Daily Bread 2011 - Titus 3
Daily Bread 2011 – Titus 3
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
What Does This Mean?
When Paul referred to “doctrine” earlier, he was referring to exactly what he writes in these verses 3-8. He reminds Titus and the churches of Crete, that God saved us not because of the righteous things we had done, but in view of his mercy. This is the same mercy which has its origins in the Hebrew word “hesed”, from which God made His covenant with the Israelites. Even though they kept breaking the covenant He kept being merciful to them because of His steadfast love.
Then, Paul describes the event of salvation with some language that sometimes confuses the church. Some want to separate the washing of rebirth and the renewal of the Holy Spirit as two separate events. Ie. Someone is baptized, and then filled with the Holy Spirit later, or the Roman Catholic view of infant Baptism and Confirmation. But as more commentators have analyzed the text the way the grammar is written favors a simultaneous event. Usually the writers would use a separate preposition to separate the two events, if the writer did not want to group them together. This seems like a minor point, but actually it is important for our understanding of the relationship with Baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit.
It would make sense that if we receive God’s grace in Jesus Christ as a gift, that as we are reborn (or born again) that the power would be accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit. I mean if we are children of God and born of God, why would we not immediately be filled with God’s Spirit. To me that makes a lot more sense than to separate the two events.
What Does This Mean For Us?
It means a lot! It means that if you have received God’s grace through Jesus Christ, you have been washed by His blood and you are a new creation and you have the same power that the disciples had at Pentecost to live in the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, this is the only way you would be able to live up to the things Paul is calling to the believers to live up to, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Simply put the same grace that gave us salvation and justification and righteousness before God, is the same grace that bestows on us the gift of the Holy Spirit who is the source of all our godliness and power in the life to come!
Father, thank you for washing us and giving us renewal through the Holy Spirit and through Your grace in Your Son. Teach us each day to live in this power and rejoice that we are saved because of our mercy which you have always given to those you love. Amen.
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
What Does This Mean?
When Paul referred to “doctrine” earlier, he was referring to exactly what he writes in these verses 3-8. He reminds Titus and the churches of Crete, that God saved us not because of the righteous things we had done, but in view of his mercy. This is the same mercy which has its origins in the Hebrew word “hesed”, from which God made His covenant with the Israelites. Even though they kept breaking the covenant He kept being merciful to them because of His steadfast love.
Then, Paul describes the event of salvation with some language that sometimes confuses the church. Some want to separate the washing of rebirth and the renewal of the Holy Spirit as two separate events. Ie. Someone is baptized, and then filled with the Holy Spirit later, or the Roman Catholic view of infant Baptism and Confirmation. But as more commentators have analyzed the text the way the grammar is written favors a simultaneous event. Usually the writers would use a separate preposition to separate the two events, if the writer did not want to group them together. This seems like a minor point, but actually it is important for our understanding of the relationship with Baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit.
It would make sense that if we receive God’s grace in Jesus Christ as a gift, that as we are reborn (or born again) that the power would be accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit. I mean if we are children of God and born of God, why would we not immediately be filled with God’s Spirit. To me that makes a lot more sense than to separate the two events.
What Does This Mean For Us?
It means a lot! It means that if you have received God’s grace through Jesus Christ, you have been washed by His blood and you are a new creation and you have the same power that the disciples had at Pentecost to live in the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, this is the only way you would be able to live up to the things Paul is calling to the believers to live up to, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Simply put the same grace that gave us salvation and justification and righteousness before God, is the same grace that bestows on us the gift of the Holy Spirit who is the source of all our godliness and power in the life to come!
Father, thank you for washing us and giving us renewal through the Holy Spirit and through Your grace in Your Son. Teach us each day to live in this power and rejoice that we are saved because of our mercy which you have always given to those you love. Amen.
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