Titus 3:5 (WEB)

Passage

not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Nearby Context

Titus 3:3 For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Titus 3:4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared,

Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Titus 3:6 whom he poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior;

Titus 3:7 that being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "saved", "mercy", "works", "righteousness", "ourselves", "through", and "washing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "saved", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "But when the kindness of God our..." into verse 6's "whom he poured out on us richly...", so "Spirit" and "saved" belong inside that flow. In Titus context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "saved" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.