Truth Magazine

By Ferrell Jenkins

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit (Tit. 3:5, NASB).

In Titus 3:5 the apostle Paul declares that “God saved us” and that such was done “according to his mercy.” It was the mercy, grace and kindness or goodness of God that made salvation possible. Praise God for this grace toward man!

The passage also announces that he saved us, “not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness” but that he saved us “by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” What is this “washing of regeneration” by which he saved us? One thing is clear: it is not a deed or work “which we have done in righteousness.” The chart should aid us in the analysis of this passage.

He Saved Us

Not By But By

Works Washing of Regeneration

According To His Mercy

What is the “washing of regeneration” by which he saved us? We have collected the comments of various outstanding Bible scholars from a diversity of religious groups. These men often differ on some of the details in this passage, but they all agree as to what the “washing of regeneration” is. We do not cite them as our authority, but ask that you weigh their arguments carefully.

John Wesley: “Sanctification, expressed by the laver of regeneration (that is, baptism, the thing signified, as well as the outward sign), and the renewal of the Holy Ghost, which purifies the soul, as water cleanses the body, and renews it in the whole image of God” (One Volume New Testament Commentary, Wesley, Clarke, Henry, et. al.).

William Barclay: “When we think of baptism in the earliest days of the Church, we must always remember that it was the baptism of grown men and women who were coming direct out of paganism into the Christian Church. It was the deliberate leaving of one way of life to enter upon another and a new way. When Paul writes to the people of Corinth, he says: ‘Ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified’ (1 Cor. 6:11). In the letter to the Ephesians he says that Jesus Christ took the Church that “He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:26). In baptism there came to men the cleansing, re-creating power of God” (The Letters to Timothy, Titus, Philemon in the Daily Study Bible).

Cambridge Greek Testament (J.H. Bernard): “That the ‘washing of regeneration’ is the Water of Baptism is undoubted; see Eph. 5:26 . . . It is the instrument (dia) of salvation (cp. 1 Pet. 3:21 . . . ), the means, that is, through which we are placed in a ‘state of salvation,’ in union with the mystical Body of Christ; cp. Gal. 3:27. . .”

The New Bible Commentary (A.M. Stibbs): “In status this salvation is made ours through the outward seal of baptism; in vital experience it comes through the inner quickening by the Spirit.”

The Pulpit Commentary (A.C. Hervey): “Here we have the means through or by which God’s mercy saves us . . . (regeneration) therefore, very fitly describes the new birth in holy baptism, when the believer is put into possession of a new spiritual life, a new nature, and a new inheritance of glory. And the laver of baptism is called ‘laver of regeneration,’ because it is the ordained means by or through which regeneration is obtained.”

William Hendriksen: “It is clear from such passages as John 3:3,5 and especially Ephesians 5:26 (cf. Heb. 10:22) that this ‘washing of regeneration and renewing’ stand in some relation to the rite of baptism. Undoubtedly, also here in Titus 3:5 there is an implied reference to this sacrament” (New Testament Commentary).

Albert Barnes: “The word (washing) itself would naturally be understood as referring to baptism (comp. Notes on Acts 22:16), which was regarded as the emblem of washing away sins, or of cleansing from them” (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament).

Henry Alford: “Observe, there is here no figure: the words are literal: Baptism is taken as in all its completion, the outward visible sign accompanied by the inward spiritual grace; and as thus complete, it not only represents, but is the new birth.” At Hebrews 10:22, Alford says the clause having our body washed with pure water “refers directly to Christian baptism” and cites washing of water (Eph. 5:26) and washing of regeneration (Tit. 3:5) as “analogous expressions” (The Greek New Testament).

James Macknight: “Through the bath of regeneration: through baptism; called ‘the bath of regeneration,’ not because any change in the nature of the baptized person is produced by baptism, but because it is an emblem of the purification of his soul from sin. . . ” (Apostolical Epistles).

G.R. Beasley-Murray: Beasley-Murray said in 1962 “of all the commentators who have written on these Epistles [1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus], I can find but one who denies” that this refers to baptism. He says, “All things considered, it requires a real hardiness of spirit to refuse the weight of this evidence. . . ” (Baptism, pp. 209, 210). I have come across one additional more recent commentator who denies that baptism is under consideration.

