The Curriculum of Grace Text: Titus 2:11-14
Introduction: The Gospel Engine Room
In the first part of this chapter, Paul gives Titus a series of very practical, down to earth instructions. He tells him how the older men are to behave, and the older women, and the younger women, and the young men. He even addresses bondservants. The whole household of God is given its marching orders. It is a wonderful picture of a well-ordered, multigenerational, and fruitful church. But it is very easy for us, particularly in our pragmatic American context, to read such a list and think that the Christian life is simply a matter of trying very hard to check all the right boxes. Be sober-minded, check. Be dignified, check. Love your husband, check. Be self-controlled, check.
But that is to mistake the fruit for the root. It is to see the beautifully running automobile and conclude it runs on good intentions and elbow grease, while completely ignoring the powerful combustion engine under the hood. The Christian life is not a matter of behavior modification. It is a matter of heart transformation, and that transformation is accomplished by a power outside of ourselves. In our text today, Paul throws open the door to the engine room. He shows us the glorious, high-octane fuel that drives everything he has just commanded. That fuel is the grace of God that appeared in the person of Jesus Christ.
These four verses are one of the most compressed and potent summaries of the gospel in all of Scripture. They are the theological foundation for all Christian ethics. They tell us what God has done in the past, what He is doing in the present, and what He will do in the future. If you want to know why you should live a godly life, if you want to know how you can live a godly life, you must plant your flag right here. This is not grace as a sentimental feeling or a theological abstraction. This is grace as a historical event, a present-day tutor, and a future, certain hope.
The Text
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works.
(Titus 2:11-14 LSB)
Grace Has a Face (v. 11)
We begin with the historical bedrock of our faith.
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men," (Titus 2:11)
The word "for" connects everything that follows with everything that came before. Why should the old men be sober? For the grace of God has appeared. Why should the young women be pure? For the grace of God has appeared. All Christian ethics are grounded in this mighty act of God in history. The word for "appeared" is epiphaino, from which we get our word epiphany. It means to shine forth, to become manifest, to break into view. This is not talking about a principle or an idea. It is talking about a person. The grace of God appeared when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. As John tells us, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
Grace has a face, and His name is Jesus. This grace appeared bringing salvation. And notice the scope: "to all men." Now, we must be careful here. Our sentimental universalists love to grab onto verses like this and say, "See? Everyone will be saved in the end." But that is to rip a phrase out of its context and ignore the whole counsel of God. The Bible is abundantly clear that not every individual will be saved. So what does Paul mean? He means that salvation is not for one tribe or one nation. It is not just for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles. It is not just for the rich, but for the poor. It is not just for the free, but for the slave. It is for all kinds of men, without distinction. Just before this, Paul had been giving instructions to old men, young men, old women, young women, and slaves. The grace of God has appeared for all of them. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. There are no VIP sections in the kingdom of God.
This was a world-shattering idea. The pagan world was built on distinctions of blood, class, and power. The Jewish world had built a wall of separation around itself. Into this divided world, the gospel comes like a wrecking ball, declaring one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all (Eph. 4:5-6). The offer is universal in its scope, even though it is particular in its application to the elect.
Grace is a Schoolmaster (v. 12)
This grace that appeared is not a one-time event that we look back on with nostalgia. It is an active, present-tense reality. It is our teacher.
"instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age," (Titus 2:12)
The word for "instructing" is paideuo, from which we get pedagogy. It means to train, to discipline, to educate a child. Grace is not a soft, sentimental indulgence that pats us on the head and says, "boys will be boys." No, grace enrolls us in a rigorous school of holiness. Grace is our schoolmaster, and it has a two-part curriculum: one negative, one positive. A battery needs both a negative and a positive terminal to work, and so does the Christian life.
The negative part is this: "denying ungodliness and worldly desires." To deny means to repudiate, to say a firm and final "No!" Ungodliness is living as if God does not exist or does not matter. It is a practical atheism. Worldly desires are those cravings that are native to this fallen age. They are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). These are not just the gross sins of the flesh, but also the more "respectable" sins of ambition, envy, and materialism. Grace teaches us to slam the door on them.
