The Grace of God

Its Teaching Power

A. E. Jordan

The Grace of God - Its Teaching Power

Titus 2:11-15

The teaching power of the grace of God is emphasized in these verses. It is operative in the heart and experience of every child of God. Our own personal response to this teaching varies very considerably; some Christians make rapid and steady progress in the school of grace, whilst with others the lessons of grace are but slowly learned.

When writing to the Corinthian believers, the apostle Paul reminds them, 'For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich' (2 Cor. 8:9). This precious knowledge is our treasured possession too, and how often when we have been gathered around our Lord Jesus Christ, remembering Him, our hearts have been moved in deep gratitude and worship for such amazing, immeasurable grace.

Precious as this knowledge is, however, it is only the beginning of God's grace in us. The hymn writer expresses the thought, 'Grace begun shall end in glory'. The glory of God is the triumphal conclusion of grace's matchless story, but now, in this present time, the grace of God exercises its teaching power. This teaching quality and power is invaluable to us. It is God's purpose, not only that we should know that we are saved by grace and that ultimately, by the operation of that same grace, we shall be conformed to the image of His Son; but that here and now we should learn the lessons that His grace would teach us, and respond from our hearts to all His will.

For our schools and colleges, teachers are chosen because of their ability to teach. The real teacher is a person who is able so to impart knowledge that those taught assimilate it in their minds and then reproduce it in their lives. This is the test of the true teacher. A schoolmaster may maintain order and ensure discipline, but it is the teacher who, by winning the co-operation and response of the pupil, will secure the coveted results.

As a teacher, the grace of God in our Lord Jesus Christ is unsurpassed; for in the hearts and lives of those who are taught by His grace, results are accomplished which could never have been secured under the discipline of the law. 'The law was our schoolmaster ... unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus' (Gal. 3:24-26).

The rule of the schoolmaster met with no response from men's wayward hearts. Man's stubborn will rebels against the rigid requirements of the law. But now, through faith in Christ, we are the children of God; and God does not put His children under a schoolmaster, but teaches them Himself by His own incomparable grace. What an immense privilege is ours!

The deeper our own personal experience of the grace of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, the more readily will we learn the lessons that grace teaches, and the more quickly will the fruits of grace appear in our walk and conduct.

A beautiful instance of this response to grace is found in Luke 7:36-50.