What is the “washing of regeneration” by which he saved us? These commentators all agree and most of them cite biblical evidence to back up their position. The “washing of regeneration” in Titus 3:5 is baptism. In the chart below we have replaced the phrase “washing of regeneration” with the word baptism. This is proper since this is the meaning of the phrase.

He Saved Us

Not By But By

Works Baptism

According To His Mercy

Now observe that he saved us not by works, but by baptism. This passage clearly shows that baptism is not a work of man “done in righteousness.” Baptism is not a work of man; it is a work of God because it has been commanded by God (Acts 2:38; 10:48). Baptism is a work of God in the same sense that believing on Jesus is “the work of God” (and John 6:29 says just this). Those who believe that he saved us by works should give up the view. And those who disregard baptism should realize that they can not be saved without obeying God.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 24, pp. 737, 751
December 20, 1990

By Shane Scott

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19, NASB).

The Greek word that we translate “disciple” (mathetes) derives from the Greek verb “to learn” (manthano). A disciple, then, is a person who is a pupil, and often in the ancient world the pupil had a special relationship with his teacher. To be a disciple of Christ is to have a special relationship with him in which we learn from him. Consequently, when Jesus instructed his apostles to “make disciples” (matheteuo), he was commanding them to lead people to a relationship with him in which they could be students of Christ.

When Jesus gave this Great Commission, he did not tell his apostles to “convert people” or to “make Christians,” though that is certainly the ultimate goal of preaching the gospel to every creature (Mk. 16:15). Rather, Jesus instructed them to “make disciples.” In Jesus’ view, becoming Christians and becoming disciples were one and the same event. Souls truly converted to Christ become his disciples at the point of conversion. Thus, Christians, disciples, and converts are all the same thing.

Rarely did Jesus implore people to “be saved.” Jesus did invite people to become his disciples, provided they were willing to pay the price:

If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (Lk. 14:26-27).

When the apostles obeyed the Savior and took the gospel to “all creation” we never read of them “converting people” or “making Christians” out of some people. Rather, Luke tells us this about Paul and Barnabas’ work in Derbe: “And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch” (Acts 14:21, emphasis added).

In fact, as Luke narrates the spread of the gospel in the world, only twice does he refer to converts as “Christians” (Acts 11:26; 26:28). In contrast, Luke uses the term “disciple” or “disciples” twenty-nine times to describe those in Christ. Individuals of note were not identified as “certain Christians” but as “certain disciples, ” such as Ananias (9:10), Tabitha (9:36), and Timothy (16:1).

I am afraid we have lost sight of the basic link between conversion and discipleship. We have focused on baptizing people, converting them, saving them, etc. and rightly so (Acts 2:38). But if we fail to emphasize to prospects that they must become disciples, i.e. dedicated followers who will be students of Christ, we have told them only half of the story. I know that personally I have not emphasized the equivalence of conversion and discipleship, and as a result two of the three people I have baptized this year have fallen away, and a third 66convert” is at best in a very weak condition. If we do not ask prospects to “count the cost” before baptism, we are unfair to them and unfaithful to the gospel Christ wants us to preach (Lk. 14:27-33).

I think the matter of discipleship also directly bears on what we call the “age of accountability.” I was first baptized in water at the age of 11, but five years later I was baptized into Christ. I do not know how many people in the church have had a similar experience, but I have a sneaking suspicion there are many. When I was 11, I could read well enough to understand what passages like Acts 2:38 meant, but I was not mature enough to really comprehend the meaning of discipleship. If discipleship is an integral part of becoming as a Christian, then those who are not mature enough to understand discipleship are not mature enough to become Christians and are not accountable.

When we emphasize to young people that they need to be baptized and neglect to discuss what it means to be a disciple, we end up producing “converts” who have no idea what it means to abide in the word of Christ, love brethren, and bear fruit, all of which are marks of true disciples – true converts (John 8:31; 13:35; 15:8). Certainly, individual children radically differ in stages of development, and for some the age at which they become mature enough to realize the commitment necessary to be a disciple will be much earlier than it will be for others. But we are making a mistake to baptize young people without being sure they understand what Christ will expect of them as disciples.

