“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 3:4-7 [ESV] Oh man! I love these verses! There is NOTHING we can do or could have done to have Jesus save us…NOTHING. It is through God’s mercy and grace alone we receive our salvation. What about the ‘washing of regeneration’? The other way to say this would be ‘cleansing through re-birth’ which points to the new creation we become through salvation. Then we have ‘renewal of the Holy Spirit’. One points to the act of entering (re-birth), while the other marks the quality of the new life (renovation). Renewal points to the whole process of ‘making new’. Through the work of the Spirit we live on a higher plane than before. God’s Holy Spirit has been POURED out on us RICHLY…THROUGH Jesus!…and then because we have been JUSTIFIED by His grace, we have HOPE! The point of this reference to justification is that no-one who is not justified can hope for an inheritance…no matter what we do. Justification is the only way to eternity with God and that Justification only comes through One Person -> Jesus Christ.
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