Titus 3:5 BSB — MannaFest

Titus 3:5

He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

KJV

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;

⋯

Commentary

5 voices

Ambrose of Milan

On the Holy Spirit 3.10.64 (397)

Who is the one who is born of the Spirit and is made Spirit? It is one who is renewed in the Spirit of his mind. It is one who is regenerated by water and the Holy Spirit. We receive the hope of eternal life through the laver of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. And elsewhere the apostle Peter says: "You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit." For who is he that is baptized with the Holy Spirit but he who is born again through water and the Holy Spirit?

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

The cause of it; not our works or righteousness, but "the kindness and love of God our saviour." 2. The effects; which are, (1.) Justification; "being justified," pardoned and accepted through the alone merits of Christ, not from any desert in us, but according to his own mercy, "by his grace," his free, unmerited goodness.

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

We read of riches of goodness and mercy, Rom. ii. Let us acknowledge this, and give him the glory of it, not turning it to wantonness, but to thankfulness and obedience. (3.) Here is the means, or instrumental cause--the shining out of this love and grace of God in the gospel, after it appeared, that is, in the word.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

Not by works of righteousness which we have done - The plan was not based on our own good works, nor are our own good works now the cause of our salvation. If people could have been saved by their own good works, there would have been no need of salvation by the Redeemer; if our own deeds were now the basis of our title to eternal life, the work of Christ would be equally unnecessary.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

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.

Voices on this verse

loading…

Original language & word study

23 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
οὐκ	ouk	not	G3756 →
ἐξ	ex	by	G1537 →
ἔργων	ergōn	works	G2041 →
τῶν	tōn	<the>	G3588 →
ἐν	en	in	G1722 →
δικαιοσύνῃ	dikaiosunē	righteousness	G1343 →
ἃ	ha	that	G3739 →
ἐποιήσαμεν	epoiēsamen	did	G4160 →
ἡμεῖς,	hēmeis	we ourselves,	G3165 →
ἀλλὰ	alla	but	G235 →
κατὰ	kata	according to	G2596 →
τὸ	to	<the>	G3588 →
αὐτοῦ	autou	His	G846 →
ἔλεος	eleos	mercy	G1656 →
ἔσωσεν	esōsen	He saved	G4982 →
ἡμᾶς	hēmas	us	G3165 →
διὰ	dia	through	G1223 →
λουτροῦ	loutrou	[the] washing	G3067 →
παλιγγενεσίας	palingenesias	of regeneration	G3824 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἀνακαινώσεως	anakainōseōs	renewing	G342 →
πνεύματος	pneumatos	of [the] Spirit	G4151 →
ἁγίου	hagiou	Holy	G40 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

G2041ergonworks168×

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
2 Timothy 1:9
He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.
leads to
- Ephesians 2:8–9
  For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,
- Titus 3:4–5
  But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
- Ephesians 1:3–4
  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.
Through
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
leads to
- 1 Peter 1:23
  For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
- 1 John 5:4
  because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.
- Romans 15:13
  Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Titus 3:4–6
  But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
Through
1 Corinthians 6:11
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
leads to
- Acts 22:16
  And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.

Featured studies on this passage

On Titus 3:5

Born Again

Open the study →

On Titus 3:5

The Bronze Laver

Not by works of righteousness we had done, but by His mercy: a washing of regeneration, spoken of as done.

Open the study →

On Titus 3:5

Titus: the Study Guide

Open the study →

On Titus 3:5

Water Baptism

Open the study →

About Titus

Preaching in the Wilderness — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Titus: the study guide →Read chapter 3 →The featured study →

Grace
Salvation credited to mercy, not works of righteousness done by the believer
Mercy
Salvation explicitly 'not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy.'
Salvation
Saved not by righteous works but according to God's mercy alone

Continue: Titus 3 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Titus

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Titus