Titus 3:5 The Washing
of Regeneration 6/03/2018 ßà
#1. Not By Works
of Righteousness (Tit 3:5, 1Thes 1:3, Isa 64:6, Rom 3:20, Eph 2:8-9)
#2. Through the
Washing of Regeneration (Tit 3:5, Eph 2:3, 5:26, John 4:14,
3:5, Rom 10:17)
#3. These Things
Affirm Constantly (Tit 3:8, Eph 2:10, 1Cor 10:31, 2Cor 5:14-15, James 2:26, 1John 4:19, Tit
2:14)
Please
open your
Bibles to the Epistle to Titus, Tit 3:4 (2X). You find the Epistle to
Titus at the end of the Epistles of Paul, just before Hebrews. Since we have
four baptisms today I decided to interrupt our series in the Gospel According
to Matthew, and to let us focus today on the meaning of baptism. While we are
studying this passage in Titus, I would like you to ponder how this passage
might be related to water baptism. Therefore the title of this sermon is, “The Washing
of Regeneration” (2X). Let us then see what God is telling us here in Titus
3:4-8.
Tit 3:4 But
after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Tit 3:5 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;
Tit 3:6-8 Which
he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by
his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm
constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain
good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
The
first thing we
see in verse 4 is that something made its appearance after a certain
event took place. And the reason why we are looking at these words so intently
is that these are words spoken by God. Put a sticker here in Titus 3,
and please turn in your Bibles to the Second Epistle to Peter, 2Pet
1:21 (2X). You find the Epistles to 1st and 2nd Peter
right after Hebrews and James. An important question is: Who wrote the Bible?
Most people believe that the Bible was written by about 40 people and that the
church collected these writings and called this collection the Bible. But that
is false information. Listen to what the Bible says of itself, in 2Pet 1:21,
2Pe 1:21 For
the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
In
other words,
all the words in the Bible, which the Bible calls “prophecies”, did not
originate by the will of man, “but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”. It means that holy men sent
by God spoke, and while they spoke words were given to them by God the Holy
Spirit, and when they wrote these words God the Holy Spirit moved their hands.
And thus this verse, 2Pet 1:21, says that God wrote the Bible, and God
used humans as instruments to bring the Bible into existence. This is the only
sensible way to learn to know the God of the Bible. If the Bible were the
product of men, then the god of the Bible is no god at all but is the product
of men. Let us then return to Titus 3:4. God says in this verse that the
resurrected Christ made His appearance after He was put to death at the cross.
It was at the cross that the kindness and love of God toward man appeared, for
there He endured the payment of the equivalent of an eternity in Hell for the
sins of all those He came to save. Remember that verse 4 begins with the word
“But”. It means that this kindness and love of God was applied to the sinners
of the previous verse. When you check the previous verse, Tit 3:3, there are
nine sins listed there, and Titus 3:3 begins with the word “WE”. We were those
sinners in time past, before the moment of our salvation. And then in verse 4
God shows us the contrast: “But” for those who committed every sin in the Book,
“the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared”. You want to take special
notice of the words “God our Saviour”, for here we read that the Lord Jesus
Christ is God. He is not just the Son of God, like many people in the cults
believe, but He is almighty God. We read in Col 2:9, “For in him
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily”. Let us now turn our attention
to Titus 3:5, which is the focus text of our sermon.
#1. Not By Works
of Righteousness (Tit 3:5, 1Thes 1:3, Isa 64:6, Rom 3:20, Eph 2:8-9)
Tit 3:5 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;
What are works of righteousness?
Works of unrighteousness are sins, and sins are transgressions of the
Law of God. Therefore works of righteousness are works that are in obedience to
the Law of God. For example, one of God’s laws is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ”. If we obey this command and we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that
is a work of righteousness. But God says here in Titus 3:5, “Not by works of
righteousness which we have done”. Some people might object that we call
“believing on the Lord Jesus Christ” a work. But the Bible is very clear that
faith is a work; it is a good work. For example, God says in 1Thes 1:3,
“Remembering without ceasing your work of faith”. And thus, the action that we
take in turning to Christ in faith, or making a decision for Jesus, or deciding
to follow Jesus, are all works of faith, and God calls these “works of
righteousness”. But God says in Tit 3:5 that we are not saved by our
works of righteousness, we are not saved by taking the action of believing on
the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead,”according to His mercy He saved us”. Many
churches around us believe and teach that we must take the action of believing
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and then God will save us. They say that we must obey
the altar call, or we must say the sinner’s prayer, or we must first be
baptized in water, or we must first speak in tongues, and some say we must
first depart out of a church. But these are all works, and God says in Tit
3:5 that works do not contribute in any way to our salvation, no matter how
holy or how righteous those works may appear. The reason why our works cannot
contribute to salvation is that every one of those works is not done perfectly.
