous effects ofsin; heals our inward diseases, and comforts our

sorrows;and then we call it mercy. But grace does not exhaust itself in the
production of mercy any more than love exhausts itself in the production of
grace. The child leads us back to the parent; the experience of mercy leads us
back to that "grace whereinwe stand"; and the enjoyment of grace prepares
us for the life of love, and for that wondrous reciprocity of affection in which
the heavenly Bridegroomand His Bride are to be bound togetherforever.
Thus of the three mercy everreaches the heart first; and it is through
acceptedmercy that we apprehend revealedgrace;similarly it is through the
revelations of grace that we learn the secretof eternallove. And as with the
individual so with mankind at large. Mercy, swift-winged mercy, was the first
celestialmessengerthatreacheda sin-strickenworld; and in former
dispensations it was with mercy that men had most to do. But if former
dispensations were dispensations ofmercy, the present is preeminently the
dispensationof grace, in which it is our privilege not only to receive mercy,
but to apprehend the attitude of God towards us from which the mercy flows.
But let us remember that though speciallyrevealedto us now, the grace of
God towards humanity has existed from the very first. The Lamb was slain in
the Divine foreknowledgebefore the foundation of the world. But the grace of
God has in it a further and higher objectthan the mere provision of a remedy
for human sin — than what is merely remedial. God has purposed in His own
free favour towards mankind to raise man to a position of moral exaltation
and glory, the very highest, so far as we know, that canbe occupiedor aspired
to by a createdintelligence. Suchis the destiny of humanity. This is the
singular favour which God designs for the sons of men. God's favour flows
forth to other intelligences also, but not to the same degree, and it is not
manifested after the same fashion. This eternal purpose of God, however,
which has run through the long ages, was notfully revealedto the sons of men
until the fulness of time arrived. It was revealedonly in parts and in
fragments, so to speak. FromAdam to John the Baptist every man that ever
went to heaven went there by the grace of God. The grace ofGod has
constantly been in operation, but it was operating in a concealedfashion. Even
those who were the subjects of Divine grace seemscarcelyto have known how
it reachedthem, or in what manner they were to be affectedby any provision
that it might make to meet their human sins. Before the full favour of God
could be revealedto mankind it would seemto have been necessaryfirst of all
that man should be put under a disciplinary training, which should induce
within him a conviction of the necessityforthe intervention of that favour,
and dispose him to value it when it came. Grace, we have alreadysaid, is the
child of love and the parent of mercy. We discovernow that the love of God is
not a passive, inert possibility, but a living power that takes to itself definite

form, and hastens to meet and overcome the forces of evil to which we owe
our ruin.
II. But further, the apostle not only calls our attention to Divine grace, but he
proceeds to state with great emphasis THAT IT HAS APPEARED OR BEEN
MADE MANIFEST. We are no longer left in doubt as to its existence, or
permitted to enjoy its benefits without knowing whence they flow. In order to
be manifested, the grace of God needednot only to be affirmed, but to be
illustrated, I may say demonstrated, and then only was man called upon to
believe in it. It might have been written large enough for all the world to see,
that God was love. It might have been blazoned upon the starry heavens so
that every eye might have read the wondrous sentence, and yet I apprehend
we should have been slow to grasp the truth which the words contain, had
they not been brought within reachof our finite apprehension in concrete
form in the personalhistory, in the life, in the action, in the sorrow, in the
death of God's own Son. When I turn my gaze towards the personof Christ I
am at liberty to doubt God's favour towards me no longer. I read it in every
action, I discoverit in every word. Here is the first thought that brings rest to
the heart of man. It has been demonstrated by the Incarnation and by the
Atonement, that God's attitude on His side towards us is already one of free
favour — favour toward all, howeverfar we may have fallen, and however
undeserving we may be in ourselves. You often hear people talking about
making their peace with God. Well, the phrase may be used to indicate what is
perfectly correct, but the expressionin itself is most incorrect, for peace with
God is already made. God's attitude towards us is alreadyan assured thing.
We have no occasionto go about to ask ourselves, "How shallwe win God's
favour?" It is possible for a person to be full of friendly intentions to me, and
yet for me to retain an attitude of animosity and enmity towards him. That
does not alter his charactertowards me, or his attitude towards me; but it
does prevent me from reaping any benefit from that attitude. And so, I repeat,
the only point of uncertainty lies in our attitude towards God, not in His
attitude towards us.
III. Thus the apostle affirms that THIS GRACE OF GOD ''BRINGETH
SALVATION TO EVERY MAN." Yes, God's free favour, manifested in the
person of His ownblessedSon, is designedto produce saving effects upon all.
God makes no exception, excludes none. All are not saved. But why not? Not
because the grace of God does not bring salvationto every man, but because
all men do not receive the gift which the grace of Godhas brought to them.
There are necessarilytwo parties to such a transaction. Before any benefit can
accrue from a gift there must be a willingness on the one side to give, and a

willingness on the other side to receive, and unless there be both of these
conditions realisedno satisfactoryresultcan ensue. Here then is a question for
us all: What has the grace of God, which is designedto have a saving effect
upon all men, done for us? Has it saved us, or only enhancedour
condemnation? Now we maintain that the enjoyment of the knowledge of
salvationby the remission of sins is neededbefore our experience canassume
a definitely Christian form. The first thing that grace does is to bring
salvationto me; and until I acceptthis I am not in a position to accepther
other gifts. Grace cannotteachuntil I am in a position to learn, and I am not
in a position to learn until I am relieved from anxiety and fear as to my
spiritual condition. Go into yonder prison, and set that wretched felon in the
condemned cell to undertake some literary work, if he is a literary man. Put
the pen into his hand, place the ink and the paper before him. He flings down
the pen in disgust. How can he setto work to write a history or to compose a
romance, howevertalented or gifted he may be by nature, so long as the
hangman's rope is over his head and the prospectof a coming execution
staring him in the face? Obviously the man's thoughts are all in another
direction — the question of his own personalsafetypreoccupies his mind.
Give him that pen and paper to write letters which he thinks may influence
persons in high quarters with a view to obtaining a reprieve, and his pen will
move quickly enough. I can understand his filling up reams of paper on that
subject, but not on any other. Is it likely that a God who has shown His favour
towards us by the gift of His own Sonshould desire to keepus in uncertainty
as to the effects of that grace upon our own case?Doesnotthe very fact, that
it is grace that has brought salvationto us, render it certain that it must be in
the mind of God that we should have the full enjoyment of it? Let us rather
ask, how can we obtain this knowledge ofsalvation, this inward conviction
that all is well? The answeris a very simple one. Grace brings salvationwithin
our reachas something designedfor us. Notto tantalize us by exciting desires
destined never to be realised, but in order that we may have the full benefit of
it — the free favour of Godhas brought salvationwithin our reachto the very
doors of our hearts. Surely we dishonour God when we for a moment suppose
that He does not intend us to enjoy the blessing which His grace brings to us.
All the deep and precious lessons that grace has to teachare, we may say,
simply so many deductions from the first great objectlesson — Calvary. It is
through the Cross ofChrist that the grace ofGod hath reacheda sinful world;
it is on the Cross that grace is revealedand by that Cross that its reality is
demonstrated. But we may also add that it is in the Cross that grace lies
hidden. Yes, it is all there; but faith has to searchthe storehouse and examine
the hidden treasure, and find out more and more of the completeness ofthat

