Our Conduct in Light of Our Salvation

Transcript

GRM 558
02/01/1998
Our Conduct in Light of Our Salvation
Titus 3:1-7
Gil Rugh



We’re going to be back in the book of Titus this evening, because I want to look at the section following which we looked at this morning. I think the balance it brings, the perspective it gives on our responsibility and conduct is very important and has some special significance, I think, to even events taking place in our day in our own country. Oh, if you’ve read through the book of Titus lately, you know that a focus in chapter one in our behavior has to do with the Church itself and conduct within the Church, the appointing of elders, the character of elders, the responsibility of elders.

In chapter 2, which a portion of we were looking at today, has to do in significant portion with some family responsibilities and personal relationships, older women, younger women, wives and husbands, and so on.

Chapter 3 of Titus deals with our godliness in the context of others in general, including our responsibilities to the unbeliever. I think it’s important that we look at this section because it gives a perspective and a balance. I think sometimes we pull sections of scripture out without considering the context and use them in a blanket way which causes confusion and really causes us not to function biblically, rather than encouraging us to function biblically.

Chapter 3 opens up with an exhortation to “remind them.” The theme is still the same as it pervades the book on godliness, the behavior of those who have been redeemed by the grace of God and are now growing in that grace in manifesting His character. And there is a command given here regarding our relationship to government and governmental authorities. From there he’ll broaden out to our relationship and contacts with unbelievers, generally. He reminds us of what we were and what we are by the grace of God.


That exhortation, that starts the verse, “remind them,” is a command given in the present tense. And so, here is something that Titus is commanded to be constantly doing. Be constantly drawing these things to their attention. It’s a regular part of your ministry, Titus, to remind the believers there of these facts.

Back up just a couple of pages to Second Timothy, chapter 2. Paul had said the same thing to Timothy in chapter 2 of his second letter and verse 14, “Remind them of these things.” In fact, the context will be rather clear if you move on in reading through chapter 3 of Titus, you give a similar warning, “solemnly charging them not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of hearers.”

Come back to Titus, chapter 3, and you note down in verse 9, “But shun foolish controversies, genealogies and strife, disputes about the law,” and so on. So a similar kind of context. There are certain things you have to be going over repeatedly and there are certain things you just ought to avoid completely. Don’t get drawn in to “worthless controversies.”

Particularly, these are matters that unbelievers would try to entangle us in. In this context, Judiazers who are misusing the Old Testament law trying to confuse believers with it. And you can get involved in endless discussions and debates with them and that would divert you from the task. There are certain things you avoid, but certain things are to be a continual reminder to believers.

“Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed.” In the context of our relationship to governing authorities, to rulers our responsibility is simple: Be submissive. Really, the emphasis is repeated here. Two different words. “Be subject to rulers and authority.” “Be obedient.” To live under the authority means you will be obedient to that authority. Uses these two words to express the same basic idea, but to emphasize it. To be subject to rulers, authorities. Same word here that’s used of a variety of relationships involving subjection, including the believer’s subjection to Christ. The wife’s subjection to her husband, the slave’s subjection to masters, and so on. Being subject, and that involves our obedience.


Back up to Romans 13. Romans 13, verse 1, “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God. Therefore, he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God.” A serious matter for us as believers. This would be the same issue in 1 Peter, chapter 2, verses 13-17. Believers are responsible to live in submission, be obedient to governing authorities.

Paul does not deal here with good government verses bad government, with different kinds of government. He does not deal here with the character and conduct of the governing authorities. Um, our responsibility is to recognize that they are in their position because of God’s appointment. We’ve looked at this on other occasions in books like the book of Daniel where God is sovereign and He appoints the rulers in the realm of mankind, setting over it, as Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, “Even the lowliest of men.”

The Roman Caesars were not men of admiral character or conduct. We get frustrated with the behavior of some our governing leaders, but I would have to say compared to some of the Roman governing authorities and some of the Caesars who ruled during New Testament times, our governing authorities look like sterling examples of good character and conduct. Now, I’m not up here justifying sinful behavior. I’m saying, we as believers need to understand what our responsibility is and not get sidetracked into areas that the believer should not be involved in. And this will come up in Titus 3, where we’re going.

