This section has 4 verses.
Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation
hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us
from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a
peculiar people, zealous of good works.
We will begin with the Barclay commentary.
THE MORAL POWER OF THE INCARNATION
First the verses paraphrased:
Titus 2:11–14
For the grace of God, which brings salvation to all
men, has appeared, schooling us to renounce
godlessness and worldly desires for forbidden
things, and to live in this world prudently, justly
and reverently, because we expectantly await the
realization of our blessed hope – I mean the
glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour
Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us
from the power of all lawlessness, and to purify us
as a special people for himself, a people eager for
all fine works.
THERE are few passages in the New Testament which
so vividly set out the moral power of the
incarnation as this does. Its whole stress is the
miracle of moral change which Jesus Christ can work.
This miracle is repeatedly expressed here in the
most interesting and significant way. Isaiah once
exhorted his people: ‘Cease to do evil, learn to do
good’ (Isaiah 1:16–17). First, there is the negative
side of goodness, the giving up of that which is
evil and the liberation from that which is low;
second, there is its positive side, the acquisition
of the shining virtues which mark the Christian
life.
First, there is the renunciation of all godlessness
and worldly desires. What did Paul mean by worldly
desires? The early Church father, John Chrysostom,
said that worldly things are things which do not
pass over with us into [the Kingdom] but are
dissolved together with this present world. People
are very short-sighted if they set their hearts and
expend all their energies on things which they must
leave behind when they quit this world. But an even
simpler interpretation of worldly desires is that
they are for things we could not show to God. It is
only Christ who can make not only our outward life
but also our inward heart fit for God to see.
That was the negative side of the moral power of
the incarnation; now comes the positive side. Jesus
Christ makes us able to live with the prudence which
has everything under perfect control, and which
allows no passion or desire more than its proper
place; with the justice which enables us to give
both to God and to our neighbors that which is their
due; with the reverence which makes us live in the
awareness that this world is nothing other than the
temple of God.
The dynamic of this new life is the expectation of
the coming of Jesus Christ. When a royal visit is
expected, everything is cleaned and decorated and
made fit for royal eyes to see. Christians are men
and women who are always prepared for the coming of
the King of Kings.
Finally, Paul goes on to sum up what Jesus Christ
has done, and once again he does it first negatively
and then positively.
Jesus has redeemed us from the power of
lawlessness, that power which makes us sin.
Jesus can purify us until we are fit to be the
special people of God. The word we have translated
as special (periousios) is interesting. It
means reserved for, and it was used for that part of
the spoils of a battle or a campaign which the king
who had conquered set apart especially for himself.
Through the work of Jesus Christ, Christians become
fit to be the special possessions of God.
The moral power of the incarnation is a tremendous
thought. Christ not only liberated us from the
penalty of past sin; he can enable us to live the
perfect life within this world of space and time;
and he can so cleanse us that we become fit in the
life to come to be the special possession of God.
~Barclay Commentary
Now to the other commentaries. We begin with the
general and go to the specific.
This from the Matthew Henry Main. This commentary
covers verses 11-14. I will give you the part
of this commentary which discusses the meaning of
verse 13
(3.) To look for the glories of another world, to
which a sober, righteous, and godly life in this is
preparative: Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ. Hope, by a metonymy [a figure of
speech that consists of the use of the name of one
object or concept for that of another to which it is
related], is put for the thing hoped for,
namely, [the Kingdom] and the felicities [state
of being happy] thereof, called emphatically
that hope, because it is the great thing we look and
long and wait for; and a blessed hope, because, when
attained, we shall be completely happy for ever.
And the glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ. This denotes both the time of
the accomplishing of our hope and the sureness and
greatness of it: it will be at the second appearing
of Christ, when he shall come in his own glory, and
in his Father's, and of the holy angels, Luke 9:26.
His own glory which he had before the world was; and
his Father's, being the express image of his person,
and as God - man, his delegated ruler and Judge; and
of the holy angels, as his ministers and glorious
attendants. His first coming was in meanness, to
satisfy justice and purchase happiness; his second
will be in majesty, to bestow and instate his people
in it. Christ was once offered to bear the sins of
many; and unto those that look for him will he
appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation,
Hebrews 9:28. The great God and our Saviour (or
even our Saviour) Jesus Christ; for they are not
two subjects, but one only, as appears by the single
article, tou megalou Theou kai Sōtēros, not kai
tou Sōtēros, and so is kai rendered 1 Corinthians
15:24, When he shall have delivered up the kingdom
to God, even the Father; tō Theō kai Patri. Christ
then is the great God, not figuratively, as
magistrates and others are sometimes called gods, or
as appearing and acting in the name of God, but
properly and absolutely, the true God (1 John 5:20,
the mighty God (Isaiah 9:6), who, being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,
Philippians 2:6. In his second coming he will reward
his servants, and bring them to glory with him.