Even after our salvation sin cleaves to every one of our works. For example
take the act of believing. How sincere were we when we believed? Were we
sincere enough? And how much sincerity is good enough? And if we were not
sincere enough, then sin was cleaving to this act of believing on the Lord
Jesus Christ. And so we see that none of our works is good enough to be
presented to God for our credit. God says in Isa 64:6 that all our good
works are as filthy rags. None of those works are good enough. Therefore God
says in Rom 3:20, “Therefore by the deeds of
the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin”. Therefore, if
the faith in which we repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is not a faith that is given by
God, but is a faith that is
conjured
up by our own self, then that faith is empty and of no value to
God. That is why God says in Eph 2:8-9
Eph 2:8 For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of
works, lest any man should boast.
Therefore none of the works that come of
our own selves, either works that we have done, or the works that we are going
to do, are of any credit to us, “lest any man should boast”. How then can we be
saved? Well, Tit 3:5 goes on to say,
Please
turn in your
Bibles to the Prophecy if Micah, Mic 7:18 (2X). If all the credit must
go to God, then none of the works that we DO can be contributing in any way to
our salvation. It is not our will and action that matters, but it is God’s will
and action. For example, God says in Rom 9:16,
Ro 9:16 So then
it is not of him that willeth, nor of
him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
This
really is the
Gospel of the Bible. This is the Good News of the Bible. For the Bible says in Eph
2:3 that “we all were by nature the children of wrath” even as others who
never become saved. And thus we all were on the way to Hell. If God did not
interfere we would all end up in Hell to satisfy the righteousness, or the
justness of God. But the Good News is that God did interfere in the affairs of
man, and that God does save by His mercy and grace and not by works. But God
had to take the initiative in our salvation. If God had to wait until anyone of
us would respond to the Gospel call, then no one would be saved. You see, it is
in the character of God to be merciful, for we read in Mic 7:18,
Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth
iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He
retaineth not his anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy.
“He
delighteth in mercy”. On whom does God have mercy? Is God merciful to
everyone in the world? Will God be merciful to Adolph Hitler, or to Joseph
Stalin, or to terrorists who commit murder in the last millisecond of their
life? And you can clearly see that if God would be merciful to them, then He
would be an unrighteous judge, for He will reward those who really deserve to
go to Hell. In fact, most of mankind is on the way to Hell. But let me read
this verse again to you. Mic 7:18,
Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth
iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?
Who is the remnant of His heritage?
Is this the entire nation of Israel? Of course not! The Bible is very clear
that Judas Iscariot is one of those who will go to Hell. God speaks about the
remnant of His heritage. Is this then a remnant out of the nation of Israel?
And again this would not fit the words of the Bible, for we read in Gal 3:28,
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither
bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ
Jesus”. In other words, there is no more any distinction between Jews and
Gentiles, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. The ground is level at the foot
of the cross. According to the NT the remnant of His heritage is the
remnant chosen by grace out of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues
out of this entire world. On them God will have mercy, and God will not have
mercy on all those who remain all their life enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ,
because God did not pour His grace upon them.
Please
turn in your
Bibles to the Prophecy of First Samuel, 1Sam 2:8 (2X). When we speak of
God’s mercy and grace, we should keep in mind how mercy and grace are defined
in the Bible as well as in our daily use of the English language. “Mercy”
is withholding what we do deserve. What do we deserve? The penalty of Hell. If
God has mercy on us He will withhold Hell from us, because the Lord Jesus
Christ paid the equivalent of an eternity in Hell on our behalf. On the other
hand, “Grace” is receiving what we do not deserve. Grace is unmerited
favor. Can we merit unmerited favor? Absolutely not! If God pours His grace
upon us He gives us freely the glory of eternal life with Christ in heaven. And
so, here we see the two-steps of our salvation. After we were born into this
world we committed sin after sin, at least 50 times in a day, and the penalty
to pay in Hell only increases with age. Then God has mercy on us, which takes
us from the depths of total depravity up to ground zero. We do not have to go
to Hell, which is already a great blessing indeed. But then God pours His grace
upon us and He declares us sons of God, which takes us from ground zero all the
way up almost to where God is, for there is where the saints are. We read in 1Sam
2:8 about this transformation from sinners to saints. We read in 1Sam
2:8 these glorious words,
1Sa 2:8 He
raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and
lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory:
for the pillars of the earth are the
LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.
