Kindness That Makes Us New

Devotional

Day 1: When Kindness Stepped Into History

The universe spins on God’s kindness, but salvation required more than divine sentiment. It demanded the explosive arrival of goodness in flesh and blood. Like sunlight breaking through eternal clouds, Christ’s incarnation made tangible what had always been true about God’s heart. This appearing shattered humanity’s separation, turning abstract affection into scars on a Savior’s hands. Without the Word becoming flesh, mercy remains a theory. But in Bethlehem’s manger, kindness put on skin. [00:20]

"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit."
(Titus 3:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you reduced God’s kindness to a vague idea rather than a historical event? How might embracing Christ’s physical arrival reshape your gratitude today?

Day 2: The Ultimate Philanthropist’s Signature Move

Philanthropy isn’t limited to charity galas or hospital wings. The God who numbers hairs and tracks sparrows executes the ultimate humanitarian mission. His love for humanity (philanthropia) isn’t passive pity but invasive grace—digging through the rubble of our rebellion to rescue image-bearers. This divine intervention in Christ makes atheists’ soup kitchens look like finger-painting next to the Sistine Chapel. True love doesn’t send a check—it sends a Son. [08:57]

"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him."
(1 John 4:9, ESV)

Reflection: When have you doubted God’s specific care for human flourishing? How does Christ’s incarnation affirm His commitment to your tangible needs?

Day 3: Mercy Over Merit: The Death of Self-Salvation

Our best moments are stained souvenirs compared to mercy’s tsunami. Paul doesn’t dismiss humanity’s worst deeds but invalidates our finest—the Sunday school attendance, the quiet generosity, the disciplined prayers. These become damning when offered as currency for rebirth. Mercy laughs at ledger books, drowning self-made righteousness in the Jordan River of Christ’s blood. New birth happens when we stop bringing resumes to the resurrection. [17:54]

"He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit."
(Titus 3:5, ESV)

Reflection: What “good deed” do you secretly hope earns God’s favor? How might releasing that pretense deepen your awe for mercy?

Day 4: Bathing in Regeneration’s Double Current

Salvation isn’t a spiritual car wash but a demolition and reconstruction site. The Holy Spirit doesn’t merely hose down old habits—He drowns the corpse and resurrects a new creation. Washing speaks to guilt’s removal; renewal addresses nature’s transformation. Like Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones dancing, we’re both cleansed from death’s stain and empowered with resurrection’s pulse. Grace scrubs and rewires. [03:07]

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes."
(Ezekiel 36:25-27, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you relying on “clean behavior” rather than Spirit-powered renewal? How might embracing both washing and renewal change your spiritual battles?

Day 5: The Danger of Ritual Reassurance

Water rituals make terrible life preservers. Baptismal fonts don’t birth believers any more than hospital bracelets heal patients. Paul’s warning thunders: sacraments save only when confused with the Savior. The Spirit’s work bypasses human hands, making regeneration a divine surprise party rather than a clergy-managed transaction. True assurance floats not in chlorinated fonts but in Christ’s pierced side. [20:00]

"Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.'"
(John 3:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you confused spiritual practices with spiritual rebirth? How might shifting focus from ritual to Christ’s mercy deepen your security?

Sermon Summary

Paul takes Titus 3:5 into the same world Jesus opened in John 3:5. John says “water and the Spirit,” and Titus says “the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit.” Ezekiel 36 stands behind both, with clean water for cleansing and the Spirit for a new heart. The new covenant promise is not vague religious uplift. It is cleansing from uncleanness and idols, and it is renewal by the Holy Spirit.

The washing of regeneration says the person is still the same person, only clean. The renewal of the Holy Spirit says the person is not merely washed and left with old resources. The Spirit gives a new nature, new power, new life. Salvation is the big word, and regeneration is one way God brings it about.

Paul gives three “how” words: kindness, philanthropia, and mercy. God’s kindness is not little niceness from a weak person. God creates the universe, numbers the stars, holds the world in being, governs birds and gray hairs, and this great God is kind. God’s philanthropy means love of humanity. God is the ultimate lover of humans, the one who likes to make things go well for people.

The appearing matters. If God had stayed kind in secret, that would do no good. It is the arrival, the going public, the manifestation on the planet that saves. God the Savior appeared, and his name was Jesus the Savior. Regeneration is not some vague spiritual experience floating free from history. The Spirit gives life by bringing a person into union with the God-man, Jesus Christ, crucified for sins and risen from the dead.