So, I want it to be clear. Those who are in their position of authority are there because God has put them there for the accomplishing of His purposes. We submit to them because they are the governing authorities. Not because their character is admirable, not because their conduct is admirable, but because they are the authorities that God has put in place for us at this time.

Now, we always come to the concern, what about if they tell us to do something contrary to what God requires and we want to go to Acts. That’s fine. “We must obey God rather than men,” although there, even in the context of those two passages in chapter 4 and chapter 5 of Acts, the governing authority that is being disobeyed is a Jewish court, not even a Roman court. But if the governing authorities told us to deny Jesus Christ, forbid us to worship Him, then we must obey God rather than men. We do not have to face that kind of decision in this country. We gather here now. I am teaching you the Word freely. The governing authorities have not told me not to say this or say that. At least not yet. I’m not saying that could never happen. So, my concern is not primarily the character of the men whom God has placed over me, but my responsibility is to live in obedience to these authorities.

“Remind them.” The fact that he tells this is a command to be constantly done would indicate that the believers of that day had the same problems and the same tendencies that we have. Because it’s characteristic of fallen humanity that we rebel against authority. We usually look for reasons to excuse our rebellion. A wife doesn’t want to submit to her husband can find many reasons why he is not of the kind of character that I should submit to. I’m sure the slaves felt the same about their masters in New Testament times and on. We understand God’s order that He has set down. We submit because we recognize the authority of God being carried out in the governing and governmental authorities.

We are to be “ready for every good deed.” I take it this would involve civic duties. In the context he is talking about our obedience there, but it would be broader than just that. He is probably preparing the way for where he is going that does broaden out.

We are to be concerned about our good conduct and behavior. That’s the focal point. We find nowhere in the New Testament where they are exhorted to try and change the behavior of Caesar, but many places where they are encouraged and exhorted and commanded to be sure that their behavior is all that it should and must be.

Now, you note how verse 2 begins, “to malign no one.” I take it in the context here we are talking primarily about our relationship to unbelievers because of where he goes, in his explanation in verses 3 and following, down through verse 7. The basis and the reason for his, requirements given for the conduct are the fact that we were once sinners and we have been redeemed by God’s grace. So, we keep that in mind in our dealing with others who have not experienced this grace and transformation of life. So, I think the context indicates we’re primarily talking about our relationship and conduct with those who are unbelievers. That doesn’t mean it’s right to malign believers. That would be covered in scripture clearly. But I think, in the context here, that’s the prime focus.


“To malign no one.” That word translated “malign” is, we get the English word blaspheme from. It means to speak evil of someone, but it carries the idea of slander, reviling. You know, you’re undermining them, their character. One writer said, “It always involves the exercise of a bitter and evil spirit.” You’re trying to do someone in.

And, ah, in the context here, he’s reminded them to be subject to rulers. I don’t want to even mention I’ve alluded to, some of the characteristics of some of the Roman Caesars and even their very public behavior. It’s the kind of behavior you don’t even like to mention today. It was carried on in rather a public way. We read of it in historical writings of the time. It would be easy for believers of New Testament time to get just as caught up in the attacks on the rulers, governing authorities and others as it is today.

“To malign no one,” to be careful in even the doubt. I think we’ve gotten to this today. I am embarrassed, quite frankly by some of what is taking place from among Evangelicals, what has appeared on the news in recent days.

I as many of you get different mailings mailed to me. They have mailing lists that get shifted around, I guess. And I was reading through a paper this afternoon. It?s 24 pages put out by an extremely well-known Christian leader and Christian organization. As far as I could tell, thumbing through without counting, probably half of the 24 pages were devoted to political issues, things raising questions about the conduct of our President, our governing leaders. Not even things that could be definitely proven, but things where there are questions and you can write for material and they’ll provide this for you. That they think this ought to be investigated because there may be evidence that this governing leader was involved in this.