Brethren, in our haste to spread the gospel and win souls to Christ, let us be sure we approach our work with the words of the Savior in mind and devote ourselves to making disciples. To do less is to fill our local churches with everything but Christians.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 24, p. 748
December 20, 1990

By Lewis Willis

On November 3, 1990, Emrold Aaron Dicus, affectionately known as “Dike,” finished his journey in time. His funeral service was conducted on November 7, 1990 at the building of the Lorain Avenue Church in Cleveland, Ohio. The building was filled with his family, brethren, business associates and friends. Interment was at Sunset Memorial Park. Ed Holcomb and I spoke at his funeral.

Dike was the oldest son of the late A.W. Dicus. His father was widely known as a preacher, educator and songwriter. Much of A.W.’s preaching was done in his home state of Indiana. He was an administrator with Florida College in its early days, and he was the inventor of the automobile turn signal indicator. But, A.W. was probably best known as a songwriter. He wrote several songs, but the best-known are probably “Our God, He Is Alive” and “Lord, I Believe.” Several of his songs were sung at Dike’s funeral.

Dike was baptized by the well-known Indiana preacher, J.C. Roady, at the age of 12. He was baptized at the Lincoln Street Church in Bloomington, Indiana. He was a Christian for 65 years.

Dike had two younger brothers, David of Chattanooga, TN, and James of Agoura, CA. When A.W. died, Dike more or less picked up the mantle of leadership and exerted strong direction for the family. His father had stressed education to his sons, and they listened.

Dike graduated from Purdue University in 1936 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was something of a “throw back” to an earlier time. He was a full-time gospel preacher who supported himself. Most of the preachers of the generations before him were farmers who preached. (It is probably more accurate to say that their families were farmers and they were preachers.) Dike was an engineer who preached.

He had many titles at Anvil Industries in Cleveland. He was Engineer, Chief Engineer, Vice-President in charge of Engineering, President, Corporate Vice-President and a Director of Anvil Industries. He retired in 1980, though he continued as a consultant to the Corporation until his death. I said in his eulogy, “I suspect he did more preaching than any other Mechanical Engineer in history! Or, did he do more Mechanical Engineering than any other preacher in history?”

When he and Martha moved to Cleveland, they attended the West Side Church. During that time, he did a lot of “fillin” preaching. When the church meeting at Warren Road and Detroit Avenue was established, he began “full-time” work as their preacher. That congregation is now known as the Lorain Avenue Church and Dike was the only preacher they have ever had. His work with Lorain Avenue covered a span of approximately 43 years. He never received full support for his preaching work with the Church. Only in the last few years did he accept any support, and that was only after the church insisted that he do so.

Not only did he preach for the congregation, but for the last several years of his life he served as an elder of the church. He is held in highest regard by brethren throughout this region for his service to God and his people. Only a man of such strength could have successfully carried the burdens of husband and father, a secular job, preaching and serving as an elder at the same time. He was a truly unique individual. In his “spare time” he pursued his hobbies of raising flowers and cabinet making. With his “much patience” he almost hand-made two Grandfather clocks, several tables, a cradle for his grandchildren and many toys.

He and Martha (Hewett) were married in her parents’ home in Marion, Indiana on June 11, 1939. They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with a host of their family and friends on June 11, 1989. For over 51 years they exemplified what God intended marriage to be. The “home” was one of his favorite subjects. His mission was to keep the home intact, sacred and full of love. Building on that foundation, he knew the church would maintain its purity and harmony. Some of his greatest preaching was on the home.

Dike and Martha had two children, John and Debbie (Mrs. Ervin Jones), both of whom live with their families in Cleveland and attend the Lorain Avenue Church. John is now one of her elders. They were proud of their children and grandchildren, Christopher, Lisa, Sarah and Rachel.

His concern for the Lord’s cause in Northeast Ohio was genuine. He had spent his life promoting Christ and his Church. He constantly urged preachers to “stick with the basics” and “fight digression.” He knew how and when to be firm. He was esteemed very highly in love for his work’s sake (1 Thess. 5:13).

At his funeral I said, “When I pillowed my head last Saturday evening after learning of Dike’s death, it occurred to me that our world is a lonelier, sadder, poorer place now that he is gone. It is now time for those of his generation who have served God so faithfully, to go home. A.C. Grider is gone! Harry Pickup, Sr. is gone! And, E.A. Dicus is gone! May God help us.”