Paul does not stop with positive words because negations are absolutely essential. He saved not because of works done in righteousness. The human heart defaults to, “Something good happened, so something good must have been done.” Paul cuts that off at the root. He does not merely exclude bad deeds, legalistic deeds, or ugly motives. He excludes the best deeds and the purest motives from causing the new birth.

Mercy stands over against all human willing and running. The washing of regeneration is therefore not baptism. Baptism is a deed done in righteousness, and the new birth is not managed by human hands, water, or words. Nothing makes a soul humbler, and nothing makes a soul happier, than seeing that the new birth owes nothing to human doing and everything to the mercy of God.

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Key Takeaways

1. New birth is cleansing and renewal Ezekiel’s promise gives two sides of the new covenant gift: clean water and the Spirit. The washing means the same person is truly cleansed, not erased or replaced. The Spirit’s renewal means the cleansed person does not move forward with old resources, but with new life from God. [03:07]
2. Kindness had to appear publicly God’s kindness would not save if it stayed hidden in the divine nature. The appearing is the great mercy: God’s goodness went public in Jesus Christ, in history, on the planet. Salvation rests not on a general idea that God is nice, but on the manifested Savior who came, died, and rose. [10:07]
3. Mercy cancels best works Paul’s denial does not merely remove legalism or wicked motives from the cause of salvation. Paul removes works done “in righteousness,” the best deeds and the purest motives, from having any causality in the new birth. Mercy is not God’s response to human excellence; mercy is God’s free action toward the dead. [17:54]
4. Baptism does not manage regeneration The washing of regeneration is a spiritual reality effected by the Holy Spirit. Baptism is precious as an ordinance, but it is not the instrument that makes a dead soul live. Regeneration is not under the management of hands, water, or human words. [19:40]
5. Humble people become happy people The truth of sovereign mercy does not crush joy; it creates it. A soul becomes low because the new birth owes nothing to human doing, and a soul becomes glad because everything rests on God’s mercy. Humility and happiness meet where self-credit dies.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:36] - Water and Spirit in Titus
[02:32] - John 3 and Ezekiel 36
[04:54] - How God Saves
[06:02] - Kindness of the Great God
[08:40] - God’s Philanthropia
[10:07] - The Appearing in Jesus Christ
[13:15] - Mercy, Not Works
[15:26] - The Default of Self-Credit
[17:54] - Best Works Excluded
[19:18] - Regeneration Is Not Baptism
[21:05] - Humble and Happy in Mercy
[22:01] - Prayer for New Birth

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Titus 3:5
“he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” [01:36]

John 3:5
“Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’” [01:46]

Ezekiel 36:25–27
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” [02:55]

Observation questions

In Titus 3:5, what two expressions describe how God saves: one connected to washing and one connected to the Holy Spirit? [02:03]
In John 3:5 and Ezekiel 36:25–27, what repeated pair shows up in both passages, and what does each part seem to do in those verses? [03:22]
According to Ezekiel 36:25–27, what specific things does God promise to cleanse, give, remove, and put within his people?
In Titus 3:5, what does Paul clearly deny as the cause of salvation, and what does he put in its place? [13:17]

Interpretation questions

Titus 3:5 speaks of both “the washing of regeneration” and “renewal of the Holy Spirit.” How do these two phrases help explain that new birth includes both cleansing from sin and new life from God? [04:21]
John 3:5 and Titus 3:5 seem to echo Ezekiel 36. Why might it matter that new birth is tied to God’s covenant promise of cleansing from uncleanness and idols, not just to a general idea of spiritual improvement? [03:42]
Titus says that God’s goodness and loving-kindness “appeared.” Why does it matter that God’s kindness did not remain hidden, but showed up in history in Jesus Christ? [10:31]
Paul says salvation is “not because of works done by us in righteousness.” Why is it important that Paul excludes even righteous works, not just obviously sinful or selfish works, from causing the new birth? [17:45]

