What is the meaning of Titus 3:5? He saved us • Salvation originates entirely with God: “Salvation comes from the LORD” (Jonah 2:9). • The subject is “He”—not we, not our church, not our lineage. Acts 4:12 echoes the exclusivity: “There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” • The verb is past tense: a completed act accomplished at the cross (John 19:30) and applied when we believed (John 1:12–13). • This rescuing embraces every facet—justification, adoption, and future glorification (Romans 8:30). not by the righteous deeds we had done • Our best efforts cannot earn favor with God; “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). • Ephesians 2:8–9 clarifies: “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith… not by works, so that no one can boast.” • Even noble deeds performed before salvation are tainted by sin’s motive (Romans 3:10–12). • This clause humbles human pride and calls us to rest in Christ’s finished work rather than in moral résumés. but according to His mercy • Mercy means God withholds the judgment we deserve and lavishes kindness instead (Psalm 103:10–11). • Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds us, “Because of the LORD’s loving devotion we are not consumed… His mercies never fail.” • Romans 9:16 states plainly, “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” • Our assurance rests on His unchanging character, not on fluctuating performance. through the washing of new birth • Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). • The “washing” pictures cleansing from sin’s guilt, foreshadowed by Old Testament ritual washings and fulfilled spiritually in Christ (Hebrews 10:22). • New birth (regeneration) is a miracle where God plants spiritual life in the once-dead heart (Ephesians 2:4–5). • Baptism symbolizes this inward washing, but the verse points to the inner reality, not merely the outward sign (1 Peter 3:21). and renewal by the Holy Spirit • Regeneration is the starting line; renewal is the ongoing work. The Spirit indwells and transforms: “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, He will also give life to your mortal bodies” (Romans 8:11). • 2 Corinthians 5:17 celebrates the result: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” • Practical evidence appears in: – Growing obedience (Philippians 2:13) – Spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22–23) – Increasing likeness to Christ (Romans 8:29) • Renewal is continuous; the Spirit keeps chiseling away the old and shaping the new until glorification (Philippians 1:6). summary Titus 3:5 declares that salvation is God’s sovereign, merciful act. We contribute nothing but the sin that made it necessary. By His mercy, He washes us clean, grants new life, and continually renews us through the Holy Spirit. Our hope, confidence, and daily walk all flow from this grace-centered rescue. |
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