In the tiny book of Titus we can find the essence of the gospel. We find the core truth of Advent.

¹¹ The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. ¹² It educates us so that we can live sensible, ethical, and godly lives right now by rejecting ungodly lives and the desires of this world. ¹³ At the same time we wait for the blessed hope and the glorious appearance of our great God and savior Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ He gave himself for us in order to rescue us from every kind of lawless behavior, and cleanse a special people for himself who are eager to do good actions. (Titus 2:11-14, CEB)

Yet again, using the Common English Bible for the Advent Blog Tour helps me compare word usage.

v. 11 in NIV2011 — “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.”

For the CEB, there is more certainty as to universal acceptance: “bringing salvation to all people.”

The dictionaries I can access are more in line with the CEB. Again, translation is a human effort and it is just difficult removing all theological undertones!

But as to benefits, the grace of God is educational! We are taught to live godly lives. We are taught to live in expectation.

If the grace of God is truly at work, we see the educational results. We know what to do… what not to do… and we are waiting with anticipation.

In this season, may we have that sense of Maranatha, Come, Lord Jesus!