Chapter
1 2 3
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Titus 3:5
ESV he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
NIV 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,
NASB He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
CSB he saved us —not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy —through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
NLT he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.
KJV 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;
NKJV 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,

What does Titus 3:5 mean?

Verse 5 is part of a poetic stanza covering verses 4–7. The phrase "He saved us" specifically implies that God is the source of salvation, a theme common throughout Scripture. This verse also emphasizes how God saves. Being saved is not something we accomplish through our good deeds, but through the mercy of God. Salvation comes only from God, and only through God's mercy.

Salvation includes "the washing of regeneration." This refers to the spiritual cleansing which takes place when a person accepts Christ in salvation. At that moment, a person's life is "regenerated," or "made new." The Holy Spirit renews our lives when we come to faith in Christ. This phrase does not imply baptism or an emotional experience.

This poetic section presents a word-picture of people cleansed by God and His grace. It emphasizes the involvement of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is a good example of a passage which is meant to convey a general idea. Squeezing each word in a literal way contradicts the intent of the original words. The text is written to give us a poetic explanation of salvation as a work of God in our lives—not an engineering schematic of our redemption.
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