βIn hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world [or, βagesβ] beganβ (Titus 1:2).
βThe Cretians are always liarsβ (Titus 1:12). βGodβ¦ cannot lieβ (Ver. 2). What a contrast! And how reassuring to know that our salvation depends upon the Word of God, who cannot lie!
Our opening passage, above, however, states that God made this promise βbefore the world [or, βagesβ] began. How can this be? There is no indication that He made this promise to the angels, and there was no one else to whom He could have made it β except Himself, and this is exactly the truth of the matter. Have we not all made earnest promises to ourselves?
Before God ever made one promise to any man, He promised Himself that He would provide salvation and all the riches of His grace for sinners through Calvaryβs finished work, and the promises later made to men were but progressive revelations of a firm purpose He had already made in His own heart of love. Paul, the apostle of βthe mystery,β refers to this blessed fact again and again in his epistles:
βBut we speak the wisdom of God in a mysteryβ¦ the hiddenβ¦ WHICH GOD HATH ORDAINED BEFORE THE WORLD UNTO OUR GLORYβ (I Cor. 2:7).
βAccording as HE HATH CHOSEN US IN HIM [CHRIST] BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLDβ¦β (Eph. 1:4).
βIn whom also we have obtained an inheritance, BEING PREDESTINATED ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF HIM WHO WORKETH ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILLβ (Eph. 1:11).
βWho hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to HIS OWN PURPOSE AND [HIS OWN] GRACE, WHICH WAS GIVEN US IN CHRIST JESUS BEFORE THE WORLD BEGANβ (II Tim. 1:9). source
