AFTER CHRIST

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 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, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.

Titus 3:4-8a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Think about where a person is before they choose to believe in Jesus, their state before Christ.

Every single person minus Jesus is dead in the sin that enslaves them, doomed by their foolish acts of iniquity and utter disobedience. They embrace their own pleasures and passions fueled by a world influence that encourages self satisfaction and self centeredness. And such behavior is carried out before a God who despises and hates sinfulness, a God who will exchange judgment, wrath, and punishment for the disrespect and disregard shown to Him. Without a change, the unbeliever is destined for Hell and eternal damnation.

This was the summary of what we covered in yesterday’s message, drawing from verse 3 found within chapter 3 of Paul’s letter to Titus and the Christians who were with him on the island of Crete.

As stated in that message, we can’t fully appreciate what God did to save us through His Son Jesus until we realize the hopeless place we’re in without a Savior. Today, we are reminded about how everything changes for the better after someone chooses to believe in Christ. Let’s go back to Titus 3 and pick up where we left off yesterday. Paul writes the following:

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 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, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. Vv. 4-8a

Note here that God didn’t save us because of any “righteous things” we did. There was no checklist of holy accomplishments we needed to complete before gaining salvation. No, God saved us completely of His own bidding out of “the kindness and love” He has for all people He has created and through His perfect grace and mercy. Period.

In other words, salvation is a gift we don’t deserve that was purchased by the ultimate sacrifice that we caused. Jesus paid for our pardon by bearing all our sin and willingly laying down His life like a Good Shepherd does for His sheep (John 10:11). And He did so because it was the will of His Father (Mark 14:35-36).

Indeed, God so loved the world that He gave up His only Son so that whoever believed in Him wouldn’t perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

When someone believes in Jesus, everything changes for the better. Paul puts it this way in his second letter to the Christians in Corinth:

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17

As we turn back to our passage from Titus 3, we find the scriptures showing us three characteristics that define the new life in Christ Jesus.

First, a person is reborn. The “old life is gone” and a “new life has begun”, a new life that trades in the world’s way of living for the way that Jesus lived. Go back to the conversation that Jesus had with a man named Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin who visited in the dark of night.

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. John 3:1-6

When anyone willingly believes in Jesus as Savior, they automatically receive the gift of the Holy Spirit that enters in to dwell within them (Acts 2:38) and that Spirit’s presence and influence drives the internal rebirth, a rebirth that results in the second benefit of choosing to believe in Christ as Savior, renewal.

This renewal happens from the inside out. The Holy Spirit, the God-sent Counselor and Advocate Jesus spoke to guide believers after He ascended (John 14:26), transforms and rewires a person’s soul, heart, and mind so that there is a shift in what influences behavior. The new Christian experiences a new way of living with every thought, word, and act intentionally carried out to satisfy and please God, just as Jesus lived.

In other words, the Holy Spirit leads a renewed believer to show the Christ in Christian by reflecting the life of their Savior.  

The final important gift granted to anyone who believes in Jesus as Savior is justification.

Need a good illustration to always remember what justification means?

Picture yourself being called before God to answer for your life. You have to defend yourself as a sinner against a perfectly just Judge who will uncompromisingly punish anyone charged with sinfulness for all eternity.

It’s a hopeless scene, isn’t it? For what could you ever say to God to justify the sins you have committed?

It would take a miracle to save you but in steps Jesus. He turns to God and says that He (Jesus) has already paid the penalty for the sins you committed.

And with that, God pardons you and instead of eternal punishment, He sends you to Heaven and eternal life.

Jesus justifies everyone who believes in Him. He makes them as if they had never sinned because He bore their sins on the cross.

And through belief in Jesus, we are not only saved by Him but we become co-heirs with Him to the very Kingdom of God. Talk about going from rags to riches, right?

Friends, before we believed in Jesus, we were destined for Hell and everlasting suffering. Today, millions upon millions of people are still in that place, ignoring or unknowing that they are teetering on the edge of disaster by being void of salvation with every passing minute. This is why Jesus called us to be active every day in making disciples of all nations and helping the lost find the rebirth, renewal, and justification that comes only by believing in Christ as Savior.

This is what Paul was urging Titus and the Cretan Christians to do and it’s what the scriptures are still calling us to do today.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.