May the peace of the Lord be with each one of you, brothers and sisters, who week after week join this transmission to grow in faith and establish the Kingdom of God and His justice on earth. I thank the Lord for His grace and mercy, which allow us to study His Word and develop spiritually. Today we continue exploring a fundamental theme: the new birth, a divine act that transforms the lives of men and women to live in faith.
Base Text: Titus 3:3-7
Let’s read the passage that grounds our teaching:
“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.”
What is the New Birth?
A Transformative Act of God
The new birth is a supernatural act of God that transforms the lives of men and women, regardless of their past or condition. This process allows them to live a life of faith, aligned with divine purposes. It is not something that human beings can achieve by their own merits, but depends entirely on God’s grace and mercy.
A New Covenant in Christ
The new birth is linked to the new covenant sealed by the blood of Jesus. Like any covenant, it has terms established by God, to which men and women must submit. We are not the ones who define the conditions, but we accept those of the Gospel to live according to the Kingdom of Heaven. This covenant implies a new identity in Christ, as expressed by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” We are no longer known by what we were, but by who we are in Christ.
The Washing of Regeneration
The term “washing of regeneration” in Titus 3:5 has roots in the Old Testament, specifically in the rituals of purification by water. In Leviticus 22:6-7 we read: “The person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has bathed his body in water. When the sun goes down he shall be clean.” Likewise, in Numbers 31:23: “Everything that can withstand fire, you shall pass through fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water for impurity.” These rituals were not simple baths, but spiritual acts with consecrated water, reserved exclusively for cleansing physical and spiritual impurities. In the context of the new birth, this washing represents the purification from sin and the liberation from spiritual bondage.
The New Birth in the Old Testament
Prophetic Foundation
The new birth is not an exclusive idea of the New Testament, but is prophesied in the Old Testament. In Ezekiel 36:25-26 God promises: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” This passage reveals that the new birth implies a profound transformation: purification, renewal of the heart, and reception of a new spirit.
The Human Condition and the Need for Regeneration
Humanity, since the disobedience of Adam and Eve, is contaminated by sin and belongs to the kingdom of darkness (Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”; Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death”). This condition of impurity requires a divine act to restore man to God’s presence. Jesus, in his encounter with Nicodemus, expressed it clearly in John 3:3, 5: “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” and “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” The new birth, therefore, is essential to cleanse the sinful condition and allow access to the Kingdom.
The Meaning of Water in Scripture
Purification and Judgment
In Scripture, water has a double meaning: purification and judgment. It represents the cleansing of spiritual impurities, as seen in Ephesians 5:25-26: “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.” However, it also symbolizes divine judgment on human wickedness. In 1 Corinthians 3:13 it says: “Each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.” Fire and water are means of purification and judgment, as John the Baptist affirmed when presenting Jesus: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). Baptism in fire implies a judgment that purifies what water cannot eliminate.
Spiritual Warfare and Liberation
Satan’s Legal Right
The new birth is an act of spiritual warfare that cancels the legal right that Satan acquired over entire generations due to sin. In Ezekiel 16:4-9, God describes Jerusalem as an abandoned creature, covered in blood, but He cleanses and restores her: “I washed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.” This passage illustrates how God redeems what is contaminated. However, many people, even within the church, face generational bondages that persist because wickedness is “stuck to their bones” or runs through their bloodstream, as Isaiah 4:4 says: “When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.”
Processes of Transformation
The new birth is not completed solely by accepting Jesus at an altar. It is a process that often involves crises, illnesses, chaos, or tribulations, designed by God to grind the “old substance” and form a new creature. As Romans 9:21 says: “Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?” These processes, although painful, are necessary to break the enemy’s legal rights and free the person from the spiritual blindness that Satan imposes (2 Corinthians 4:4: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ”).
Paul’s Experience
The apostle Paul, formerly Saul, is a clear example. Acts 9:1 describes how he “breathed threats and murder” against Christians, with wickedness rooted in his being. However, his encounter with Christ and subsequent processes transformed him. In Romans 7:24 he cries out: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”, recognizing the struggle against ingrained sin. His new birth was completed through trials, such as the “thorn” he asked to be removed (2 Corinthians 12:7-9), but God answered him: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Practical Application
Accepting God’s Processes
The new birth requires that we accept the processes through which God takes us, without resisting or seeking shortcuts. Romans 12:2 exhorts us: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Fleeing from these processes is living a superficial religiosity that does not transform. Many believers face spiritual blindness or stagnation because they evade God’s purifying judgment.
The Danger of Uncanceled Legal Rights
Satan does not claim his legal rights at the beginning or in the middle of spiritual life, but at the end, when he can destroy everything that has been built (1 Corinthians 9:27: “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified”). That is why the new birth is essential to cancel these rights and ensure that our life is fully under God’s authority.
Joy in Transformation
Despite the difficulties, we must rejoice in the processes of the new birth, as 1 Thessalonians 5:16 encourages us: “Rejoice always.” Each crisis is an opportunity for God to make us new, fulfilling the promise of John 3:5: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
Conclusion and Final Blessing
The new birth is the washing of regeneration, a divine act that purifies, liberates, and transforms. It is not just accepting Christ, but allowing God to mold our life through processes that cancel the enemy’s rights and make us new creatures. Let us thank the Lord for each trial, for in them His purpose of bringing us into His Kingdom is fulfilled.
Father, I bless every man and woman who receives this teaching. May the knowledge of the new birth illuminate their hearts and give them strength to embrace Your processes. In Jesus’ name, amen. May the peace of the Lord be with you.