Since when is it the job of believers in the Church of Jesus Christ to be on a certain kind of witch hunt, to try to find out all we can that may have been done in the realm of the deeds of darkness by governing leaders? I mean, these aren’t even things that have been open and known, but that they think might have happened and we ought to be demanding that they be explored so we know if they did.


I think we get awfully close to this “maligning no one.” Even some of the news has drawn attention to information you can get from right-wing Christians. I become very uncomfortable and believe we are in direct conflict with the word of God. Passages like Titus, chapter 3, verse 2, “Be submissive to governing authorities. Malign no one.” In that context, I would think that would include them. We’ll see the contrast in a moment.

“To be uncontentious.” The believer is to be a peaceable person. Now, again, I think that’s true of our character, but I think he’s talking in the context of unbelievers, as the contrast with verse 3 will make clear. Our purpose is not to get into conflict with the unbeliever over these areas. That’s not the purpose. That’s not the goal. “Uncontentious” is one of the qualifications of an elder. So, it could be the general character of a believer.

“Gentle.” The idea of the word is yielding, gentle, kind. A willingness to give up our rights is the idea. We recognize, as sinners redeemed by God’s grace, that we are an imperfect people. Even we as redeemed people are imperfect. We, as those redeemed by God’s grace do not live to a perfect standard of the righteous character of our God.

That does not excuse us from our sin, but we ought not to be around with our nose in the air as though we just cannot understand how an unredeemed man would stoop to being involved in sin. And so, in, ah, we are mistreated, unfairly dealt with, there is an understanding, a tolerance even when we are wrong.

I tried to think of examples of this, but I don’t like to get too close to home. You know, I get stopped for speeding. Not that I ever have. Not that I ever haven’t. I’m just not making any confessions. But, you know, the first thought in my mind, with all the crime and all that’s going on wrong in this country, the policeman has nothing better to do than to check to see if this good, law-abiding, tax-paying citizen was going a few miles over the speed limit and he ought to be ashamed. Well, you know, even if I wasn’t going over the speed limit and I was wronged, I ought to have an understanding. Besides I should know, I wasn’t going over it. But there were a lot of times I was, and I didn’t get caught. So, I’m so quick to fight for my rights.

Again, here in the contact of unbeliever, context of unbelievers who may wronged us. We’re so quick to claim our rights. There is to be a yielding, kindness, and a tolerance here. That’s to be a characteristic of an elder. So we’re not just saying this is only manifest in the realm of unbelievers, but that’s where Paul is focusing right now.


“Ever showing consideration for all men.” This word has some overlap and meaning to the word gentleness because it too can mean gentleness, humility, curtesy, meekness. This is one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians chapter 5, the word translated “consideration” here, translated meekness or humility. One person, one commentator translated it “to show perfect courtesy to all men.” No harshness or arrogance on the part of believers. Any attitude of superiority and pride. Particularly, again, in the context of unbelievers here it is important. We sometimes give the idea that we are a superior. And we would not stoop to this kind of behavior.

You know, it’s one thing if we are dealing with fellow believers and there’s a correction going on for that which is unacceptable among those who have been redeemed and cleansed. It’s another thing we’re dealing with unbelievers. So therefore, in this area we need to be careful this quality is manifest. Although, it’s a fruit of the Spirit it ought to be characteristic of us in all our relationships. I sometimes think it comes across as somewhat self-righteous that we want to be sure to explore, and again in the context of governing leaders, everything they have done because I would not expect them to stoop to sin, as though I was a sinless one here. They’re not requiring me to sin. They’re not demanding me to sin. And I expect as unredeemed people that that’s the realm in which they live enslaved to their passions and their appetites. It’s only the grace of God manifest that restrains a fuller manifestation of that. So, the unbeliever ought to see that we are courteous in our dealing with them with no area of pride and arrogance.

