But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 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.
Titus 3:4-5

My affection is all You want

You don't need anything; yet, You want my heart

I am amazed by all You are

King of Glory, dwelt among us

This first verse of a lyric I recently wrote represents for me the reality that God is transcendent - completely different from us, being infinite, holy, and perfect - but also immanent - close to us. This is something I don't think I'll ever fully understand this side of heaven, but it is wonderfully, amazingly true.

The verses today also remind me of this reality. In the earlier verses of Titus 3, Paul describes who we were like before knowing Christ. To summarize it, we were sinners. We were foolish, living as though there was was no God (Psalm 14:1), disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures (Titus 3:3).

But. I love this word; in this context, it is a conjunction joining two thoughts together that indicates contrast. Even though we lived in this way, the kindness and love of God toward man - toward us - appeared.

The word for love for man used in this verse is not the typical word for unconditional love, agape. It is instead philanthropia, from which we get the word philanthropist. The word itself combines two roots: phileo, which is brotherly love or benevolence (literally, goodwill), and anthropos, which refers to all humankind.

God's love for us is not just an abstract ideal. It is real, seen in the incarnation of Jesus, who became man while remaining God so He could die and rise again to reconcile us back to a relationship with God, our Father.

This is something wonderful, something too high for me to understand. Do you truly understand what God did for you?

Even though once you walked in the ways of the world, God did not condemn you. Instead, according to his mercy - his goodness towards you in your distress - He saved you.

Salvation is a Trinitarian process by which God the Father placed all of your sins, all of mine, the entire world's on God the Son, with the Holy Spirit raising the Christ from the dead. The Father gives the Holy Spirit to us who believe in this work, and because of Him, we have the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:6-7).

Truly, the love of God changes us. It makes us new creations with a heart pliable to the things of God. It sets us free from the fear of death because Christ has overcome it, and we are one with Him. No longer are we defined as sinners but as holy, set apart and beloved saints and daughters of God.

Today, believe these words. Remember who you are, and live it out.

Discussion Questions

How is your view of God impacted by the fact that he showed goodwill towards you?
What does it mean to you that despite your sin, God showed mercy to you?
What is one thing you want to do this week to remind you that the love of God has changed your story?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ozi Ojukwu is a girl wildly in love with Jesus. A recent graduate of Cedarville University, she is a 2022 Colson Fellow, having learned about the fundamentals of a Christian worldview and how it connects to all of public life. She is a first-generation Nigerian-American and loves writing poetry and music, dabbles in photography, and is obssesed with popular culture. A bookworm to the core, she loves reading both historical fiction and memoirs. Her favorite verse is Romans 1:16.

Words to the Wise: The Love of God Rewrites Our Story