Titus 2:11 11For the grace of God has appeared for salvation to all people,
This verse begins an important part of the letter and deserves a close reading. Paul reaches the height of his discussion by providing the theological basis for how the Cretan Christians ought to live, evident with the word for at the beginning, which links this section to the previous one. Verses 11-14 form one sentence in the Greek, though most English translations break it into two or more parts. The main idea is that God’s grace has appeared (verses 11, 13) and affects how a person lives (verse 12, in reflection of the specific groups named in verses 2-10). Lifestyle should be a direct result of God’s grace.
Paul begins to define in this section what he means by the “sound doctrine” in verse 1 that Titus must teach. Paul writes of the past, present and future. In this verse, he refers to an event that has appeared (epephanē) at a point in the past. The Greek word use here is translated into the English word epiphany, which is used to refer to the first coming of Jesus, celebrated during the seasons of Advent followed by Epiphany. These seasons do not simply celebrate the birth of Jesus but his whole lifetime on earth. The grace of God is most evident in what is sometimes called the “Christ event,” which includes the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Although Paul does not specifically mention the cross in this letter, the sacrificial death of Jesus is implied in verse 14 with the phrase who gave himself for us. To ponder the sacrifice of the cross leads to experiencing the grace of God.
The grace of God appeared in a person for the specific purpose of offering salvation to all people. God is the source of this salvation. The impact of this salvation in the present is given in part in verse 12 and more emphatically in 3:4-7. God’s grace brings change in this life and hope for eternal life. In the first part of this sentence, Paul expresses the source of this salvation as God. In the last part of the sentence in verses 13-14, he gives the means of this salvation as Jesus. In Cretan beliefs, the god Zeus was said to have appeared in the past bringing aid and gifts to the people, and so the people responded by worshipping him as savior. Paul may be intentionally countering this claim by showing that true salvation (“sound doctrine”) has a different source. It is not intended for certain people but for all people. God’s grace in Christ affects all of creation (Ephesians 1:9-10; Colossians 1:19-20).
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