greatsalvationwhich the grace of God has brought within our reach;nor
shall we ever know fully all that has thus been brought within our reachuntil
we find ourselves savedat last with an everlasting salvation— savedfrom all
approachof evil or dangerinto that kingdom of glory which grace has opened
to all believers.
(W. H. M. H. Aitken, M. A.)
The grace ofGod in bringing salvationto all men
J. Burns, D. D.
I. THE ORIGIN OF SALVATION.
1. Man did not deserve it.
2. It was unsolicited.
3. It was entirely the result of Divine grace.Thegrace ofGod —(1) Made all
the arrangements necessaryfor salvation. Devisedthe astounding plan. Fixed
upon the means, time, etc. The grace of God —(2) Brought the author of
salvation. "Ye know the grace ofour Lord Jesus Christ," etc. (2 Corinthians
8:9).(3) It brought the messageofsalvation. Gospelis emphatically the gospel
of the grace ofGod (Acts 20:24).(4)It brings the application of salvationto the
soul. We are calledby His grace — justified freely by His grace — sanctified
by His grace — kept and preserved by tits grace — and the topstone is
brought on amid ascriptions of Grace, graceunto it."
II. THE EXTENT OF SALVATION. The grace of God bringeth salvation—
1. To all classesand degrees ofmen. To the rich and the poor; noble and
ignoble; monarch and the peasant;the ruler and the slave.
2. To men of all grades ofmoral guilt. It includes the moralist, and excludes
not the profane.
3. To men of all ages.
III. THE INFLUENCE OF SALVATION ON THE MORAL CHARACTER
OF MAN. It teaches andenforces the necessityof —
1. The abandonment of ungodliness and worldly lusts.
2. Sobriety of conduct.
3. Righteousnessoflife.
4. Godliness ofheart.Application:
1. How we should rejoice in the riches and fulness of Divine grace.

2. How necessarythat we cordially receive the invaluable boon it presents.
3. And how important that we practically exemplify the moral lessons it
communicates.
(J. Burns, D. D.)
The gospeldescribed
W. Burkitt, M. A.
1. A choice and excellentdescription of the gospel;it is the grace of God, that
is the doctrine of God's free grace and gratuitous favour declaredin Christ to
poor sinners.
2. The joyful messagewhichthe gospelbrings, and that is salvation; the gospel
makes a gracious tenderof salvation, and that universally to lost and undone
sinners.
3. The clear light and evidence that it does hold forth this messagein and by;
it has appearedor shined forth like the day star or the rising sun.
4. The extent of its glorious beams, how far they reach. It is tendered to all
without restriction or limitation.
(1)As to nations, Jew or Gentile.
(2)As to persons, rich or poor, bond or free.
(3)Without restrictionin reference to the degree of their graces.
5. The great lessonwhichthe gospelteaches,negative and positive.(a)
Negative, to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts; where, by ungodliness,
understand all sins committed againstthe first table; by worldly lusts, all sins
committed againstthe secondtable; calledworldly lusts because the objectof
them is worldly things, and because they are the lusts of worldly men.(b)
Positive, to live:(1) Soberly: he begins with our duty to ourselves, then to our
neighbour, and last of all to God, and so proceeds from the easierto the
harder duties: and observe the connection, soberly and righteously and godly,
not disjunctively; as if to live soberly, righteously, or in pretence godly, were
sufficient. A sobriety in speech, in behaviour, in apparel, in eating and
drinking, in recreations, andin the enjoyment of lawful satisfactions.(2)
Righteously, exercising justice and charity towards our neighbour; he that is
uncharitable is unjust and unrighteous, and the unrighteous shall no more
enter into the kingdom of God than the unholy; and all a person's pretences to
godliness are but hypocrisy without righteousness towardour neighbour.(3)
Godly, godliness has an internal and external part; the internal and inward

part of godliness consists in a right knowledge ofHim, in a fervent love unto
Him, in an entire trust and confidence in Him, in an holy fearto offend Him,
in subjecting our wills entirely to Him, in holy longings for the fruition and
enjoyment of Him. The external and outward part of godliness consists in
adorationand bodily worship; this is due to God from us; He was the Creator
of the body as well as of the soul, and will glorify the body as wellas the soul;
therefore we are to glorify God with our bodies, and with our spirits, which
are the Lord's.
6. The time when and the place where this lessonis to be learned, in this
present world. Here is the place, and now is the time when this duty of living
soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world is to be performed by us.
Learn, that a sober, righteous, and godly life in this present world is
absolutely necessaryin order to our obtaining the happiness and glory of the
world to come.
(W. Burkitt, M. A.)
The grace ofGod
T. Taylor, D. D.
Although the doctrine of the Churches of the Old and New Testamentbe the
very selfsame in regard —
1. Of the author, who is God;
2. Substance and matter, which is perfect righteousnessrequired in both;
3. Scope and end to the justification of a sinner before God; yet are there
diverse accidentaldifferences betweenthem which, that we may the better
understand both the offices and the benefits by Christ, are meet to be
known.Some ofthem we shall note out of these words as we shall come unto
them.(1) The first difference is in that the gospelis calledgrace, which word
the law acknowledgethnot; nay, these two are opposed, to be under the law
and to be under grace. To be under the law is not to be under it as a rule of
life, for so all believers on earth, yea the saints and angels in heaven, are
under it; but to be under the yoke of it, which neither we nor our fathers were
able to bear. Forto omit the leastpart of the yoke, standing in the observation
of —
1. Many,
2. Costly,
3. Laborious,

