Is Jesus “Our Great God and Savior” in Titus 2:13?

Titus 2:13Titus 2:13 · King James VersionLooking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;Titus 2:13 · King James VersionOpen source in the King James looks for “the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” One article in the Greek, τοῦ, stands over “God” and “Savior.” The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) inserts a second “of” and reads two persons: the great God, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. The same shape is in 2 Peter 1:12 Peter 1:1 · King James VersionSimon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:2 Peter 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source. Jesus is God. Their study note states the one-person rendering and rejects it.

Key Points

• Titus 2:13Titus 2:13 · King James VersionLooking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;Titus 2:13 · King James VersionOpen source (3) says “the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
• The Greek is τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. One article, τοῦ, covers θεοῦ and σωτῆρος. It is not repeated before Savior.
• The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Titus 2:13 (1) says “of the great God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
• The study note says some scholars render “of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,” and take the verse as proof that Scripture calls Jesus “the great God.” It says the passage can also be read as two persons.
• 2 Peter 1:12 Peter 1:1 · King James VersionSimon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:2 Peter 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source (4) is “the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Their Bible supplies “the” before Savior.
• The pattern is the one readers call the Granville Sharp rule: two singular personal nouns, same case, joined by καί, one article on the first and none on the second.

What Titus 2:13 Says

The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Titus 2:13 (1) says:

while we wait for the happy hope and glorious manifestation of the great God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ,

Titus 2:13 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)

Titus 2:13Titus 2:13 · King James VersionLooking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;Titus 2:13 · King James VersionOpen source (3) in the King James says, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” The second “of” in their English is not a second article in the Greek. The verse-by-verse comparison is on How Does the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) Change Verses About Jesus?.

What the Study Note Says

The study note “of the great God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ” says Paul is discussing the manifestation of both God and Jesus Christ, and that “manifestation” is usually used of Jesus. It then names the one-person rendering, “of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,” and says some scholars treat the verse as proof that the Scriptures describe Jesus as “the great God.” The note’s next sentence says many scholars and Bible translators acknowledge a reading of two distinct persons, which is how the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) prints the line. (1)

That is a fair statement of the dispute. The note does not say the Greek has two articles. It says translators who already hold that Jesus is not the great God may print two persons. Christians confess one God and distinct persons. The Son is not the Father. The Son is the great God who appears. The Trinity and Is Jesus God? are those pages.

What Is the Granville Sharp Rule?

Two singular nouns that name a person, in the same case, joined by καί, with the article before the first and not repeated before the second, normally name one person. Proper names are the usual exception. In Titus 2:13, θεοῦ and σωτῆρος are common nouns, not two names, and Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ follows as the person. That pattern is what writers call the Granville Sharp rule, after the way Granville Sharp described the article. The evidence on this page is the Greek of the verse, not a second document. Jehovah’s Witnesses answer that the sentence can still be two persons. The article that is printed is one.

What 2 Peter 1:1 Says

The same construction is in the next letter. The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of 2 Peter 1:1 (2) says:

Simon Peter, a slave and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have acquired a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and the Savior Jesus Christ:

2 Peter 1:1 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)

2 Peter 1:12 Peter 1:1 · King James VersionSimon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:2 Peter 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source (4) in the King James says, “through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” The Greek is τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ σωτῆρος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. One article, τοῦ, governs θεοῦ and σωτῆρος. Their English puts “the” before Savior. That “the” is not a second τοῦ in the line. The study note on Titus 2:13 is the explanation their Bible gives for this shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Titus 2:13 Saying Jesus Is God?

The one-person rendering, which their own note prints as “of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,” calls Jesus the great God. Their published English does not. The Greek article is the reason the one-person rendering exists. What Is the Deity of Christ?

What Does Titus 2:13 Mean?

The verse is the hope Paul has just named: the appearing of the great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself to set a people free. The argument is who the appearing belongs to.

Does Titus 2:13 Teach the Rapture?

The verse names a manifestation and a hope. It does not use the word churches later used for a secret removal of believers. That later dispute is Is the Rapture Biblical?.

What Does the Bible Say About Tithing?

Titus 2:13 is not a tithe law. The command to Israel about tithes in the storehouse is Malachi 3:10Malachi 3:10 · King James VersionBring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.Malachi 3:10 · King James VersionOpen source. How later teachers used that verse is Is the Prosperity Gospel Biblical?.

Did Billy Graham Preach Titus 2:13?

This page is the Greek of Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1. It does not report a sermon.

Keep Reading

• How Does the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) Change Verses About Jesus?
• What Did Jesus Mean By “Before Abraham Was, I Am”?
• Is Jesus God?
• The Trinity