At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 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.
Titus 3.3-5
Chester:
Do you ever make decisions by drawing up a list of pros and cons? Imagine God deciding whether to save us with a list of pros and cons. What is on the “cons” side—what are the reasons why God should condemn us? Foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved, malicious, envious, hated, hating. And what is on the “pros” side? What is in the list of reasons why God should save us? Nothing. There is no reason why God should save us. But then God writes across the page: My kindness. My love. My mercy.
God did not look at us and think: On balance, they’re not too bad. He did not look at us and think: I can see some potential there. He saw folly, disobedience, malice, envy and hatred. He saw a thousand reasons to condemn us for ever.
And yet in his kindness and love, he saved us: “not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (v 5). God writes across the pages of your future: My kindness. My love. My mercy.
“He saved us … because”. The word “because” is key. Here is the reason for our acceptance by God, the grounds of our confidence and the basis of our hope. It is worth asking ourselves: How would I complete the sentence, “He accepts me because…”?
Everyone answers that question somehow. If I think I will be saved because of something I have done, then I am not saved. I can have no confidence. Our acceptance before God is: “Not because of righteous things we [have] done” (v 5). Saving faith involves removing faith in ourselves. It involves stripping away confidence in anything except God. “He saved us ... because of his mercy”. That is our true and only hope.
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