If you would like to communicate with Martha and the children, you can contact them at: 4641 West 210th Street, Fairview Park, Ohio 44126 (phone: 216-331-6362). We express our deepest sympathy to this good family.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 24, p. 752
December 20, 1990

By Tom M. Roberts

Most of us understand that “maturing” is more than simply growing old. Maturity is the process where one passes from childhood into adulthood with the acquired ability to use wisdom and experience in the decisions of life. By the very nature of life, juveniles should ripen, develop and become well-versed in the art of living. Anything less is arrested development and sad to all who see it.

Spiritual maturity is the condition of “growing up” of life in the Lord, as Paul instructed the Ephesians: “But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into him who is the head – Christ” (Eph. 4:15, NKJ). A Christian must begin as a babe (being born anew, Rom. 6:4), but most not remain in infancy. He is to grow by desiring “the pure milk of the word” (1 Pet. 2:2) and make progress toward meatier food. “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, (that is,) those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:14).

This spiritual maturity is not only a state to be desired, but one which is made possible by the work of Jesus Christ. Paul declared that Jesus left behind gifts for men when he went back to heaven to insure the completeness of the church itself as well as that of individual Christians. Notice Ephesians 4:11f: “And he himself gave some [to be] apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

The church reached its desired state of perfection (maturity) so that Paul was able to declare, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11). In this instance, he spoke of leaving behind the age of miraculous gifts (the childish age of the church) and passing into maturity (the time when truth would be fully and completely revealed). (Cf. Jude 3; John 14:26; 16:33.) However, it remains for each of us as individuals to pass from infancy into maturity; from childhood into being a full-grown man in Christ. When this is not done, our spiritual lives suffer and we hinder the local churches by an inability to distinguish between the things of the world and the things of Christ.

Worldly Maturity Not Spiritual Maturity

“Sophistication” in the world is not the same thing as spiritual maturity. Some seem to feel that a certain “saviorfare” toward drinking, gambling, curing, evil entertainment and other kinds of immorality marks one as being “mature.” Those in the church who have “old-fashioned” ideas are viewed as backward and colloquial, perhaps ignorant of the enlightened views of the sophisticates who claim to be “free.” But there is no freedom in sin (Rom. 6:20: “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness”); only freedom in Christ (Rom. 8:2: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death”). We must not be fooled into thinking that spiritual maturity permits a sinful lifestyle (1 Pet. 2:16: “as free, yet not using [your] liberty as a cloak for vice, but as servants of God”).

Cosmopolitan Preaching Not Spiritual Maturity

There is a distinctive ring to gospel preaching that is identifiable both in substance and form. One does not have to listen long to textual sermons to recognize Bible-based preaching. The uniqueness and distinctiveness of the Lord’s church is not just a matter of coincidence; one cannot preach the truth without preaching Christ and his body, the church. Yet there are those who, unlike Paul, are ashamed of the gospel (Rom. 1:16). Some clamor for a New Hermeneutic, jeer at New Testament patterns, ridicule biblical authority and express dissatisfaction with worship that is according to “spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:24). On the other hand, they are broad-minded enough to accept every deviation, every aberration, every digression known to modern theologians. The only anathema to these refined and suave champions of broadened fellowship is the “legalist” who insists on a “thus saith the Lord’ for every principle or practice. These people are of such a world view in religion that they will accept the premillennial, the instrumentalist, the institutionalist or the pious unimmersed, but will cast out of their fellowship anyone who calls these practices into question. We need to be just as cosmopolitan as Paul who met the philosophers in Athens and preached Christ to them, who met Roman rulers and tried to baptize them, who was willing to made a “spectacle” (1 Cor. 4:9) to the world in order to preach the true riches of Christ. Spiritual maturity is not compromise.

Spiritual Maturity Builds Up the Church

Strong Christians make strong churches. When we are able to feat upon the “meat” of the gospel and teach it to others, babes in Christ iwll grown into mature Christians. Ideally, there will always be babes in a congregation due to new conversions, but these new babes will not remain so. As time passes, each new convert matures into “perfection” (Eph. 4:13: “a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”). It is sinful to remain a child, to stay a babe, being “tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14).