But grace does not leave us in a vacuum. The positive part of the curriculum is that "we should live sensibly, righteously, and godly." This is a wonderful summary of the whole of Christian duty. "Sensibly" refers to our inner life, our self-control and sound judgment. It is the opposite of being driven by our passions. "Righteously" refers to our horizontal relationships with other people. It means to live with justice, fairness, and integrity. And "godly" refers to our vertical relationship with God. It means to live with reverence, piety, and a constant awareness of His presence. This is to be our conduct "in the present age," this time between the two appearings of Christ.
Grace Gives a Future (v. 13)
Our life in the school of grace is not aimless. We are not just gritting our teeth and trying to be good. We are motivated by a glorious, future hope.
"looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ," (Titus 2:13)
The first appearing was the appearing of grace. The second appearing will be the appearing of glory. The Christian lives between these two epiphanies. We look back to the cross with gratitude, and we look forward to the crown with anticipation. This "blessed hope" is not wishful thinking. It is a sure and certain confidence in the return of Jesus Christ.
And notice the magnificent title Paul gives Him here: "our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." This is one of the clearest and most unambiguous declarations of the deity of Christ in the entire New Testament. The grammar of the Greek makes it plain that "God and Savior" both refer to one person, Jesus Christ. He is not a junior god or a divine emissary. He is our great God. This is crucial. If Jesus is not God, His sacrifice was insufficient, and our hope is in vain. But because He is God, His return will be the culmination of history, the final victory over sin and death, and the consummation of our salvation.
This hope is what fuels our perseverance. This is why we can deny ungodliness. We are living for a different world. We are ambassadors of a coming kingdom. Our pessimistic brethren sometimes think that a robust hope for cultural transformation in this life, which is what postmillennialism is, somehow diminishes this blessed hope. But this is a false dichotomy. The hope of His final appearing is what motivates us to work for His kingdom now. We are not polishing brass on a sinking ship. We are building a civilization that will be presented to Him as a gift when He returns.
Grace Has a Goal (v. 14)
Finally, Paul brings us back to the purpose of Christ's first appearing. Why did He do all this? What was the goal of His sacrifice?
"who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works." (Titus 2:14)
Christ "gave Himself for us." This is substitutionary atonement. He took our place. The purpose was twofold. First, "that He might redeem us from all lawlessness." To redeem means to buy back, to set free from slavery. We were slaves to sin, to lawlessness. Christ paid the ransom price with His own blood to set us free. This is not just forgiveness of past sins, but liberation from sin's ongoing power.
The second purpose is positive: "and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works." Christ did not just save us from something; He saved us for something. He is in the business of creating a new humanity, a people that belong to Him. The Old Testament language here is striking. Israel was to be God's "peculiar treasure," His own possession (Ex. 19:5). The church is the new Israel, purchased by the blood of Christ, set apart for Him.
And what is the characteristic of this new people? They are "zealous for good works." Notice that. Not tolerant of good works. Not occasionally dabbling in good works. Zealous for them. Passionate, eager, enthusiastic for good works. This is the end game of the gospel. Grace does not produce lazy, apathetic Christians who are just waiting for the celestial bus to take them home. Grace produces a dynamic, energetic, world-changing people who are on fire to do good. These good works are not the root of our salvation, but they are most certainly the fruit of it. They are the evidence that the grace of God has truly taken root in our hearts.
Conclusion: The Logic of Grace
So we see the logic of grace. It begins with a historical event: the appearing of Christ. This grace then becomes our present-day instructor, teaching us to say no to sin and yes to righteousness. It points us to a future hope: the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior. And it all culminates in the creation of a new people, a purified possession, who are zealous to fill the earth with the good works that glorify their Father in heaven.
This is the engine that drives the Christian life. This is the curriculum we are to study. This is the hope that is to animate our every action. The grace of God has appeared. The question for each of us is this: have you enrolled in His school? Are you submitting to His instruction? Are you looking for His return? And are you zealous for the good works He has prepared in advance for you to do? Because that is what it means to be a Christian.