Titus 2:9-15
New Catholic Bible
9 Exhort slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give them satisfaction in every respect. They are not to talk back to them, 10 nor are they to steal from them. Rather, they should show themselves to be completely trustworthy so that in every way they may add luster to the doctrine of God our Savior.
11 The Grace of God Has Appeared.[a] For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to the entire human race. 12 It teaches us to reject godless ways and worldly desires, and in the present age to lead lives that are temperate, just, and godly, 13 while we await our blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.[b] 14 He gave himself for us in order to deliver us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people as his own who are eager to do good.
15 The Goodness of God Our Savior.[c] These are the things you should expound. Exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Titus 2:11 Here, at the center of the Letter, is a beautiful passage for Christmastime. The manifestation (or epiphany) of God must change our way of knowing and living. Christians are on the way to an event; they are hastening toward the final manifestation of Christ in glory. Hence, this text is also a valuable testimony to the faith of the early Christians in the divinity of Christ (v. 14).
- Titus 2:13 Of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ: this is a clear statement of the divinity of Christ (see also Rom 9:5). Some, however, offer another translation that does not possess that same clarity: “of the great God and of our Savior Jesus Christ.”
- Titus 2:15 The fact that someone’s life is no longer ruled by passion, egoism, and wickedness is always surprising. It is the sign that such a person is marked by the idea of God’s goodness. With these practical recommendations, the author knows how to evoke in a few words the major aspects of the Christian mystery: love of God; salvation through grace; Baptism; the gift of the Spirit; and the expectation of fulfillment in the end time.
