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;
by works.
Job 9:20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.
Job 15:14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Job 25:4 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
according.
Titus 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Psalm 62:12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.
Psalm 86:5,15 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee…
washing.
John 3:3-5 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
renewing.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
not by the righteous deeds we had done
This phrase underscores the insufficiency of human works for salvation. It echoes Isaiah 64:6, which describes human righteousness as "filthy rags" before God. The cultural context of the time included a strong emphasis on adherence to the Law among Jewish communities, but this statement clarifies that even the most devout observance cannot earn salvation. This aligns with Paul's broader teaching in Romans and Galatians, where he argues against justification by works of the Law.
but according to His mercy
Mercy is a central attribute of God throughout Scripture, often linked with His covenantal love (hesed) in the Old Testament. This phrase highlights that salvation is an unmerited favor, a theme prevalent in the Psalms and the prophetic writings. The mercy of God is a recurring theme in the New Testament, as seen in passages like 1 Peter 1:3, which speaks of being born again to a living hope through God's mercy.
through the washing of new birth
This phrase likely refers to the concept of spiritual rebirth, which is central to Christian theology. It connects to Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in John 3:3-5, where He speaks of being "born of water and the Spirit." The imagery of washing may also allude to baptism, a rite symbolizing purification and initiation into the Christian community. In the cultural context, washing was a common metaphor for spiritual cleansing.
and renewal by the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit's role in renewal is a key aspect of New Testament teaching. This phrase suggests a transformation that goes beyond mere moral improvement, indicating a fundamental change in nature. The Holy Spirit is depicted as the agent of this renewal, as seen in passages like 2 Corinthians 5:17, which speaks of becoming a new creation in Christ. The concept of renewal ties back to Old Testament prophecies, such as Ezekiel 36:26-27, which promise a new heart and spirit given by God.
• Salvation originates entirely with God: “Salvation comes from the LORD” (Jonah 2:9).
• The subject is “He”—not we, not our church, not our lineage. Acts 4:12 echoes the exclusivity: “There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
• The verb is past tense: a completed act accomplished at the cross (John 19:30) and applied when we believed (John 1:12–13).
• This rescuing embraces every facet—justification, adoption, and future glorification (Romans 8:30).
• Our best efforts cannot earn favor with God; “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).
• Ephesians 2:8–9 clarifies: “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith… not by works, so that no one can boast.”
• Even noble deeds performed before salvation are tainted by sin’s motive (Romans 3:10–12).
• This clause humbles human pride and calls us to rest in Christ’s finished work rather than in moral résumés.
• Mercy means God withholds the judgment we deserve and lavishes kindness instead (Psalm 103:10–11).
• Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds us, “Because of the LORD’s loving devotion we are not consumed… His mercies never fail.”
• Romans 9:16 states plainly, “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”
• Our assurance rests on His unchanging character, not on fluctuating performance.
• Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
• The “washing” pictures cleansing from sin’s guilt, foreshadowed by Old Testament ritual washings and fulfilled spiritually in Christ (Hebrews 10:22).
• New birth (regeneration) is a miracle where God plants spiritual life in the once-dead heart (Ephesians 2:4–5).
• Baptism symbolizes this inward washing, but the verse points to the inner reality, not merely the outward sign (1 Peter 3:21).
• Regeneration is the starting line; renewal is the ongoing work. The Spirit indwells and transforms: “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, He will also give life to your mortal bodies” (Romans 8:11).
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 celebrates the result: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.”
• Practical evidence appears in:
– Growing obedience (Philippians 2:13)
– Spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22–23)
– Increasing likeness to Christ (Romans 8:29)
• Renewal is continuous; the Spirit keeps chiseling away the old and shaping the new until glorification (Philippians 1:6).
Titus 3:5 declares that salvation is God’s sovereign, merciful act. We contribute nothing but the sin that made it necessary. By His mercy, He washes us clean, grants new life, and continually renews us through the Holy Spirit. Our hope, confidence, and daily walk all flow from this grace-centered rescue.
(5) Not by works of righteousness.--This by no means asserts that such works ever had been done, and then produced, as it were, before the bar of God, and weighed and found insufficient; but it simply maintains that to win salvation such must be done. Sad experience, more forcibly than any theological assertion, has demonstrated to us all the utter impossibility of any of us, even the holiest, ever, even for one day, doing the works of a purely righteous man.But according to his mercy.--As there was nothing in us which called for such a salvation, as there were no acts of ours which deserved reward, His gift of salvation, which includes (Titus 3:7) eternal life, was owing entirely to His divine love which saw and pitied our misery, our endless suffering. Out of this hopeless state the eternal pity lifted us, and put us into a state of salvation. The next clause specifies the outward and visible sign of the salvation our loving God was pleased to ordain in His Church, namely, "baptism;" but here great care must be taken properly to understand what St. Paul meant by this baptism, to which he attributed so great power. In St. Paul's mind it was no mere observance, but was a sacrament, in which all that was inward properly and completely accompanied all that was outward. In another place the Apostle has grandly paraphrased his words here. In the Galatian Letter (Galatians 3:27) he writes how "that as many as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ," that is, have entered into vital union with Him--a blessed state, which most surely leads to life eternal, if the baptised only remain faithful.