4. Burdensome ceremonies,whata killing letter is the law which commandeth
inward and perfectrighteousness, fornature and actions, and that in our own
persons? which promiseth life upon no other condition but of works, "Do this,
and live"; and these must be such as must be framed according to that perfect
light and holiness of nature in which we are created, which wrappeth us under
the curse of sin. Now to be under grace is to be freed from all this bondage;
not only from those elements and rudiments of the world, but especially —
1. When the yoke of personalobedience to justification is by grace translated
from believers to the person of Christ our surety, so that He doing the law we
might live by it.
2. When duties are not urged according to our perfect estate of creation, but
according to the present measure of grace received;not according to full and
perfect righteousness,but according to the sincerity and truth of the heart,
although from weak and imperfect faith and love: not as meriting anything,
but only as testifying the truth of our conversion, in all which the Lord of His
grace accepteththe will for the deed done.
3. When the most heavy curse of the law is removed from our weak shoulders
and laid upon the back of Jesus Christ, even as His obedience is translated
unto us, and thus there is no condemnation to those that are in Him.
4. When the strength of the law is abated so as believers may send it to Christ
for performance, for it cannot vex us as before the ministry of grace it could;
which is anotherlaw, namely of faith, to which we are bound, the which not
only can command us as the former, but also give grace and powerto obey
and perform in some acceptable sortthe commandment. And this is the
doctrine of grace which we are made partakers of.
(T. Taylor, D. D.)
Genuine Christianity
Jas. Foster, B. A.
I. A TRUE AND GRAPHIC OUTLINE OF DOCTRINEESSENTIALTO
SALVATION.
1. How ancientthe purpose of this grace.
2. How greatand glorious its nature.
3. How benignant its design.
4. How unrestricted its manifestation.

II. A VIEW OF THOSE WORKS WHICH ACCOMPANYSALVATION.
1. Vigilant self-denial.
2. The right governance ofthe moral relations of life.
III. MOTIVES BY WHICH COMBINED FAITHAND OBEDIENCEMAY
BE SUSTAINED AND ENFORCED.
1. The temporary nature of the discipline.
2. The self-sacrifice ofChrist.
3. The future manifestation of Christ.
(Jas. Foster, B. A.)
The soul culture of the world
D. Thomas, D. D.
I. THE INSTRUMENTOF TRUE SOUL CULTURE. "The grace of God,"
i.e., the gospel.
1. It is the love of God.
2. The love of Godto save.
3. The love of Godrevealed to all.
II. THE PROCESSOF TRUE SOUL CULTURE.
1. The renunciation of a wrong course.
2. The adoption of a right course.
3. The fixing of the heart upon a glorious future.
III. THE END OF TRUE SOUL CULTURE.
1. Moralredemption.
2. Spiritual restorationto Christ.
3. Complete devotedness to holy labour.
4. The self-sacrifice ofChrist. His gift teaches the enormity of moral evil.
(D. Thomas, D. D.)
The soul's rest
When the illustrious, learned, and wealthyJohn Seldenwas dying, he said to
Archbishop Usher, "I have surveyed most of the learning that is among the

sons of men, and my study is filled with books and manuscripts (he had 8,000
volumes in his library) on various subjects;but at present I cannotrecollect
any passageoutof all my books and papers whereonI can rest my soul, save
this from the sacredScriptures: 'The grace of God that bringeth salvation,'"
etc.
Hath appeared to all men
Love made visible
A. Maclaren, D. D.
I. The apostle sets forth, as the foundation of all, THE APPEARANCE OF
THE GRACE OF GOD. Grace, the theologicalterm which, to many of us,
sounds so cold and unreal and remote, is all throbbing with tenderness and
warm with life if we understand what it means. It means the pulsation of the
heart of God pouring a tide of gracious love on sinful men, who do not deserve
one drop of it to fall upon them, and who dwell so far beneathHis loftiness
that the love is made still more wonderful by the condescensionwhichmakes
it possible. The lofty loves the low, and the love is grace. The righteous loves
the sinful, and the love is grace. Then, says my text, there is something which
has made this Divine love of God, so wonderful in its loftiness, and equally
wonderful in its passing by men's sinfulness, visible to men. The grace, has
"appeared." Scientistscanmake sounds visible by the symmetrical lines into
which heaps of sand upon a bit of paper are castby the vibration of a string.
God has made invisible love plain to the sight of all men, because He has sent
us His Son.
II. NOTICE THE UNIVERSAL SWEEP OF THIS GRACE. The words
should be read, "The grace ofGod, that bringeth salvationto all men, hath
appeared." It brings salvationto all men. It does not follow from that, that all
men take the salvation which it brings. Notice the underlying theory of a
universal need that lies in these words. The grace brings salvationto all men,
because allmen need that more than any thing else. In the notion of salvation
there lies the two ideas of danger and of disease. It is healing and it is safety;
therefore, if it be offered to all, it is because allmen are sick of a sore disease,
and stand in imminent and deadly peril. That is the only theory of men's
deepestneed which is true to the facts of human existence.
III. NOTICE THE GREAT WORK OF THIS GRACE MADE VISIBLE. It
seems to be a wonderful descentfrom "the grace of God which bringeth
salvationto all hath appeared" to "teaching us." Is that all? Is that worth
much? If by "teaching" we mean merely a reiteration in words, addressedto

