Titus 2:12
“Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →That grace teaches us to renounce ungodliness and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.
What Does Titus 2:12 Mean?
Paul shows that grace is not only a rescue but a teacher. The same grace that saves us trains us in a new way of life. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly cravings, and to say yes to a life that is self-controlled, upright, and godly here and now, in this present age.
Grace and holy living are not opposites; grace produces holiness. Salvation freely given reshapes the saved, teaching them to renounce what once enslaved them and to walk in a new direction. The three words, soberly toward ourselves, righteously toward others, godly toward God, map the whole of a transformed life. For the reader, this dispels a false choice. We are not saved by good behavior, but saving grace never leaves us as it found us. It schools us, day by day, to live like those who belong to Christ.
In the Original Language
paideuo (παιδεύω), "teaching" — to train or discipline as a child is reared; grace educates us toward holiness.