This is for “all men,” “for all men.” Remember the character of the Cretans back in chapter 1, verse 12. One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said “the Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons,” and these are men that you are going to show complete courtesy to. These are people that are coarse, crude in their behavior, repulsive, if you will. And that’s going to come out as a characteristic of fallen man. It’s going to be identified as characteristic of us before God’s grace came to us. So, we ought to show every consideration to all men and have an understanding of fallen humanity and the coarseness and crudeness, that does characterize fallen man, because we were once ourselves just like that.


So, you come to verse 3, and, ah, I don’t know how you mark your Bible, but you ought to underline or hi-light the opening portion of the verse. I sometimes like to connect the thought. In verse 3, “For we also once were.” In my Bible I’ve marked that, ah, hi-lighted, underlined it. Then underline or hi-light “but” that begins verse 4. Then verse 5, “He saved us.”
“We once were” then he describes what we once were, “but . . . He saved us.” You know how quickly I forget what I was. And so that causes me to think of myself as better than them. How often have I thought, even if I wasn’t saved I would never do that. Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. You know “the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things, who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart,” Jeremiah 17: 9 and 10 says.

“Let him who thinks his stands take heed lest he fall.” I forget how fallen I am and so I fail to appreciate what I am I am by the grace of God. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “I am what I am by the grace of God.”

So, here, the contrast as he reminds them. That’s why it seems to me he’s drawing a contrast here to draw attention, or an explanation to show he’s talking about our conduct primarily in relationship to unbelievers. And how we ought to function with them and treat them. The thoughtfulness we ought to have toward them. “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.”

We need to function, and must function, the way he instructed us in verses 1 and 2. And then he’s going to give two reasons here. Verse 3, we at one time ourselves were miserable, wretched sinners. Number 2, we are what we are by the grace of God. Remember what you were before God’s grace. Remember that what you are is a result of God’s grace. So, in your dealing with those who are unredeemed there ought to be understanding, there ought to be gentleness, there ought to be thoughtfulness, there ought to be consideration.

Before we look at these passages, let me look at a couple passages with you that are like this passage. We’ll do it in reverse that we often do. 1 Corinthians, chapter 6, 1 Corinthians, chapter 6. See a similar kind of emphasis as we’re going to see in Titus. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 6, verse 9, “Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you.” That reminder again, don’t forget. These things characterized many of you, and all of us are characterized as sinners, even if we don’t fit in one of the specific sins mentioned here.

“But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” A reminder of what you were in the power of God’s salvation and His grace that washed you, sanctified you, justified you.

Look over in Ephesians. The book of Ephesians, chapter 2. Similar kind of context that we’re talking about in Titus, chapter 2. Verse 1 of Ephesians 2, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lust of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest.”

If you don’t understand and grasp, this is what you were, maybe you have never entered into the salvation that is found only in Christ because essential to that salvation is coming to the realization that you are a vile, lost sinner. That is a breaking of our pride before God. That in His grace causes us to turn to Him as our only hope. “We all formerly lived” and indulged and “were by nature”, “but God, being rich in mercy, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.”

Come down to verse 17, chapter 4, verse 17, “This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles walk in the emptiness of their mind, darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart, become callous, given themselves over to sensuality” and so on. “But you did not learn Christ in this way.” We put off the old man. We put on the new man.


We need to remember. And, you know, the longer we’re saved, the more we forget. We see that among ourselves. You’ll meet someone who knew a member of the body in their former days. What do you say? You say, “I didn’t know them like that. It’s hard for me to think that they were ever like that. I don’t see them drunk in a bar some place. They’re so sweet and thoughtful and understanding. I don’t see them as someone who came home drunk and pushed their wife around. I just don’t think they ever were like that.

You know, I don’t want to ever forget what I was like. And I’ve been a Christian a long time. I never was that bad! You know, at heart, I was. Whatever I did not indulge in was by the grace of God, even the days before my salvation, that kept me from what could have so ruined me.