Can
you see the
outworking of this double inheritance of mercy and grace? In the Bible God
commanded fathers to give their firstborn sons a double inheritance. Since the
Lord Jesus Christ is called the “Firstborn from the dead”, we who are the Bride
of Christ are also called firstborn, for in Heb 12:23 we are called the
church of the firstborn. This is our double inheritance: mercy and grace. And
look carefully at the words “throne of glory” there in 1Sam 2:8. This
throne is in the singular. Is that not amazing? We will share the throne of
glory with the Lord Jesus Christ, because we are adopted as His Bride. And
since God’s selection of those whom He will save does not depend on our works,
God will Himself select whom He wants to save and whom He will pass by. And God
does not do that at the spur of the moment throughout history when we are being
born into this world, but God, who knows the end from the beginning, has
already decided that before He created the first speck of dust. Now, I did not
make this up, but this is abundantly documented in the Scriptures. God says
in:
2Tim
1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in
Christ Jesus before the world began.
For
His own purpose
and grace God has given us this pledge that He will call every one of His own
elect unto salvation. This is what God sware to Abraham by an oath. This is
what God promised when He sent the Lord Jesus Christ to suffer and die for our
sins. This is also what God says through the pen of the Apostle Peter. Please
turn in your Bibles to the Epistle of First Peter, 1Pet 1:3 (2X).
You find 1Peter almost in the end of your Bibles right after Hebrews and James.
This epistle of Peter was sent to the Christians who were scattered throughout
Asia Minor and who were in need of a word of comfort in their persecution. God
was aware of their need. And then we read in 1Pet 1:3,
1Pet 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten
us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
The
Father “hath
begotten us again”. Why again? The first time He has begotten us in Adam. But
Adam sold his entire inheritance to Satan. And this is how the entire human
race was taken into the house of bondage, the army of Satan that is opposing
God throughout history. Then Christ came, and Christ bought us back out of the
house of Satan. That is why the Father “hath begotten us again” at the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It was only at the resurrection
that the atonement of Christ was complete. It was only then that He had spent
three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. And this is when the
Father’s abundant mercy was obtained on our behalf by the Lord Jesus Christ. We
had no more penalty to pay. Please drop down to 1Pet 2:10 (2X).
For whom did the Lord Jesus pay this payment? It was for the remnant chosen by
grace who were in the clutches of Satan, and who were redeemed out of the
kingdom of Satan. We read in 1Pet 2:10,
1Pet 2:10 Which
in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not
obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Now, we should keep in mind that at
the time the Lord Jesus paid for our sins, all our sins were still future sins.
And thus His mercy was promised to us when Christ rose from the grave. Let us
now return to Tit 3:5. Please turn about 30 pages to your left to
the Epistle to Titus, Tit 3:5 (2X). We have seen that we have not been
saved by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy
He saved us. And then we read of an amazing washing:
#2. Through the
Washing of Regeneration (Tit 3:5, Eph 2:3, 5:26, John 4:14,
3:5, Rom 10:17)
Tit 3:5 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;
What
is this washing
of regeneration? Could this refer to water baptism? Many commentators and
churches think so. Even John Calvin thought that this refers to water baptism.
But that is wrong. We have seen thus far that any of our works of righteousness
cannot be a contribution to our salvation. Water baptism is something that WE
DO, which is a work. And no matter how holy and righteous this act may be, it
cannot be a contribution to our salvation. The misinterpretation of this verse
primarily rests on the word “washing” and this is equated to the outward
washing that occurs in water baptism. But what is the meaning of the word
“regeneration”? We are regenerated when we are “born again”, or “born from
above”. Webster’s dictionary defines it as “to be subject to spiritual
regeneration”. Please turn in your Bibles to the Gospel According to
John, John 3:5 (2X). And what has “washing” to do with it? Well, we must
remember God’s words in Eph 2:3 that before the moment of our spiritual
regeneration “we were by nature the children of wrath, even as others”.
Both physically and spiritually we looked just like anyone else, and our sins
were just as glaring and sinful as those of others who never become saved. That
is the meaning of the words, “even as others”. But then at a certain moment in
our life God the Holy Spirit touched our soul, and then God the Holy Spirit
applied the payment for our sins that Christ already made on the cross. At that
moment our sins were washed away completely; all past, present, and future sins
were washed away. This is the washing that took place at our regeneration, and
this is the meaning of the words in Tit 3:5. God confirms this washing
of our sins, the cleansing of our soul, in Eph 5:26 where He speaks of
the sanctification of the church.
