…whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior …
Summary: Today’s passage raises the question, “Who is ‘us’?” Paul gives us several clues as we look back over his letter to Titus.
To understand the context of today’s passage, we need to look back at a few verses to remember what Paul is writing about.
In verse four, Paul beings with the appearance of God, our Savior.
In verse five, we learn that God saved us because of his mercy.
We also learn that being saved includes rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Now, in verse six, we learn that the Holy Spirit is poured out on us through Jesus Christ.
One question that comes to mind about this sentence is “Who is ‘us’?” Who, exactly, is the Holy Spirit poured out on?
Paul begins his letter in Titus 1:1 with a reference to “God’s elect.” These are the people God has chosen for his own. (Mark 13:20) The thing about the “elect” is that only God knows who they are. We do not know what God knows, so it is not our place to judge anyone’s fitness for heaven.
Paul then goes on to talk about elders, overseers, and others he calls “rebellious people.” (Titus 1:10) These people claim to be believers because he mentions “the circumcision group.” These were people who professed to believe in Jesus but also held that male believers needed to be circumcised as the Jews were. Paul clarifies this a bit further in verse sixteen. Paul writes that these people “claim to know God, but by their actions deny him.”
These words of Paul echo the story told by Jesus about the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25: 31-46). In this story, both the sheep and the goats refer to the King as “Lord.” Yet, they are both judged by their actions. Only the righteous go on to eternal life.
This seems to be at odds with what Jesus told Nicodemus. He said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (John 3:14-15)
The trick is that they are only contradictory if we try and force our definitions onto God’s Word. We just learned that the process of being saved includes “rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5) If there is no rebirth and renewal, then what a person says or claims does not matter. If there is a rebirth and renewal, it will be evident in a person’s life.
This brings us back to the question at hand. Who is the “us” that the Holy Spirit is poured out on? Is it just the elect, or does God pour his Spirit out on all mankind?
In Acts chapter two, we read about Peter who quoting the prophet Joel says:
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” (Acts 2: 17)
The means of salvation is Jesus Christ. The mechanism of how that salvation happens is debated. Does Jesus reserve salvation for only those people who hear the Gospel? Is salvation dependent on our ability to understand?
There are challenges with both of these views. If God limits salvation to only those people who hear the Gospel, then there are a lot of people who die in their sins with no hope at all. If God limits salvation to those who understand the Gospel, then there are a lot of people with limited intelligence or who misunderstand who are not going to be in heaven.
The power of God to save is, fortunately, not limited by human understanding. God’s Word says that God’s Spirit is poured out on “all people.” Do I need to understand how that works for it to be possible?
God’s response:
“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8)
Application: Faith in God also includes faith that he knows what he is doing.
Food for Thought: Is there a difference between God pouring his Spirit “on all people” and those same people being “filled with the Holy Spirit?” (Acts 2:4)
Maybe.
Ah… Mr. T
The wisdom of Solomon! 🙂
The “all people” in Acts 2 is defined for us in the text that follows. He is clearly talking about all kinds of people – young men, old men, women, servants – not just the prophets. See Acts 2: 17 – 21 which is quoting from Joel 2.
I do not believe the Bible ever says the Spirit is poured out on unbelievers. In Acts 2, the Spirit was not poured into someone until they believed. He was not poured out on all people in Acts 2, just the believers. So in Acts 2, I do not believe there is a difference. They are the all types of people who are being in dwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Is there a difference between God pouring his Spirit “on all people” and those same people being “filled with the Holy Spirit?” (Acts 2:4)
The people being spoken of in Acts 2:4 are believers. We are told of believers:
1.) Being Filled with the Spirit, “Empowered by the Spirit”,
2.) Bearing Fruit of the Spirit which is an “outward manifestation of an inner truth”, love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
3.) Receiving Gifts of the Spirit “given to believers for specific ministry”
4.) Works of the Spirit are “His working in the lives of believers” for our spiritual growth and ministry, as Paul experienced and wrote to us about in Galatians. Paul spent 3 years being taught by Christ through the Holy Spirit. ” I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached was not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 5:17-21, Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 12:4-14, John 16:13, Galatians 1:11–2:10
God pouring out His Spirit ON all people is a different matter.
The Bible says, God’s truths have been “ Written in/on the hearts, imprinted in our minds. God has circumcised the hearts of all men and our hearts, conscience and thoughts either accuse or defend each of us. We are also told He will send His Spirit to convict all the world about sin, righteousness and judgement.
Romans 2:15, Hebrews 8:10,10:16,10:26, Deuteronomy 30:6, John 16:8
The Jesus tells us, the Holy Spirit will come and speak to the hearts, spirits of all mankind. It will be a time of rejoicing by some, repentance for some, and stubbornness for others. He will reveal the true nature of sin, of righteousness, and the hopeless state of depravity to all. Those who have rejected what has been written on their hearts, will know they are helpless to save themselves from His righteous judgement upon all sin. All those who have chosen to not believe in the personal integrity and Godly character of the truths written on their hearts, will be given an opportunity to repent and be reconciled with God as the Spirit guides them into all the truth. Those who reject this offer to turn by choosing to live to their own standards, will face God in Judgement, knowing their choosing separation from God has its eternal consequences.
John 16:8-13, Isaiah 44:3, Joel 2:28-29, Acts 2:17, Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26
Ron,
Thank you for the detailed comments on the different works of God’s Spirit.
I’ve been thinking about this all day long. The image that comes to my mind when I think of “pouring” is someone taking a pitcher full of water and tipping it so the water rushes out and goes everywhere, gets everything wet, verses taking that same pitcher and filling a glass. God us promising us that he will make His spirit abundantly available and touch everything. Acts 10:44-45 “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.”
Thank you, Chris!
I like the imagery you have shared.
I do not think I am tracking with you all on this one. I may be hearing this wrong, but somehow God has poured out His Spirit on all people, not just believers? Are they rejecting the Spirit? What verses clearly say that the Spirit is given in any way to unbelievers? Am I maybe not hearing correctly? I am thinking of many verses that would create some contradictions from my narrow perspective. Unless I misunderstand. I am confused. It is true that the Spirit convicts people of sin. Is that this pouring out on unbelievers I am hearing about? This is a brand new doctrine to me.
Still thinking on this because I don’t want to be a bummer. The Spirit is omnipresent. The Spirit convicts all people of sin. But only a believer can be indwelt and also filled with the Spirit (a direct result of the outpouring). If we are just talking semantics on the idea of the conviction of the Holy Spirit, His wooing and His presence in the world – then I think I am tracking.
Brother Rich,
It sounds to me like you are tracking pretty closely. I appreciate you being willing to engage with this, especially if it seems new. That is part of what makes you such an amazing brother in Christ!
Thanks Jeff. We all come from different backgrounds and can use different terminology. That is why defining terms helps clarify communication. Since I am tracking I am happy. Blessings to you brother.
Rich,
I probably did not phrase this properly but the Holy Spirit convicting of sin was definitely what I was trying to say. If there is some special meaning to outpouring that I am crossing paths with, I’m sorry about that. I’m just going by John 16 passages, conviction of sinners. Agree, the Holy Spirit does not dwell in those who choose to live in sin. Those who choose to reject conviction make will face God on their own.
Thank you Ron. We are definitely on the same page. Amen