But I need to be careful. I think, well, I’m not as bad as they are. I end up, you know, like the self-righteous man in the account that Christ told. “I thank you, Lord, that I am not a sinner like others.” It’s just a certain disdain. I can hardly stand these sinners. They just are so terrible. Yuck! Ah, well, you know, I want to be repulsed by sin in that sense by the sinners who are so guilty, but in another sense I realize I’m just, I was just like them. I understand. You know, I can love them in Christ because I realize the transformation that God’s grace has done in my life and thus can do in their life. Paul, you know, kept this before him. He says, you know, “I was the chief of sinners.” Anybody unworthy it had to be me! “I persecuted the Church.” You know, I was in agreement with the murder of the believers. You know, he was there when Stephen was stoned, in perfect agreement.

So come back to Titus, chapter 3. “We also ourselves were once foolish.” It means without spiritual understanding. We were ignorant. We didn’t have the ability to understand spiritual truth. We just read in Ephesians, what? “Darkened in their understanding.” We were not thinkers. 1 Corinthians, chapter 2, says that the “soulish man, the man apart from the spirit of God, cannot know the things of God.” It’s just our character. We’re darkened in our minds. Foolish.


“We were once foolish ourselves.” We look and say, in using an example without mentioning names, we’re all familiar. Would a man in that position be so stupid to do such a thing? I find myself saying, well, I think I could understand him doing such a thing. I mean, a man apart from the work of God in the life and the spiritual understanding that comes. Foolish!

We were foolish ourselves. So, be careful saying I can’t understand how he could be so foolish. How she could be so foolish. Well, remember you were once just as foolish. You didn’t think any better than they think. You were darkened in your understanding like they are.

“Disobedient.” “Disobedient.” Disobedient in the human realm. Disobedient in the divine realm. That’s a mark of the unbeliever. Back in Titus, chapter 1, verse 16, “They professed to know God, but by their deeds they deny him, being detestable and disobedient.” The characteristic of the unbeliever is they live in the realm of disobedience.

In Romans, chapter 1, the end of the chapter. One of the characteristics of the unregenerate is that they are disobedient to their parents. The preceding part of that chapter has demonstrated their disobedience to God. They live in a realm of rebellion. That ought not to surprise us. They violate man’s laws; they are in rebellion against God.

We were disobedient. We were deceived. Um, we believed the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil. We were just as deluded. A word that carries the idea of moving off the correct path as you follow the wrong guide. You know the flesh led me. The world led me. The devil led me. I was deceived! I was duped! I was foolish. I didn’t think. I was deluded, deceived. I was enslaved to various lusts and pleasures. I mean, is it not part of our doctrine of depravity, the sinfulness of man, that before salvation we are enslaved to sin? Enslaved to the devil? Enslaved to our passions?

I just scratch my head that Christians stand up and talk about unbelievers indulging in fleshly pleasure saying, I just don’t understand how they can do that. We ought to understand it fully and completely. They’re enslaved to their passions. You watch the news commentators, and they say, we can’t imagine a person in such, and such a position would take the risk of destroying himself by doing something foolish. But believers ought not to be saying, we don’t believe that a person could do that. We understand it perfectly. The unbeliever is, what? Foolish, not thinking, and he’s enslaved to his passions, to his lusts. You note, “enslaved to various lusts” and pleasures of one kind and another. If it’s not one, it’s another, it’s another. “And we were,” I was just as enslaved to my lust and passions as the worst of sinners. Now, that doesn’t mean that I indulged in it in the same way. Was I any less enslaved to sin before I was saved, than any other fallen sinner?

Our doctrine ought to shape the way we live. We ought not to lose sight of the doctrine of sin and the doctrine of man’s depravity. We say, oh, we just can’t understand how the unbeliever would do certain things. Of all people, we say, we understand perfectly because I was like that. Well, did you do that? No, I didn’t do that specific thing, but I was just as enslaved to lusts and passions as that person.