Eph 5:26 That
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
This
does not refer
to the water of baptism, but literally the Greek text says, “by the washing of
the water in the word”. Is there any water flowing out of your Bible when
you open it? Of course not! But the water in the word refers to the water of
the Gospel. The Gospel flows like water out of the mouth of the evangelist. The
Gospel is compared to water, because the Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit being
poured out like water on Pentecost, and because the Lord Jesus in John 4:14
compares a preacher of the Gospel to a well of water. And thus the eternal
church is sanctified and cleansed by hearing the Gospel, and being touched by
God the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the Lord Jesus said in John 3:5,
Joh 3:5 Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God.
This
is an often
misunderstood verse. Here again the water refers to the Gospel. “Except a man
be born of water and of the Spirit”
means “Except we hear the Gospel and it is accompanied by the action of the
Holy Spirit” we are not saved. Just to hear the Gospel is not sufficient to
regenerate our soul. We cannot be saved by just reading and studying the
Scriptures. The scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ days studied the scriptures all
their life, and they still did not understand what God meant, because they were
not touched by the Holy Spirit when they read the Scriptures. Likewise, no one
is going to be saved while laying on his bed, doing nothing. We must come face
to face with the words of the Bible, or to say it better: We must come face to
face with Christ, who is the Word of God. That is why God says in Rom 10:17,
“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”.
Tit 3:5 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;
What
does the
renewing of the Holy Ghost refer to? Please turn to the Gospel According
to John, John 14:16 (2X). The Bible teaches that from the moment that we
are born from above we are body and soul translated out of the kingdom of Satan
and are placed in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. So completely are we
translated out of the kingdom of Satan that he cannot come to us any more by
whispering temptations in our mind. In fact, Satan cannot read our mind any
more, like he used to do when we were still under his control. The only way
Satan can reach us is through others, who may tempt us, or contaminate us with
an illness, or persecute us. But God will only allow this to come to pass if it
is for our benefit. Our soul is instantly cleansed from all our sins. In fact,
our soul is cleansed to the extent that any sin we commit is instantaneously
removed from us, because Christ has already paid for that sin also. Our soul
has been saved and is ready to enter into heaven, for our in our soul we have
received the righteousness of Christ. Moreover, our soul has become the
dwelling place of God the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus said in John 14:16,
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he
may abide with you for ever”. In other words, the Holy Spirit will dwell in our
soul from this day forth and forever into all eternity. But it is not only the
Holy Spirit who will dwell within our soul. Please drop down to John 14:23
(2X), where the Lord Jesus said in John 14:23, “Jesus
answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my
Father will love him, and WE will come unto him, and make our abode with him”.
In other words, the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of Christ shall join
the Holy Spirit within the soul of every saint, to dwell in his soul from
this day forth and forever into all eternity. And so, if the Spirit of the
Triune God considers it proper to dwell within each of our souls, it means that
our soul must be perfect and clean, and remain that way. That is why God says
in 1John 3:9, “Whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin; for His Seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is
born of God”. All those who have been “born from above” cannot smear another
sin on their soul, for the Seed of Christ remains in them. However, our
body is still the same body that we had before the moment of our salvation, and
is still a body that is inclined to sin. But God in our soul makes His presence
known, and our bodies will gradually tend toward more and more service for
Christ, and to doing those things that are pleasing in His sight. This is
the renewing of the Holy Ghost written in Tit 3:5. Please turn
in your Bibles to the Prophecy of Ezekiel, Eze 36:25 (2X). In Eze 36 God
speaks through the pen of Ezekiel to the mountains of Israel, and to the house
of Israel. But the northern kingdom of Israel was already dead for 150 years,
and the southern kingdom of Judah was already destroyed by the Babylonians. So
who is God addressing when He speaks to the “house of Israel”? We remember that
the Lord Jesus Christ is also called Israel, and thus the Bride of Christ is
also called Israel. Now this passage we are going to read is definitely one of
those OT prophecies that describes the condition in the NT times. Here is a passage that speaks of being born
from above. We read in Eze 36:25-28,
Eze
36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from
all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart
also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take
away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Eze
36:27-28 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my
statutes, and ye shall
keep my
judgments, and do them. And
ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my
people, and I will be your God.