By the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.--Seeing, then, that God has saved us by His own act, independently of any work of ours, we ask, How has He effected this? The words we are here considering give the answer to the question. The Greek should be rendered, "by the laver of regeneration," &c. Then, by means of the laver of regeneration, &c, has God put us into a state of salvation. In other words, He has effected this by means of "baptism" (for the laver here can only signify the baptismal font, and is called the laver of regeneration because it is the vessel consecrated to the use of that sacrament), whereby, in its completeness as a sacrament, the new life in Christ is conveyed. Baptism, then, is the means through which we receive the saving grace of Christ; in its laver we are born again to a new life, in it we receive strength through the Holy Ghost constantly to renew and to develop this new life, for it is not only the laver of regeneration but also of renovation by the Holy Spirit. But baptism is here understood in all its completion--the outward visible sign accompanied with the inward spiritual grace. In the case of one who is come to years of understanding seeking baptism, repentance and faith in the promises of God are absolutely required. In the case of infants, who have also from the very earliest times been, through this same laver, enrolled in the communion of Christians, the same profession is required, only they make it by their sureties, and directly that they have come to years of discretion they solemnly and publicly assent to what had been already affirmed in their name. Thus, by means of the laver of regeneration, &c, or, in other words, by baptism in all its completion--the outward act being accompanied with the inward faith--He saved us, that is, put us into a state of salvation. Of the difference between "regeneration" and "renovation," the first, "regeneration," is well explained in the words of the collect for Christmas Day, which speaks of the "regenerated" as "made God's children by adoption and grace." The second, "renovation," the same collect goes on to speak of, when it prays that "the regenerated" "may daily be renewed by the Holy Spirit." The first, "regeneration," is spoken of by St. John in his words, "Ye must be born again" (John 3:7); the second is alluded to by St. Paul when he wrote, "the inward man is renewed day by day" (2Corinthians 4:16).
Verse 5. - Done in for of, A.V.; did ourselves for hare done, A.V.; through for by, A.V. By works (ἐξ ἔργων); i.e. in consequence of. God's kindness and love to man did not spring from man's good work as the preceding and producing conditions (comp. Galatians 2:16, and the notes of Bishops Ellicott and Lightfoot). Done in righteousness(τῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ); the particular description of the works wrought in a sphere or element of righteousness (Alford and Ellicott). Which we did ourselves; emphasizing that they were our good works, done by us in a state of righteousness. All this, as the cause of our salvation, the apostle emphatically denies. -Not, etc., but according to his mercy he saved us. The predisposing cause, the rule and measure of our salvation, was God's mercy and grace, originating and completing that salvation. Through the washing of regeneration (διὰ λουτροῦ παλλιγενεσίας). Here we have the means through or by which God's mercy saves us. The washing or rather laver of regeneration (λουτρόν) - found elsewhere in the New Testament only in Ephesians 5:26, in exactly the same connection - is the laver or bath in which the washing takes place. The nature or quality of this bath is described by the words, "of regeneration" (τῆς παλιγγενεσίας); elsewhere in the New Testament only in Matthew 19:28, where it seems rather to mean the great restoration of humanity at the second advent. The word is used by Cicero of his restoration to political power, by Josephus of the restoration of the Jews under Zerubbabel, and by several Greek authors; and the LXX. of Job 14:14 have the phrase, ἕως πάλιν γένωμαι, but in what sense is not quite clear, Παλιγγενεσία, therefore, very fifty describes the new birth in holy baptism, when the believer is put into possession of a new spiritual life, a new nature, and a new inheritance of glory. And the laver of baptism is called "the laver of regeneration," because it is the ordained means by or through which regeneration is obtained. And renewing of the Holy Ghost. It is doubtful whether the genitive ἀνακαιγώσεως depends upon διὰ or upon λούτρου. Bengel, followed by Alford, takes the former, "per lavacrum et renovationem;" the Vulgate (lavacrum regenerationis et renova-tionis Spiritus Sancti), the latter, followed by Huther, Bishop Ellicott, and others. It is difficult to hit upon any conclusive argument for one side or the other. But it is against the latter construction that it gives such a very long rambling sentence dependent upon λούτρου. "The laver of regeneration and of the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior." And it is in favor of the former that the "laver of regeneration" and "the renewing of the Holy Ghost" seem to describe very clearly the two parts of the sacrament, the outward visible sign and the inward spiritual grace; the birth of water and of the Holy Ghost. So that Bengel's rendering seems on the whole to be preferred. Renewing (ἀνακαινώσεως); only here and Romans 12:2, and not at all in the LXX. or in classical Greek. But the verb ἀνακαινόω is found in 2 Corinthians 4:16; Colossians 3:10. The same idea is in the καινὴ κτίσις, the "new creature" of 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 6:15, and the καινότης ζωῆς of Romans 6:4, and the καινότης πνεύματος of Romans 7:6, and in the contrast between the "old man" (the παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος) and "the new man" (the καινὸς ἄνθρωπος) of Ephesians 4:22-24. This renewal is the work of the Holy Ghost in the new birth, when men are "born again" of the Spirit (John 3:5). Alford is wrong in denying its application here to the first gift of the new life. It is evidently parallel with the παλιγγεσία. The connection of baptism with the effusion of the Holy Spirit is fully set forth in Acts 2. (see especially ver. 38; comp. Matthew 3:16, 17).