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 by the Holy Spirit.
We cannot take credit for the grace and mercy that is extended to us from our Heavenly Father; because our salvation is based solely on the righteousness of God's grace through the sacrificial death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the entire world.
For it is by grace that we are saved through faith (belief and trust) in the only true and living God, not of anything that we could have done on ourselves. There is nothing that we could have done to earn our way into the Kingdom of God. The grace that has been extended to us though faith is a gift from God.
The Gift of eternal life is a precious gift, that has a value that cannot be purchased by the mere efforts of man's limited understanding. However, God Himself gives us access to approach the throne of grace through His beloved Son's perfect example of righteousness and holy living; set apart for the purpose of glorifying God, and the building up of the Kingdom of God.
Our deeds could have never saved us because our deeds were according to the flesh. We did what we wanted to do, when we wanted to do it. Therefore, we were our own God; lacking the consultation of the only True God, who made heaven and earth.
God gives us access to life eternal through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, and He gives us the power to produce good deeds acceptable by Him; through the power of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us.
Reflection:
- What new responsibilities has God given you to complete for the purpose of building the Kingdom of God?
- How can you make sure that God receives all the glory for what He does in and through you?
- Do you have a lifestyle that is a witness to the power of God on a daily basis?
Strong's Concordance Definitions: Titus 3:5
Saved: 4982
1) to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction
a) one (from injury or peril)
1) to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health
1) to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue
b) to save in the technical biblical sense
1) negatively
a) to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment
b) to save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance
Deeds: 2041
1) business, employment, that which any one is occupied
a) that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking
2) any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind
3) an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work
We have done - 4160
1) to make
a) with the names of things made, to produce, construct, form, fashion, etc.
b) to be the authors of, the cause
c) to make ready, to prepare
d) to produce, bear, shoot forth
e) to acquire, to provide a thing for one's self
f) to make a thing out of something
g) to (make i.e.) render one anything
1) to (make i.e.) constitute or appoint one anything, to appoint or ordain one that
2) to (make i.e.) declare one anything
h) to put one forth, to lead him out
i) to make one do something
1) cause one to
j) to be the authors of a thing (to cause, bring about)
2) to do
a) to act rightly, do well
1) to carry out, to execute
b) to do a thing unto one
1) to do to one
c) with designation of time: to pass, spend
d) to celebrate, keep
1) to make ready, and so at the same time to institute, the celebration of the passover
e) to perform: to a promise
In righteousness - 1343
1) in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God
a) the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God
b) integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting
2) in a narrower sense, justice or the virtue which gives each his due
Mercy: 1656
1) mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them
a) of men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one's self merciful
b) of God towards men: in general providence; the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ
c) the mercy of Christ, whereby at his return to judgment he will bless true Christians with eternal life
Washing: 3067
1) mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them
a) of men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one's self merciful
b) of God towards men: in general providence; the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ
c) the mercy of Christ, whereby at his return to judgment he will bless true Christians with eternal life
Regeneration: 3824
1) new birth, reproduction, renewal, recreation, regeneration
a) hence renovation, regeneration, the production of a new life consecrated to God, a radical change of mind for the better. The word often used to denote the restoration of a thing to its pristine state, its renovation, as a renewal or restoration of life after death
b) the renovation of the earth after the deluge
c) the renewal of the world to take place after its destruction by fire, as the Stoics taught
d) the signal and glorious change of all things (in heaven and earth) for the better, that restoration of the primal and perfect condition of things which existed before the fall of our first parents, which the Jews looked for in connection with the advent of the Messiah, and which Christians expected in connection with the visible return of Jesus from heaven.
e) other uses
1) of Cicero's restoration to rank and fortune on his recall from exile
2) of the restoration of the Jewish nation after exile
3) of the recovery of knowledge by recollection
Renewing: 342
1) a renewal, renovation, complete change for the better
Spirit: 4151
1) the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son
a) sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his personality and character (the "Holy" Spirit)
b) sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his work and power (the Spirit of "Truth")
c) never referred to as a depersonalised force
2) the spirit, i.e. the vital principal by which the body is animated
a) the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides
b) the soul
3) a spirit, i.e. a simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting
a) a life giving spirit
b) a human soul that has left the body
c) a spirit higher than man but lower than God, i.e. an angel
1) used of demons, or evil spirits, who were conceived as inhabiting the bodies of men
2) the spiritual nature of Christ, higher than the highest angels and equal to God, the divine nature of Christ
3) the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one
a) the efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc.
4) a movement of air (a gentle blast)
a) of the wind, hence the wind itself
b) breath of nostrils or mouth
References:
Blue Letter Bible. "Paul's Epistle - Titus 3 - (NASB - New American Standard Bible)." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2009. 9 Dec 2009. < http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Tts&c=3&t=NASB >
Higgins, S. (2009). The Power to Produce. Devotions for Thought. Higgins Publishing - http://www.higginspublishing.com | http://devotionsforthought.blogspot.com
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