Here
is an OT passage
that clearly ties in to Tit 3:5. Verse 25 speaks of the washing of our
souls, not the washing of our bodies. And the symbol of the washing of our
souls is by sprinkling clean water. Verse 26 speaks of the renewing of our soul
by the Holy Ghost. Verses 27 and 28 speak of the sanctifying influence our
saved soul has on the works of our body. God says I will “cause you to walk in
my statutes”. And what is the land that God gave to our fathers? The land God
gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the Kingdom of God, for God gave it to
them forever, and we know that the land of Canaan does not last forever. And
so, here is where the passage of Tit 3:5 ties in with Eze 36:25-28,
and here is where this washing is outwardly symbolized by water baptism.
Therefore this church baptizes by sprinkling, for this is what Eze 36:25
clearly teaches. We do not know when we have come to Christ. We can only see
what goes on externally, but only God knows if something has taken place
internally. When we let ourselves be baptized with water, we must not put our
trust in the sign or the ceremony. The quantity of water is of no consequence.
That is what goes on externally, and it is only a work of man. We do not put
our trust in the actions of man. Rather, let us focus on what goes on
internally, which is the work of God in our soul. Let us focus on the work of
God that He applies by washing us from our sins through the process of
regeneration, which God does at His own time, whenever He wills, and which most
of the time does not occur at the time of our water baptism. Therefore, let us
look for the signs that tell us if our names are written in heaven. Please
turn again to the Epistle to Titus chapter 3, Tit 3:8 (2X). Let us
now look for the application in this passage, which is found in the last verse
of the passage that I read in the beginning, Tit 3:8.
#3. These Things
Affirm Constantly (Tit 3:8, Eph 2:10, 1Cor 10:31, 2Cor 5:14-15, James 2:26, 1John 4:19, )
Tit 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these
things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God
might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable
unto men.
What is God referring to when He
says, “This is a faithful saying”?
Literally the Greek text says, “Faithful is the Word”. What is this
referring to? Faithful is the Gospel that is summarized here in verses 4-7. And
God says to us: “These things I will that thou affirm constantly”. God says
that we must repeat these things constantly. When we preach from this pulpit we
must preach the Gospel. We must not let ourselves be diverted into other
matters, which are most of the time peripheral matters, which do not lead
anyone to salvation. There are always some people in attendance who still need
to be saved, and thus they must hear the Gospel. Therefore this is what I
intend to do in every sermon. I must preach the Gospel of Christ crucified, for
if only one soul would turn to come to know the Lord we have robbed Satan’s
treasure chest by a magnitude that is greater than the value of the entire
world. And what is the result of preaching these things constantly? God says
here in Tit 3:8, “In order that they which have believed in God
might be careful to maintain good works”. A significant correction is in order
here. The Greek text says, “they which have believed God”, whereas the KJV says
“they which have believed in God”. To believe in God may not be to our
credit, for the devils also believe in God, and they tremble. But to believe
God means that we believe what God has said in the Bible, and to this we
agree wholeheartedly. They which have believed God refers to all the saints,
who believe the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and everything else in the
Bible. Therefore we agree with God that we should repeat this summary of the
Gospel constantly, so that they which have believed God also might be mindful
to maintain good works. There are things that are called good works. Even
though we do not do them perfectly, God the Holy Spirit cleans up these works
by cleansing the imperfections from off them, and so they end up as good works
that are pleasing in the sight of God. But all the credit goes to God for
placing these good works in our path. For we read in Eph 2:10, “For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them”. Here is a clue to show the reasons why God saved
us. We were created to do the good works which God foreordained to be done.
Therefore God created the good works, placed them in our path, so that we walk
through them. What good works did God have in mind? For example, preaching, and
Bible study, and witnessing the Gospel to save lost souls from going to Hell
are examples of good works. But also the work of saints in preparing meals, and
in cleaning their houses, and in raising their children, is an integral part of
lubricating the machinery of the church, and so these activities also are in
the category of good works. We must dedicate all our activities to the Lord, so
that we will do all things to the glory of God (1Cor 10:31). And thus,
when we believe God we are daily confronted with Christ crucified, and in our
gratitude we repeat to ourselves the Gospel which we want other people to have.
God summarized this for us in 2Cor 5:14-15,
2Co 5:14-15 For
the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for
all, then were all dead: And
that he died for all, that they which
live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for
them, and rose again.
Since
Christ died,
all the elect in Christ have died with Him, and have been raised to a new life
in Him. Therefore the love of Christ constrains us to live for Him, and to do
all we can to please Him, for we love Him. This is where our love for Christ
shows in our works. That is why we read in James 2:26
Jas 2:26 For as
the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
We
love Him because He first loved us, (1John 4:19), and that is the reason why, if we
believe God, we are driven to serve Him forever. God says in Tit 2:14,
Tit 2:14 Who
gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
AMEN. Let
us turn to the Lord in prayer.