SALVATION IS GOD’S WORK – HOPE REFORMED CHURCH

“…not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
—Titus 3:5

Redemption from sin and God’s wrath is by God’s grace on account of the righteous work of Jesus Christ in the place of sinners. Jesus fulfilled all the righteous demands of the Law of God on behalf of all who trust in Him. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4).

In Titus 3:5, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that salvation from sin is the work of God in His Son Jesus Christ and not by anything in, of, or through the sinner. He wrote that redemption is “according to God’s mercy.” Mercy is translated from the Greek word “eleos”, which means compassion. Elect sinners are redeemed because of God’s compassion upon them. As Paul wrote, “For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” (Romans 9:15). God saved those whom He chose from before the foundation of the world, and He did so by regenerating their rebellious souls and making them able to hear, believe, and understand the Word of God (Matthew 13:23). Salvation, which means deliverance or rescue, is cleansing from sin by the blood of Christ. Believers are also blessed with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit who empowers, protects, and leads redeemed sheep to the Great Shepherd of the sheep, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, all our boasting must be in the Savior Jesus and in Jesus alone. If you boast in anything that you can do regarding salvation from sin, no matter how insignificant it may seem, then you have not understood salvation by God’s grace alone. As our text says, “…not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit…” Are you trusting Jesus alone as your Redeemer?

Tuesday Encouragement: March 10, 2026
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry