THE POPULAR ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLE PROPHECY

BLESSED HOPE Part II

OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOR, CHRIST JESUS

This is a remarkable phrase in Paul’s letter to Titus. It strongly support the fact that Christ is God himself, and it is an outstanding and important testimony to the doctrine of the Trinity. The Greek Scholar Patrick Fairbairn says that the two expressions “great God” and “Savior” are attributive of the same person. He adds that many of the Greek and Latin church fathers refer to this passage and clearly understand the reference to God as speaking also of Christ ( Fairbairn, P. 281 ).

Kenneth Wust points out that the grammatical construction “that blessed hope, even appearing….” is the same in the phrase “glory of Our Great God, even savior, Christ Jesus.” He further argues that the god and savior of the Roman Empire was the Emperor himself. The Christians God and Savior is Jesus Christ, for whom we are looking to return from heaven. Paul could have been making a protest against Roman Emperor worship. Wuest adds that “both expressions refers to the same individual. The deity of the Lord Jesus is brought out here by a rule of Greek syntax” ( Wuest, Vol. 2, P. 195 ).

Will God the Father make an appearance to rescue the church? No, He is Spirit and cannot be seen. The son will be visible, and He is the Great God. The deity of Christ is Indisputable by the grammar. The New Testament never speaks of the appearing of God the Father but only of the son. Paul say here that the appearing or epiphany of the glory of Jesus Christ shall at last arrive. Then He who in His Own person is Our great God and Savior” will come in all His glory, which will transcend all that we are able to imagine. ___ MAL COUCH

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Couch, Mal, ed. ed. A pastor’s Manual on Doing Church. Springfield, MO: 21st Century Press 2002.

Fairbairn, Patrick, Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1956.

Knight III, George. The Pastoral Epistles, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996.

LaHaye, Tim. The Rapture Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2002.

Showers, Renald E. The pre Wrath Rapture view. Grand Rapids: Kregal, 2001

Wuest, Kenneth S. Wuest’s Word Studies. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998.