Upon reaching the end of Titus 2:13, it is helpful to ask this question: How can grace teach us to live holy lives in the present by awaiting the Lord’s coming?One answer comes in 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. This passage teaches that God’s grace teaches us to pursue what we will be. If we are truly looking to Christ we will be continually transformed into his likeness.
Another answer is found in 1 Pet. 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Here, God’s grace teaches us to be alert while awaiting his grace. What we are truly waiting for is coming when Christ returns, so in the meantime we must be diligent and careful to do God’s will.
A final answer comes from another passage that links being sober-minded with the end—1 Pet. 4:7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. In this verse, God’s grace teaches us that because the time is short, we need God’s grace.
So is it evident in your life that you are trusting in the grace of Christ that trains you to live godly in the present age? Are you consistently renouncing worldliness and looking forward to the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ?