we await: This implies hope as well as future accountability, both of which encourage godly behavior in the present.
appearance: The Greek word used here is prominent in the letters to Timothy and Titus (“epiphany” or “appearing”; also 2:11; see study note on 1 Timothy 6:14).
great God and Savior: This is one of the few places in the New Testament where Jesus Christ is explicitly called “God” (see also John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1; possibly John 1:18). Yet this claim is entirely consistent with the roles and attributes of Christ and the worship that he receives. It is possible this title is used here to assert that Christ is not a mere human elevated to the status of other gods (see study note on Titus 1:12). When this letter was written, Christians were insisting more and more that Christ alone, rather than rulers and emperors, should be called divine.