5. Not by--Greek, "Out of"; "not as a result springing
from works," &c.
of righteousness--Greek, "in righteousness," that
is, wrought "in a state of righteousness": as "deeds
. . . wrought in God." There was an utter absence in
us of the element ("righteousness") in which alone righteous works
could be done, and so necessarily an absence of the works. "We neither
did works of righteousness, nor were saved in consequence of them; but
His goodness did the whole" [THEOPHYLACT].
we--emphatically opposed to "His."
mercy--the prompting cause of our salvation individually: "In
pursuance of His mercy." His kindness and love to man
were manifested in redemption once for all wrought by Him for mankind
generally; His mercy is the prompting cause for our
individual realization of it. Faith is presupposed as the
instrument of our being "saved"; our being so, then, is spoken of as an
accomplished fact. Faith is not mentioned, but only God's
part. as Paul's object here is not to describe man's new state, but
the saving agency of God in bringing about that state,
independent of all merit on the man's part (see on
Tit 3:4).
by--Greek, "through"; by means of.
the washing--rather, "the laver," that is, the baptismal font.
of regeneration--designed to be the visible instrument of
regeneration. "The apostles are wont to draw an argument from the
sacraments to prove the thing therein signified, because it ought to be
a recognized principle among the godly, that God does not mark us with
empty signs, but by His power inwardly makes good what He demonstrates
by the outward sign. Wherefore baptism is congruously and truly called
the laver of regeneration. We must connect the sign and thing
signified, so as not to make the sign empty and ineffectual; and yet
not, for the sake of honoring the sign, to detract from the Holy Spirit
what is peculiarly His" [CALVIN],
(1Pe 3:21).
Adult candidates for baptism are presupposed to have had repentance and
faith (for Paul often assumes in faith and charity that those addressed
are what they profess to be, though in fact some of them were not so,
1Co 6:11),
in which case baptism would be the visible "laver or regeneration" to
them, "faith being thereby confirmed, and grace
increased, by virtue of prayer to God" [Article XXVII, Church of
England]. Infants are charitably presumed to have received a
grace in connection with their Christian descent, in answer to the
believing prayers of their parents or guardians presenting them
for baptism, which grace is visibly sealed and increased by baptism,
"the laver of regeneration." They are presumed to be then
regenerated, until years of developed consciousness prove whether they
have been actually so or not. "Born of (from) water and (no 'of'
in Greek) the Spirit." The Word is the remote and
anterior instrument of the new birth; Baptism, the
proximate instrument. The Word, the instrument to the
individual; Baptism, in relation to the Society of Christians.
The laver of cleansing stood outside the door of the tabernacle,
wherein the priest had to wash before entering the Holy Place; so we
must wash in the laver of regeneration before we can enter the Church,
whose members are "a royal priesthood." "Baptism by the Spirit"
(whereof water baptism is the designed accompanying seal) makes the
difference between Christian baptism and that of John. As Paul
presupposes the outward Church is the visible community of the
redeemed, so he speaks of baptism on the supposition that it answers to
its idea; that all that is inward belonging to its completeness
accompanied the outward. Hence he here asserts of outward baptism
whatever is involved in the believing appropriation of the divine facts
which it symbolizes, whatever is realized when baptism fully
corresponds to its original design. So
Ga 3:27;
language holding good only of those in whom the inward living communion
and outward baptism coalesce. "Saved us" applies fully to those truly
regenerate alone; in a general sense it may include many who, though
put within reach of salvation, shall not finally be saved.
"Regeneration" occurs only once more in New Testament,
Mt 19:28,
that is, the new birth of the heaven and earth at Christ's
second coming to renew all material things, the human body included,
when the creature, now travailing in labor-throes to the birth, shall
be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty
of the children of God. Regeneration, which now begins in the
believer's soul, shall then be extended to his body, and thence to all
creation.
and renewing--not "the laver ('washing') of renewing,"
but "and BY the renewing," &c., following "saved
us." To make "renewing of the Holy Ghost" follow "the laver" would
destroy the balance of the clauses of the sentence, and would make
baptism the seal, not only of regeneration, but also of the
subsequent process of progressive sanctification ("renewing of
the Holy Ghost"). Regeneration is a thing once for all done;
renewing is a process daily proceeding. As "the washing," or
"laver," is connected with "regeneration," so the "renewing of
the Holy Ghost" is connected with "shed on us abundantly"
(Tit 3:6).