Observe,
Quoted verses:
Luke 9:26
For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my
words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when
he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's,
and of the holy angels.
Hebrews 9:28
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.
1 Corinthians 15:24
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up
the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall
have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1 John 5:20
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath
given us an understanding, that we may know him that
is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his
Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal
life.
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and
his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace.
Philippians 2:6
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God:
[1.]
There is a common and blessed
hope for all true Christians in the other world. If
in this life only they had hope in Christ, they were
of all men the most miserable, 1 Corinthians15:19.
By hope is meant the thing hoped for, namely, Christ
himself, who is called our hope (1 Timothy 1:1), and
blessedness in and through him, even riches of glory
(Ephesians 1:18), hence fitly termed here that
blessed hope.
Quoted verses:
1 Corinthians 15:19
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are
of all men most miserable.
1 Timothy 1:1 [see
Lesson]
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment
of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is
our hope;
Ephesians 1:18
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened;
that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,
and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the saints,
[2.] The design of the gospel is
to stir up all to a good life by this blessed hope.
Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope
to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 1:13.
To the same purport here, Denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, live soberly, righteously, and godly,
in this present world, looking for the blessed hope;
not as mercenaries, but as dutiful and thankful
Christian. What manner of persons ought you to be in
all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and
hastening to the coming of the day of God! 2 Peter
3:11-12. Looking and hastening, that is, expecting
and diligently preparing for it. [Emphasis
mine]
Quoted verses:
1 Peter 1:13
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober,
and hope to the end for the grace that is to be
brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
2 Peter 3:11-12
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be
dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in
all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the
day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall
be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat?
[3.] At, and in, the glorious
appearing of Christ will the blessed hope of
Christians be attained; for their felicity [the
state of being happy] will be this, To be where
he is, and to behold his glory, John 17:24. The
glory of the great God and our Saviour will then
break out as the sun. Though in the exercise of his
judiciary power he will appear as the Son of man,
yet will he be mightily declared to be the Son of
God too. The divinity, which on earth was much
veiled, will shine out then as the sun in its
strength. Hence the work and design of the gospel
are to raise the heart to wait for this second
appearing of Christ. We are begotten again to a
lively hope of it (1 Peter 1:3), turned to serve the
living God, and wait for his Son from heaven, 1
Thessalonians 1:9-10. Christians are marked by
this, expecting their Master's coming (Luke
12:36), loving his appearance, 2 Timothy 4:8.
Let us then
look to this hope; let our loins be girt, and our
lights burning, and ourselves like those who wait
for their Lord; the day or hour we know not, but he
that shall come will come, and will not tarry,
Hebrews 10:37. [Emphasis mine]
Quoted verses:
John 17:24
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given
me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my
glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me
before the foundation of the world.
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of
entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to
God from idols to serve the living and true God;
10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he
raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us
from the wrath to come.
Luke 12:36
And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their
lord, when he will return from the wedding; that
when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him
immediately.
2 Timothy 4:8 [see
Lesson]
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge,
shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but
unto all them also that love his appearing.
Hebrews 10:37
For yet a little while, and he that shall come will
come, and will not tarry.
[4.] The comfort and joy of
Christians are that their Saviour is the great God,
and will gloriously manifest himself at his second
coming. Power and love, majesty and mercy, will then
appear together in the highest lustre, to the terror
and confusion of the wicked, but to the everlasting
triumph and rejoicing of the godly. Were he not thus
the great God, and not a mere creature, he could not
be their Saviour, nor their hope. Thus of the
considerations to enforce the directions of all
sorts to their respective duties from the nature and
design of the gospel. And herewith is connected
another ground.
Now the Matthew Henry Concise. This commentary
covers the rest of Chapter 2, verses 11-15.
