Titus 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;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
Having described the believers' former lives in bondage to sin, Paul contrasts that past with God's saving intervention, grounding salvation in divine mercy rather than human achievement.
What Does Titus 3:5 Mean?
This verse anchors our salvation in God's mercy and in his renewing work rather than in our own merit. Paul has just reminded Titus that believers were once foolish and enslaved to sin (3:3). The turning point was not a deeds we performed but "the kindness and love of God our Saviour" (3:4) reaching toward us. So Paul writes that God "saved us" -- a completed act -- "according to his mercy." Mercy is the measure and the motive; God acts out of compassion toward those who could not lift themselves. The phrase "works of righteousness which we have done" makes clear that our past record was not the ground of our rescue.
The verse then describes how God works: "by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." "Regeneration" -- palingenesia -- means a new birth, a fresh beginning, while "renewing" speaks of being made new again from within. The imagery of washing points to cleansing and to the new life God grants, and the Holy Ghost is the one who carries out this renewal. Salvation, then, is something God initiates and accomplishes by his Spirit, drawing the believer into a transformed life. Our part is to receive what his mercy freely offers and to walk in the new life he gives.
In the Original Language
The word palingenesia ("regeneration") combines palin (again) and genesis (birth), meaning new birth or renewal. Anakainosis ("renewing") describes a making-new from within, accomplished by the Holy Spirit.
Cross References
“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.”
- John 3:5
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,”
- Ephesians 2:4
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
Application
Rest your hope in God's mercy rather than in your own record, and welcome the renewing work of the Holy Spirit who makes your life new from the inside out.