When churches have mature Christians, they will have the right attitude toward elders. Churches who have long existences without men growing into qualified elders (1 Tim. 3; Tit. 1) have arrested development. Churches who cannot accept the oversight of godly men are immature. Churches who are satisfied with a preacher running the business of the church do not understand the wisdom of bishops appointed by God. Churches who sit for years and fuss, grumble, feud and fight are still in childish attitudes and need to grow up. Churches who had rather fight among themselves than fight the Devil need to look in the mirror (Jas. 1:25) and see immaturity for what it is and begin to set God’s house in order.

When churches have mature Christians, they will have the right attitude toward gospel preaching and preachers. Let this be no defense of immature and inconsiderate (to say nothing of inept) preachers. But churches that have faithful men proclaiming the word need to support both the truth and his efforts to preach it. There is no excuse for the practice of constantly carping at a preacher and his family. Some preachers have to watch their posterior from the attacks by brethren more than they do the ramparts for the enemy. Since I have been treated in a fine way by my brethren, I can say these things without sour grapes. I have witnessed fine men harrassed to the point of exhaustion by radical extremists, by disgruntled brethren, by jealous critics, by untaught neophytes and the church as a whole will say little or nothing to stop it. There is no excuse for a church with mature men in it permitting the preacher to be attacked in classes, in business meetings, in private discussion or in plain gossip without confronting this ungodly treatment. Truth has suffered inconsiderate handling by churches who permit cynical and sarcastic opposition by brethren who are, at best, untaught and, at the worst, agnostic. One or two caustic brethren can embroil a preacher in more defeatist jousting than a full year of Bible study with non-Christians. A mature church will not permit this kind of action to continue unchallenged by someone other than the preacher.

When churches have mature Christians, they will be known for the peace and harmony that prevails. We have had more than enough of churches that split and splinter over every conceivable kind of opinion. The Lord recognized an area where brethren may differ and still maintain local fellowship without compromising doctrinal purity. Evidently, we have not learned how to properly use Romans 14 when every opinion is the occasion of a church split. While recognizing that we must “contend for the faith” (Jude 3) without apology, there still remains an area of “doubtful disputations” in which I must not judge, but allow a brother to differ from me while yet worshiping with him. It is not the point of this article to discuss which items fall into Romans 14, but it cannot be successfully denied that this is the proper use of this chapter. When churches over the nation have split over every shade of opinion, it is evident that we are not applying this part of truth to our maturity. For a full generation, we have had to fight liberalism, etc. and I offer no criticism of those who fought, and still fight. But a church cannot be built on fighting alone. Nor, having defeated liberalism within the congregation, must we be so used to fighting that we continue the fight with our local brethren just because we don’t know anything else but fighting. Fight we must, but we also must “give diligence to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). Mature Christians will know how to love, honor, prefer one another, consider others better than self and serve the needs of others as well as fight error.

When churches have mature Christians, they will try to convert the lost, for they were once unconverted themselves.

When churches have mature Christians, they will watch out for the weak and needy, the hopeless and helpless, the weak brother or sister, the backsliding, the one “overtaken in a fault.”

When churches have mature Christians, the worship service will be orderly and well-planned so as to provide occasion for worship and edification for all. Brethren will be used who are trained for service and able to impart leadership and fellowship to the whole church.

When churches have mature Christians, prior arrangements will have been made so that all things are ready as needs arise. The baptistry will be full, with garments in readiness if a sinner wishes to be baptized. The Lord’s table will be spread and ready for this important part of the worship. The song service will not be thrown together as the song leader walks down the aisle. Bible class teachers and material will be prepared ahead of time to be best taken advantage of an hour of study. The building will be ready for its use by the church as a place of assembly. Maturity suggests good stewardship of both great and small things in the Lord’s kingdom.

Conclusion

Are you a mature Christian? Are you still a babe when you ought to be grown up? Is the church where you worship mature or still having to deal with “every wind of doctrine” due to a lack of qualified leadership? Quite evidently, the Lord intended for us all to achieve a ,’measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). If we have not done so, how long will it be before we “are about our Father’s business”? “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Rom. 13:12).

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 24, pp. 746-747
December 20, 1990