the understanding or the heart, of the greatprinciples of morality and
conduct, it is a very poor thing, and a tremendous come down from the
apostle's previous words. Such an office is not what the world wants. To try to
cure the world's evils by teaching, in that narrow sense of the expression, is
something like trying to put a fire out by reading the Riot Act to the flames.
You want fire engines, and not paper proclamations, in order to stay their
devouring course. But it is to be noticed that the expressionhere, in the
original, means a greatdeal more than that kind of teaching. It means
correcting, or chastening. Our Physicianhas in His greatmedicine chestbalm
and bandages for all wounds. But He has also a terrible array of gleaming
blades with sharp edges, and of materials for cauterising and burning away
proud flesh. And if ever we are to be made goodand pure, as God wants to
make us, it must be through a discipline that will often be agony, and will
often be pain, and againstthe grain. For the one thing that God wants to do
with men is to bring their wills into entire harmony with His. And we cannot
have that done without much treatment which will inflict in love beneficent
pain. No man can live beside that Lord without being rebuked moment by
moment, and put to wholesome shame day by day, when he contrasts himself
with that serene and radiant pattern and embodiment of all perfection. And
no man can receive into his heart the powers of the world to come, the might
of an indwelling Spirit, without that Spirit exercising as its first function that
which Christ Himself told us it would perform (John 16:8).
(A. Maclaren, D. D.)
The universal offer of salvation
F. Wagstaff.
Salvationis offeredto all men —
I. IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR VARYING MORAL CONDITIONS. Though
"all have sinned," yet all are not sinners in the same degree, or after the same
fashion. Sinners are of many kinds — young, old, beginners in offences,
hardened in crime, sinners through ignorance, againstlight, etc.
II. BECAUSE ALL MEN NEED IT. God recognises degreesofguilt and
punishes "according to transgression."There are "few stripes" and "many
stripes";yet all need salvation, and all men may have it.
III. BECAUSE GOD LOVES ALL. He is no respecterofpersons, and has no
delight in the death of him that dieth. "God so loved the world," etc.
IV. BECAUSE CHRIST DIED FOR ALL.

(F. Wagstaff.)
The gospelfor all sorts of men
T. Taylor, D. D.
It bringeth salvation to all men, that is, all kinds and conditions of men, not to
every particular or singular of the kinds, but to all the sorts and kinds of men,
to servants as wellas masters, to Gentile as well as Jew, to poor as wellas rich.
Thus is it said that God would have all men saved, that is, of all sorts of men
some. So Christ healedall diseases, thatis, all kinds of diseases;and the
Pharisees tithed all herbs, that is, all kinds; for they took not every particular
herb for tithe, but took the tenth of every kind, and not the tenth of every
herb.
(T. Taylor, D. D.)
The grace ofsalvation appearing to all men
A. Ross, M. A.
The grace ofGod is the prime mover in the work of salvation. It "bringeth
salvation." Manhad nothing to pay for it, and man could not merit it.
I. BUT IN WHAT RESPECTSDOES THE GRACE OF GOD BRING
SALVATION? Here we remark generally, that it brought it forward in the
decree from everlasting. Again, the grace ofGod brought salvationforward
another stage, by publishing the promise of it to man after his ruinous fall.
This promise was to be the ground of man's faith and hope in God; and these
graces were necessaryforgiving sinners an interest in the Divine salvation.
The grace ofGod advanced salvationwork still further when it brought the
First-begotteninto the world. It was on this occasionthat it was purchased. To
gain it, Christ had to sustain the rejections of men, the malice and wrath of
evil spirits, and the wrath of His heavenly Father. No less conspicuous is the
grace ofGod in applying to the soulthe benefits of purchased redemption. It
is not when persons have ceasedfrom the love and commissionof sin, that the
Holy Spirit comes with powerto call them effectually, and to unite them to the
Lord Jesus Christ. No;He addresses Himselfto His work when sinners are
dead in trespassesand in sins — alienatedfrom the life of God — without God
and without hope in the world. But there is still another stage of the grace of
God that bringeth salvation, and it is the time when Christ will raise His
people from the dead, and make them sit visibly as they now sit
representativelyin heavenly places with Himself.

II. We shall now turn your attention to THE NATURE OF THE
SALVATION WHICH THE GRACE OF GOD THUS BRINGS TO
SINNERS. And here you will notice in generalthat the term salvation implies
a state of danger, or of actual immersion in suffering; and denotes the
averting of the danger, or the deliverance from the suffering. We say of a man
who has been delivered from a house on fire, that he has been saved. We also
assertof him who has been drawn from a shipwreck and brought in life to
land, that he has been saved, And in like manner, we affirm in regard to the
man who has been setfree from transgressionand its train of consequences,
that he has obtained salvation. More particularly, you will observe —
1. That it is a salvationfrom the guilt of sin.
2. It includes deliverance from the defilement of sin.
3. Deliverance from the power of sin.
4. Deliverance from the very being of sin.
5. Liberation from the curse of God.
6. Freedomfrom the wrath of God.
III. We have thus given you an outline of the salvationspokenof in the text,
WE SHALL NOW INQUIRE IN WHAT RESPECTS IT APPEARS TO ALL
MEN. There is one class ofpersons to whom salvationdoes more than appear;
for they shall enjoy it in all its length and breadth. The chosenof God shall be
setfree from the guilt, the power, and being of sin, and redeemed from the
wrath and curse of God. But there are some respects in which the salvation
which they enjoy, presents itself to the view of others, who trover come to the
actualenjoyment of its precious blessings.
1. The grace that bringeth salvationappears to all, because time and space are
given them for seeking andobtaining it.
2. The grace of salvationappears to all in the inspired Word and appointed
ordinances.
3. The grace of salvationappears to all, inasmuch as mercy is offeredto them
with out distinction.
4. The grace that bringeth salvationappears to all, in the common operations
of the Holy Spirit. From our subject see —(1)Ground for accepting the
salvationof the gospel.(2)Learnreasonto fear lest we should not enter the
heavenly rest through unbelief.(3) Ground of gratitude on the part of the
people of God. They are distinguished above the restof mankind. While

salvationappears to others, it is possessedand enjoyed by them. We now
propose —
IV. TO INQUIRE INTO WHAT IS MEANT BY THE TERMS "ALL MEN."
As to the import of the terms "all men," you will observe —
1. That they cannotmean every individual of our race. It is matter of fact that
many, both in the days of the apostles were, andin our own time are, wholly
unenlightened by the goodnews of salvation.
2. The grace of God appears to men of all countries. This is no contradiction
of what we formerly said; for although salvationhas not yet been shownto all
the individuals of our race, yet some of almostevery kingdom under heaven
have been made acquainted with the gospelofGod's Son; and it is matter of
promise that all the ends of the earth shall yet see the salvation of our God.
3. The grace of God appears to all kinds of men. None are excluded from it
who do not exclude them selves. It is presented to persons of all ages and all
ranks, to men of every kind of culture and attainment. Nor does the gospel
inquire into a man's character, in order to discoverwhether he is entitled to
salvation. Grace is offered to the moral and immoral — to the virtuous and
the vicious.
V. WE ARE NOW TO INVESTIGATE THE RESPECTS IN WHICH THE
GRACE OF GOD APPEARS TO MEN IN GENERAL. Our text does not
assertthat the grace ofGod is enjoyed by all, but only that it appears to them.
They behold in somewhatthe same manner as Balaamsaid he would see the
star that was to arise out of Judah: "I shall see Him, but not now; I shall
behold Him, but not nigh." It is but a distant sight that the unregenerate
obtain of the grace of salvation. It appears to them as a beauteous and glowing
star in the remote horizon, which they may admire, but do not reach.
1. Time and space are given them for accepting salvation.
2. The grace of God appears to men in generalin their enjoyment of Divine
ordinances. Ordinances are the appointed means of salvation. They are not
effectualof themselves to the communication of saving benefit; but they are
the medium through which spiritual blessings are im parted.
3. The grace of God appears to all in the offer of salvation to every individual.
4. The grace of God appears to men in generalin the common operations of
the Spirit.
5. The grace of God appears to men in generalin the impressions of Divine
truth upon the heart.

