Titus: Transformed by Grace: Part 6

Paul shows that grace not only saves us, but actively trains us for godly living now and anchors us in hope as we wait for Christ’s return.

In Titus 2:11-15, Paul lifts our eyes from the ordinary rhythms of life to the extraordinary work of grace. After instructing Titus on how different groups in the ecclesia should live, Paul gives the reason behind it all. Why live with self-control, dignity, and integrity? Why be kind, trustworthy, and holy? Because of what grace does.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us. (Titus 2:11-12).¹

Here is the heartbeat of a believer’s ethics. The Christ-life doesn’t begin with effort; it starts with grace. But that grace doesn’t leave us where it found us. It trains us. It shapes us. It transforms us from the inside out.

Grace is not merely pardon—it’s power. It doesn’t just cleanse our record; it changes our trajectory. And Paul wants Titus—and us—to see the full scope of what grace accomplishes.

This article explores three dimensions of transforming grace in Titus 2:

• Grace that saves everyone.
• Grace that trains us now.
• Grace that points us forward to glory.

Through this rich passage, Paul offers one of the most beautiful pictures in Scripture of how the gospel truly changes everything.

Grace That Saves Everyone

The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people. (Titus 2:11).

Grace is not an idea. Grace has appeared. Paul is referring here to the coming of Jesus Christ, God’s grace made visible in flesh and blood. When Jesus came, grace was no longer just a promise; it was a person.

And that grace brings salvation for all people. Not that all will be saved regardless of response—but that no group is excluded from its reach. Jew and Gentile, male and female, old and young, slave and free—God’s grace is universally offered.

This concept would have been radical in Crete. The false teachers were narrowing the gospel, adding law and restriction. Paul opens it wide. The same grace that redeems Titus and trains the elders also transforms women, men, and slaves. No one is beyond its reach. No one is outside its power.

That means our communities must reflect this generosity. We don’t build ecclesias around sameness. We build them around the gospel. And that gospel welcomes everyone who comes to Christ. But grace doesn’t just save; it teaches.

Grace That Trains Us Now

Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. (Titus 2:12).

This theme is central to Titus 2. Grace trains us. The word Paul uses is the same root as the word for child-rearing or disciplined instruction. Grace is not a one-time download. It’s a lifelong curriculum.

First, it teaches us to say no. No to ungodliness—living without reference to God. No to worldly passions—desires shaped by this age rather than the age to come. Grace gives us a new filter. It exposes lies. It teaches us to refuse what once enslaved us.

But grace also teaches us to say yes. Yes to self-control, in our thoughts, habits, and relationships. Yes to uprightness, in our dealings with others. Yes to godliness, in our worship and dependence on God.

And all this happens “in the present age.” Grace is not just about the past (what Christ has done) or the future (where we’re going). It’s about today. Right now. In our schedule. In our workplace. In our household.

So ask yourself: How is grace training you right now? What habits is it reshaping? What desires is it purifying? What new affections is it stirring? Grace is not a passive force. It is an active teacher. And when we yield to it, we are changed.

Grace That Points Us Forward

Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13).

Grace not only looks back to Christ’s first coming and transforms us in the present—it also looks forward to his return. This is the blessed hope of every believer. We are not merely called to endure life in the present age; we are trained by grace to wait with expectation for the next.

This waiting is not passive. It is active, watchful, and hopeful. We live in a tension; we are being trained now, but we are waiting for something better. This hope gives us the strength to persevere. It keeps us anchored. It lifts our eyes when life is hard and reminds us that grace will complete the work it started.

And who is it we are waiting for? Paul leaves no doubt: Jesus Christ is not just a man or a messenger—he is our savior. His return will not be obscure or partial. It will be glorious, visible, undeniable. And it will usher in the full reality of our salvation.

This future focus is essential for present faithfulness. When we lose sight of our hope, we become short-sighted. But when we live in light of his return, our priorities change. We become more patient. More courageous. More generous. More holy. Because we know what’s coming—and we know who’s coming.

Redeemed for Good Works

Paul continues by describing what Christ has already accomplished:

Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:14).

Jesus didn’t just die to forgive us, he died to redeem us. That means liberation from the power of sin, not just the penalty. He gave himself to rescue us from service to lawlessness, to cleanse us, and to make us into a new kind of people.

We are his. That’s the key. Grace creates belonging. It doesn’t produce isolated believers, but a people—a family—for his own possession. And that family is defined not by ethnicity or economics or personality, but by passion: we are to be zealous for good works.

Zealous. That’s a strong word. It doesn’t mean occasionally generous or mildly committed. It means eager. Earnest. Excited. Motivated not by guilt but by gratitude. When grace has truly trained us, we want to do good. Not to earn anything, but to reflect everything we’ve been given.

So ask again: what kind of life does grace produce? A life of waiting and working; of hope and holiness; of joyful obedience and humble anticipation; a life that says, “I belong to Jesus, and I’m eager to show it.”

Declare These Things

Paul closes this section with a command to Titus:

Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. (Titus 2:15).

Titus is not just to quietly model the gospel. He is to speak it with clarity and courage. He must declare grace. He must teach sound doctrine. And that includes both encouragement and correction, exhortation and rebuke, building up and calling out, and holding the line.

And he must do it with authority, not his own, but the authority of the Word. This behavior doesn’t mean arrogance. It means confidence in God’s truth. Titus is young. Some may try to dismiss him. Paul says, “Don’t let them.” The gospel he proclaims is too important.

We need this same clarity today. In a world where truth is often diluted and grace misunderstood, we must teach grace in all its strength—not as a license, but as a trainer. Not as sentiment, but as power. Grace that saves. Grace that trains. Grace that anchors us in hope and sends us into the world with zeal.

This viewpoint is how the gospel changes everything. Not by pressure, but by power. Not by rules, but by relationship. Not by fear, but by grace.

Let’s declare these things. Let’s live them. And let’s keep pointing to the one who gave himself for us, who is coming again, and who is making us his own.

Andrew Weller,
Cumberland Ecclesia, SA