Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
gave.
Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
John 10:15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
that.
Genesis 48:16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
Psalm 130:8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Ezekiel 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
purify.
Malachi 3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Matthew 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Acts 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
unto.
Acts 15:14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
Romans 14:7,8 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself…
2 Corinthians 5:14,15 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: …
peculiar.
Exodus 15:16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.
Exodus 19:5,6 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: …
Deuteronomy 7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
to redeem us from all lawlessness
Redemption in biblical terms refers to the act of buying back or liberating from bondage. In the context of the New Testament, it signifies liberation from the power and penalty of sin. Lawlessness, or anomia in Greek, denotes living in a state of rebellion against God's law. This redemption is a fulfillment of the promise seen in Jeremiah 31:33, where God promises to write His law on the hearts of His people, indicating a transformation from within.
and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession
The idea of purification is deeply rooted in the Jewish purification rites, which were necessary for worship and fellowship with God (Leviticus 16:30). This purification is not merely external but internal, as seen in Psalm 51:10, where David asks God to create a clean heart within him. The phrase "a people for His own possession" echoes Exodus 19:5, where God calls Israel His treasured possession. This indicates a special relationship and covenant, now extended to all believers through Christ, as seen in 1 Peter 2:9.
zealous for good deeds
Zeal for good deeds reflects a transformed life that results from genuine faith. This is consistent with James 2:17, which states that faith without works is dead. The early church was known for its acts of charity and service, as seen in Acts 2:44-45, where believers shared everything in common and cared for those in need. This zeal is not self-generated but is a result of the Holy Spirit's work within believers, as described in Galatians 5:22-23, where the fruit of the Spirit includes goodness and faithfulness.
“Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
• The initiative is entirely His—no one took His life; He laid it down (John 10:17-18).
• The phrase underscores substitution: He stands in our place (Galatians 1:4).
• His self-giving sets the pattern for Christian love and service (1 John 3:16).
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness” (Colossians 1:13).
• Redeem means to pay the ransom price; the cost was His blood (1 Peter 1:18-19).
• The scope is “all lawlessness”—not just past sins but every form of rebellion (Romans 6:14).
• Freedom is not license; it is liberation to live under God’s good rule (Romans 6:17-18).
“If we walk in the light… the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
• Purification is both positional (declared clean) and practical (being made holy) (Hebrews 10:14).
• The ongoing work of the Spirit applies Christ’s finished work to daily life (2 Corinthians 3:18).
• His goal is a spotless bride “without stain or wrinkle” (Ephesians 5:26-27).
“You are a chosen people… a people for God’s own possession” (1 Peter 2:9; cf. Exodus 19:5).
• We belong to Him; identity is tied to relationship, not performance (John 1:12-13).
• Possession carries protection: what He owns, He keeps (John 10:28-29).
• Community flows from this shared belonging—one family, one body (Ephesians 4:4-6).
“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10).
• Zeal is passionate eagerness, not reluctant duty (Romans 12:11).
• Good deeds authenticate saving faith (James 2:17) and draw others to glorify God (Matthew 5:16).
• The Spirit fuels this zeal, producing fruit that matches our new nature (Galatians 5:22-23).
Titus 2:14 paints the full arc of the gospel: Christ voluntarily offered Himself, paid the redemption price, cleanses His people, claims them as His very own, and ignites them with a burning desire to do good. Salvation is therefore complete—past (redeemed), present (purified), and future (zealous living)—all rooted in His gracious, sacrificial love.
(14) Who gave himself for us.--(See Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 5:25.) These words take up the thought expressed in the term "Saviour" of the last verse. "Himself," His whole self, as has been well said, "the greatest gift ever given;" "for us," that is, on our behalf.That he might redeem us from all iniquity.--That He for us might pay a ransom, 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 which 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 the divine law--"alles was der Ordnung Gottes widerstreitet" (Hofmann, Commentary on Titus).
And purify unto himself a peculiar people.--The expression "a peculiar people" is taken from the LXX. translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, where the words occur several times (see Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 14:2); the idea is also purely an Old Testament one. Just as Jehovah wished to establish a people which should belong to Him ("peculiarly His," "His very own"), submitting to His laws, in contrast to the rest of mankind, lawless, idolatrous--so Jesus would set apart and purify for Himself a people, which for His sake should devote itself to God, in contrast to the rest of humanity sunk in selfish sins. As Israel of old lived under the constant impression that they would again behold the visible glory of the Eternal, so His people now should live as men waiting for a second manifestation of His glory.
