Verse: Titus 3:5
Theme: Salvation by God’s Mercy, Not Human Works or Righteousness
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
— Titus 3:5, New International Version (NIV)
“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.”
— Titus 3:5, English Standard Version (ESV)
“He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
— Titus 3:5, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
“He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.”
— Titus 3:5, New Living Translation (NLT)
“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 3:5, King James Version (KJV)
Meaning of Titus 3:5
Few verses demolish human pride quite as thoroughly as this one. Paul doesn’t say God saved us partially because of our efforts or that our righteousness played a supporting role in redemption. He categorically excludes any contribution from human righteousness, attributing salvation entirely to divine mercy. This isn’t false humility or exaggerated rhetoric; it’s the unvarnished truth about how salvation actually works.
The phrase “not because of righteous things we had done” addresses humanity’s deepest instinct: the belief that we can earn our way into God’s favor through moral effort, religious performance, or accumulated good deeds. Every religion except biblical Christianity operates on some version of this principle. Do enough good, avoid enough evil, perform the right rituals, achieve the proper enlightenment, and perhaps you’ll merit divine acceptance. Paul annihilates this entire framework with five words: “not because of righteous things.”
The positive alternative is stunning: “because of his mercy.” Mercy, by definition, is getting what we don’t deserve. It’s the opposite of earning or meriting. If we deserved salvation, it would be justice or payment, not mercy. Paul anchors our entire salvation not in what we’ve done but in what God is: merciful. This shifts the foundation from the unstable ground of human performance to the unshakeable rock of divine character.
The mechanism of this salvation involves “washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” This isn’t surface cleaning but a fundamental transformation. The word “rebirth” suggests starting over completely, receiving a new nature rather than merely improving the old one. The Holy Spirit doesn’t polish our existing righteousness; He regenerates us from the inside out, creating something entirely new that wasn’t possible through human effort alone.
Popular Words of Wisdom from Titus 3:5
“Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.”
— John R.W. Stott, Anglican Theologian
“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace—only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.”
— Anne Lamott, American Author
“The only thing of my very own which I contribute to my redemption is the sin from which I need to be redeemed.”
— William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury
“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.”
— Benjamin Franklin, American Founding Father
“The measure of a man is what he does with power.”
— Plato, Greek Philosopher
“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.”
— John Newton, Former Slave Trader and Hymn Writer
Explaining the Context of Titus 3:5
Paul wrote this letter to Titus, his ministry partner, whom he had left on the island of Crete to establish church leadership and counter false teaching. The Cretan culture was notoriously difficult, with a reputation for laziness, deception, and moral corruption. Titus faced the challenge of developing Christian communities in an environment hostile to gospel values, making a clear articulation of salvation’s foundation crucial for new believers.
This verse appears near the letter’s conclusion, where Paul shifts from instructions about church organization and conduct to theological foundations that motivate Christian living. He has just reminded Titus that believers were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved to various passions, but that God’s kindness and love appeared to save them. This context emphasizes the radical transformation that salvation produces, not through human reformation but through divine intervention.
The emphasis on mercy rather than works addresses a persistent human tendency that Paul fought throughout his ministry. Both Jewish and Gentile converts struggled with the impulse to add human requirements to God’s grace. Jewish believers wanted to require circumcision and law-keeping; Gentile believers brought their own cultural assumptions about earning divine favor through philosophy, self-denial, or mystery religion rituals. Paul consistently opposed these additions, insisting that salvation comes entirely through God’s mercy manifested in Christ.
The letter to Titus also addresses emerging false teachers who were promoting “Jewish myths and the merely human commands of those who reject the truth” (Titus 1:14). These teachers apparently emphasized works-based righteousness, creating confusion about how people actually become right with God. Paul’s clear statement in 3:5 cuts through this confusion, establishing that salvation’s origin lies entirely in God’s merciful character rather than human moral achievement or religious performance.
Explaining the Key Parts of Titus 3:5
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done”
The emphatic negative excludes any notion that human good works, moral efforts, or religious performances contribute to earning salvation from God.
This phrase addresses humanity’s universal instinct to establish our own righteousness, revealing that even our best efforts remain inadequate for meriting divine acceptance.
“But because of his mercy”
The stark contrast introduces the actual basis for salvation, rooting it in God’s character rather than human performance or achievement.
