Titus 3.5b-The Christian's Salvation is Based Upon God's Compassion and is Appropriated By the Work of the Holy Spirit in Regeneration
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday July 20, 2014
Titus: Titus 3:5b-The Christian’s Salvation is Based Upon God’s Compassion and is Appropriated By the Work of the Holy Spirit in Regeneration
Lesson # 31
Please turn in your Bibles to Titus 3:1.
Titus 3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, 2 to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. 3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. (NASB95)
Titus 3:1 Continue to make it your habit of reminding them to make it their habit of voluntarily subjecting themselves to governmental rulers, or in other words, governmental authorities by making it their habit of being obedient, to be ready for any kind of act which is divine good in quality and character. 2 They are to be characterized as slandering absolutely no one, to be characterized as peaceable, magnanimous with the result that together they show every consideration for each and every member of the human race. 3 For, we ourselves also, at one time, were existing in the state of being foolish ones, disobedient ones, deceived ones, those enslaved to various lusts as well as pleasures, continually spending our lives in malice as well as envy, hateful ones, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness, yes the love for mankind originating from the Savior who is our God was manifested, 5 He saved us, by no means on the basis of meritorious actions as constituting its source. In other words, on the basis of human self-righteousness which we ourselves have done. But rather on the basis of His compassion as constituting the standard, by means of a washing produced by regeneration, specifically, a renovation produced by the Spirit who is holy. (My translation)
“Not on the basis of deeds” is composed of the following: (1) emphatic negative adverb ou (οὔ), “not” (2) preposition ek (ἐκ), “on the basis of” (3) genitive neuter plural form of the noun ergon (ἒργον), “deeds.”
The noun ergon means “meritorious actions, actions, works” and is used in relation to the eternal salvation of Paul, Titus, the Cretan Christian community.
It refers to a meritorious system of actions which would be considered by God as meriting His giving them eternal salvation.
The meaning of this word is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou and thus means “absolutely never, emphatically not.”
The noun ergon is the object of the preposition ek, which functions as a marker of cause with emphasis upon source.
Therefore, this expression means “absolutely never” or “by no means on the basis of meritorious actions as constituting its source” indicating that God saved the Christian but “absolutely never on the basis of” or “because of meritorious actions as constituting its source.”
“Which we have done in righteousness” is clarifying for the reader the meaning of the previous expression οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, “by no means on the basis of meritorious actions as constituting its source.”
The noun dikaiosune means “righteousness” and is used in relation to an unregenerate person attempting to receive from God eternal salvation on the basis of meritorious actions as constituting its source and thus refers to human self-righteousness.
The noun dikaiosune is the object of the preposition en which functions as a marker of cause indicating that eternal salvation is never received “on the basis of” or “because of human self-righteousness.”
“But according to His mercy” presents an emphatic contrast with the Christian performing actions prior to their conversion, which would merit God giving them eternal salvation.
Therefore, the emphatic contrast is between the Christian’s eternal salvation being based upon performing actions which merit God giving them eternal salvation and their eternal salvation being based upon God’s mercy or compassion.
In other words, the emphatic contrast is between salvation received on the basis of a meritorious system of works which constitute human self-righteousness and salvation received on the basis of the mercy or compassion of God.
“Mercy” is the noun eleos which speaks of God’s compassionate response to the sinner who is in need of eternal salvation.
The word speaks of God’s grace from the perspective that it is a reflection of His character and nature.
Specifically, it speaks of grace from the perspective of God’s mercy and compassion for sinners who are in need of eternal salvation because they are sinners by nature and practice.
Mercy is God acting upon His policy of grace and withholding judgment.
This grace in the form of mercy and compassion was expressed through the spiritual and physical deaths of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
It was also expressed through the work of the Holy Spirit at their conversion of regenerating them and renewing their minds after conversion through obedience to the gospel.
The gospel of Jesus Christ extends grace and compassion to the sinner by offering them the forgiveness of their sins.
The noun eleos is also the object of the preposition kata which could be interpreted as a marker of cause with emphasis upon the standard by which something is accomplished.
This would indicate that God saved the Christian “on the basis of” His mercy for them “as constituting the standard” by which they were saved.
“By the washing of regeneration” does not refer to water baptism or the baptism of the Spirit but rather the Spirit’s ministry which takes place at the Christian’s conversion when they trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The washing emphasizes the concept of the sinner being cleansed from the defilement caused by being a sinner by nature and practice.
It speaks of the ministry performed by the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion which involves appropriating the benefits of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
When the sinner trusts in Jesus Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit immediately appropriates for the justified sinner the benefits of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which results in the sinner being cleansed or washed from the defilement due to possessing a sin nature and committing personal sin.
“Regeneration” refers to the spiritual birth of the sinner who is declared justified by the Father through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and takes place at the moment of conversion when the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit appropriates the benefits of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross.
“And renewing by the Holy Spirit” clarifies the meaning of the previous prepositional phrase διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας, “the washing produced by regeneration.”
“Renewing by the Holy Spirit” speaks of a spiritual renovation which is the direct result of the Holy Spirit appropriating for the Christian at the moment of their conversion the benefits of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
This results in a spiritual birth or in other words it results in entering them into a new relationship with the triune God.
Titus 3:4 But when the kindness, yes the love for mankind originating from the Savior who is our God was manifested, 5 He saved us, by no means on the basis of meritorious actions as constituting its source. In other words, on the basis of human self-righteousness which we ourselves have done. But rather on the basis of His mercy as constituting the standard, by means of a washing produced by regeneration, specifically, a renovation produced by the Spirit who is holy. (My translation)
Here in Titus 3:5b, Paul presents the basis of the Christian’s salvation.
He emphatically states that the Christian’s salvation was by no means based upon meritorious actions as its source.
He explains further by adding that the Christian’s salvation is by no means based upon human self-righteousness which the Christian has done.
The Bible teaches that the entire human race both Jew and Gentile do not measure up to the righteousness of God and are therefore condemned before God but qualified for grace (Romans 1:18-3:20).
The only way that man can acquire this absolute perfect righteousness required by God to have a relationship with Him is by means of faith alone in Christ alone.
Then, in Titus 3:5b, Paul reminds the Cretan Christian community that their salvation is based upon God’s mercy as constituting the standard which they were saved.
This mercy flows from God’s grace policy towards sinners and ultimately from His attribute of love (cf. Eph. 2:4).
So in Titus 3:5, Paul is teaching that the Holy Spirit is the intermediate agency involved in the Christian’s salvation.
The Lord Jesus Christ provided for all of sinful humanity the offer of eternal salvation as a result of His death and resurrection.
While on the other hand, at the moment of conversion, the Holy Spirit appropriates the benefits of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on behalf of those sinners who are declared justified by the Father through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ solved several problems for sinful humanity.
He delivered all of sinful humanity from eternal condemnation, condemnation from the Law, the sin nature, personal sins, Satan and his cosmic system.
When the sinner trusts in Jesus Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit appropriates for them this deliverance over these things.
Thus, Paul makes clear that the Holy Spirit is instrumental in the Christian’s salvation.