Titus 3:4-7 But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,… I. SALVATION IS NOT BY WORKS. 1. Because of our relation to God. We are His creatures; we owe Him everything always; and therefore never can acquire any surplus merit to place to the account of past shortcomings and offences. 2. Because of our moral inability to perform works of righteousness, on account of the depravity and corruption of our nature. 3. Because every attempt to procure salvation by works implies the principle of "value for value," and our works would be no equivalent for the salvation required. II. THE TRUE SOURCE AND CHARACTER OF SALVATION. 1. It has its origin in God's kindness and love toward man (ver. 4). 2. His kindness and love were manifested through Jesus Christ our Saviour (ver. 6). 3. This salvation includes justification by His grace, adoption into His family by His love, regeneration by the power of the Holy Ghost, the blessed hope of eternal life while here, and the blessed reality of eternal life hereafter (vers. 5, 7). (O. McCutcheon.) Parallel Verses 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, |
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