The First Person of the Trinity is God, the Creator of all and the Father of His children. The Second Person of the Trinity is the Son, the Savior of sinners. That’s who we’ll study today, as we try to understand the nature of the Trinity. Remember, there is one Trinity, made up of three separate and distinct Persons, who are one. Yes, it’s hard to understand, but hopefully, the more we understand each Member of the Trinity, the more we’ll appreciate its unique nature.

The Son of Man

Jesus is known as both the Son of Man and the Son of God. The phrase, “Son of Man,” means one born of man. It follows that “Son of God” means one born of God. So that title, then, speaks to the deity of our Lord. Jesus is always referred to the Son of God, never a Son of God. There is only one divine Son of God. He is unique in all the universe. He has a relationship with God the Father that none other has or can have. As Christians, we are able to have a relationship with the Heavenly Father through Christ, but even then, it’s different than that of the Second Person of the Trinity.

An interesting thing to consider is when did Jesus become aware that He was, in fact, the Son of God? He is both God and man; fully God and fully man. Babies and infants and even toddlers have no self-awareness; they don’t recognize themselves in a mirror until they’ve grown some. It may well have been that way with Jesus. It’s all speculation, of course. We know for sure that by 12 Jesus knew full-well who He was and what His mission on earth was.

When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. (Luke 2:48 – 50 | TNIV)

That’s a fascinating exchange. First, take a gander at what Mary said as he scolded her Son. She’s refers to herself and Joseph, her husband, as Jesus’ mother and father. This in spite of the fact that she was told something else back in Luke 1 –

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35 | TNIV)

So Mary still wasn’t quite sure about her Son. But, Jesus was very sure who His real Father was. He was in the God’s house, the Temple, and that’s how He referred to it, “my Father’s house.” By 12, our Lord was old enough to put two-and-two together, and even thought it wasn’t quite His time yet, He apparently was ready to get down to work; His Father’s work.

And finally, neither Mary nor Joseph understood what their Son was talking about, further suggesting that Mary either forgot about her angelic encounter (not likely) or that she just didn’t quite get it.

It would be years later before Jesus would receive startling confirmation of just who He was.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”. (Matthew 3:16, 17 | TNIV)

And even Jesus’ mother, Mary, would eventually come around to realize that there was something different about her Son. It happened during a wedding celebration. This would be our Lord’s first public miracle, but it’s what she said that’s so important.

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:1 – 5 | TNIV)

“Do whatever he tells you.” Yes, she knew her Son had the solution, though she may not have had His particular one in mind. She somehow, by now, had heard enough and perhaps seen enough to know that her Son was not like every other mother’s son.

For His part, Jesus frequently aligned Himself with God’s work, suggesting that God’s work was His work.

“No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” (John 16:27, 28 | TNIV)

Late in His ministerY, Jesus spoke very highly of something Peter said of Jesus’ Deity and Messiahship.

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 16:16, 17 | TNIV)

It took His mother and His disciples some time to realize who Jesus was, and even then, Peter needed divine revelation to understand. That Jesus knew who He was and that those close to Him did is indisputable. But, even those who weren’t particularly close to Jesus would come around.

And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39 | TNIV)

Jesus Christ, fully man and fully God; the Second Person of the Trinity, is the One the Father sent to earth, full of the Holy Spirit, to redeem sinful man. That’s a difficult concept to wrap your mind around, so it’s helpful if you sing it. Charles Wesley’s famous lyrics have helped many generations of people get this doctrine deep down in their hearts:

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.

The Word

Jesus Christ is the the Son of man and the Son of God. Both of these titles refer to His nature and character. He is a Man – the perfect man, sinless in every way – representing all men before the Father. He is the Son of God, not that God the Father gave birth to Him in some weird way like the mythological Greek gods procreated. That title is a way of describing the relationship that exists – that has always existed – between the first two Members of the Trinity. As a Son has a special relationship with his father, so the Second Person of the Trinity has a special relationship with the First Person of the Trinity. Confused yet? Well, let’s look briefly at another title used of the Second Person of the Trinity. He is called “the Word.” That title tells us something else of His nature and character.