JFB.
The Book of Titus
Titus 1:4 - To Titus, [mine] own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, [and] peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Titus 3:5 - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Titus in The New Testament - A Brief Overview
Painting of Paul the Apostle by Rembrandt - 1657
Introduction to The Book of Titus
Brief Summary. The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus an epistle to help him in leading the church against false teaching, and how to lead the church, as well as Christian living.
Summary of The Book of Titus
Purpose. Paul wrote his epistle to Titus because there was false teaching that had crept in to the church, and Paul desired to counsel Titus so that he could take the right course of action. He instructed Titus regarding the qualifications of an elder, how to deal with false teachers and the dangers they bring, and Paul also encourages him on living the Christian life.
Titus. Titus was a Gentile convert of the apostle Paul (Titus 1:4). There was a big debate in Jerusalem regarding Judaism and Christianity. The Jews in Jerusalem who were followers of Christ demanded that Titus be circumcised, and Paul resisted them because he wanted Titus to be an example of how Christ frees the believer from the law of Moses. Titus made two trips to Corinth to collect a contribution for the poor saints in Jerusalem and Paul commended him as a faithful helper (2 Corinthians 7-8).
Crete. When the apostle Paul was released from prison Titus had accompanied him, and Paul sent Titus to the island of Crete to help with the church there. The Cretans had a reputation of dishonesty, piracy, and loose morality. It is interesting to note that men from the island of Crete were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when God poured out his Spirit and the church was born (Acts 2). Paul had visited the island of Crete and observed all the immorality of the people there, and even the church was difficult to organize.
Author. Paul the apostle
Date. Shortly after 1 Timothy, about AD 64 or 65. The epistle was written in either Nicopolis, Thessalonica, or Philippi, or somewhere on the road to Nicopolis.
Outline of the Book of Titus
Church Organization - Chapter 1
Church Living - Chapter 2
Pastoral Ministry - Chapter 3
The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus"
would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or
consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A).
Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means
"The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".
Titus Maps and Resources
Map of the Roman Empire (14 A.D.) - This map reveals the Roman Empire during the time shortly after the birth of Jesus, in 14 AD at the time of the death of Augustus. The order which prevailed in this extensive empire, the good military roads, and the use of Koine Greek as the general language of culture throughout the area were among the factors which multiplied the rapid spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's First Missionary Journey (48 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia Minor where Paul visited in his first missionary journey. Around 48 AD, in the springtime, Paul and his companions Barnabas and Mark were sent on a mission from the church in Antioch. This would be the first of Paul's Missionary Journey's. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Second Missionary Journey (51 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his second missionary journey. Paul re-visits a couple cities in Asia, one of which was Lystra where he was stoned and left for dead a few years earlier. He later has a vision that leads him over to Greece and Paul and his companions travel and minister in various cities in Greece (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth. Later Paul returns to Ephesus and finally to Caesarea and Antioch. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Third Missionary Journey (54 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his third missionary journey. On Paul's third missionary journey he returned to the cities he had first visited on his first missionary journey. During this time he decided to remain in Ephesus for about 3 years, and this city was the main focus of his activities and an important Christian community (Acts 19). (Color Map)
Map of the New Testament World - This map reveals the "Nations" within the ancient world during the first century A.D., the time of the New Testament. The map includes the areas of Israel, Asia, Greece, and Italy. (Color Map)
Map of New Testament Greece This map reveals the cities within Greece in the ancient world during the first century A.D.,The map includes the principal cities of Greece like: Athens, Corinth, and Thessalonica, and provinces like Macedonia and Achaia. (Color Map)
Map of New Testament Asia - This map shows the cities within
Asia Minor during the first century A.D., the time of the New
Testament. The map includes the principal cities of Asia
including Tarsus, Ephesus, and Colossae, and provinces like
Galatia and Pamphilia. (Color Map)