SUNDAY February 8, 2026
God’s Mercy Saved Us
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit....
Titus 3:4-5
Can we save ourselves? The resounding answer we find in God’s Word is––no! Sadly, there are millions of Catholics who go on a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Tepeyac Hill, in Mexico City, to pay homage to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Many crawl on their knees through the church courtyard and up the stairs, in penance. They seek Mary’s intercession. Sadly, people will try to do all kinds of penances and religious observances to try to gain forgiveness of sin, but none of these things will ever help them.
When I was a little kid, my grandma used to take me down to the big cathedral there in Mexico City. I was always taken aback while walking through that place. I saw people on their knees crawling into the church; I will never forget that sight. Young and old people were bleeding because they had crawled on their knees to reach the church. As I grew older, I asked my mother why these people did that. I was told they were doing acts of penance. As a Christian, I now know that these acts of humility, no matter how sincere, were of no value.
In the book of Romans, we find these freeing words: “The just shall live by faith.” All we have to do is repent before God, ask for His forgiveness, and place our faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Titus 3:5 helps us to understand that we are saved by faith, not by our works: ...not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.... It is that simple. We are all sinners in need of a Savior.
It seems that it is man's nature to try and do good works for salvation. I believe it makes them feel good and less guilty. And yet, only Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and the shedding of His blood can take away man’s guilt. Thank God for His mercy in sending His Son!
To say that we are able by our own efforts to think good thoughts or give God spiritual obedience before we are spiritually regenerated is to overthrow the gospel and the faith of the universal church in all ages.
~John Owen~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