You and I as human beings communicate by means of words; we say them or write them down. Sometimes we draw them. We assign words to pictures; we think in pictures, but words describe the pictures we see in our heads. We use words to express our thoughts and our feelings. They can be inadequate, but words are all we have to communicate to others. The words a person uses reveals a lot about them; a lot about their education and upbringing, and even their character is revealed by the words they use. One scholar has rightly noted that:

A man’s word is his character’s expression.

Similarly, the “Word of God” is how God communicates with us. That phrase relates to two things in our lives, the Bible and Jesus Christ. Let’s deal with the latter. The Second Person of the Trinity is the expression of the First. Everything true of the words we use is true of the Word of God; He reveals something of God’s character and nature.

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3 | TNIV)

The Son is “the exact representation of his being.” John in His Gospel makes sure we understand that this “exact representation of God’s being” is the Word; but not just any word, the Word who is a Person.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1 – 3 | TNIV)

Those opening words of John’s Gospel remind us of Genesis and the Creation. That’s appropriate enough considering how Jesus Christ recreates sinful human beings; remaking them into God’s children. God is eternal, and so is the Word. The Second Person of the Trinity has always been. The English verb “was” comes from a Greek word that describes and continuous action, without beginning or ending. Greek scholar Westcott helps us non-Greek scholars out:

The imperfect tense of the original [Greek word] suggests in this relation, as far as human language can do so, the notion of Supra-temporal existence.

The eternal Word – existing outside of time and space – is described as being “with God.” The power of the original language is lost in translation because there is no adequate way to describe the intimacy of the the fellowship that exists between the first two Members of the Trinity. Again, going into the Greek for a second, the word is more suggestive of “a forward motion” or “face-to-face.” The Word, then, is pictured as existing eternally moving toward the First Person of the Trinity, living face-to-face with Him.

As John used the term “word” in describing the Second Person of the Trinity, he was wanting the reader to understand that the essential nature of the Word is Deity – that is, God speaking to man; God revealing Himself to man through the Word. What we know about the Word – the Second Person of the Trinity – is that He always has been. He did not come into existence. He has always been “face-to-face” with the Father.

We get a very slight glimpse into how the Son is the expression of the Father in these opening verses of John. First, He has always co-existed with Him. Second, John tells us that everything was made by Him.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15 – 17 | TNIV)

Those are some pretty significant things Paul wrote about the Son. He existed before all things, and He created all things for Himself. Not only that, He sustains all things. So the Son quite literally is the Word, the creative Agent of God, as God “spoke” all things into existence.

And then there’s this:

In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. (John 1:4 | TNIV)

The Word, the Son, is the Source of all life. Of course, as the creative Agent of God, the Son is the source of all biological life. But the word John used here is zoe, not bio, which is the usual word for biological life. Zoe is used by John numerous times and it refers to “life from above,” or we might call it “spiritual life,” or “eternal life.” But it also means “abundant life,” referring to the quality of life in the here-and-now. The Son of God is the only Source for the “good life” today.

Not only that, but He is also the Source of all light. The first thing God created was light (Genesis 1:3). And the psalmist gives us a vital piece of information about this creative light:

For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. (Psalm 36:9 | TNIV)

Now, this is a very challenging verse to get the meaning of. The Good News Translation, renders it like this:

You are the source of all life, and because of your light we see the light. (Psalm 36:9 | GNTCE)

And from the The Living Bible, paraphrased for us by Ken Taylor, it looks like this:

For you are the Fountain of life; our light is from your light. (Psalm 36:9 | TLB)

And finally from The Message, odd paraphrase, Psalm 36:9 sounds like this:

You’re a fountain of cascading light, and you open our eyes to light. (Psalm 36:9 | MSG)

So, you can see the challenge. What did the psalmist mean? There is a definite connection between light and life; between the life the Son imparts to us as believers and the light that we receive when that happens. In the Son, we are able to see His light; we can relate to Him on an intimate level the unsaved man cannot. In the Son, there is spiritual and moral clarity; His light reveals truth and error and enables us to distinguish between them. His light guides us through life.

