Titus 2:12

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. Then Paul also gives a reason why slaves ought to be such toward …

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 …

The third original influence of the gift of piety is from holy mother Church, sanctified through the Holy Spirit, who possesses the pledge of the Holy Spirit. Holy mother Church has enjoined piety upon all. Those who are born from one father and one mother …

And the Apostle demonstrates these three things in his Epistle to Titus: We may live temperately and justly and piously in this world. Temperately, that is, in a holy manner; piously, which stands [in the Apostle's text]; justly, that is, truly. God, therefore, gives the …

Second, it appeared as an instruction to the human race, because before the coming of Christ, the world languished in ignorance and heresy: the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light (Isa 9:2). Hence he says, instructing us, as a father instructs …

And here he puts them to shame. Having God as your teacher, he says, should you not live worthily of Him? This grace, he says, extends not only to the forgiveness of former sins, but also secures us for the future. It teaches us to …

And worldly desires - Which are opposite to sobriety and righteousness. We should live soberly - In all purity and holiness. Sobriety, in the scripture sense, is rather the whole temper of a man, than a single virtue in him.

And so must it be with others; their teaching must be agreeable to the word, and their life with their teaching. This is the true and good minister. Labouring night and day, we preached to you the gospel of God; and you are witnesses, and God also, how holily, and justly, and unblamably, we behaved ourselves among you.

Teaching us,....

Teaching us, that, denying, etc. - Παιδευουσα· Instructing us as children are instructed. Christ is the great teacher; and men, in order to learn, must become his disciples - must put themselves under his tuition, and learn of him. Denying ungodliness - Ασεβειαν· All things contrary to God; whatever would lead us to doubt his being, deny any of his essential attributes; his providence or government of the world, and his influence on the souls of men. Every thing, also, which is opposed to his true worship; theoretical and practical atheism, deism, and irreligion in general.

Teaching--Greek, "disciplining us." Grace exercises discipline, and is imparted in connection with disciplining chastisements (1Co 11:32; The education which the Christian receives from "the grace" of God is a discipline often trying to flesh and blood: just as children need disciplining.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

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.

Teaching us - That is, the “grace of God” so teaches us; or that system of religion which is a manifestation of the grace of God, inculcates the great and important duties which Paul proceeds to state. That denying ungodliness and worldly lusts - “That by denying ourselves of these, or refusing to practice them, we should lead a holy life.” The word ungodliness here means all that would be included under the word impiety; that is, all failure in the performance of our proper duties towards God; see the notes at Rom 1:18. The phrase “worldly lusts” refers to all improper desires pertaining to this life - the desire of wealth, pleasure, honor, sensual indulgence. It refers to such passions as the people of this world are prone to, and would include all those things which cannot be indulged in with a proper reference to the world to come. The gross passions would be of course included, and all those more refined pleasures also which constitute the characteristic and special enjoyments of those who do not live unto God. We should live soberly - See the word “soberly” (σωφρόνως sōphronōs) explained in the notes at Tit 2:2, Tit 2:4. It means that we should exercise a due restraint on our passions and propensities. Righteously - Justly - δικαίως dikaiōs. This refers to the proper performance of our duties to our fellow-men; and it means that religion teaches us to perform those duties with fidelity, according to all our relations in life; to all our promises and contracts; to our fellow-citizens and neighbors; to the poor, and needy, and ignorant, and oppressed; and to all those who are providentially placed in our way who need our kind offices. Justice to them would lead us to act as we would wish that they would towards us. And godly - Piously; that is, in the faithful performance of our duties to God. […]