The doctrine of grace and salvation by the gospel,
is for all ranks and conditions of men. It teaches
to forsake sin; to have no more to do with it. An
earthly, sensual conversation suits not a heavenly
calling. It teaches to make conscience of that which
is good. We must look to God in Christ, as the
object of our hope and worship. A gospel
conversation must be a godly conversation. See our
duty in a very few words; denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, living soberly, righteously, and
godly, notwithstanding all snares, temptations,
corrupt examples, ill-usage, and what remains of sin
in the believer's heart, with all their hindrances.
It teaches to look for the glories of another
world. At, and in, the glorious appearing of
Christ, the blessed hope of Christians will be
complete: To bring us to holiness and happiness was
the end of Christ's death. Jesus Christ, that great
God and our Saviour, who saves not only as God, much
less as Man alone; but as God-man, two natures in
one person. He loved us, and gave himself for us;
and what can we do less than love and give up
ourselves to him! Redemption from sin and
sanctification of the nature go together, and make a
peculiar people unto God, free from guilt and
condemnation, and purified by the Holy Spirit. All
Scripture is profitable. Here is what will furnish
for all parts of duty, and the right discharge of
them. Let us inquire whether our whole dependence is
placed upon that grace which saves the lost, pardons
the guilty, and sanctifies the unclean. And the
further we are removed from boasting of fancied good
works, or trusting in them, so that we glory in
Christ alone, the more zealous shall we be to
abound in real good works. ~Matthew Henry
Concise [Emphasis mine]
Now to the specific commentaries.
This verse is broken out in different ways but we
will go with this one.
1] Looking for.
2] That blessed hope.
3] The glorious appearing.
4] Of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ,
1] Looking for.
Looking for - Expecting; waiting for. That is, in
the faithful performance of our duties to ourselves,
to our fellow-creatures, and to God, we are
patiently to wait for the coming of our Lord.
(1) We are to believe that he will return;
(2) We are to be in a posture of expectation, not
knowing when he will come; and,
(3) We are to be ready for him whenever he shall
come; see the Matthew 24:42-44 notes; 1
Thessalonians 5:4 note; Philippians 3:20 note.
Quoted verses:
Matthew 24:42-44
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your
Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house
had known in what watch the thief would come, he
would have watched, and would not have suffered his
house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour
as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
1 Thessalonians 5:4
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day
should overtake you as a thief.
Philippians 3:20
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also
we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
2] That blessed hope.
That blessed hope - The fulfillment of that hope so
full of blessedness to us.
3] The glorious appearing.
The glorious appearing - Notes, 2 Thessalonians 2:8;
compare 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy
4:8.
Quoted verses:
2 Thessalonians 2:8
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the
Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and
shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
1 Timothy 6:14 [see
Lesson]
That thou keep this commandment without spot,
unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ:
2 Timothy 1:10 [see
Lesson]
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our
Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and
hath brought life and immortality to light through
the gospel:
2 Timothy 4:8 [see
Lesson]
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge,
shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but
unto all them also that love his appearing.
4] Of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ,
Of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ -
There can be little doubt, if any, that by “the
great God” here, the apostle referred to the Lord
Jesus, for it is not a doctrine of the New Testament
that God himself as such, or in contradistinction
from his incarnate Son, will appear at the last day.
It is said, indeed, that the Saviour will come “in
the glory of his Father, with his angels” Matthew
16:27, but that God as such will appear is not
taught in the Bible. The doctrine there is, that God
will be manifest in his Son; that the divine
approach to our world be through him to judge the
race; and that though he will be accompanied with
the appropriate symbols of the divinity, yet it will
be the Son of God who will be visible. No one,
accustomed to Paul’s views, can well doubt that when
he used this language he had his eye throughout on
the Son of God, and that he expected no other
manifestation than what would be made through him.
Quoted verse:
Matthew 16:27
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his
Father with his angels; and then he shall reward
every man according to his works.
In no place in the New Testament is the phrase Theou
- “the manifestation or appearing of God” - applied
to any other one than Christ. It is true that this
is spoken of here as the “appearing of the glory -
of the great God,” but the idea is that of such a
manifestation as became God, or would appropriately
display his glory. It is known to most persons who
have attended to religious controversies, that this
passage has given rise to much discussion. The
ancients, in general, interpreted it as meaning” The
glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour
Jesus Christ.” ~Barnes Notes
So look for that blessed hope, for this is the
lesson of verse 13.
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