The Second Person of the Trinity is the Son of God and the Son of man and He is the light of our lives.

We’ve reached the end of our series of “glory.”  Used some 500 times in Scripture, it’s been interesting to note how the writers of the New Testament used it.  In Titus, we read this:

…we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…. (Titus 2:13 | TNIV)

What did Paul mean when he wrote to his friend about “the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ?”  Of course, he’s referring to the Second Coming, but the context of the statement makes it very relevant to Christians today.

Titus chapter 2 is a true gem among all the chapters of the New Testament.  It not only serves as a worthy summary of the Pastoral Epistles (the letters written by Paul to pastors), but also as a guide for living through all the ages of your life.  Some Bible readers think the Bible is all like the first half of Paul’s letter to the Romans:  Pages and pages of heady doctrine, theology, and philosophy; difficult concepts for the average person to grasp.  That view isn’t entirely wrong, but the Bible is its best interpreter.  The Bible will tell you about what you’ve read if you just give it a chance.  Titus is a great example of this.  The doctrine of the Second Coming is a doctrine that some Christians have a problem wrapping their minds around.  Looking at it in the context of life today was a stroke of genius on the part of Paul.  So, let’s do just that.

Tomorrow is all about today

You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.   (Titus 2:1 | TNIV)

In the first chapter, Paul laid down the standards by which church leaders are supposed to live by.  Principles like these:

An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.  (Titus 1:6 – 9 | TNIV)

That’s what you want in an elder – a leader in the church of Jesus Christ.  None of this Is difficult to understand, is it?  Like all Bible doctrines or teachings, this teaching about elders just makes common sense.  You want people of sterling character to lead your congregation.  And you want leaders who are able to lead and teach – offer Christ – to others.  An elder needs to know the Word of God inside and out; he needs to be able to teach it to those who don’t know it and an elder needs to be a defender of the Word of God.  It’s not a job for just anybody who might be available.  

As we have seen, the world isn’t always a good place for Christians – as Paul put it another letter, “these days are evil,” and the man of God needs to be able to ably communicate Biblical teachings to a lost generation.  And he does that through righteous living and through preaching and teaching the Word.  

Mature men

But before you think it’s all on the elders of a church, chapter two comes along:

Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.  (Titus 2:2 | TNIV)

This is what Titus was to teach to men of maturity.  The Gospel has the power change a person’s whole way of thinking.  But that new way of thinking, or maybe it’s a new perspective on things, must lead to a new way of living; it must lead to an obviously transformed life.  And  it was this genuine transformation of lives which made the Early Church virtually invincible. How else can you explain the supernatural growth of the church and its triumph over the entrenched paganisms of the Roman Empire? 

T. R. Glover, fellow at Cambridge, tells us that:

The Christian ‘out-lived’ the pagan, ‘out-died’ him, and ‘out-thought’ him.

By every measure you can think of, the Christian exceeded by far the highest standards the pagan world knew. Just look at the first three character traits Paul mentions: be temperate or sober, be worthy of the respect of others, exercise self control. The idea of “temperance” is to be understood in the sense of being “sober”— in the use of wine, to be sure, but also an attitude of moderation in all of the areas of life. The term rendered “grave” in the KJV and “worthy of respect” in more modern translations, suggests a seriousness of purpose, not a gloomy outlook, but rather an attitude of seriousness in the important issues of life.  The third term, “self disciplined,” is like “temperate,” meaning at a certain age, a man becomes the “master of himself,” that is, “the master of his emotions.” In other words, he doesn’t let other people or his circumstances determine how he thinks or how feels about things.  