Zealous of good works.--The man who hopes to see the epiphany of Jesus his Lord and Love in glory will struggle zealously with hand and brain to live his life in such a manner that he may meet his Lord, when He comes in glory, with joy. It was a people composed of such "zealots" of goodness, of men longing for His sake to do their utmost for His cause, that our great God and Saviour wished to purify unto Himself. . . .
Verse 14. - A people for his own possession for a peculiar people, A.V. Who gave himself for us. The resemblance in thought and diction to 1 Timothy 2:3-6 has been already pointed out. "Who gave himself" (ο{ς ἔδωκεν ἑαυτόν) is there expressed by ὁ δοὺς ἑαυτόν, and "that he might redeem us" (ἵνα λυτρώσηται ἡμᾶς) by ἀντίλυτρον ὑπὲρ πάντων. (For the great truths contained in the words "who gave himself," comp. John 10:11, 17, 18; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 5:2, 25; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:14.) The voluntary offering of himself is also implied in the office of our Lord as High Priest (Hebrews 9:11-14). For us (ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν); on our behalf; not exactly synonymous with ἀντὶ ἡμῶν, "in our stead." Both phrases, however, are used of our redemption by Jesus Christ. We find ὑπὲρ in Luke 22:19, 20; John 6:51: 10:11, 15; 11:50-52; 15:13; 18:14; Romans 5:6, 8; Romans 8:32; 1 Corinthians 5:7; 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15, 21; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 5:2, 25; 1 Thessalonians 3:10; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 4:1; 1 John 3:16: and we find ἀντί in Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45, and in αντίλυτρον, 1 Timothy 2:6. The literal meaning of ὑπὲρ is "in defense of," and hence generally "on behalf of," "for the good of." The primary idea of ἄντι is "standing opposite," and hence it denotes "exchange," "price," "worth," "instead," etc. Redeem (λυτρώσηται); as Luke 24:21:1 Peter 1:18; common in classical Greek. In the middle voice, as here, it means "to release by payment of a ransom;" in the active voice, "to release on receipt of a ransom." In 1 Peter 1:18 the ransom price is stated, viz. "the precious blood of Christ;" as in Matthew 20:28 it is "the life of the Son of man." The effect of this redemption is not merely deliverance from the penalty of sin, but from its power also, as appears by the following words: "a peculiar people, zealous of good works," and by the passage in St. Peter above referred to. Purify (καθαρίσῃ); as very frequently in the New Testament of cleansing lepers, the outside of the platter, etc., cleansing the Gentiles (Acts 10:15), putting away all sin (2 Corinthians 7:1), cleansing the Church (Ephesians 5:26), purging the conscience (Hebrews 9:14), etc. The iniquity just spoken of was a defilement; the redemption from iniquity removed that defilement. The blood of Jesus Christ, the price paid for the redemption, was the instrument of cleansing (1 John 1:7, 9). A people for his own possession (καὸν περιούσιον); only here in the New Testament, but frequent in the LXX., coupled, as here, with λαός (Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6; Deuteronomy 14:2; Deuteronomy 26:18), to express the Hebrew סְגֻלָּה or עַם סְגֻלָּה, a people the peculiar property, or treasure, of God; "peculiar" being derived from the Latin peculium, one's own private property, reserved for one's own private use. The Authorized Version "peculiar" expresses the sense exactly, and the περιούσιος of our text and of the LXX., from whom it is borrowed, is meant to define either that special reserved portion of a man's property over and above what he spends for ordinary expenses, which nobody can interfere with, or those jewels on which he sets a special value, and places safely in his treasury. In 1 Peter 2:10 λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν ("a peculiar people," Authorized Version) means the same thing, that being the LXX. translation of the same Hebrew word, סְגֻלָּה, in Malachi 3:17 ("jewels," Authorized Version), "They shall be my reserved portion or possession." The application of the phrase, λαὸν περιούσιον, descriptive in the Old Testament of Israel, to the Church of Christ, is very instructive. The passage in 1 Peter 2:10 is exactly analogous, as is the phrase, "the Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16). Zealous (ζηλωτής); as Acts 21:20; Acts 22:3; 1 Corinthians 14:12; Galatians 1:14. From its special application to those who were zealous for the Law of Moses it became the name of the sect or party of the Zealots who played such a terrible part in the Jewish war (see Luke 4:15). Canaanite (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:18) is the Hebrew for Ζηλωτής. Zeal for good works is the indispensable mark of God's peculiar people, the inseparable fruit of the redemption and purification which is by the blood of Jesus Christ (comp. 1 Peter 1:2).