Baptismal Regeneration

Titus 3:3-6 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
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;
Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

First of all the immediate context is describing mans condition before regeneration which is typified as hatefulness, lustfulness, disobedience & being deceived. Then there is an act of kindness and love from God, an act of mercy in which He saved us by a washing and a renewing. The washing is of regeneration and the renewing is of the Holy Ghost. All of this received by us through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

This word ‘regeneration’ (Gr. palingenesia) is only used twice in the New Testament once here in Titus and once in reference to the restoration of the kingdom where Jesus will rule on His throne of glory and his 12 will rule over the 12 tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28 – hence re-birth Israel inc. 12 tribes)

So we know what regeneration is and we know where it is from but what is the “washing” of regeneration? Is it baptism or is it the act of cleansing that regeneration brings?

You will notice in the text that it is not a work of righteousness but is used as an opposite of that by Paul. “Not by Works of righteousness BUT according to His mercy BY the washing of regeneration.”

So, is Baptism a work? Is it something we do? If it is an act of obedience then it is a work of righteousness

[Matthew 3:14-15 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.]

and if it is a work then it is not what is being spoken of here by Paul.

Is it not clear now that it is the very act of regeneration that washes us and renews us? That it is an act of Gods mercy not our works? The Greek word for washing (loutron) is used in one other place in the New Testament:

Ephesians 5:25-26 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the WASHING (loutron) of water BY THE WORD,

And seeing Paul link this with the washing of water does that not make you think of Jesus’ teaching of being Born again by Water and Spirit? And doesn’t Peter say we are born again by the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever?

Remember this chain:- Heard>Believed>Sealed

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that YE HEARD the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that YE BELIEVED, YE WERE SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise,

This is how we are born again, we are baptized to confess outwardly the mystery of what has taken place in our hearts.