“Enslaved to sin.” “He who sins is a slave of sin,” Jesus said. And it’s a vicious cycle. In sin did my mother conceive me, the Psalmist wrote. We’re sinners by birth and by choice and enslaved to that sin. “Spending our life in malice and envy.” “Malice”, it’s an ugly word. A word that denotes evil and even the sound of it, “kakia.” One of those words that carries the concept even in its sound. Perversity, wickedness. Spending our life, living our lives in the realm of evil, perversity, wickedness, envy. Envy and jealousy are driving factors in the life of the unbeliever.
We lived our lives in the realm of perversity, evil, vileness. Again, by God’s grace some of us were kept from indulging in some of the vile things we might have, but don’t think that we were any better. At heart, I’m the worst of the indulgers. That’s what we were. Living our life, spending our life in malice and envy.


“Hateful,” “hating one another.” “Hateful,” denotes being odious, repulsive, disgusting to others. You know, the sinner reaches a stage of degradation that he is even repulsive to other sinners. Isn’t that what the self-righteous man was praying, in the account I alluded to in the gospels as told by Christ? “I thank you, Lord, I am not a sinner like other men. That I am not like this publican.” What? This unregenerate sinner found this other sinner repulsive.

We find that goes on. Someone does something and someone else who is redeemed just says, “that’s disgusting!” It is disgusting but you know we as believers ought to have a perspective on it. That’s the realm in which we lived. That is the character of fallen man.

You know, we find ourselves much more comfortable with Pharisees than we do with publicans, the harlots, because at least they put a veneer over their sin, the Pharisees and Sadducees did. Jesus said they were what? Whitewashed sepulchers. The outside of the grave was painted up nice but that didn’t change the inside. We need to be careful. We’d be much more comfortable with Pharisees and Sadducees, and we lose sight of the fact of the corruption and vileness of the human heart.

And that was us. Keep in mind, don’t lose sight of verse, the beginning of verse 3. “We also once were.” We’re not describing others; we’re having ourselves described here. “Hateful.” We’re degraded, repulsive sinners and even if I did not indulge in some things, if God had opened a window into my heart and mind, it would have revealed that I was just as vile and loathsome and hateful as any sinner.

“Hating one another.” That’s another strong word, a different word than hateful. “Hateful” and “hating one another” are two different words. Both strong words. This “hating one another” denotes to detest, to abhor. And, you know, you kind of place sinners hate one another. And that’s why they will work to destroy one another. And they will try to use one, the sin of another sinner against him so they can destroy that sinner so that they can replace him. But they are no better.

How many people in past situations, with leaders in this country, aligned themselves with one political leader and then, when all came out, we were amazed at the vile character that was manifest in the person that we supported so strongly against the other person. Don’t lose sight of the facts of what our character was. We were despicable, degraded sinners and we detested and abhorred other sinners as well.


“But,” praise God for the beginning of verse 4, “But when the kindness of God our Savior appeared, His love” a series of words here you ought to take note of in the following verses. Verses 4-7 are going to form a sentence here. But look at the word “kindness” in verse 4; “love” in verse 4; “mercy” in verse 5, the middle of the verse, “according to His mercy”; and then “grace” down in verse 7, “justified by His grace.” Kindness, love, mercy, grace. We are what we are not because we were even a little bit better than the sinners that we are surrounded by, but it has to do with God’s kindness, God’s love, God’s mercy, God’s grace.

I get disgusted with myself when I consider how easily I slide to self-righteousness in my looking at the world and people around me who have yet to experience God’s grace and redemption.

“But when the kindness of God, our Savior, and His love for mankind appeared.” The word “kindness” means goodness, kindness, generosity. One Greek commentator said, “It means that spirit which is so kind that it is always ready and eager to give whatever gift may be necessary.” Now, here’s God’s kindness just ready to bestow on the wretched people described in verse 3, that which they need so desperately. “The kindness of God, our Savior, and His love for mankind.” We get the English word “philanthropy” from this Greek expression, “love for mankind.”

“Appeared.” This is what was talked about up in verse 11 of chapter 2, “the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men.” Down now in verse 4 of chapter 3, “but when the kindness of God, our Savior, and His love for mankind appeared.” That’s talking about the provision of Christ to be the Savior for fallen humanity.

