I missed one. Last week I was asking, “Who’s Your Savior?” I said that in Titus the term “our Savior” was found five times . . . that three times God was identified as “our Savior” and that twice “our Savior” was declared to be Christ Jesus . . . concluding that if God is our Savior and Christ is our Savior then they must be one and the same . . . evidence of the Scriptures revelation of God as a triune being . . . one God known in three Persons. But I missed one . . . didn’t show up because of the search string I typed into my handy-dandy Bible study program . . . perhaps I should have just diligently read the entire letter. Anyway, there’s one more . . . “hidden” from my search because of an adjective . . . overlooked because what was “implied” about the Godhead through the other verses is stated so clearly here . . . but worth waiting for . . .

. . . waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ . . . (Titus 2:13 ESV)

Paul’s encouraging Titus to “teach what accords with sound doctrine” (2:1). And the teaching being referred to is not the high and mind-stretching stuff of the Trinity but practical, down-to-earth instruction on how those who name the name of Christ are to live on a day-to-day basis. Whether older men and women, young people, or bond servants, there is a character to be developed and manner in which to live which will “adorn the doctrine” of the Savior (2:10). The walk complements the talk . . . the authentic cover of holy character beautifies the call of the kingdom. And the heart of this plea to live “self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age” (2:12b) is the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Ours is a call to go against the flow . . . to “renounce ungodliness and worldly passions” (2:12a) . . . to instead pursue that which is aligned to being the redeemed, “a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works” (2:14). And the great motivator? The appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ! It will be worth waiting for . . .

Jesus is coming again. Having appeared once to bring salvation for all people (2:11), He is coming again to reveal His glory as King of all people. Having come the first time as the Lamb of God, He will come a second time as the Lord of Lords. And mine is to wait for His glorious appearing . . . to anticipate it . . . to look for it . . . to live in light of it. His glorious appearing becomes the filter through which I encounter life. It provides context for my priorities . . . it provides perspective concerning my trials . . . it provides a point on the horizon of the “there and then” which I can fix on, helping me in navigating the “here and now.”

It will be worth waiting for . . .

Oh, that I might live more in anticipation of our blessed hope. That I might more consistently be fixed on His imminent return. That I might adorn the doctrine of Christ with an authentic expression of what is means to be “a people for His own possession”.

All by His grace . . . all for His glory.

Worth waiting for? Absolutely!