Titus 2:11-15: The Great God and Our Saviour Jesus Christ
2022-05-14
Here starts a key doctrinal passage in the book of Titus. It brings us back to the Gospel of the grace of God, where we came from as sinners, what we must do now, and what is going to happen in the future.
Titus 2:11
Previously, we saw a reference to “God our Saviour.” He is the Savior in that He showed His grace in the person of Christ. His salvation came by His grace only. We neither elicited the coming of His Son, nor earned it in any way. Romans 5:6-8 summarizes this well. We had no ability to save ourselves, being “yet without strength.” Furthermore, we were neither “righteous” nor “good.” We were sinners, which means we were God’s enemies. This is what it means by grace. Christ exchanged the wrath due us for God’s blessing.
This salvation “appeared to all men.” What does this mean? Does this mean that everyone heard the Gospel, or that Christ came, and now that salvation is available to all?
Consider Romans 10:12-18. This shows the process of the Gospel being preached throughout the entire world. People need to be sent to preach the Gospel, because the Word of God is what causes faith in a person. Preachers need to be raised up to give the message, because people cannot respond to a message unless someone is there to preach it. However, the Spirit also says this: “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world” (Romans 10:18).
This is an Old Testament quotation. Consider Psalm 19:1-4. This speaks explicitly of general revelation. General revelation speaks of what we can know of God in nature. In Psalm 19, it is what we see in the sky that reveals the power of God. These enormous bodies in space show that the Creator’s power must be greater than these.
However, the Spirit uses this Old Testament quotation as ultimately being fulfilled with the Gospel. What general revelation could not do as far as saving the nations, the Gospel is able to do.
The strangest thing, however, is that Romans 10:18 makes it sound like the Gospel has gone throughout the entire world. How can this be? There are still people throughout the world that have not heard the Gospel. There are still thousands of language groups that have yet to hear the Gospel. In addition, Paul said that he would go where Christ was not named, which would bring him to Spain. Consider Romans 15:20-24.
Paul recognized that to reach the unreached, he had to go to Spain, far beyond the shores of Greece and Asia Minor. This passage cannot mean that the entire world has heard the Gospel. Being that Romans 9-11 is primarily speaking of the Jewish nation, this could mean the Jewish Diaspora have all heard at this point (consider Romans 10:19-21). However, what about those in Spain? The antecedent of “they” in Romans 10:18 seems to refer to both Jews and Greeks. Were there no Jews in Spain in those days?
I think passages like Titus 2:11 gives us some understanding. The preaching of the Gospel of salvation, previously hidden to the world, is now being preached to the world. The access for everyone is there, a general proclamation has been heard, but the process of world evangelization continues to this day. It has appeared to all men (and not just the Jewish nation), but the preaching continues.
Titus 2:12
Part of the Gospel and the grace of God is that it calls for repentance, or a change of mind, concerning who we are. The Law says, perform, and you will be blessed. Grace says, you are blessed, and therefore are able to perform. Consider Galatians 3:10-14.
If you do not the entire law, you are under a curse. The law is good, but it cannot save. If you do it all, you will live. No one can bear this burden. However, Christ saved us out of that curse, receiving it to Himself. We have received the blessing in Christ, resulting in us receiving the Spirit. Being regenerated, we are now able to do what the Lord commands.
We now have the sound mind from the Lord to understand what we were under the Law and the elements of this current order. Now made righteous by faith, we live by faith in His will. This grace revealed to us how to live.
Titus 2:13
Being saved now, we now wait for the return of the Lord. His return is referred to as the “blessed hope” and “glorious appearing.”
Hope means anticipation. We use “hope” in our vernacular as something we want, but it may not happen. “I hope it doesn’t rain during our picnic.” Bible hope is different: “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5). The Holy Spirit gives us confirmation that His return is for sure; we anticipate His return throughout our lives, and more so as we get older.
Consider Romans 8:23-25. We await the coming of the Lord because we no longer will be in this body of sin. While we have joy in the Lord, we tire of the presence of sin in our lives. We hate the increasing wickedness in our world. We want the Lord to make it all right. You see how hope means anticipation in this passage. We endure this life now in anticipation of His coming.
His second coming is a glorious appearing. “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28).
The Lord Jesus will appear again as He went centuries ago: “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11). “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen” (Revelation 1:7).
Remember the “Savior pairs” we spoke of when discussing Titus 1:3. Note the cause-and-effect: Because of the grace of God our Savior, the appearing of Jesus our Savior is our hope. This is also one of the clearest declarations of the deity of Christ: Jesus Christ is the God and the Savior.
Titus 2:14
Jesus gave Himself for us. He did not have to. He did so with a purpose: to redeem us from all iniquity. We were slaves in the market of sin that needed to be set free. We were like Naomi and Ruth, who had lost their family, with no one to help them, until Boaz came and redeemed them. Jacob said of Him, “The Angel which redeemed me from all evil” (Genesis 48:16). The LORD rescued His people from the bondage of Egypt, saying, “I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD” (Exodus 6:6-8).
We were redeemed from the bondage of iniquity, and we became His people. “...purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Simon Peter said, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). The new nation was removed from the darkness and placed into His light. With this, we went from dead works to good works.
The peculiar people are unusual. They are not like the world. They are zealous for good works. They show energy and enthusiasm toward doing what is right.
Good works result in glorifying God. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Good works provide for other people. “Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did” (Acts 9:36).
Good works are praised by the world and their governments. “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good” (Romans 13:3-4).
Good works are the results of being born again. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Good works are the results of godliness, not appearance. “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works” (1 Timothy 2:9-10).
The Word of God equips to do good works. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Good works profit others. “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men” (Titus 3:8).
The church is the environment where people encourage each other to do good works. “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Titus 2:15
Preaching the Word involves correcting wrong behavior, thinking and doctrine. It also involves encouraging the right behavior, thinking and doctrine. Titus is the earthly authority in the church. Anyone who is contrary to his teaching must be rebuked, commanding respect. Others need to be encouraged to do and continue in what is right.