(1)What a greatprivilege is possessedby the hearers of the gospel.
(2)Reasonfor greatanxiety. Look after the evidences of your real
Christianity.
(A. Ross, M. A.)
All men must come to the grace of salvation
The American officer who was appointed to measure the boundaries of
Mexico and the United States tells us touchingly that the springs which occur
at intervals of sixty or a hundred miles apart in the desert are perforce the
meeting places of life. All living creatures must gather there or die in an agony
of thirst. There comes the American panther, and laps luxuriously the stream
beside the timid hare — the one tamed by thirst, the other made brave by
thirst; and there come the traveller and the trader and light the campfire
beside the wigwamof the scalp-clothedwarriorof the prairie, civilised by
thirst; they quaff the waters together. So the waters of life should be resorted
to by all mankind. Teaching us that denying ungodliness —
Grace our teacher
The apostle proceeds to state that grace not only saves but undertakes our
training; and this, of course, is a life-long work, a work that will only be
concluded when grace ends in glory. Now, obviously, if this work is to be done
as it should be done, the soulmust, first of all, be in a position to receive
teaching. If grace is really to undertake our training, and to teachus such
lessons as only grace canteach, surely she must first of all calm the
tumultuous misgivings which fill our hearts; and until grace has done this for
us, how can she instruct us? If I am learning my lessonwith a view to obtain
grace, it cannot be grace that is acting the part of the teacher, for she can only
teachwhere she has been already obtained. Grace cannotat one and the same
moment be my teacher, and also that to obtain which I am being taught, for
this, of course, involves a contradictionin terms. Hence, as we have said,
unless this first point be settled, and we know that we are in the enjoyment of
God's salvation, we are not in a position to learn from grace, whoeverelse it
be that we may learn from. And thus it comes to pass, as a matter of simple
fact, that a large number of nominal Christians are taught, indeed, after a
certain fashion, but they are not taught by grace. Theyseek to learn of Christ
in order that they may obtain the grace of Christ; they endeavour to become

conformed to Christ in order that their resemblance to Christ may dispose the
heart of God to regardthem with the same favourable considerationwhich He
bestowedon Him whom they seek to resemble. Such persons are under the
law. Grace, then, is to be our instructress, and she has plenty of work before
her in the training and preparation of the human subject for the glorious
destiny which lies before him. Then only is it possible, after the adoption has
takenplace, for the education to begin. With these thoughts in our mind we
will proceedto considergrace as our teacher, and first we will point out the
contrastbetweenthe training of grace and the operation of law. Before the
grace ofGod appeared men were under another teacher, and his name was
"Law." Grace is our teacher, and she teaches us far more powerfully, far
more efficiently, and far more perfectly than law canever teachus. But
observe, she will not share her office of teacherwith law. The Christian is not
to be a kind of spiritual mongrel, nor is his experience to be of a mongrel type
— part legal, part spiritual, part savouring of bondage, part savouring of
liberty: but the design of God is that we should stand fast in the liberty
wherewith Christ has made us free, and never allow ourselves, evenfor a
moment, to be entangled in a yoke of bondage. How many Christians are
there who never seemto have perceivedthat we are no more to be savedby
grace and then trained by law, than we are to be savedby law and then
trained by grace? How many who need to learn that as we are to be savedby
grace atfirst, so we are to be trained by grace afterwards, until at last the
cornerstone is raised upon the wondrous structure which only grace has
reared, amidst shouts of "Grace,grace unto it!" All is of grace from first to
last. Now in order that we may very clearly apprehend what the teaching of
God's word is on this subject, let us just put side by side the teaching of law
and the teaching of grace, contrasting them one with the other, and then we
shall see how much to the advantage ofgrace the contrastis. Grace teaches
better than law.
1. She teaches better than law, first, because she delivers to us a fuller and
more distinct exhibition of the mind and will of God as regards human
conduct, basedupon a more complete manifestationof the Divine character.
Grace, as she takes possessionofour heart, makes us acquainted with the
mind and will of God in a manner in which we should never have become
acquainted with these by the mere influence and teaching of law. If you reflect
for a moment, you will see that the objectof law is not to revealthe mind and
the will of the Lawgiver, but to lay down certainpositive precepts for the
direction of those to whom the legislationis given, or for whom the legislation
is designed. If an Act of Parliament is passedby the British Legislature, by

both Houses of Parliament, and a person were to ask, "Whatis the objectof
this Act?" nobody would reply, "To revealto the British public what is the
mind and will of the members of our Legislature." Nothing of the kind. The
objectof the Act is to meet some specific political need, or to give some
specific political direction to those who are subject to its authority. Even so
the law delivered from Sinai was not primarily designedto revealthe mind
and will of God. The law containedonly a very partial revelationof the mind
and will of God. The law consistedofcertain positive precepts, which were
given in the infancy of the human race for the direction and guidance of
mankind. The rules and precepts which are laid down in the nursery are not
designedto exhibit the mind and will of the parent, although they are in
accordancewith that mind and will. They are laid down for the convenience
and for the benefit of those for whom the rules were made. A child knows
something of the mind and will of the parent from personalcontactwith that
parent, but not from the rules, or only to a very slender degree from the rules,
which are laid down for its guidance. But when we turn from law to grace,
then we see at once that we now are dealing with a revelationof the mind and
the will of Him from whom the grace proceeds. Eachactoffavour which a
parent bestows upon his child, or which a sovereignbestowsupon his subject,
is a revelation, so far as it goes, ofthe mind and will of the parent towards that
particular child, or of the sovereigntowards that particular subject, as the
case may be. And even so every act of grace which we receive from God is a
revelation, as far as it goes, ofthe mind and will of God towards us who are
affectedby the act.
2. Notonly is the teaching of grace in itself fuller and more complete, but we
are still more impressed by the superiority of the mode in which the teaching
is given — the form in which this new doctrine is communicated. In the
decalogue youare met with, "Thou shalt," or, "Thoushalt not" — and you
observe at once that the command addresses itselfdirectly to your will.
Children are not appealed to so far as their understandings are concerned.
They are told to actin a certainparticular way, or not to act in a certain
particular way; and if a child stops to reasonwith its parents, an appealis at
once made to parental authority. "Your duty, my child, is to obey, not to
understand." Or, once again, the decalogue makesno appeal to the affections
of those to whom it was delivered; it deals not with our moral states, or with
the motives from which actions proceed;it simply concerns itself with those
actions, and speaks to the will which is responsible for them. But when we
turn from the decalogueto the sermon on the mount we find that all is
changed. It does not begin with a direct appeal to the will, and yet the will is

