Born Again Through God’s Kindness and Love

Titus 3:4-7

“But when the kindness and love of GOD our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy.”

We did nothing deserving of GOD’S kindness, love or favor. God saw a foolish, disobedient, deceived, lustful humanity, living in malice and envy. Yet, in our broken and lost state, His kindness and love appeared to us in our Savior, Jesus Christ. This was a response of mercy.

Mercy is an act of compassionate forgiveness toward another when it is within one’s power to punish them. This kindness and love of God appeared to men when it was within His power to punish us. We were saved not because we deserved salvation, but by the mercy of God.

How?

GOD provided a means for us to be born again…

“He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit whom HE poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

When something is washed, it is made clean. Regeneration means, new birth or born again. We are made clean, i.e., saved by being born again. The ability to be born again and have our spirits return to the likeness of the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD came by the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In this likeness, when we are baptized, a death, burial, and resurrection take place. Based on our faith, we acknowledge a desire to change and be made new. This is not something forced upon us but a decision we are privileged to make as a result of God’s mercy.

We make a decision to crucify the old self and be born again. Baptism does nothing to our body other than get us wet; the significance of baptism lies in what we cannot see, which is the cleansing and renewal of our spirit, by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

“According to His mercy we have been saved through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, of whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior that having been justified by his Grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

The word justified is the same word used for “freed: in Romans 6:7 where Paul writes, “…for he that is dead is freed from sin.”  

Notice the verses that precede, “…do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.” Romans 6:3-7 

He who is dead is freed; he has been justified or made blameless of sin. This blessing came by GOD’S grace, through Jesus, so that we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The kindness and love of GOD grants us the privilege of experiencing a new birth through Jesus Christ. God has provided a way for us; when we respond to the call of this good news, we can be renewed in Christ. I am grateful for the favor and mercy of God that affords me the opportunity to be His saved child.