«　WEEK 10　DAY 5　»

　　Titus 3:4-5 But when the kindness and the love to man of our Savior God appeared, not out of works in righteousness which we did but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.

　　The New Testament reveals the divine attribute of kindness…. Romans 11:22, speaking of the kindness of God and His severity, emphasizes the attribute of God’s kindness. Furthermore, Ephesians 2:7 declares, “That He might display in the ages to come the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Kindness is a benevolent goodness which issues out of mercy and love. It is in such kindness that the grace of God is given to us…. It is the kindness and love of our Savior God that has saved us and made us different from others. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 107-108)

　　[Romans 2:4] says, “Do you despise the riches of His kindness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that God’s kindness is leading you to repentance?” The apostle seems to say, “On one hand, you condemn others, and on the other hand, you commit the same sins. What do you mean by doing this? Do you think that God will not judge you, or do you despise the riches of His kindness, forbearance, and long-suffering? You think that God will not judge you. You seem to not know that He surely will judge you. He has not judged you yet because He is kind toward you. His kindness causes Him to forbear you, and His forbearance causes Him to be long-suffering toward you. He is so kind to you because He wants to lead you to repentance. He is forbearing and long-suffering toward you because He is waiting for you to repent. His judgment has not come upon you because His kindness causes Him to forbear you and be long-suffering toward you, waiting for you to repent. This is what you should know and must not despise.” (CWWL, 1952, vol. 2, pp. 205-206)

　　In Titus 3:4 Paul says, “But when the kindness and the love to man of our Savior God appeared.” In verse 5 Paul continues, “Not out of works in righteousness which we did but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Titus 2:11 says that the grace of God brings salvation to man, and 3:7 says that we have been justified by the grace of the Lord. But verse 5 says that according to His mercy He saved us. God’s mercy reaches farther than His grace. Our pitiful condition created a wide gap between us and God’s grace. It was God’s mercy that has bridged this gap and brought us to His salvation of grace.

　　In 3:4-5 Paul does not speak of grace, but speaks of kindness, love, and mercy. Love is the source of grace. In the heart of God the Father there is love. But when this love is expressed through the Son, it becomes grace. For this reason, 2 Corinthians 13:14 speaks of the grace of Christ and the love of the Father. In John 1:16 and 17 we have grace; however, in 1 John we touch the love of God the Father as the source of this grace.

　　What, then, are mercy and kindness? We have pointed out that mercy always reaches farther than grace. When we are in a proper situation, God’s love will come to us as grace. However, we were all in a pitiful situation and may still be in such a situation today. Therefore, we need God’s mercy to reach us. The mercy of God can come to us even in our pitiful situation.

　　Kindness is God’s attitude in giving grace to us. It is possible to give a gift to a person without having a proper attitude. For example, I may give a valuable gift to a brother but give it in a rather crude, insensitive manner. On the other hand, I may give him a gift in a way that expresses an attitude of kindness.

　　When we have mercy, love, and kindness, we automatically have grace. Our God and Father has shown us love, mercy, and kindness. It is by this that He saves us. (Life-study of Titus, pp. 40-41)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Titus, msgs. 4-5; CWWL, 1952, vol. 2, pp. 205-206; Life-study of Matthew, msg. 52