touched by a strongerinfluence, and moved to actionby a more mighty force,
than ever operatedupon the will of the Israelites at Sinai. Grace is our
teacher;and we observe that the first word that she utters in this lessonis a
blessing. The law had summed up its all of teaching with a curse "Cursedis he
that continueth not in all things that are written in this book to do them."
2. She does not say, "Ye shall be blessedif ye will become poor in spirit."
Grace drives no bargains; but she explains to us that a state of experience
from which most of us would naturally shrink is a state of actualblessedness.
Here you will observe that she appeals to our enlightened understanding,
indicating to us a new and a higher view of self-interest, showing that God's
will, so far from being opposedto our truest well-being, is in complete and full
harmony with it; for He is our Father, and He loves us, and therefore desires
to see us supremely happy like Himself. Does she not teachbetter than law?
Once again. Not only does she teachby giving us a fuller and a deeper
revelation of the mind and will of God, and exhibiting these to us in such a
way as that she appeals not merely to our ownwill, demanding action, but to
our understanding, and, through our understanding, to our feelings, kindling
holy desires, and so setting the will at work almostbefore it is aware that it is
working;but she does more than all this.
3. Grace teachesus by setting before our eyes the noblestand the most
striking of all exemplars. Grace speaksto us through human lips; grace
reveals herselfto us in a human life. Now we all know how much more we
learn from a personalteacherthan from mere abstractdirections. To watcha
painter, and to see how he uses his brush, and carefully and minutely notice
the little touches that give so much characterand powerto the product of his
genius, does far more for us in the way of making us painters than any
amount of mere abstractstudy of the art itself. This in itself may suffice to
show the superiority of grace as a teacher. While the thunder sounded from
Sinai and the fiery law was given, God still remained concealed. Whenthe yell
was takenaway, and God was made flesh in the person of Christ, human eyes
were allowedto look at Him, and human ears heard the sound of His voice.
Perfectionstoodbefore us at last in concrete form. When grace teachesus, she
always teaches us by leading up to Christ — by exhibiting fresh views of His
perfection, drawing out our heart in admiration towards Him. Happy they
who thus setthemselves to learn Christ as their life lesson, notas a mere duty
— that is legality — but because they have fallen in love with Christ! Happy
they who learn Christ just as the astronomerlearns astronomy! Why does he
study astronomy? Would a Newtontell you that he has spent all those hours
in the carefulexamination of the phenomena of nature, or absorbed in

profound mathematical calculations, becausehe thought it his duty to do it?
And even so those who are under the teaching of grace learnChrist, not
because they are under a legalobligationto learn Him, but because they are
masteredby an enthusiastic admiration for the Divine object. There is a
beauty in Christ which wins the heart. But grace does more than even this.
4. She not only sets before us the highest of all exemplars, but she establishes
the closestpossible relationshipbetweenthat Exemplar and ourselves. Grace
is not content with merely setting an example before us; she takes us by the
hand and introduces us to the Exemplar, tells us not only that this Exemplar is
content to be our friend, but, more wonderful still, that He is content to be one
with us, uniting Himself to us, that His strength may be made perfect in our
weakness."Know ye not," says grace, "thatChrist is in you?" In you; not
merely outside you as a source of power, not merely beside you as a faithful
companion on life's journey, but in you. "Christ is your life," says grace. Do
you prefer to be under the law? Do you really electto be bondslaves? You say
your prayers in the morning; it is your duty to do it. You do not feel
comfortable if you do not say them. You go to church; but it is not because
you love to go and cannot stayaway, or because you want to know more and
more of God, or delight in His worship. "I was gladwhen they saidunto me,
Let us go into the house of the Lord." You go because it is your habit. May
God save us from such bondage as this! Let us remember that all the while
that we are thus trifling there is within our reach, if we would but have it, the
glorious liberty of the children of God.
Our teacher's mode of teaching
You will observe that inasmuch as grace proposes to form Christ in our
nature, she proceeds upon an altogetherdifferent method from that which is
followedby law. Grace purposes to make the tree good, and then concludes,
reasonablyenough, that the fruit will be good;whereas law aims, so to speak,
rather at improving the fruit than at regenerating the tree. Grace deals with
the springs of action, and not primarily with action itself. She deals with
actions, but deals with them only indirectly. She begins her beneficent
operations by setting right that part of our nature from which actions
proceed, and so, from first to last, grace is chiefly concernedwith our motives,
checking the sordid and the unworthy, and developing the noble and the
godlike. Now, the contrasthere lies betweenan outward objective law

