Great grace, great love
Titus 3:5-6 ...He [God the Father] saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior
All three members of the Trinity – God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit – participated in securing our salvation from sin’s ultimate penalty. Without God acting on our behalf, we would have been eternally separated from God and unable to become whom God created us to be.
While our rescue from eternal death was God’s primary motivation, it wasn’t the only outcome from what God did for us. Paul continues and explains God’s motivation in providing such a great salvation:
Titus 3:7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
To be justified means to be declared legally righteous. Not guilty of the sin I’ve committed. Since Jesus paid the penalty for all of humanity’s sin, and I have accepted that he took the punishment I deserved, I cannot be condemned to eternal separation from God. As Paul said in his letter to the believers in Rome:
Romans 8:1-2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
But did you catch what Paul was saying to Titus? There is more to a believer’s life, something that goes beyond the initial salvation moment and experience.
Titus 3:7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
I have often heard justification explained as God treating the believer “just-as-if-I-had-never-sinned”, however Paul is saying that there is more to it than that. We become heirs, we now have hope in an eternal future of life with God. Perhaps a better statement for justification would be that God now treats the believer “just-as-if-I-were-Jesus-himself”.
While I am now treated as if I were sinless, I am also received as a member of the family and brought into the relationship found within the Trinity. That does not mean that I become God, but I am loved as much as God the Father loves God the Son…which is an eternal, unbreakable love. We are given privileges unknown to any other created being…and it’s all because we are associated with Jesus.
Also notice how we are justified…it is by his grace. Not by anything we did or will do. We saw earlier that our rescue was not because of righteous things we had done, it’s all a gift.
How great is God’s love toward us?!
Keep Pressing,
Ken