How God Saves Us

Salvation is the number one concern of most churches. “How can we save people?” is the big question churches ask. Is it by leading people to repeat the “prayer of faith”? Is it having them “receive Jesus in their hearts”?

Why not go to the Bible? It describes exactly how God saves us. Salvation is really no mystery if you're reading the Bible. Here's what it says:

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 (Titus 3:5; NASB).

This verse contains some solid logic. It says that “God saved us by A and B.” That’s the grammatical structure of the verse, the syntax. Have you ever heard of sentence diagramming? People who like grammar sometimes put their sentences into diagrams like the one below. This sentence can be broken down into part A, part B, and part C.

Let's review. Part A is that God saved us by the washing of regeneration (called baptismal regeneration by some), and part B is the renewing by the Holy Spirit. These two events must occur for us to get to part C, and be saved. Such a salvation is according to the mercy of God our Savior (v. 4). It goes without saying that calling God our Savior reiterates the fact that we’re talking about salvation here.

With this passage, you should be able to see why the Foundation of instruction about baptisms (Hebrews 6:1-2) is expressed in the plural form, baptisms. It’s because God saves us with two kinds of baptism: water and Spirit baptism, as seen in part A and part B, above.

Not On the Basis of Deeds

You’ll also notice that Paul contrasts this double baptism with deeds which we have done in righteousness. That is, we’re not saved by doing good. Our good actions do not gloss over our bad actions, our previous sins. That’s not the way God’s economy works. You can’t be saved from condemnation by being “good enough.”

If we’re not saved by our own righteousness, how do we get saved? First, we wash ourselves from our sins in baptism. Once we are baptized in water, we have been buried with Christ. We have died to their sins. Second, we begin to follow the One who died for us, Jesus. The power to follow him only comes through the Holy Spirit. So we need him to renew us. The process is 1. a washing, and 2. a renewing.

Luther vs. Paul

You’ll hear it said by fans of Martin Luther that we are saved by “faith alone,” therefore (they say) anyone who adds baptism to faith is preaching another gospel (Galatians 1:6-9). However, in Titus 3:5 (the verse we are focusing on), Paul says something much different from Martin Luther. Paul states that salvation is not on the basis of good deeds but that salvation is by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit—that is, Paul says we are saved in baptism in water and baptism in the Spirit.

In contrast to our own righteous deeds stands baptism. Getting baptized is dying with Christ, so it’s salvation in him. Baptism is the initiatory rite of New Covenant. We enter into a covenant with God when we are baptized into Christ—a covenant which works to actually free us from the power of sin.

Evangelistic Ministry

There is no salvation in Moses. The Old Covenant Law is good, but it doesn’t save. It was good to work as a tutor to lead us to Christ. The Law was good for showing us how sinful we were.

Those who preached another gospel were preaching that people needed to be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses, but a cursory study of the history of the Jews will prove that following the Old Covenant does not save. And a cursory study of the ministry of Jesus will prove that the New Covenant does save. You must enter the New Covenant through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). So, make sure you’re in it, if you care for your own salvation.

Churches need to make sure that other people are in the New Covenant through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit if they’re going to minister to the lost the proper way. If in your church you’re leading people to repeat the “prayer of faith” and having them “receive Jesus in their hearts,” then you’re not really evangelizing.

You’re not really saving people because God doesn’t save people that way. Go back to the example of the Early Church. Go back to the Bible.