Over in 1 John, chapter 4, let me just read it for you. 1 John, chapter 4, verses 9 and 10, “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. 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.” “The kindness and love of God for mankind appeared.” When that happened, He saved us. He saved us. I mentioned that verses 4-7 are one long sentence. This is the verb for this one long sentence. Everything is built around this verb, “He saved us.” Then everything else flows out of what He did.


“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness.” “Not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, He saved us.” Incidentally, in the Greek text the order gives an emphasis to that. We have “He saved us” starting verse 5. In the Greek text it starts out, “Not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, He saved us.” So, the verb there “He saved us” is put after “according to His mercy” and you get that emphasis and stress that salvation was not our doing, it was God’s doing. His kindness and love appeared and not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy He saved us.

This stresses that salvation is totally the work of God, completely from beginning to end and that has to do with my depravity. What could one, like me, described in verse 3, do to be holy and righteous and acceptable before Almighty God? Even if I could start today and by my own efforts become perfect, that would not undo all the yesterdays of my life. It is an impossibility. If I understand anything of the biblical doctrine of sin, I must understand I am hopeless and helpless, lost and justly condemned. But it’s the kindness and love and mercy of God. “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.”

Some people see the word “washing” and they right away have baptism, but the context has to determine. You know, I may have washed the car a couple of days ago. I may have washed myself this morning. You may wash the windows when spring comes. You know, just because the word “wash” is used it doesn’t mean it’s the same washing. So, we want to say wash. Well, wash, that implies water. Water implies baptism. So therefore you’re saved by being baptized. That is not exegeting scripture.


What’s explained here, it’s the washing of regeneration. Regeneration is the washing, the cleansing. We are cleansed when we are born again, when we are made new in Christ. Remember, 1, chapter 6, verse 11, “And such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified.” We were cleansed from our sin. “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold, new things have come,” 2 Corinthians 5:17 says.

The “washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” So, here you see two things being accomplished. Again, the cleansing from sin and it’s defilement and being made a new creature, a new person by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is remarkable! And I do not grasp and understand it in the sense of being able to explain the details. Even as Jesus said, the new birth is unexplainable in that sense in human terms. It is a supernatural work of God that when a person turns from their sin and places their faith in Christ, that God sovereignly, by His work in a heart, makes that person new on the inside. That is remarkable.

And we see the outworking of that transformation with the passing of time we say, I can’t believe it’s the same person. You know, husbands will say about a wife, or a wife about a husband. It’s like I’m living with a new person. You are! Same old shell, but a new person. But that new person is manifesting himself in the transformation. We have been washed by the work of regeneration. We have been made new, born into God’s family, the work of the Holy Spirit in that renewing.

That Holy Spirit is “poured out upon us richly through Christ Jesus our Savior.” Richly poured out on us. We have the Holy Spirit in all of His fullness, without restraint, abundantly He “poured out upon us richly through Christ our Savior,” the Holy Spirit. Jesus referred to the fact when He went to Heaven He would send the Holy Spirit. The indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit, ongoing now in our lives as God’s people, began when we were made new by the power of the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. We’re born into God’s family. But the Holy Spirit then took up residence within us and He has an on-going ministry. So, we are exhorted to “not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing” making new of your mind, in Romans 12:1 and 2. It’s a ministry the Holy Spirit is continuing to carry out. He “richly” poured Him out upon us. Abundantly gave Him to us through Christ Jesus.

“In order that being justified by His grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Not only have we been cleansed, washed in regeneration, made new, renewed, by the Holy Spirit, but we have been justified, declared righteous by His grace.


What a picture! Washed clean in the new birth, made new by the power of the Holy Spirit, declared righteous by His grace. This is the same pattern as the 1 Corinthians 6:11, washed, sanctified, justified. Cleansed and set apart and declared righteous, that work of God in salvation. “Justified, declared righteous by His grace that we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” We are those who will ultimately enter into the fullness of the life that we have received in Christ, which is eternal. We have eternal life as our possession now, but we haven’t entered into the fullness of that. When we are called into His presence when He appears, we receive our glorified bodies. Then we enter into the fullness of the life that we have received in Christ.

