Titus 1:3

‘But in his own seasons manifested his word in the message, wherewith I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Saviour.’

But while the promises were made ‘before the times of the ages’, they came into fulfilment in the seasons that God chose. Firstly through Moses and the Prophets, and then ‘when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman -- to redeem those who were under the Law’ (Galatians 4:4). And it was the message of Moses and the Prophets as they pointed forward to Jesus Christ, and the message of Jesus Himself, with which he has been entrusted in accordance with the command of ‘God our Saviour’. His teaching was under divine command. If only we realised this more in our own lives, how much more effective our witness would be.

‘God our Saviour.’ Compare 1 Timothy 1:1. In Titus Paul slides easily between ‘God our Saviour’ (here, Titus 2:10; Titus 3:4) and ‘Christ Jesus our Saviour’ (Titus 1:4; Titus 2:13; Titus 3:6), even speaking of ‘the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ’ (Titus 2:13). It will be noted that each time that he speaks of God our Saviour he follows it almost immediately with a similar reference to Jesus Christ. The dual reference is no doubt deliberate.

Sometimes it is easy to get the mistaken idea that God is harsh, and that Jesus is the soft face of God. But that is, of course, totally untrue. God Himself is the Saviour. His heart is fully in it and He performs His saving work through Jesus Christ in full co-operation with Him. As Jesus put it, ‘My Father works up to now, and I work’ (John 5:17). They are doing the saving work together.