Titus 3.6-The Father Caused the Christian to Experience the Power and Presence of the Spirit Through Faith in Their Savior Jesus Christ
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday July 27, 2014
Titus: Titus 3:6-The Father Caused the Christian to Experience the Presence and Power of the Spirit Through Faith in Their Savior Jesus Christ
Lesson # 32
Please turn in your Bibles to Titus 3:1.
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 mercy as constituting the standard, by means of a washing produced by regeneration, specifically, a renovation produced by the Spirit who is holy, 6 whom He poured out upon us in full measure through Jesus who is the Christ, our Savior. (My translation)
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, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. (NASB95)
“Whom” refers to the Spirit who is mentioned at the end of Titus 3:5.
“He poured out” is the verb ekcheō (ἐκχέω), which is used in a figurative sense of causing someone to experience something.
The third person singular form of this verb is a reference to the Father and its object is the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, this verb is used in a figurative sense of God the Father causing the Christian to experience God the Holy Spirit at the moment of their conversion.
Specifically, in context it speaks of the Christian experiencing the Holy Spirit’s ministry of regeneration which was mentioned by Paul in Titus 3:5.
Regeneration takes place at the moment of conversion when the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit appropriates for the sinner justified by faith in Jesus Christ, the benefits of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
“Upon us” is referring to the apostle Paul, the Cretan Christian community and all Christians throughout the Roman Empire in the first century A.D.
“Richly” is the adverb of manner plousiōs (πλούσιος), which speaks of the generosity of the Father in causing the Christian to experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit at the moment of their conversion.
It means that the Father caused the Christian at the moment of their conversion to experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in their life “in full measure” in the sense of to an extreme degree.
“Through Jesus Christ” is expressing the fact that Jesus Christ is the intermediate agency through whom the Father caused the Christian to experience permanently the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
This means that as a result of their faith in His Son Jesus Christ, the Father sent the Holy Spirit to indwell permanently the Christian at the moment of their conversion.
“Our Savior” emphasizes that Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate Son of God delivered the believer from the sin nature, personal sins, condemnation from the Law, the devil and his cosmic system, spiritual and physical death and eternal condemnation through His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths and resurrection.
In Titus 3:6, the apostle Paul continues to speak of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian.
Here he reminds the Cretan Christian community that at the moment of their conversion, the Father caused them to experience the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit in full measure.
He is using figurative language to describe the Father sending the Holy Spirit to indwell the Christian at the moment of their conversion, when they exercised faith in His Son Jesus Christ as Savior.
In other words, the apostle in Titus 3:6 is speaking of the Christian receiving from the Father the gift of the Holy Spirit at the moment of their conversion which the Lord Jesus Christ promised to those who trusted in Him as their Savior.
Notice, that Paul mentions all three members of the Trinity in this verse.
The Father caused the Christian to experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit and this was through their faith in the Son Jesus Christ.
Thus we have another triadic pattern in Titus 3:6.
All three members of the Trinity were involved in the Christian’s salvation.
So in Titus 3:6, the apostle Paul is teaching that God the Father caused the Christian to experience God the Holy Spirit at the moment of their conversion.
Specifically, in context it speaks of the Christian experiencing the Holy Spirit’s ministry of regeneration which was mentioned by Paul in Titus 3:5.
Here in Titus 3:6, he is equating the Holy Spirit coming into the life of the Christian at their conversion as like water being poured out upon a person in order to wash them or make them clean.
The Holy Spirit coming into the life of the Christian at their conversion is analogous to water being poured out on a person in order to clean or wash them from dirt and filth.
Paul also appears to be alluding to the anointing that was performed in Old Testament Israel for prophets, priests and kings.
In the Old Testament, kings, priests, and prophets were anointed with oil, symbolizing the presence of the Holy Spirit in their life and that they were empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the appointed tasks given to them by God.
Therefore, it appears that in Titus 3:6 Paul is referring to what the apostle John called in 1 John 2:20 and 28 the “anointing” of the Spirit. John teaches in this passage that the Spirit’s anointing will protect them from false teachers and their teaching.
1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. (NASB95)
“Anointing” is the noun chrisma and is a synonym for the indwelling of the Spirit, who provides the believer the spiritual capacity or power to understand and apply spiritual phenomena for producing, in the believer, Christ-like character.
In its broadest sense, chrisma refers to anything smeared onto something else, such as coatings of plaster applied to a wall.
It is used in the anointing of pots, when a glaze is applied to pottery before it is fired to give it color and finish.
1 John 2:20 All of you without exception possess permanently spiritual power (chrisma) from the Holy One (Lord Jesus Christ) so that all of you comprehend everything (pertaining to the doctrines of Christ). (Author’s translation)
Therefore, in Titus 3:6, the apostle Paul is also alluding to this anointing of the Spirit which means that as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ at the moment of their conversion, the Father sent the Holy Spirit to permanently indwell the Christian.
The purpose of this was to empower them to accomplish the Father’s will for their lives which is to be conformed into the image of His Son Jesus Christ.
Paul is thus equating the Holy Spirit coming into the life of the Christian at the moment of their conversion with this anointing of oil in the Old Testament which symbolized the Spirit’s presence and empowerment in the life of the person who was anointed.
Thus, Paul is teaching in Titus 3:6 that the Father caused the Christian to experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit at the moment of their conversion.
Forty days after His resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father, He received power and authority and the title of kurios, “Lord” over history and creation.
Ten days later on the day of Pentecost in June of 33 A.D., the Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to permanently indwell those who had exercised faith in Him for eternal salvation.
On this day, the baptism of the Spirit first took place.
Jewish believers were the first to receive it and this event is recorded in Acts 2.
It took place among Gentile believers not too long after this and is recorded in Acts 10.
The Spirit proceeds from the Lord Jesus Christ to permanently indwell the sinner who trusts in the Lord Jesus as his Savior (John 14:16-17, 26; 16:5-15; Acts 1:8; 2:33).
The Lord Jesus Christ’s promise of the Spirit to those who have faith in Him is found in the Old Testament.
The promise of the Holy Spirit is also given in Ezekiel, 36:27, 37:14, 39:28-29 and Zechariah 12:10, which will result in the regeneration and restoration of Israel.