I like the following passage because it is so rich with descriptive language and liberating truth.
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying….(Titus 3:4-8 NKJV)
Read it again in the Phillips translation.
But when the kindness of God our savior and his love towards man appeared, he saved us—not by virtue of any moral achievements of ours, but by the cleansing power of a new birth and the moral renewal of the Holy Spirit, which he gave us so generously through Jesus Christ our Savior. The result is that we are acquitted by his grace, and can look forward to inheriting life for evermore. This is solid truth.
I see a difference between being justified by His grace (NKJV) and being “acquitted” (Phillips). Acquitted seems incomplete, but being justified establishes a new identity and position in Christ. Either way, let’s look at some of the words used to describe this process of redemption.
The kindness and love of God.
According to His mercy He saved us.
The Holy Spirit whom He poured out on us abundantly.
Justified by His grace.
We have become heirs of eternal life!
If you ever find yourself wavering in your relationship with God, meditate on those phrases, or even just the key words! “Kindness, love, mercy, saved, abundantly, justified, grace, heirs, eternal life.”
Because of God’s kindness, love and mercy, He has saved me and poured into my life an abundance of His Spirit. I have been justified by His grace and now I have the assurance of being an heir of eternal life. This is solid truth!
Lively Hope 