Day 1 ~ Appear
"For
the grace of God has appeared…" Titus 2:11
Paul
begins this passage (Titus 2:11-14) with an epiphany - literally an epiphany! The Greek word
used for "has appeared" is the verb epiphaino, from which we get our
English word "epiphany". In Greek the word means "to show forth,
appear, manifest, reveal, shine light upon with the idea of a sudden or unexpected
appearing". (Zodhiates Word Dictionary) In classical Greek it was used as a metaphor for the sun, rising in the east and shining
out. Over time it became used for the manifestation of a divine being.
Paul
says in our passage that God's grace "has appeared", meaning
he is pointing to a specific event that took place at a specific time in
history. Similar language in the Old Testament points us to this historic event
in the New Testament.
In
Isaiah's prophecy of the coming Messiah, he promised that,
"The
people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
On
those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned!" Isaiah 9:2
He
later spoke that God would make the Messiah,
"a
light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the
earth."
Isaiah 49:8
In
Zechariah's song of praise regarding the role his son, John the Baptist, would
have in preparing the people for the coming of the Lord, he praises the Lord,
the Messiah, as the one who will,
"...give
his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
Because
of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from
heaven
To
shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet
into the path of peace." Luke 1:78-79
Luke uses this same Greek word, epiphaino, in the above passage where he says "to shine". The Gospel writers and Paul connect the epiphany - the appearing of God's grace - with the coming of the Messiah, the incarnation of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Grace came to us with the incarnation.
"The
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his
glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full
of grace and truth." John 1:14
"Out of his fullness we have all
received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through
Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:16-17
Paul reiterates the appearing of God's grace
through Jesus elsewhere in the New Testament:
"He has saved us and called us to
a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own
purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning
of time, but it has now been revealed through
the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus…" 2 Timothy 1:8-10
"But he has appeared once for
all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of
himself. Just as people are destined to die
once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the
sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but
to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Titus 3:4-5
In Christ, in His incarnation - his birth, his life, his death and resurrection - the grace of God has appeared.
God's grace has burst forth like the dawn!
It
brings to mind one of the verses from Silent Night:
"Silent
night, holy night.
Son
of God loves pure light.
Radiant
beams from Thy holy face
With
the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus,
Lord at Thy birth."
But
that will not be His only appearance. Our passage in Titus 2 also reveals that
we wait for "the blessed hope - the appearing of the glory of our great
God and Savior, Jesus Christ". Paul also uses epiphanio (noun) here. In fact,
this is a word Paul often uses for the second coming of Christ.
Jesus
himself spoke of His second coming in a similar manner:
“Then
will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of
the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the
clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." Matthew 24:30
In the letter to the Hebrews we also see this double appearance of Christ:
"But he has appeared once for
all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of
himself. Just as people are destined to die
once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the
sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but
to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Hebrews 9:26-28
The Advent season serves as a reminder that we live in this present age between the two Advents of Christ - from grace to glory. Charles Spurgeon once said of the two Advents,
"Behind us is our trust. Before us is our hope".
This is how we live in this present age:
trusting in the grace of God's salvation in the life and death of Jesus Christ
on our behalf and focusing on the hope of glory that will come to those who
believe in and wait for His promised return. Grace to glory!
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