Titus 2:11

You hear that the prophets foretold and predicted that men will no longer be bound to come from all over the earth to offer sacrifice in one city or in one place but that each one will sit in his own home and pay service and honor to God. What time other than the present could you mention as fulfilling these prophecies? At any rate listen to how the Gospels and the apostle Paul agree with Zephaniah. The prophet said: "The Lord shall appear"; Paul said: "The grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all people." Zephaniah said: "To all nations"; Paul said: "To all people." Zephaniah said: "He will make their gods waste away"; Paul said: "training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions and to live sober, upright and godly lives in this world."

For Paul has also shown us that there are these two comings, in his epistle to Titus where he says, "The grace of God our Savior has appeared unto all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." You note how he acknowledges with thanksgiving the first coming and that we look for a second.… So our Lord Jesus Christ comes from heaven and comes with glory at the last day to bring this world to its close.

For the grace of God our Savior hath appeared to all men, instructing us, that denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world, looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse to himself a people acceptable, a pursuer of good works.

Since the apostle demanded much that was great from slaves – I mean precisely that they should adorn the teaching of the Lord by their virtuous life – he now shows why he justly demands such high qualities from them. For grace appeared for them …

The second fruit of grace is the fullness of justice, which consists in this, that a man be just in himself and with respect to God and with respect to his neighbor, namely that a man avoid evil and work good. And how? The Apostle …

Above, the Apostle instructed Titus how to teach slaves and free men, and he concluded about the account, that namely the doctrine of Christ be honored. Here he assigns the full reason for all he has said, explaining what he means by a good life. …

They are put under the dispensation of the grace of God, so the gospel is called, Eph. iii. It is grace in respect of the spring of it--the free favour and good-will of God, not any merit or desert in the creature; as manifesting and declaring this good-will in an eminent and signal manner; and as it is the means of conveying and working grace in the hearts of believers.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation,....

The image is illustrated in Ac 27:20. The grace of God hath now been embodied in Jesus, the brightness of the Father's glory," manifested as the "Sun of righteousness," "the Word made flesh." The Gospel dispensation is hence termed "the day" (1Th 5:5, 8; there is a double "appearing," that of "grace" here, that of "glory," Tit 2:13; compare Ro 13:12).

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes

UPON reading this text, one sees at a glance that Paul believed in a Divine Savior. He did not preach a Savior who was a mere man. He believed the Lord Jesus Christ to be truly Man, but he also believed Him to be God over all and he, therefore, uses the striking words, "the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." There is no appearing of God the Father—there is no such expression in Scripture! The appearing is the appearing of that second Person of the blessed Trinity in unity who has already once appeared and who will appear a second time without a sin offering unto salvation in the latter days. Paul believed in Jesus as "the great God and our Savior." It was his high delight to extol the Lord who once was crucified in weakness. He calls Him, here, "the great God," thus specially dwelling upon His power, dominion and Glory. And this is the more remarkable because he immediately goes on to say, "who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity." He that gave Himself. He that surrendered life, itself, upon the accursed tree. He that was stripped of all honor and Glory and entered into the utmost depths of humiliation was, assuredly, the great God notwithstanding all! O Brothers, if you take away the Deity of Christ, what in the Gospel is left that is worth preaching? None but the great God is equal to the work of being our Savior! We learn, also, at first sight, that Paul believed in a great redemption. "Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity." That word, "redemption," sounds in my ears like a silver bell! We are ransomed, purchased back from slavery and this at an immeasurable price—not merely by the obedience of Christ, nor the suffering of Christ, nor even the death of Christ, but by Christ's giving Himself for us.

The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men - Επεφανη γαρ ἡ χαρις του Θεου ἡ σωτηριος πασιν ανθρωποις· Literally translated, the words stand thus: For the grace of God, that which saves, hath shone forth upon all men. Or, as it is expressed in the margin of our authorized version: The grace of God, that bringeth salvation to all men, hath appeared. As God’s grace signifies God’s favor, any benefit received from him may be termed God’s grace. In this place, and in Col 1:6, the Gospel, which points out God’s infinite mercy to the world, is termed the grace of God; for it is not only a favor of infinite worth in itself, but it announces that greatest gift of God to man, the incarnation and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Now it cannot be said, except in a very refined and spiritual sense, that this Gospel had then appeared to all men; but it may be well said that it bringeth salvation to all men; this is its design; and it was to taste death for every man that its author came into the world. There is a beauty and energy in the word επεφανη, hath shined out, that is rarely noted; it seems to be a metaphor taken from the sun. As by his rising in the east and shining out, he enlightens, successively, the whole world; so the Lord Jesus, who is called the Sun of righteousness, Mal 4:2, arises on the whole human race with healing in his wings. And as the light and heat of the sun are denied to no nation nor individual, so the grace of the Lord Jesus, this also shines out upon all; and God designs that all mankind shall be as equally benefited by it in reference to their souls, as they are in respect to their bodies by the sun that shines in the firmament of heaven. […]