Mercy, by definition, means receiving what we don’t deserve, making it incompatible with any notion of earning or meriting salvation through personal righteousness.
“He saved us through the washing of rebirth”
The imagery of washing suggests complete cleansing from sin’s defilement rather than mere improvement of existing moral character or religious standing.
Rebirth indicates starting completely over with a new nature rather than rehabilitating or improving the old fallen nature through human effort.
“And renewal by the Holy Spirit”
Renewal emphasizes the ongoing transformation that follows initial regeneration, showing salvation as both event and process empowered by God’s Spirit.
The Holy Spirit’s agency indicates that transformation comes through divine power rather than human willpower, sustained by God rather than personal determination.
Lessons to Learn from Titus 3:5
1. Human Righteousness Cannot Contribute to Salvation
Even our best moral efforts and religious performances remain inadequate for earning God’s acceptance, requiring salvation to come entirely through divine mercy.
2. Mercy Is the Foundation of Our Salvation
Understanding that salvation flows from God’s merciful character rather than human merit protects us from both pride and despair about our spiritual standing.
3. Salvation Produces Fundamental Transformation
The washing and rebirth imagery shows that God doesn’t merely improve our existing nature but creates something entirely new through regeneration.
4. The Holy Spirit Powers Our Renewal
Ongoing transformation after initial salvation depends on the Spirit’s work rather than human effort, though it requires our cooperation and response.
5. Grace Eliminates Spiritual Competition
When salvation comes entirely through mercy rather than works, believers have no basis for comparing or competing based on moral achievement or spiritual performance.
Related Bible Verses
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
— Ephesians 2:8-9, New International Version (NIV)
“But 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.”
— Titus 3:4-5, English Standard Version (ESV)
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
— Ephesians 2:8-9, New Living Translation (NLT)
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
— Romans 5:8, Good News Translation (GNT)
How This Verse Points to Christ
Titus 3:5 points to Christ as the embodiment of God’s mercy, through whom the washing of rebirth and spiritual renewal becomes available to fallen humanity.
The exclusive emphasis on mercy rather than works finds its ultimate expression in Christ’s sacrifice, which provides righteousness we could never achieve ourselves.
Just as this verse describes washing and rebirth, Christ spoke to Nicodemus about being born again through water and Spirit, pointing to Himself as the source.
The Holy Spirit’s renewing work mentioned here becomes possible only through Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, which made the Spirit’s indwelling available.
Christ perfectly fulfilled all righteousness that humans failed to achieve, making His work the basis for the mercy this verse describes rather than our inadequate efforts.
The transformation from old to new through regeneration reflects Christ’s resurrection power, creating new life in those who were spiritually dead in sin.
Closing Reflection
Titus 3:5 challenges us to examine whether we’re still trying to supplement God’s mercy with human righteousness or truly resting in grace alone.
This passage reminds us that our best moral efforts remain inadequate for earning salvation, freeing us from the exhausting treadmill of religious performance.
The emphasis on washing and rebirth encourages us to embrace the radical transformation God offers rather than settling for surface improvements to old patterns.
These verses call us to recognize the Holy Spirit as the ongoing source of renewal rather than relying on willpower and self-improvement strategies.
The categorical exclusion of human works protects us from both pride in our achievements and despair about our failures, anchoring security in God’s character.
Ultimately, this passage points us toward Christ, whose perfect righteousness becomes ours through faith, enabling God’s mercy to save without compromising His justice.
Say This Prayer
Merciful Savior,
Forgive us when we subtly try to add our own righteousness to Your sufficient grace, as though Your mercy needed supplementing with human effort.
Help us embrace the humbling truth that nothing we’ve done contributed to our salvation, freeing us from both pride and performance-driven exhaustion.
Teach us to rest in Your mercy as the unchanging foundation of our acceptance rather than monitoring our spiritual progress as proof of our standing.
When we’re tempted to compare ourselves with other believers based on moral achievement, remind us that mercy eliminates all spiritual competition and boasting.
Continue the washing and renewal You began in us through Your Spirit, transforming us from the inside out by divine power rather than human willpower.
May we live as those truly reborn, displaying the new creation You’ve made us rather than attempting to improve the old nature beyond Your redemption.
Through Christ our Merciful Lord, Amen.