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The apostle reflects that he and other believers had no excuse for treating the heathen with haughtiness, since it was owing to no merit of his or theirs that their own lives had become purer.

I. THE MANIFESTATION OF THE DIVINE GOODNESS AND LOVE TO MAN. "But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love to man appeared."

1. The time of this manifestation. The expression implies a definite point of time. It was "the fullness of the time" (Galatians 4:4).

(1) It was the period fixed in the Divine purpose from eternity.

(2) It was the time of the probation of the Jews, ending in the most awful series of judgments that ever befell a people.

(3) It was a time when the Greek tongue and the Roman arms made a highway for the gospel.

(4) It was a time when pagan thought had exhausted every experiment in the art of living, to find that all was "vanity and vexation of spirit."

(5) Yet it is not implied that the manifestation of Divine kindness had not been enjoyed already in pre-Christian ages; for it was in virtue of this manifestation, in the fullness of times, that God's love flowed forth in blessing during Jewish ages.

2. The nature of this manifestation.

(1) It was a manifestation of kindness and love to man.

(a) Kindness is the more general term, unlimited, undefined, all-embracing, touching the whole creation.

(b) Love to man is his special and distinguishing love to the children of men as distinct from angels.

(2) It was the love of the Father - "our Savior-God."

(a) The title" Savior," so often given to the Son, is here given to the Father, because he is the Fountain from whence flow all the streams of Divine mercy. The Son is "the Unspeakable of the Father;" for he "so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son" (John 3:16). The atonement was not, therefore, the cause, but the effect, of the Father's love.

(b) This fact, exhibiting the mine of power and love in the Creator, greatly enhances the certainty and glory of redemption.

(c) It is our Father who is our Savior. Mark the clear relationship, in spite of all our waywardness and sin.

II. THE METHOD OF THIS DIVINE MANIFESTATION. "Not by works of righteousness we did, but according to his mercy he saved us." The Divine goodness and love were manifested in salvation. "He saved us." This salvation, procured by the obedience and death of Christ, has its origin, not in works of righteousness done by man, as entitling him to it, but solely in Divine mercy. Mark the conditions and the means of this salvation.

1. The conditions of salvation.

(1) Not by works of righteousness.

(a) We are not saved by our own works, even though they should be done in obedience to a righteous law (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:4, 8, 9; 2 Timothy 1:1, 9).

(b) If we were saved in this way, Christ should have died in vain (Galatians 2:21). His death would have been quite unnecessary.

(c) Experience proves the impossibility of our being able to do the works of perfect righteousness (Romans 3:23).

(2) The condition of salvation is Divine mercy. "According to his mercy."

(a) God is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4).

(b) It streams forth from the blood and righteousness of Christ (Romans 3:24, 25; Romans 6:23).

(c) It was through the tender mercy of God that Christ, as the Dayspring from on high, visited the earth (Luke 1:78).

(d) The pardon of sin is according to the multitude of his tender mercies (Psalm 51:1, 2).

(e) Eternal life is the effect of God's mercy.

2. The means of salvation. "By the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he poured on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior." The Greek word is "laver," as if to show that the reference is to baptism.

(1) The washing of regeneration refers to the beginning of the spiritual process in the soul, as it is the Spirit who regenerates the soul. There is nothing in the passage to support the doctrine of baptismal regeneration.

(a) The connection of baptism with regeneration no more proves that all the baptized are regenerated than the expression, "we are sanctified by the truth," implies that the truth in all cases has this effect, or that "the gospel of your salvation" implies that salvation always follows the hearing of the gospel.

(b) As a matter of fact, believers in apostolic times were regenerated before they were baptized; therefore they were not regenerated by baptism. This was the case with the three thousand at Pentecost (Acts 2.), with Lydia and the Philippian jailor (Acts 16.).

(c) There is no necessary connection between baptism and regeneration, for Simon Magus was baptized without being regenerated (Acts 8:9-24).

(d) It is strange that, much as John speaks of regeneration in his First Epistle, he never connects baptism with it. He says that those who are "born of God" do righteousness, and overcome the world. Why should he mention these tests at all, when he might have known that, had they been baptized, they must have been regenerated?

(e) The Apostle Peter shows us the meaning of baptism when he says that "baptism doth now save us" (1 Peter 3:21). How? "Not by putting away the filth of the flesh " - which is easily done by the external application of water - " but the answer of a good conscience toward God; "as if to show that such an answer, representing the reality and sincerity of our profession, was separable from the putting away of the faith of the flesh.

(f) The expression, "baptism for the remission of sins," does not imply that baptism is the cause of their remission, for in all the cases referred to the remission had already taken place before baptism (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16). The baptism was a sign or seal of a remission already accomplished. Saul was a true believer before Ananias said to him, "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the Name of the Lord." Besides, it was by calling on the Name of the Lord that his sins were washed away. This is the force of the Greek construction.

(2) The renewing of the Holy Ghost refers to the continuance of the spiritual process in the soul. Thus "the inward man is renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). This points to progressive sanctification.

(a) The renewed are the children of God, the heirs of the eternal

inheritance.

(b) The effects are the fruits of righteousness in our life and conversation. Thus there is a firm connection between the regeneration and the renewal, which cannot be said of baptism and renewal. Christendom is baptized, yet how little grace is manifest among its millions!

(c) The source of this renewal is the Holy Ghost, who has been poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. It was in virtue of the mediatorship that the Spirit was given, and still works in the Church of God. For

(a) all salvation is by him;

(b) the grace of regeneration is out of his fullness;

(c) the gift of God, which is eternal life, is through him.

III. THE END OF THIS MANIFESTATION OF DIVINE GOODNESS AND LOVE. "That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." God saves us according to his mercy by regeneration; but the first effect of regeneration is faith, and faith is the instrument of our justification. There is no difference in the order of time between regeneration and justification, but regeneration must precede justification in the order of nature. Therefore the apostle here goes upon the order of nature.

1. The nature of justification. It includes' pardon of sin and. acceptance, into God's favor.

2. The ground of justification. "Being justified by his grace.

(1) Not by works;

(2) but by the grace of the Father, who is the Justifier. It is by grace, because

(a) it is of faith (Romans 5:1; Romans 3:28);

(b) it is by the death of the Son of God.

3. The privileges of justification. "That we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

(1) Eternal life is an inheritance; it is not earned by our obedience and our righteousness; it is a free gift.

(2) We are predestinated to this inheritance in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:5, 11).

(3) The grace of adoption, which is linked with our justification, opens the way to our enjoyment of the inheritance.

(4) It is an inheritance which is not yet fully enjoyed; for we are heirs "according to the hope of eternal life."

(a) There are "things hoped for" held out to us through faith (Hebrews 11:1).

(b) "It doth not yet appear what we shall be;" but when "we shall be forever with the Lord," we shall actually possess and enjoy our inheritance. - T.C.

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KJV: But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

WEB: But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared,