"But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit"  (Titus 3:4-5).

Our Father so loved us that He chose us in Christ  before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4).  Our Father knew that Adam would fall to the deception of the devil, even before He created Satan or Adam.  So our Heavenly Father in His own mind and eternal plan had our salvation completed and His Son – the Lamb of God, who was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8).  Our Father manifested His virgin born Son to manifest His love and kindness to us, consummated in his death on the cross for our redemption and shed blood justification for our sins (I Pet. 1:18-20).  Our heavenly Father "desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth" (I Tim. 2:4).  Our Father planned it all to be 100% done, in, by, and through His Son – the Lord Jesus Christ.  Our salvation is not based on any "works of righteousness which we have done" (Titus 3:5).  For "no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for 'The just shall live by faith' " (Gal. 3:11).  Our Father according to His mercy He saved us!  Our Father according to His grace justified us!

That eternal truth defies and flies in the face of religion which seeks to control man in, by and through the Law.  With religion it is always results in man having to DO something for salvation or to maintain his salvation.  With Christianity, it is always that Christ has completely finished and DONE everything for man's salvation.  If they will simply believe in His finished work by faith and trust Him, they will be saved.  The Holy Spirit will take that Word of Christ and build faith in our hearts so that we receive Him (Rom. 10:17).  When we simply believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths we are Spirit birthed by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 10:9-10; John 1:12-13).  The Holy Spirit is the baptizer and baptizes us into the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13).  The Holy Spirit washes out the old Adamic nature of corruptible seed and regenerates us by the incorruptible Seed of Christ being placed in us (Titus 3:5; I Pet. 1:23).  We become a new creature in Christ Jesus and all things become new in the Spirit realm (II Cor. 5:17).

None of us deserved or merited anything from our Father.  We walked in our trespasses and sins, as it were dead from any relationship or fellowship with God our Father (Eph. 2:1).  We were sons of disobedience and walked in the lusts of our own flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and mind in our old Adamic nature (Eph. 2:2-3).  However, our Father who is rich in mercy with His great love so loved us that He sent His son to save us (John 3:16).  He then sent the Holy Spirit to tell us about it, so that we would believe.  Then we were Spirit birthed by the Lord Jesus Christ being placed in us.  "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).  Thank God every day for His love and mercy!  For according to His mercy He saved us! V