exhibited to the human understanding, claiming the homage of the will, and
an inward and subjective law which becames part and parcel, so to speak, of
the nature of him who receives it. Now it is by the teaching of grace that this
new state of things is introduced; it is by the operationof grace that the
Father's Law is to be written upon the hearts of His once rebellious children.
She effects this blessedresult, first by opening up to us through His Sona
revelation of the Father's heart, and by showing us how deep and strong is His
love towards us; in the secondplace, by sweeping awayall obstaclesbetween
the Father's love and our experience of it; and thus in the third place, by
bringing our humanity under the mighty operationof the Holy Spirit of God,
whose work it is to form within us the nature of Christ; and once again, in the
fourth place, grace indelibly inscribes God's law upon our hearts in the very
terms of her own manifestation. For it is from the Cross that Grace is
manifested and it is involved in the terms of its acceptance,that to the cross
the eye of him who accepts it should be turned. We have just saidthat the first
effectof grace is to revealthe Father's love to us, and to sweep awayall the
barriers which interfere with our enjoyment of that love; by this first actof
grace we are introduced into what may be described as the life of love — a life
in which we are no longer influenced by mere considerations ofmoral or legal
obligation. The love of God shed abroad in the heart, like the genialrays of
the sun, produces a responsive love within us which is simply the refraction, so
to speak, ofthose rays; and this love, the gospelteaches us, is the fulfilling of
the law.
1. But love fulfils the law, not by a conscious effortto fulfil it, but because it is
the voluntary response ofthe soul to the Personfrom whom the law has
emanated. Love fulfils the law, not by commanding me to conform my
conduct to a certain outward and objective standard, but by awakening
within me a spiritual passionof devotion for the Personof Him whose will is
law to those who love Him. Love knows nothing about mere restriction and
repression— love seeksto please, not to abstain from displeasing;and so love
fulfils, not merely abstains from breaking, the law. Thus we see that love takes
us up to an altogetherhigher level than law. I cannotillustrate this point
better than by referring for a moment to our earthly relationships to each
other. There are certainlaws which are applicable to these relationships. For
instance, there are certain laws of our land, and there are certain laws
containedin the Bible, which apply to the natural relationships of the father
and of the husband. It is obviously the duty of the father and the husband to
care for his wife and his children, to protect them, to provide for them, to
endeavour to secure their well-being so far as in him lies. A man who occupies

that relationship is bound to do not less than this. But does a really
affectionate husband and father perform those various offices because the law
constrains him to do so, because it is his legalduty to do them? Does he
perform acts of tenderness towards his wife and towards his child because the
law demands them of him? Even so the man whom grace has taught finds a
new law within his nature, the law of love, in surrendering himself to which he
fulfils indeed the outward and objective law, not because he makes an effort to
fulfil it, but because he is true to his new nature. So that I may say, to put the
thing concisely, grace is not opposedto law, but is superior to law; and the
man who lives in grace lives not "under the law," because he is above the law.
We imprison the wife beater. Why? Becausehe has fallen from the level of
love altogether, and thus he has come down to the level of the law, and is
within the reachof the law. Even so here the only persons who are not under
law are the persons who are above law. Is the law written within our hearts,
or is it only revealedfrom without? In our attempt to do what is right, do we
simply do, or endeavour to do, what is right because we have recogniseda
certain external standard of duty, and are endeavouring to conform our
conduct to it? Or do we do what is right because we are living in happy, holy
intercourse with an indwelling God in whose love we find our law, and in
surrendering ourselves to the influence of whose love, our highestenjoyment?
Herein lies the testof the difference betweenlegalexperience and evangelical
experience.
2. But here let me point out that grace, whilstshe teaches us gently and
tenderly, and in a very different way from law, has nevertheless sanctions of
her own. They are the rewards and punishments which are congruous to the
life of love, whereas the rewards and punishments of legalexperience are such
as are congruous to the life of legalservitude. We shall detectin a moment
what these sanctions are if we reflectupon the nature of our relation to Him
who has now become to us our law of life. It is the glory of the life of love that
we have something to love. Our love is not merely an empty abstraction, nor is
it merely a wastedenergythat wanders in infinity; it is attracted towards a
living Person. In the enjoyment of His society, which to the realChristian is
not a matter of sentiment, but a matter of practicalexperience, the soul finds
its highest privilege. Ah! grace disciplines as well as teaches. She does not spoil
her children. She is not like some fond and indulgent mother, who fancies that
she is benefiting her children when she is really injuring them more cruelly
than in any other way she possibly could, by always giving them their own
way. Grace does notteach us to be negligent, thoughtless, heedless,careless.
Grace does not whisper in our ears, "Now that you are savedonce you are

savedforever. Go on, and never mind what happens to you." But grace
teaches us very delicately. "I will guide thee," says grace, "withmy eye."
Grace teachesus. She brings out the scalesofthe sanctuary, and into the one
she puts our worldly idol — our love of popularity, our self-seeking, our
slothfulness, our self-indulgence, our pride of heart, all those little and great
things which we are so apt to setagainstthe societyof Jesus, orrather which
we are so apt to allow to come in betweenus and the societyofJesus. Yes,
grace has her sanctions. And I am afraid that there are only too many
Christians who have often to feel the force of those dread sanctions. Their
whole life has come to be a clouded, unsatisfactory, melancholy, woebegone
life. How many Christians are there of whom it cannotbe said that the joy of
the Lord is their strength! And why? They are under the discipline of grace.
Yes, God does not forsake them altogether. He has not left them to their own
waywardness, but He has visited their offences with the rod and their sin with
scourges. Theycannot be happy in the world since they have tastedsomething
better in Christ. Nor canthey be happy in Christ while they castlonging looks
towards the world. But grace has also her rewards, and I love to think of
them. What are they? The eye, perhaps, wanders on towards the future, and
we think of the glories that are to be revealed. In this present world, amidst all
the trials to which the Christian may be exposed, the schoolofgrace has its
prizes. Grace has her prizes. "The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace."
Grace teachesindeed, but she teaches by first of all correcting, nay, by
regenerating, the secretsprings of our actions. Unless these are set right, how
can our actions be right? How can you love God unless the love of God has
conquered your heart?
The negative teaching of grace
Two things, it will be observed, exist in every physical organism— a
mysterious inward energyor life power, and an inherent law of being, or
condition of existence. Betweenthese there can be no kind of contrarietyor
antagonism. We do not see life exerting its energies in defiance of the
subjective laws of the organisms that it inhabits, nor do we see those laws
fulfilled save by the inward energies oflife. Even so the new creature in Christ
Jesus has a certain law of being or condition of existence whichproperly
belongs to him, and it is this that the Holy Spirit proceeds to fulfil, working
out and forming in us a new nature in the image of Jesus Christ Himself. On

