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But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, etc. The great subject here is salvation. This includes the restoration of the soul to the knowledge, the image, the fellowship, and the service of the great God. The passage leads us to offer two remarks on the words.

I. THAT WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WE CANNOT PERFORM, AND THEREFORE THEY CANNOT SAVE US. "Not by works of [done in] righteousness which we have done [which we did ourselves]." What are righteous works? Condensely defined, works inspired ever by supreme sympathy with the supremely good. No other works, whatever their sacred semblance, whatever their popular appreciation, are righteous. Now, such righteous works we cannot render in our unrenewed state, because we have lost this affection, and the loss of this is the death and damnation of the soul.

1. Could we render such works they would save us. They secure the blessedness of the unfallen angels.

2. Without rendering such works we cannot be saved. Moral salvation consists in holiness of character. Character is made up of habits, habits made up of acts, and the acts, to be of any worth, must be righteous.

II. THAT REDEMPTIVE MERCY HAS BEEN VOUCHSAFED TO US, AND THEREFORE WE MAY BE SAVED. "According to his mercy he saved us." Observe:

1. The special work of this redemptive mercy. What is the work?

(1) Cleansing. "The washing of regeneration," or the "laver of regeneration," as some render it. Sin is represented as a moral defiler, and deliverance from sin, therefore, is a cleansing.

(2) Renewal. "Renewing." Sin is represented as death, and deliverance from it is, therefore, a quickening, a renewal.

2. The Divine Administrator of this redemptive mercy. "The Holy Ghost." No agency but that of God can either morally cleanse or renew. That Divine Agent which of old brooded over the face of the deep can alone morally recreate.

3. The glorious Medium of this redemptive mercy. "Through Jesus Christ our Savior." Christ our Savior is the Medium. Through him the Spirit came, by him the Spirit works, in him the Spirit is abundant.

4. The sublime result of this redemptive mercy. "That being justified by his grace, we should [might] be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." The word "justified" means to be made right - right in heart, right in life, right in relation to self, the universe, and God. What is it to be made right? To be put in possession of that spirit of love to God which is the spring of all "works of righteousness." This rectitude:

(1) Inspires with the highest hope. "Hope of eternal life." What a blessing is hope! But the "hope of eternal life," what hope like this?

(2) Inaugurates the highest relationship. "Heirs." We are "heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ." - D.T.

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KJV: But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

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