Read Titus 2
Key Verse: Titus 2:13 “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ…”
The key verse appears in the context of a paragraph which says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “NO” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good” (vv.11-14 NIV)
There are several key words in the paragraph: words like “grace…salvation…hope…redeem…purify…good.” The word “grace” tells us that God has done something for man which is completely unwarranted — He has offered us “salvation” in Christ. This offer first “appeared to all men” when an angelic announcement was sung over the shepherd’s fields outside of Bethlehem. It “appeared” again on a wooden cross at Golgotha, and again in a rich man’s empty tomb and again on the Mount of olives as the risen Christ ascended before many witnesses to the Father. The whole purpose of this “appearing” was to “redeem” man from sin. Christ came to “buy back” mankind from the “wages of sin” — certain death gave way to certain life for all who put their trust in Him.
Redemption meant the “purifying” of “a people” for Christ’s “very own”, a people “eager to do what is good”.
The “hope”, which Paul calls “blessed and glorious” is that there will be one more “appearance”: the return of Christ to receive His own and to establish His throne forever. This return is the great hope of the Church, the “Parousia” that has always been the bottom-line motivation for historic Christianity.
