Last week I visited my friend and brother-in-law, Chris. “Dr. Chris,” I call him, now that he has his Ph.D. in New Testament studies. We talked especially about Titus 2:13-14. Verse 13 calls Jesus “our great God and Savior.” Some would dispute this reading, saying there are two individuals: “our great God” and “our Savior Jesus Christ.” But there’s a Greek language rule that says here “great God” and “Savior” refer to the same person, just like “my friend and brother-in-law” refers to one Dr. Chris.
We also noted how verse 14 goes on to describe Jesus as accomplishing four things that only God could do when He redeemed, cleansed, claimed, and transforms a world-wide people as His own: “who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
When Jesus gave Himself on the cross, He paid the ransom price to free us out of slavery to sin (lawlessness). God pictured this when He brought His people out of bondage in Egypt in what’s called the Exodus.
Through Jesus’s death, believers are cleansed (purified) from the shameful stains of sin. He washes our hearts clean.
Notice Jesus redeems and cleanses us “for himself,” as He claims us as “His own possession.” Who else could claim a redeemed and cleansed people from every tribe, language, and nation as His own? Only God.
Finally, He has not only paid our price, purified us, and taken us as His own, but Jesus also transforms us to be “zealous for good works.” Instead of living in sin, we now live for His glory. Our good works show the life-transforming power of Jesus’ work in us. Oh, praise our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ!