Application questions

Many hearts naturally drift toward self-credit. When something good happens spiritually, where is there a tendency to think, “I must have done something right”? How does Titus 3:5 correct that instinct in a practical way? [15:52]
New birth means the same person is truly cleansed, and also given new resources by the Holy Spirit. Where is there a need right now not only for forgiveness, but for fresh power and a new way of living? [04:25]
God’s kindness is not small or weak; it is the kindness of the One who rules everything. How would daily fear, anxiety, or shame begin to change if God’s kindness were believed at that larger scale? [07:18]
God’s love for humanity appeared in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen in history. Has faith become too vague, too detached from the real Jesus? What helps keep trust fixed on Christ himself rather than on a general belief that God is nice? [12:03]
If mercy, not works, is the cause of the new birth, what kind of humility should that create in the way believers speak about themselves and others? Where might pride still be hiding under “good” behavior? [18:33]
If baptism does not manage regeneration, how should a person think about outward religious actions without treating them as the thing that gives spiritual life? [20:25]
Nothing makes a soul humbler and happier than knowing the new birth is owing entirely to the mercy of God. Which side is harder to receive right now—humility or happiness—and why? [21:19]

Sermon Clips

He does not say, he saved us not because of deeds done by us in legalism. He is not saying it is your worst deeds and your worst motives that I am excluding from having any causality here. It's not what he's saying. He's saying, "I am excluding your best deeds and your best motives from having any causality here." That's what he's saying. [00:17:13]

It's not some vague kind of God is good and God is philanthropical and so if you just somehow relate to God you'll be born again. No, no, no. That goodness, that kindness, that philanthropy appeared. And it appeared in a person who had to die for my sins and who invites me to come to him to have what he offers me and if I will come then it all counts for me. [00:12:31]

The only reason we're saved is not simply the fact that God is a certain way. Regeneration remember is not some vague spiritual thing disconnected from history. It's rooted in objective reality as the spirit moves in on my life and it happens as I am brought into union with the God-man Jesus Christ risen from the dead who is life. And that's the only way I have life. [00:11:57]

When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, if he had been kind in his nature and if he had been a philanthropist in his nature and it never appeared, that would do us no good. It's the arrival. It's the going public. It's the appearing. It's the manifestation on the planet that saves. [00:10:13]

And so, if you stand in front of the mirror with the gospel and say, "I'm saved. I'm saved. My sins are forgiven. I'm a new person. I'm not the person I was before I believed and before the Holy Spirit came into my life. I'm new. I'm saved. I'm born again." Let that reality bear witness to this. God is kind. Because that's the only reason you can say it. When the kindness of God appeared, he saved us through the washing of regeneration. [00:07:58]

If you're born again, it's owing to God's mercy. God is merciful. We were dead and he made us alive. God being rich in mercy when we were dead in our own trespasses, God made us alive. Being rich in mercy, he made us alive. God's kind. God is loving toward humanity and God is merciful and that's how the new birth comes about. [00:13:28]

If you only spoke in terms of renewal, you'd think, "Well, am I the same person I was before I was born again? Or am I not John Piper then?" And this one says, "No, no, no. You are the same because I cleaned you. I cleaned you. It's the same you who was pre-born again, and the same you after, only clean." [00:03:53]

God made us alive so that in the coming ages God might show his immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. It will take an eternity for you to know how kind God is. [00:06:25]

Because there's a clue here and the clue is that in verse four, God is called our Savior. And in verse six, Christ is called our Savior. When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, then verse six, whom Spirit poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our savior. God our savior came and his name was Jesus our savior. God our savior is kind and philanthropical and it appeared and his name was Jesus. [00:11:06]

So, Ezekiel is saying that when the new covenant is fulfilled in and through the Messiah, the blood of the new covenant as Jesus called it when he held up that cup, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood." When that new covenant is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the the newness that we're going to experience will be experienced in terms of cleansing and in terms of renewal by the spirit. [00:03:22]

So, let yourself just enlarge God. He created the universe. He numbers the stars. He holds the world in being. He runs everything in the universe. He is down to the details in terms of whether a bird falls out of the tree or whether one of your hairs turns gray or not. He's down to the details in his involvement in the universe, and he's never taxed in any of this effort. [00:07:14]

When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. [00:05:04]

God's the the ultimate philanthropist. He's the ultimate lover of humans. He likes to make things go well for humans. He likes to found hospitals and cures to diseases and so on. And when his philanthropia appears, he saves through the washing of regeneration. [00:09:31]

In order for the word kindness in the deity to land on us with something like it's appropriate force, we have to enlarge our picture of God. Because little weak people, we expect to be nice. And we associate kind with nice. [00:06:52]

Salvation is this big overarching term. He saved us. Regeneration is one part of the way he's doing it in this verse, but the key how words are goodness, loving kindness, and mercy. [00:05:21]

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