HE SAVED US
Titus 3:3-7
WHO WE WERE, OUT OF CHRIST
Titus 3:3 “For we once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.”
Galatians 5:19-21 “19Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Ephesians 4:20-5:7 tells us that the “old self is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit” (v. 22) and that we must lay aside “falsehood” (v. 25), anger (v. 26), stealing (v. 28), profane speech (v. 29), and that we must “let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (v. 31). The Spirit goes onto affirm that “immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you” (5:3) and “there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting” (5:4). “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (5:5).
1 Timothy 1:9-10 says that the law is made for the “lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”
KINDNESS AND LOVE APPEARED
Kindness
Kindness is seen in doing what is best for others. Compassion and love are wrapped up in kindness. Kindness is the action; the thing done. God showed kindness to Joseph when he was in prison as it is written “But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer” (Genesis 39:21). Joseph was given charge over all the prisoners and “whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper” (v. 23). God extended to him kindness. After Job’s friends rebuked him for some hidden sin and did not show compassion towards him he pointed out that “for the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend” (Job 6:14). I would like to remind us that Jesus calls us his “friends” (John 15:14). Ultimately, the “kindness of God our Savior” is shown “toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7).
Love
The Greek word used here is PHILANTHROPIA and the only other time this is used is Acts 28:2 (Kindness). It means love towards man (philein, to love + anthropos, man). The “kindness” and “Love of God” was made known in the incarnation and specifically in salvation. “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). In fact, love is defined by God giving Jesus as a ransom for man. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10; cf. John 3:16). Furthermore, the “Love of God” cannot be taken from us (Romans 8:39).
The Love of God
The “Love of God” isn’t just a good thing shown to us but is in us. “The love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5). We are to stay in the “Love of God” (1 John 5:3; Jude 21) by obeying Christ’s commands and keeping His word. For whoever does this “in him the love of God has truly been perfected” (1 John 2:5). Paul closes the Corinthian letter with, “The grace of the Lord Jesus, and the love of God, and the fellowship of Holy Spirit, be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). He also said, “may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5).
HE SAVED US
Not Because of What We’ve Done
Not on the basis of deeds that we have done, for our deeds are like filthy rags. For man on his own accord cannot seek God, cannot be righteous, and cannot do good (Romans 3:10-18). These things are only possible through the grace of God. If a man desire’s in his heart to do good he cannot by himself but God can enable him to do so. In fact, even faith comes from God (Romans 10:17) as well as repentance (Acts 11:18). Make no mistake about it, man must respond to God but in his response God is working and man needs a lot of help. Those who do not come to God, do not come because they do not wish to come. Those who do come have a heart tuned into God and desire to come to Him, and God helps them. But they could not have done it on their own.
According to God’s Mercy
We are saved according to God’s mercy. Mercy is best understood along the lines of compassion and doing what is best for another. This is seen in God keeping His covenant and mercy with His people (Deuteronomy 7:9-12; Nehemiah 1:5; 9:32; 1 Kings 8:23; 2 Chronicles 6:14; Daniel 9:4). Even though many times they broke covenant or fell short, God showed compassion and mercy and did what was best for them. In the NASB the word for mercy is often translated lovingkindness. For example, God “keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments” (Deuteronomy 7:9). David pleaded with God saying, “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1). Because God shows mercy or lovingkindness to His people He answers their prayers (Psalm 66:20; 69:13). Salvation is available because God is this way for David said “Help me, O Lord my God; save me according to Your lovingkindness” (Psalm 109:26).
In the New Testament the word is translated mercy. Zecharias’ prayer overflows with this wording, declaring redemption and salvation in Jesus so that God would “show mercy” (Luke 1:68-79). The appearing of Jesus is “because of the tender mercy of God” (v. 78). Salvation is always a working of God “For He says to Moses ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy” (Romans 9:15-16). And God is eager to display His mercy as He has “shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all” (Romans 11:32). It is in view of this mercy that we offer our bodies a living and holy sacrifice (Romans 12:1). God is “rich in mercy” and because of that He saved us (Ephesians 2:3-7). He “caused us to be born again to a living hope” “according to His abundant mercy”KJV (1 Peter 1:3). We are “waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life” (Jude 21). So we see that the entire process of our salvation, from the new birth to our glorified bodies and reigning with Jesus in heaven, is a display of God’s mercy.
By The Washing of Regeneration and Renewing
Regeneration is a cleansing. Washing of regeneration literally means the “laver or bath of regeneration” and refers to a cleansing. When a man is regenerated he is washed clean and renewed or renovated. He undergoes a circumcision of the heart (Colossians 2:11-12) and the filth of the flesh is removed. His sins are blotted out and he stands before God with a clear conscience (1 Peter 3:21). Ezekiel prophesied about our great salvation saying “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols” (Ezekiel 36:25).
Regeneration is new birth. Like the prodigal son we are made “alive again” (Luke 15:24). For we were all once “dead in trespasses and sins” but God “made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-5). He quickened us. Jesus told Nicodemus that a man must be born again and born of water and spirit to see and enter the kingdom of heaven (John 3:3-5). When a person is born again both water and spirit are present and neither can be forsaken. The act of baptism is a form of the doctrine of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus. It is a picture of it. But while the act is a form or picture, the fact that the recipient is “obeying from the heart” and is believing on Jesus, he is being born again to a “newness of life” (Romans 6:3-6, 17).
The regenerated man is renewed by the Holy Spirit. We have “put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him” (Colossians 3:10). We are being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). While our outer man is decaying “our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). The renewing of the Holy Spirit is not a one time event but ongoing. Our transformation from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18) is an ongoing process.
By the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is poured on us abundantly or richly through Jesus Christ. There is no small stream of the gifts of God; they are always poured out abundantly, richly and copiously. When Moses tapped the rock twice, to which he was undoubtedly regretful, the “water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank” (Numbers 20:11). A small portion wouldn’t have sufficed. How much more did God provide in Christ who came that we might have life, “and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Even though He has given us life abundantly there will always be more to come. This is the riches of His grace to which the Spirit can declare that He “is able to do far more abundantly beyond al that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Ephesians 3:20). What’s more is that God is “willing more abundantly to show to heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath” (Hebrews 6:14KJV). God wants to show us His glory and His faithfulness to His promise. He wants to reveal Himself to us. He wants us to know just how powerful and mighty He is as well as His abundant mercy. For God, “according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3KJV) and He is still this way “so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom” (2 Peter 1:11KJV). God has an abundance to give.
WHO WE ARE, IN CHRIST
Justified
We are justified by His grace. Justification is to have the slate cleared and to be judged innocent before God. It involves being acquitted. In the world the innocent are acquitted and the guilty are punished but the kingdom is not of this world. In the kingdom the innocent (Jesus) was punished and the guilty are made righteous or justified. This is why it is “by His grace”. Jesus was made “to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was absolutely made to be sin and in the same way we are absolutely made to be righteous. We are justified by His grace. We are justified by faith in Christ Jesus. Whether we are circumcised or uncircumcised we will be justified by faith (Romans 3:30). And God preached the gospel to Abraham foreseeing that the heathen would be justified by faith (Galatians 3:8). And “the just shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11) we seek to be justified by Christ through faith in Him (Galatians 2:16-20). So our text is telling us that we were once detestable sinners but have been saved by God, washed and renewed and regenerated by the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Savior. The Corinthian church was encouraged in similar language saying “such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).
Made Heirs
Finally, we are made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. We are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29). Angels minister to those who shall “inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). We are heirs according to the hope – of eternal life. What a thought.
“This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds.” (Titus 3:8)