Now, this great theological statement in this sentence that runs on, verses 4-7, is to explain why we should conduct ourselves according to the instructions of verses 1 and 2 in the context of unbelievers. Particularly now in the context of unbelievers, we are submissive to authorities, ready for every good deed, we malign no one, we are uncontentious, we are gentle, showing consideration to every man, because we know what we were like apart from God’s grace. Only God’s grace, the power and magnificence of His grace has made me something totally different than I was. Praise God! For what I was so ugly, in verse 3. Only the power of God can make me new.

You know, I mention here, we are to manifest the character of God. Sometimes we pull out “uncontentious, gentle and malign no one” and misuse that. This is to be a general characteristic of our life. But this does not keep Paul from saying, under the inspiration of Spirit, in Titus 1, verse 16, for example, “These false teachers by their deeds they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient and worthless.” That in verse 10, “Many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially these Judiazers, those of the circumcision, must be silenced.” Down in chapter 3, verse 10, he will say, “reject the factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and sinning, being self-condemned.”


Jesus saved His strongest condemnations for religious leaders like the Pharisees and Sadducees. So, there are realms where we do stand, we do oppose those who would teach contrary to the Word of God, and we must be firm. Sometimes it might be thought to be harsh. We must be careful of our spirit. That we are manifesting God’s character even when we are doing battle against false doctrine.

There is rebuke. There is discipline in the body of believers. 1 Corinthians 5 makes clear, “If anyone is called a brother and is guilty of this sin, don’t have anything to do with him.” So Paul says, “What do I have do with judging those outside the Church?” 1 Corinthians 5. We won’t take the time to turn there, but we ought to read that.

I think Christians are on a march to judge the unbeliever for his sin. We’re not trying to reform unregenerate people. We’re trying to bring the power of God’s regenerating work in Christ to people who don’t need to clean up their life. They need to be made new. How quickly we get diverted and caught up in the movement of the day. The movement of the day is not to have better political rulers, to get our people in position, have people of better character that we can look up to. We are to recognize that apart from the work of God’s mercy and kindness and grace in a life, we are all at our best vile, wretched, hell deserving sinners. That would give us a tolerance, an understanding, an acceptance in the context of what I’ve been talking about of the behavior of unregenerate people.

I don’t want to tell them you know you ought to stop that sin because they might clean up their life and become all the harder to reach. Were the Pharisees easier to reach than the harlots and publicans? They were harder to reach! Oh, I don’t want them to think, quit drinking, quit drinking and you will be a non-drinking hell bound vile sinner. Keep drinking and you’ll be the same.


So let’s not lose sight of what we were, the privilege we are to remember that, and when we see sinners that are so despicable and vile, you want to say, I remember Titus. That’s what I was. I’m not condemning you for that. That’s what I expect you would do. Do you understand that you can be made new on the inside and that’s what will make a difference? I am what I am and not doing the sin that you are doing. Not because I’m a better person. I used to be just like you on the inside until something marvelous happened to me. I’m not better than you. I couldn’t do it! I can only tell you that God’s grace transformed me. That same grace is offered to you in Christ to transform you. And apart from that, trying to clean up your life does not make you any better, any more acceptable or any more pleasing to God. Only God’s grace can change a life.

Let’s pray together: Thank you, Lord, for the power of saving grace. Thank you that you are a God of kindness and love and mercy and grace. We are here this evening as testimonies to the magnificence of a God who has saved us in Christ Jesus. May we not forget what we were. May that condition our behavior and our conduct in relation to those who are yet apart from your saving grace. Lord may the desire of our heart not be that they clean up their lives. May we not become arrogant and proud in our condemnation of them, but may we be instruments to bring to them the salvation that is found only in the Savior who loved us and died for us. For we pray in His name. Amen.