What Happened When Jesus Came
Titus 3:4–7 (ESV)
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.
Dear fellow redeemed: We are all here. Now what? When the right person shows up, things happen, don’t they?
When I was a youngster my dad, a doctor, sometimes ran long on evening rounds. When my mom said, “Dad’s home,” it meant that we could sit down and eat.
As a teacher or as a parent I’ve fulfilled those, “Just you wait until HE gets here,” anxieties too many times.
In emergencies, where terrible things are happening, when the first responders attack the fire, provide life support, or stop the “bad guys,” it makes a big difference that they have arrived.
During this season of Advent, we have referred to the coming of Christ in judgment as, for example, Paul put it, Romans 14:10–12 (ESV) For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Now here in this letter to Titus, Paul talks about what it was like before Christ was born, which is similar to the way it is now. He says to Pastor Titus, Titus 3:1–3 (ESV) Remind them [your flock] to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 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.
Such is the state of mankind, but something has changed, and it changed when Jesus came and accomplished what he came to do. He saved us. 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.
That’s one of those compound-complex sentences into which Paul packs a whole story, a whole truth, a whole idea, or a whole reality. The right person showed up and something happened. He saved us.
We go back to that Christmas day (or night) and veil that keeps us seeing spiritual things dimly, darkly, or not at all was torn away. Heaven invaded this earth. God was born a baby. Messengers from that realm announced, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)
The right person showed up, and something important happened.
First, God became incarnate, that is fully human. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared – He appeared; He remained in the realm beyond and including all space and time, but he stepped into His creation where He could be seen.
He didn’t pick the good people and call them all to His side to organize His troops, so to speak. No, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy. The right person showed up and He made a difference. He did what nobody else could do. He saved us. He lived in our shoes. He lived righteously in our place. He was good and kind and loving and gracious. He never held a grudge. He did what was good so that it would become OUR good works, OUR righteousness, OUR virtue. We who looked into the mirror of the law and saw only a dirty, rotten sinner, look at Christ and see ourselves washed clean and righteous, and abounding in all the virtues.
So it isn’t at all surprising that Paul points to our baptism as the means (one means) by which He accomplished our salvation. 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,
Having been baptized into Christ, you have put on Christ, Paul says elsewhere. If I call you “saint,” “holy person,” “beloved of God,” and not “sinner,” you may not recognize yourself. But the person you see in that mirror that shows you good and righteous is indeed you. No, in answer to you unspoken objection, no, you didn’t deserve it. But that is grace. [B]but according to his own mercy, [He saved us] by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 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.
The right person showed up and something important happened. {W}hen the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us….
That’s what happened when Jesus came.
Amen.
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