Titus 2:13; 2 Timothy 4:1-8

Let us conclude our study of the phrases of Titus 2:13.

·        Of the great God.  This is the only place in Scripture where great modifies God.

·        And our Savior Jesus Christ.  Remember, this is the doctrine of God our Savior (2:10).  That doctrine is of course about the past work of Christ on the cross where He did the work of our Savior.  But it also refers to the future when our Savior appears in glory.  We had a friend (he is now in glory) who loved to use this passage with Jehovah’s Witnesses in demonstrating the deity of Christ.  He would take them to Isa. 43:11 which says, I am Jehovah and besides me there is no savior.  Then he would show them, in their own perverted translation (the New World Trans.) this verse which clearly states that Christ Jesus is our Savior.  But having said that, we must now note the relationship between these phrases.

·        Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.  This is not a reference to the Father and the Son as the cults claim.  These are complimentary and clarifying statements: the great God is our Savior Jesus Christ.  Consider the following arguments for the deity of Christ in this verse, from D. Edmond Hiebert (his commentary on Titus and Philemon in the Everyman’s Bible Commentary Series, Moody Press, Chicago, 1957).

o   The single article (the) controls both nouns (God and Savior).  (This is Granville Sharp’s rule explained in our last study.)

o   The term “God and Savior” was often used in Greek religious of the same person, the emperor.  Paul’s audience was familiar with this use.

o   Nowhere else in Scripture does God the Father join the Son in the Second Coming.

o   The continuing context (2:14) refers to Christ (who gave Himself to redeem) leading us to conclude this also refers to Christ.

o   This strong statement of Christ’s deity is in harmony with John 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8 and 2 Pet. 1:1).

o   The majority interpretation of the early church fathers was that this entire phrase referred to Christ.

o   And further, if you take the other view of the cults, it still equates the glory of the Father and Son which is blasphemous unless Christ is indeed God.

The blessed hope is the doctrine of God our Savior.  It is not only seen in the connection of “God” and “Savior”.  It is seen in the various aspects of salvation.  We were saved by grace (Titus 2:11, grace that appeared in the past).  We are being saved, delivered from sin, day by day (Titus 2:12).  We anticipate the glorious appearing of Christ when our deliverance will be complete (Titus 2:13).  May we be those who live expectantly, who love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8).