Titus 3:5
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.
not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
What Titus 3:5 means
Paul states the negative before the positive, and the negative is comprehensive: not because of works done by us *in righteousness*. Even our best efforts are excluded from the grounds of salvation, not merely our worst failures.
What replaces them is mercy, applied through washing and renewal by the Holy Spirit. The preceding verse describes what we were like beforehand, which makes the contrast sharper. It answers the recurring instinct that acceptance must somehow be earned.
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Questions about Titus 3:5
What does Titus 3:5 mean?
It means God saved us out of his own mercy rather than because of any righteous things we had done, renewing us by the washing of rebirth and the Holy Spirit.
How does Titus 3:5 relate to good works?
Works are excluded as the cause of salvation, but the letter goes on to urge believers to devote themselves to good works — as the fruit of being saved, not the reason for it.