The first Christians confessing Christ
The Grace That Appeared (Titus 2)
Titus 2:11-14 compresses the whole shape of the Christian life between two appearings of Christ: the grace of God that has appeared to save, and the glorious appearing yet to come. Its rounded, balanced form reads like a compact confession set into Paul's instruction. In a few lines it names Jesus "the great God and our Saviour."
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,”Titus 2:11
The passage
The passage. Paul has been giving Titus practical instructions for various groups in the church, and he grounds them all in the gospel: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to 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 Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:11-14). The passage turns on grace that "hath appeared," the first coming of Christ, and the "glorious appearing" still awaited, his return. Between the two, grace teaches a transformed life, sober, righteous, and godly. The saving work is spelled out: Christ "gave himself for us," to "redeem us from all iniquity" and to "purify unto himself a peculiar people." It reads as a self-contained summary of salvation, from Christ's self-giving to the holy people it creates.
Why it is read as an early creed or hymn
Why it is read as an early creed or hymn. This passage is a compact confession rather than a marked hymn. It has a rounded, self-contained quality, moving in an orderly way from grace appearing, to the life grace teaches, to the hope of Christ's return, to his redeeming death, so that it could stand on its own as a summary of the gospel. The Pastoral Epistles contain several such capsule confessions, some flagged as "faithful sayings," and this one carries a similar polished, formulaic feel, as if Paul is drawing on shared confessional language to anchor his exhortation. Whether he is quoting a fixed formula or composing a summary in a confessional style is not certain, and this is a milder case than the clearly marked hymns. It need not be a borrowed text to be a confession; what marks it is the way it gathers the whole gospel into a memorable, balanced whole. The Spirit led Paul to root everyday Christian conduct in the church's confession of Christ, so that holy living flows from what the church believes about its Savior.
What the first Christians confessed about Christ
What the first Christians confessed about Christ. The most striking confession here is the title given to Jesus: "the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." In the natural reading of the phrase, Paul calls Jesus both great God and Saviour, an open confession of his deity. His two appearings frame all of history for the believer: he has already appeared as grace to bring salvation, and he will appear again in glory, "that blessed hope." His saving work is stated plainly, "who gave himself for us," a voluntary, self-giving death, in order to "redeem us from all iniquity," to buy us out of bondage to sin, and to "purify unto himself a peculiar people," a people of his own, marked out and cleansed for good works. The confession thus holds together Christ's deity, his atoning self-sacrifice, the people he redeems, and his coming return. The earliest believers looked back to grace that had appeared and forward to the glory of the great God and Saviour, and shaped their whole way of life in between.
Questions people ask
Does Titus 2:13 call Jesus God?
In its natural reading, yes. The phrase 'the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ' most straightforwardly identifies Jesus as both great God and Saviour. This is one of the New Testament texts where Jesus is directly given the title God, a plain confession of his deity.
What are the two 'appearings' in this passage?
Grace 'hath appeared' in Christ's first coming to bring salvation, and believers look for 'the glorious appearing' of Christ at his return. The Christian life is lived between these two, receiving grace already given and awaiting the glory still to come.
Is this passage a quoted creed?
It is a compact, confession-like summary rather than a clearly marked hymn. It may draw on shared confessional language, as several capsule statements in the Pastoral Epistles do, or Paul may be summarizing the gospel in a formulaic style. Either way it functions to anchor holy living in the confession of Christ.