Titus 3:5–7 — He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Last time we saw that baptism proclaims a cleansing that is internal and spiritual, a washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.
We don't want to lose sight, though, that baptism pictures for us that God not only makes us clean through the blood of Christ - He also comes to dwell in us by His Spirit. We see this in the water (representing the Spirit) that is applied when we are baptized.
How thankful we should be that God doesn't clean up internally from sin and send us off in much the same condition we were in before. Then there could only be a grim inevitability that we would (like a pig that is washed) return to our wallowing about in the filth of sin. Instead, Paul tells us in our text, and confirms in passages such as Romans 5:5, the Spirit of God is poured out upon us richly, given to us, comes to dwell in our hearts.
What a difference it makes to have the Spirit of Christ as a resident within us! He works to change our inclinations, to enhance our desire for holiness and sharpen the sensitivity of our consciences. We still stumble and fall, but thanks to the Spirit we are enabled more and more to be careful, to avoid sins which ensnared us before, to be more wise concerning the wiles of Satan.
This wonderful anointing, enlivening and empowering is something that all true believers experience, and we should reflect on the grace of God Who, knowing us through and through, imparts the Spirit to be our live-in Counselor and Comforter! When we think about our baptism, this is one of the topics that should feature in our reflections and should stir us up in love and gratitude to God!
