Titus 2:13

_ _ (Philippians 3:20, Philippians 3:21).

_ _ Looking for — with constant expectation (so the Greek) and with joy (Romans 8:19). This will prove the antidote to worldly lusts, and the stimulus to “live in this present world” conformably to this expectation. The Greek is translated, “waiting for,” in Luke 2:25.

_ _ that — Greek, “the.”

_ _ blessed — bringing blessedness (Romans 4:7, Romans 4:8).

_ _ hope — that is, object of hope (Romans 8:24; Galatians 5:5; Colossians 1:5).

_ _ the glorious appearing — There is but one Greek article to both “hope” and “appearing,” which marks their close connection (the hope being about to be realized only at the appearing of Christ). Translate, “The blessed hope and manifestation (compare Note, see on Titus 2:11) of the glory.” The Greek for “manifestation” is translated “brightness” in 2 Thessalonians 2:8. As His “coming” (Greek, “parousia”) expresses the fact; so “brightness, appearing,” or “manifestation” (epiphaneia) expresses His personal visibility when He shall come.

_ _ the great God and our Saviour Jesus — There is but one Greek article to “God” and “Savior,” which shows that both are predicated of one and the same Being. “Of Him who is at once the great God and our Savior.” Also (2) “appearing” (epiphaneia) is never by Paul predicated of God the Father (John 1:18; 1 Timothy 6:16), or even of “His glory” (as Alford explains it): it is invariably applied to Christ’s coming, to which (at His first advent, compare 2 Timothy 1:10) the kindred verb “appeared” (epephanee), Titus 2:11, refers (1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 4:8). Also (3) in the context (Titus 2:14) there is no reference to the Father, but to Christ alone; and here there is no occasion for reference to the Father in the exigencies of the context. Also (4) the expression “great God,” as applied to Christ, is in accordance with the context, which refers to the glory of His appearing; just as “the true God” is predicated of Christ, 1 John 5:20. The phrase occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, but often in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 7:21; Deuteronomy 10:17, predicated of Jehovah, who, as their manifested Lord, led the Israelites through the wilderness, doubtless the Second Person in the Trinity. Believers now look for the manifestation of His glory, inasmuch as they shall share in it. Even the Socinian explanation, making “the great God” to be the Father, “our Savior,” the Son, places God and Christ on an equal relation to “the glory” of the future appearing: a fact incompatible with the notion that Christ is not divine; indeed it would be blasphemy so to couple any mere created being with God.