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. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:3-7
Here in the first part of this passage, we see our former condition apart from the love of God. This is what I would like to call "spiritual baggage." We all have it - sometimes we are the victims of such things, and sometimes we are the victimizers, and this is a hindrance to us spiritually. But in this verse, we also see a hope, a way to escape this condition that we find ourselves in. This way of escape, of course, is Jesus Christ. But how does this change come? According to this verse, this change comes "...through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our savior."
So, you may be asking, what does this mean? Quite simply this: that when we come to Christ, He gives us God's Spirit, and through this Spirit, our lives begin to change. We are washed and cleansed. Something so deep and NEW happens within us that the closest thing we can liken it to is rebirth and renewal. This is what Jesus was talking about when He spoke about being "born again." He was not talking about physically being born again - rather, He was talking about a change within ourselves so deep and new that "reborn" is the only word that can adequately describe it. The bottom line of this is that Jesus brings us God's Spirit, and this Spirit brings us healing and restoration - rebirth and renewal - from these burdens that we saw listed above.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30
So if you are tired of carrying those burdens around everywhere, those burdens of foolishness, slavery, malice, hate, etc., Jesus is the One who is willing and able to take those burdens away from us. He gives us rest and freedom, and when He went up to heaven, He send us His Spirit to be with us and offer us this radically new and fresh life change - this renewing and re-birthing of our souls. This is not just conceptual or metaphorical, either; this is the real, visible, life-trans-formative power of Jesus Christ in our lives here and now; and He's just waiting for us to come to Him and seek Him for it.
For Further Study: Read John 3:1-8
- In this passage we see Jesus teaching Nicodemus about being "born again." From today's study verse, what is the unavoidable condition of all who are NOT "reborn" or "born again" of the Spirit?
- In verse 3, Jesus makes it clear that this "rebirth" by the Spirit is a prerequisite for entry into heaven. Why do you think this is so?
- We cannot SEE the wind, but we can clearly see and acknowledge its presence by the effect it has upon the visible world (a tree swaying in the breeze, a devastating hurricane, etc.). According to these verses we read today, what visible signs might accompany the Spirit's presence?
- Do you see these visible evidences of the Spirit in your own life? If not, how can Matthew 11:28-30 above give you hope for this?
Andrew