the Cross our new life is purchased; but not the less on the Cross our old man
is crucified. In the very actof extending mercy grace teaches herfirst great
lesson. We are saved because we have died and risen againwith Christ; but if
so, we have already denied ungodliness and worldly lust. Let us observe, then,
that this first lessontaught by grace is a negative lesson. Before teaching us
what to do, she teaches us what we are to have done with; before introducing
us into the positive blessednessofthe new life, she first of all separates our
connectionwith the old. This negationof the old must always come before the
possessionofthe new; and unless our experience follow this order, we shall
find that what we mistake for the new is not God's new at all, but simply
Satan's travesty of God's new creation. Let us not fail to observe that the
apostle here speaks ofour "denying ungodliness." He does not speak ofour
combating ungodliness, or of our gradually progressing from a state of
ungodliness into a state of godliness. "If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is" a
new creature:old things are, passedaway, and all things are become new.
And all things are of God. It is a strong word, this word denial. Now it is upon
this primary fact that grace bases herteaching. She may save, but does not
undertake to train, the graceless.The only improvement of the old man that
grace recognisesis his legalexecution; but this she teaches us has already
takenplace in the case ofthose who are in Christ Jesus. Letus ask ourselves,
Are we in the habit of denying, or only of opposing? But before pursuing our
considerationof the mode of denial, let us pause to contemplate the objects
here spokenof as being denied, and we shall then be in a position to return to
this point of denial and treat of it more fully. The first thing we are
representedas denying is ungodliness. This sounds a very strong word, and I
dare say at first most people would be disposedto affirm that they cannotbe
chargedwith this, whatever else they may be guilty of. They may not have
been as goodas they might, but ungodly they certainly have not been. We
must endeavour to find out what ungodliness is. This is certainly important,
because unless we understand what it is, it is impossible to deny it. Let me
then begin by saying that ungodliness is the cardinal and rootsin of the world.
It was the first sin committed in the history of the world; and it was the parent
of all other sins, and it is usually the first sin in the life of eachindividual, and
equally the parent of all the sins that follow. In the happy early days of human
history when man, createdin God's own image, was living in fellowship with
his Creator, the characteristic ofthat pristine experience was doubtless
godliness. But there came a change, a blight, a cloud, a darkness, a horror.
What was it? The entrance of ungodliness. Here was man's first temptation;
and here came man's first sin. It consistedin ungodliness or impiety, exhibited
in a determination to put self in the place of God. So was it with the first sin,

and so it has been with all its successors. Ungodliness, in one form or another,
has been at the root of them all, and the deadly growthfrom this evil root has
castits baleful shadow over universal history. Now we are in a position to
form some idea of what ungodliness really means.
1. Ungodliness consists, firstof all, in the repudiation of God as the final cause
of our being; that is to say, the end for which we live. A man is ungodly when
he lives not for God. I do not care what outward complexion it wears. It may
be the life of a zealous ritualist devoted to his party, or of an earnest
churchman, or of a staunch protestant, or of a decided evangelical, orof a
stout nonconformist; it makes no difference. Whatever complexion our
outward life may wear, the man that is not consciouslyliving for the glory of
God is leading an ungodly life. He has fallen from the originalposition which
belongs to man in relation to God.
2. The secondcharacteristic ofungodliness will be exhibited in an
indisposition on man's part to take God as the efficient cause ofall that he is
or wishes to be. Ungodliness begins when we decline to live for God;
ungodliness is developed in an incapacity or an indisposition to live by God.
The apostle was describing a godly experience when he said, "I live; yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." "Man shall
not live by bread alone." He needs that. "As the eyes of servants look unto the
hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her
mistress;so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that He have mercy
upon us." Is that the kind of life of dependence that we are leading, drawing
all our strength for actionfrom Him, receiving all our guidance in action
through Him? Happy they who live thus.
3. The next characteristic ofthe life of ungodliness is that as, in the first place,
man does not live for God; and as, in the secondplace, he does not live by
God, so, in the third place, he does not live with God. He knows not what it is
to enjoy the Divine society. The man that knows what it is to be godly — to
"live godly in Christ Jesus" — finds that he cannot do without God at home
any more than he can do without God at church; he cannotdo without Godin
the place of business any more than he can do without God in his closet. He
needs God. God has become a kind of necessityto him. Jesus always near,
always dear, is more than life to those of us who really know Him. The godly
live with God.
4. Once more, the ungodly life will not only be a life which is not lived for
God, and not only a life which is not lived with God; but it will also be a life
which is not lived in God, and a life in which God lives not in us. There is

something more blessedeventhan living in the company of Jesus;and that is
to know by faith that we live in Him, and to realise in our inmost experience
the still more wonderful fact that He lives in us. But how does grace provide
for this complete separationbetweenus and this root sin, which seems to have
become hereditary in the family of man? how does the denial of ungodliness
take place? We seek ananswerby referring to two remarkable expressions
which fell from our blessedMaster's lips, shortly before His own passion. On
that memorable occasiononwhich a supernatural voice responded to His
prayer, "Father, glorify Thy name," He proceeds to state, "Now is the
judgment of this world; now is the prince of this world castout," Elsewhere
He supplements these words by another similar statement. "When the Holy
Ghostis come," He says, "He will convict the world concerning judgment,
because the prince of this world is judged." Mostmysterious though these
utterances may seemthey will be found to throw a gooddeal of light upon this
particular subject. How is ungodliness to be denied? It is to be denied by
recognising God's judgment againstit. The prince of this world is the very
representative, as he is the author, of the world's ungodliness. Satansucceeds
in obtaining the worship of humanity in a thousand different forms. But,
howeverwe may serve him, he is judged. If we ask how and when, only one
reply seems possible. Strange and paradoxicalthough it may seem, he is
judged and condemned on Calvary, in the Personof Him who exhibited more
than any other filial piety and true godliness. The ungodliness of the world,
the revolt of human independence againstDivine authority, is representedby
the world victim upon the cross ofCalvary, and meets in Christ with its
proper doom. Againstthat world sin, againstthat ungodliness which is the
root and source ofevery kind of iniquity, all the wrath of God has been
already revealed. I discoverit as I witness the dying agonies ofEmmanuel. A
godless worldwill not have God; by and by it shall not have Him. It turns its
back upon God; God must needs turn His back upon it. "My God, My God,
why hast Thou forsakenMe?" Surelythis is the true explanation of that bitter
cry that was wrung from the breaking heart of Emmanuel. There we see the
judgment of the world passedupon the representative of the world's sin, and
it is because that judgment has expended itself on Him that there is therefore
now no condemnation for those that are in Him. But, observe, it is only as our
faith sees ourungodliness crucified there that we are in a position to enjoy this
immunity from condemnation. We thus judge that He died for all, that we
who live should not henceforth live to ourselves, but to Him who died for us
and rose again.

Jesus was giving himself for us

Jesus was giving himself for us

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