Sometimes we remember who we used to be.
Not because we want to go back, but because occasionally the contrast between then and now is impossible to miss.
Titus 3 doesn’t ask us to pretend our old lives weren’t messy. In fact, Paul does the opposite. He reminds believers exactly what they once were.
Foolish. Disobedient. Led astray. Enslaved to different passions and pleasures.
That’s quite a list.
But Paul doesn’t leave us there.
Once again, Scripture gives us two little words that change everything:
“But when…”
The goodness and loving kindness of God appeared.
And He saved us.
Not because we’d finally become righteous.
Because of His mercy.
Today’s Saving Grace of God
Titus 3:3–7 (ESV)
“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 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, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Setting the Scene
Paul wrote this letter to Titus, whom he had left in Crete to help establish and strengthen the churches there.
In chapter 3, Paul tells Titus to remind believers how they should live among others—with humility, gentleness, and consideration.
Then he gives them a very good reason not to look down on anyone else:
“For we ourselves were once…”
Paul reminds Christians of who they were before God’s saving work in their lives.
He isn’t dragging up their past to shame them.
He’s reminding them that they, too, needed mercy.
Then comes the turning point. God’s goodness and loving kindness appeared, and He saved us.
Paul couldn’t make the source of salvation much clearer. It was not “because of works done by us in righteousness.”
It was according to His mercy.
Through Jesus Christ, God saves, justifies us by grace, and gives the Holy Spirit, bringing regeneration and renewal. And those who have been justified by His grace become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
From beginning to end, God is the One doing what we could never do for ourselves.
Reflection
There’s something humbling about verse 3.
“For we ourselves were once…”
I could probably stop right there and fill in my own list.
We sometimes look at another person’s life and wonder how they can possibly make the choices they’re making. We see the addiction, anger, rebellion, destructive relationships, or whatever happens to be visible from the outside.
And Paul says, essentially:
Remember who you were.
I don’t have to think very hard to do that.
There are plenty of things in my past I’m not proud of. Plenty of decisions I wouldn’t make today. Plenty of years when foolish, disobedient, and led astray don’t feel particularly far from the truth.
But here’s what I love about this passage:
Paul doesn’t say, “And then we finally became better people.”
He says:
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us.”
God didn’t save me because I finally accumulated enough righteous behavior to cancel out everything that came before.
He saved me according to His mercy.
And mercy changes the way I look backward.
My past can remind me where I’ve been without becoming my identity. I don’t need to deny it. I don’t need to polish it until it sounds respectable.
But I also don’t need to live there anymore.
God has done something new.
Paul describes it as regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Salvation isn’t God putting a fresh coat of paint over our old lives and calling us improved.
He gives us new life.
And I think remembering that should change the way I look at other people too.
If God met me with mercy when I was foolish, disobedient, and wandering, how quickly should I write off someone who is still there?
I don’t know what God may yet do in their life.
After all…
I know what He did in mine.
Short Prayer
Lord, thank You for Your mercy. When I remember who I once was and the ways I wandered from You, don’t let those memories pull me back into shame. Let them remind me instead of how much You have done. You didn’t save me because I finally became good enough. You saved me according to Your mercy.
Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for the Holy Spirit and for the new life You have given me. And when I am tempted to judge someone who is still lost in the places You brought me out of, remind me where I came from. Help me show the same mercy and grace that I have so freely received from You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Reflection Question
When you remember who you were before Christ, do those memories lead you toward shame—or toward gratitude for God’s mercy? How might remembering the mercy you’ve received change the way you see someone who is still struggling?
Closing Encouragement
Your past can tell the story of where you’ve been.
It doesn’t get to decide who you are now.
Paul doesn’t end with “we ourselves were once.”
He keeps going.
God saved us according to His mercy.
He gave new life through the Holy Spirit.
He justified us by His grace.
And He made us heirs with the hope of eternal life.
So don’t stop reading your story at who you were.
Keep going until you get to what God did.
Helpful Daily Resources
- Read the full chapter on Bible.com ~ Titus 3
- Enjoy Bible.com ~ Verse of the Day
- Try Bible.com ~ Bible Recap: Read the Bible in a Year Plan