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“According To His Mercy He Saved Us (Tit. 3:1-8) – Part 3”
According To His Mercy He Saved Us (Tit. 3:1-8) – Part 3
Wade Webster
In the first installment of this study, we noticed the reminder and the revelation of mercy. Last week, we noticed the restriction and the remission/regeneration/renewal of mercy. This week we will focus on the riches and the road of mercy.
The Riches of Mercy
“Whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Tit. 3:6). Notice the first half of the verse - which he poured out on us abundantly. God is not stingy with the things He gives. He pours them out abundantly upon us (Psa. 133:2). Physically, He gives us richly all things to enjoy. Paul wrote, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17). Spiritually, the same holds true. He is rich in mercy, love, and grace. He gives liberally of these blessings from His storehouses. To the saints at Ephesus, Paul wrote, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4-7). Earlier in Ephesians, Paul wrote, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7). Repeatedly, the Bible uses the word abundant in connection with mercy. David declared, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You…But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Psa. 86:5, 15; cf. 130:7). In like manner, Peter declared, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3). The psalmist describes His mercy as reaching to the heavens (Psa. 36:5; 57:10; 108:4). It is hard to imagine this supply ever being exhausted, but we ave another guarantee. God restocks His shelves with mercy every morning. Jeremiah declared, “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23).
The Road of Mercy
“Whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Tit. 3:6). Please note the second half of the verse - through Jesus Christ our Savior. We come to the Father through Jesus. Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Just as Jesus is the one and only way for us to get to the Father. He is the one and only way for God’s blessings to get to us. He is Jacob’s ladder (John 1:51). He is the channel or road of mercy. Salvation comes through Him. We read, “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9). There is salvation in or through no other. Peter declared, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Notice the two little prepositions - in and by (through).