Mature women

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.  (Titus 2:3 – 5 | TNIV)

You’ll notice that mature women were to develop virtues similar to those in mature men.  Paul was wanting women to be genuinely holy in the way lived.  Here is pictured the mature woman who is dedicated to godliness and godly living. A good example of the kind woman Paul had in mind is “the mother of Israel” in Judges 5:7 – 

Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel.  (Judges 5:7 | TNIV)

This kind of mature, strong, holy woman has all but vanished from the Modern Church. This is a very politically incorrect thing to say, but the strong, godly women of a bygone era are in desperately short supply today. Women who know Christ, who love Him, who are dedicated to knowing Him, and who consider serving Him to be life’s highest calling; women like Mary and Martha—such women are desperately needed in the Church today.  

Keep in mind that Paul wrote this in the first century, to a people of particular culture.  Women back then had no choice but to marry and have children; they didn’t work or have careers.  In our era, times are different and our culture is different.  God’s Word, though, contains principles that most certainly apply to our day and culture.  Mature women should be leading the way, in terms of behavior and attitude and holiness of life and conduct should be the rule at home or at work.  The key is that no matter where you may be, you should be conducting yourself in such a way as as to glorify God and not cause others to, as Paul put it, “malign the Word.”

Young men, Titus, and slaves

Young women are to learn from mature women within the church, and as far as young men is concerned, Paul put the onus on young pastor Titus to set an example for them:

Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.  In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.  (Titus 2:6 – 8 | TNIV)

That was how Titus was to act.  Live right, speak clearly and righteously, and never give anybody the opportunity to criticize the church.  That’s a heavy responsibility for a young pastor to bear, but if it’s what you’re called to do, then you’ll do it.  For pastors and church leaders, though, there is a frightening word in Paul’s admonition:  Everything.  Pastors are to set an example “in everything” they do.  And that’s more than just sermon preparation!  

Paul has dealt with older men and women and younger women and men and pastors, but now he turns to, essentially, others within the church:

Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.  (Titus 2:9, 10 | TNIV)

Once again we read the word, “everything.”  Slaves were already subject to their masters, but Paul adds “in everything.”  In other words, the slave – or we might use the word “employee” today – must go above and beyond what is expected of them.  Recall the words of T.R.. Glover:  

The Christian ‘out-lived’ the pagan, ‘out-died’ him, and ‘out-thought’ him.

That includes the area of working for other people.  The Christian shouldn’t be a good employee, he should be the best employee.  The reason, though, is kind of surprising:  To make the Gospel of Jesus Christ look good. Do you you see the responsibility the average Christian has?  You thought the pastor had a tough roe to hoe!  When you go to work every day, whether it’s in a factory, in an office, or out in the field, you must be better than your co-workers in every way.  In being the absolute best, you are making Jesus Christ look good and that’s what you are called to do.

The way we live demonstrates God’s grace

Paul’s summary of his teaching begins with God’s grace:

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  (Titus 2:11 | TNIV)

Christians are to live right because God’s grace has appeared and offered salvation to all people.  That’s a curious statement, and it seems to forever settle the boring discussion about “limited or unlimited grace.”  God has offered salvation “to all people.”  Here is a universal solution for our universal need. Though some may reject this grace and refuse to have any part in Christ, the provision has been made for their salvation and they may claim it if they will.

But how does that relate to how Christians are to live their lives?  It’s simple, actually.  God is offering His grace to all sinners, and Christians, if they live right and make Jesus Christ look good, the sinner may be more apt to consider accepting God’s gracious offering!

And God’s grace is truly remarkable.  It not only enables the sinner to accept God’s gift of salvation, but it works in the redeemed life, transforming it!

It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…. (Titus 2:12 | TNIV)

It’s amazing, isn’t it?  After all the verses Paul devoted to teaching different groups of people how to best live out their Christian lives in a sinful world, he informs his readers that they won’t be doing it alone; that God’s grace actually does the teaching which leads to a transformed life.  Or, another way to look at it is this:  Evidence that a sinner has accepted God’s grace is a changed life.

It’s important to live righteous lives even while we wait for Christ to return.  And His return should also be a motivating factor in living the good life.

…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.  (Titus 2:13, 14 | TNIV)

A changed life is why Christ came in the first place.  He died to rescue us from the monotony and mediocrity of our sinful lives.  God wants you to experience a tiny bit of glory on earth by living right before He comes in full glory!