Charles Ellicott Commentary Titus 2:14

"who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works." — Titus 2:14 (ASV)

Who gave himself for us. (Ephesians 5:25.) These words take up the thought expressed in the term “Saviour” from the last verse. “Himself” means His whole self—as has been well said, “the greatest gift ever given”; “for us” means on our behalf.

That he might redeem us from all iniquity. This means that He might pay a ransom for us, the ransom being His precious blood. Our Saviour, by the payment of this tremendous ransom—O deepest and most unfathomable of all mysteries!—released us from everything that is opposed to God’s blessed will. Here the mighty ransom is spoken of as freeing us from the bondage of lawlessness; elsewhere in the divine books, the same ransom is described as delivering us from the penalties of this same breaking of the divine law—“alles was der Ordnung Gottes widerstreitet” (Hofmann, Commentary on Titus).

And purify to Himself a peculiar people. The expression a peculiar people is taken from the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, where the words occur several times (Deuteronomy 14:2); the idea is also purely an Old Testament one. Just as Jehovah wished to establish a people that should belong to Him (“peculiarly His,” “His very own”), submitting to His laws, in contrast to the rest of mankind, lawless and idolatrous—so Jesus would set apart and purify for Himself a people that for His sake should devote itself to God, in contrast to the rest of humanity sunk in selfish sins. As Israel in ancient times lived under the constant impression that they would again behold the visible glory of the Eternal, so His people now should live as those waiting for a second manifestation of His glory.

Zealous of good works. The one who hopes to see the epiphany of Jesus their Lord and Love in glory will struggle zealously with hand and brain to live their life in such a way that they may meet their Lord, when He comes in glory, with joy. It was a people composed of such “zealots” of goodness, of those longing for His sake to do their utmost for His cause, that our great God and Saviour wished to purify to Himself.