Titus 3:4-7
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.
Identity Crisis Averted by Christ’s Appearance
Are you a New Years Resolution kind of guy/gal, or does it all seem kind of hokey to you? Do you look forward to setting goals and ambitions for yourself, or you are jaded by all the broken promises you’ve made to yourself? When you buy a new calendar, are you one to look back on the year that just passed – with either pride or guilt in your heart – or are you one to look forward to the year ahead – with either anxiety or excitement in your heart?
All of the above are natural. And I would guess that depending on the precise second I ask you that question, your answer might change. Humans are complex creatures. We contain multitudes. Depending on the moment and the mood, we may be filled with guilt or giddiness, depression or anxiety, helplessness or hopefulness. It doesn’t matter whether you’re having a mid-life crisis or a quarter-life crisis, at times we all suffer from an identity crisis. Who am I? Who should I be? Who do I want to be? Why am I not that person right now?
It's frustrating. It can be discouraging, even crippling. But God has the cure for your identity crisis. Paul tells Titus about it in a passage for which Luther offered this profound commentary: This is a beautiful text. And it really is! And because it is, allow me to read it to you again in its entirety:
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.[1]
This passage positively exudes God’s grace and mercy. Paul doesn’t just turn on the tap for Titus; he opens the fire hose and blasts us with God’s saving work – a work that changes everything, including the answer to “Who am I?”
You may know that I’m a bit of a grammar nerd. Forgive me for taking you back to grade school English class for a second, but do you remember what two kinds of words every single sentence in the English language can be boiled down to? The subject and the verb (and sometimes an object). Everything else just describes, modifies, explains those two words. If you look at the two sentences that we read from Paul’s letter to Titus, can you tell which two/three words both sentences can be boiled down to?
He saved us. Not once, but twice in two sentences: he saved us. Every other word is expanding on that theme, explaining it, adding layers of nuance and meaning to it. But in the end, it comes down to: he saved us.
“From what?” you might ask. Paul makes it clear. One sentence earlier he says:
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.[2]
God didn’t save us from natural disasters or raging fires, from war or tariffs or a parliament on pause. He saved us from ourselves.
We were foolish, disobedient, deceived. By nature God gave us consciences that have a sense of right and wrong, but how often don’t we ignore them and contradict them? God gave us brains and intellect to hear and understand his revealed Word and will for our lives, but how often don’t we fail to listen and learn and actively choose to grow in our faith and knowledge of him and instead fill our minds with mush and nonsense, e.g. mindless recreation and the latest theories from YouTube theologians?
We were enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures – those desires that we can’t refuse; those uninvited, even intrusive, thoughts and temptations that we may not seek out, but certainly don’t resist and all too often give our hearts wholly over to.
We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. How much anger do you live with? How often do you feel bitterness and resentment seizing the helm of your heart and directing the course of your life? How often do you look at other people and what they do and get irritated not only at the evil they do but with the unspoken confession that you wish you could get away with it too?
We were in trouble. We’ve messed up. Our lives have been characterized by sinful behaviour. And if somehow you listened to that list of rebellious acts against God and couldn’t identify with any of them, Paul has a word for you too:
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.[3]
In other words, you are not as good as you think you are. And no amount of good you’ve done in your life can begin to makeup up for or overshadow the evil you’ve have said, thought, or done. No side-by-side comparisons with the serial killers and senior citizen scam artists can diminish your guilt. You needed to be saved, because you’re a sinner. That’s who you are. You are part of the problem. You are the cause of the pain and hurt even and especially in the lives of the ones you love.
I am a sinner. That’s a hard truth and a difficult realization to come to. I don’t like that version of myself. I feel guilty for what I’ve done. I’m tired of trying (and failing). At times I even feel helpless and hopeless.
And if that’s where you are, spiritually speaking, in the New Year, how does that make you feel when you look back on the year that was? What are you going to think about the year ahead? What kind of resolutions are you going to make for yourself? I’ve got to be better? Try harder? Make things right? All those things are true! But if we leave it to the strength of our resolve, we’ll revert back into this sinful lifestyle quicker than you spell 2025.
Thankfully, we have more than journaling or mobile apps or accountabilibuddies to keep us on track. We have the cure to our identity crisis – he saved us – and God’s saving work resolves every issue our sin has caused. Listen again to the layers of grace Paul adds on to that simple sentence:
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because his mercy.[4]
The salvation that God has worked in us and for us is an act of his mercy and grace. It’s undeserved. It’s not a response to our worthiness or even our attempts to repent. It precedes them. His love came first. He sent his Son to appear, i.e. to enter this world and embody his kindness and love. To be the physical manifestation of that attitude in our God that does not hold grudges against our sin, that is not enslaved by his passion or deceived by our work-righteousness and self-righteousness. He sees right through us, and – as insane as it is to say about sinners – he loves us.
You are a sinner, but a sinner saved by grace. He saved you by sending his Son to die for your sins and to remove your guilt, i.e. to replace your guilt with his grace so that your identity fundamentally changes. You are a sinner, yes, but a sinner saved by grace. Your sin doesn’t define you anymore. It’s not an essential characteristic of your identity. It’s a reality, but it’s not who you are. At least, it’s not all that you are. You are a sinner saved by grace. And a sinner given incredible gifts of God’s grace.
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.[5]
Today is Baptism Sunday. It’s no surprise that we’d find it here too – the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. In baptism, God applies the kindness and love of his Son demonstrated on a cross so many years ago and so many miles away to your life here and now. In baptism, God gives you a second chance – a rebirth. We can rightfully talk about it as a resurrection. We were dead in our sins, but he made us alive in the Christ Jesus into whose name we were baptized. Baptism is far more than a bath that washes our sins away; it makes you into a new person. It does more than give you a new lease on life; it gives you a whole new life that you get to live in Jesus’ name.
Baptism gives you that second chance of rebirth. It’s this moment in time – a snapshot in your life – that changes your life. That’s why we write baptismal certificates for you to hang on your wall. That’s why we engrave the date in stone to be a reminder forever. But it is so much more than that. As miraculous as it is, it’s even more than “just” rebirth. It’s also that renewal that we need every day.
Baptism is one of the answers to the prayers we pray like David did:
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.[6]
Baptism continues to be a blessing to you every day of your life, because through baptism God pours out his Holy Spirit on you, to live in your heart by faith, to strengthen your faith every time you hear his Word, to empower you to resist sin and temptation, and to give you the hope of an inheritance in heaven.
You are not alone in your struggle. Through baptism, the Holy Spirit is with. You are not helpless to resist temptation. You are filled with his power. Your future is not a foregone conclusion of sin and guilt and shame. Through baptism you get to live in and under God’s grace every day of your life stretching into eternity.
That’s why in our congregation, we don’t just engrave the date in stone, but we submerge that stone in the same font that many of you were baptized in as that daily reminder that God’s grace still covers you, that he continues to forgive your relapses into sin and disgrace, and that he continues to strengthen you by his Holy Spirit to put that sin behind you and look forward into forever with a hope that can only come from him.
There are times in our lives when we feel schizophrenic, i.e. when the struggle with sin seems too great to bear, when we’re frustrated with who we are and who we want to be and the distance between the two. But in baptism, God tells you who you are and it’s the best thing you could be. You are a sinner saved by grace, which means your guilt is gone, you’re not alone. You may be tired, but you’re not helpless. He gives you hope through the salvation of his Son and the outpouring of his Spirit. He saved you. Amen.
[1] Titus 3:4-7
[2] Titus 3:3
[3] Titus 3:5
[4] Titus 3:4-5
[5] Titus 3:5-7
[6] Psalm 51:10