Titus 3:3-7 Part 4 (New and Clean)

"For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient

led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures,

passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 

he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, 

but according to his own mercy, 

by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

so that being justified by his grace,

we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Titus 3:3-7

Up to this point, we know that God, through Jesus Christ has saved us. More specifically, we read today that God saves us by the 'washing of regeneration' and 'renewal'. In other words, God saves us by making us 'new' and 'clean'. The new birth is a theme that runs throughout the Bible story, especially the New Testament. In John 3, Jesus says that "unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Again in 2nd Corinthians, Paul writes, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2nd Corinthians 5:17). At the heart of the Christian story is God making new that which was lost in the fall. God created all of life to be held together in intimate harmony with himself. At the fall, that perfect relationship was lost, and since then everything is suffering. The promise of the Old Testament is that God will redeem his creation from this mess. The glory of the New Testament is that this promise is completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This was his plan from the beginning. Here, as Paul writes to Titus, he reminds Titus of this good news.

So, by the blood of Jesus Christ, we are given completely new life. I love this language of the 'washing' and 'regeneration' and 'renewal'. Sometimes its easy to minimize the Christian faith to a few external acts like going to church and 'being good'. Yet, this language shows how this gospel is something way different. It is a complete renewal. It is a complete washing away of the old nature and an implantation of the new nature. It is a complete regeneration. Jesus came to give new life, not second chances. Now, when I say 'complete', I am not implying that we will no longer sin, or that we are now perfect. Far from it. But, we have been completely redeemed from the reign of sin and death. In other words, we are no longer slaves to sin, it is no longer our master. Secondly, we are redeemed from the punishment of sin and death. There is no more condemnation. Jesus died and resurrected that we may be 'new' and 'clean'. Next time we'll talk about how this gift is a one of complete grace, and how this gift changes our lives. 

Titus 3:3-7 Part Tres (The Great Motivation)

"For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient

led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures,

passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 

he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, 

but according to his own mercy, 

by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

so that being justified by his grace,

we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Titus 3:3-7

So, at this point, we know that God has decided to appear and save man. The Hero has arrived to save wicked man from their sin. But Why? Why would God do this? What's the motivation?

If I'm being honest, I am hardwired with a 'pick yourself up by the boot straps' mentality. If something is wrong, its on me to fix it. I'm that guy who never asks other people for help. I am disciplined and committed enough to get it done myself. That being said, I'd naturally be expecting this verse to read something a little more like this:

"He saved you, because you were strong, smart and wise enough

to pick yourself up and turn to him. You aren't actually that bad, you just 

needed a little help from God. God saved those who help themselves!"

And this is why I need to pick up my cross daily and die to myself. My old self keeps telling me God loves me, and saved me because I'm good enough or strong enough. The Gospel tells me God loves me and saved me because HE IS MERCIFUL. This is a contrast I need to hear everyday. It changes everything. It turns self-boasting into humble worship. It turns pride in performance to pure amazement at God's grace. It turns self-righteous bitterness into contagious joy. The great motivation of God saving us is based on His mercy, not our merit. Thanks be to God!

Titus 3: 3-7 Part Deux ( The Great Rescue)

"For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient

led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures,

passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 

he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, 

but according to his own mercy, 

by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

so that being justified by his grace,

we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Titus 3:3-7

I love all the "Buts" in Scripture. Just when everything was hopeless, when the darkness had closed in all around, God appears! We were hopeless, BUT, God stepped in. For all of human history, we were hopeless wanderers, lost and left to die in our own vices. But, about 2000 years ago, God our Savior entered human history in real time. Jesus is the hero. He saves us. This is the story of all life. We need a hero to rescue us. Jesus is that Hero. He entered the scene with the mission to rescue his people. In order to do that, he had to live the perfect human life (so he could count it towards us), die the death that we deserve (substituting for our sin) and resurrect from the dead, thus conquering death and defeating sin once and for all. The Hero has won, he has accomplished his mission. Some 2000 years later, we are still characters in this same story. I'm glad the Hero has rescued me. 

Titus 3:3-7

Just read came across this verse this morning. A great summary statement of the good news of what Christ has done to redeem hopeless sinners.

"For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient

led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures,

passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 

he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, 

but according to his own mercy, 

by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

so that being justified by his grace,

we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Titus 3:3-7

Wow! There is so much jaw-dropping stuff in here, I don't even know where to start. How about with us? Paul paints a picture in which we all exist (or once existed) as characters. Foolish, disobedient, slaves to various passions and pleasures. From Paul's description, I conjure up two images. The first being us in foolish disobedience. The second is our restlessness and enmity. Without Christ, what makes our lives foolish disobedience? I don't think it is so much that we disobey God's rules. I think it is that we willingly bow down and serve these various pleasures and passions as our god. It is that we think we have life figured out, that our purpose and pleasure is for these things. God created us to be infinitely intimate with him, experiencing the fullness of true joy. It is foolish disobedience that we turn away from this like a ignorant, disorientated child. 

The second image is one of hostility. There is no peace; within us, between us, and between God. Apart from Christ, we are bound to have enmity everywhere, because deep down, we have not found what we are looking for. This makes us extremely insecure. We pass the days in malice and envy, because we are never satisfied. Like Adam and Eve, we are always looking for another 'apple' to eat, that we think will fulfill us. But, life, as it was created to be, is to be lived in relationship with God. Without the saving work of Christ, we are bound to be at war with each other, and with God. 

These two images combined are one of chaotic, restless frustration. We are wandering children, completely lost and led astray; yet, unwilling to give ear to the tender and loving words of our Heavenly Father. This is where the awesome mercy of God comes in! More on that tomorrow.