Lessons #69 and 70
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Reasons to be considerate of others (Titus 3:3-7)
... 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
We have been considering the facts Apostle Paul stated regarding our salvation in the passage before us. The first fact we considered is that it happened with the appearing of goodness of God our Savior that we indicated is concerned with incarnation and the consequent work of Christ on the cross when He paid for our sins. The second fact is that salvation is because of God’s mercy and not our good works. However, in our last study we started to consider the negative aspect of this fact, which is, that our salvation is not because of our deeds done in uprightness of character or in righteousness as in the clause of Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done.
The truth that our salvation is not dependent on deeds done in uprightness of character or in righteousness is one that should be conveyed to unbelievers to bring them to recognize their need for faith in Christ, so why then did the apostle state it in Titus 3:5 that is meant for believers? It is to keep us from being conceited or arrogant as we deal with unbelievers. The apostle had already instructed believers to be careful not to be conceited as they interact with fellow believers who are of low status in life in Romans 12:16:
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Arrogance or conceit is a sin that we, as believers, should be on the guard against as that can creep into our soul quickly. Thus, it is important we be reminded that our salvation does not depend on us so that we do not have a sense of superiority over unbelievers that will lead us not to become sensitive to them. In fact, we should keep reminding ourselves that everything we are result from the grace of God as the Holy Spirit reminds us through Apostle Paul in the passage that I have mentioned several times, that is, 1 Corinthians 4:7:
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
God who is gracious may do things in our lives to ensure we are not conceited. Unfortunately, too often we are not able to interpret what God is doing in our lives to help us not become arrogant. Apostle Paul recognized this truth in how he interpreted the “thorn in his flesh” in 2 Corinthians 12:7:
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
The apostle indicated the purpose of the “thorn in his flesh” was to keep him from being conceited or arrogant because of the great revelations he received. An implication is that privileges have ways of causing arrogance in us. It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul stipulated that a new convert should not be placed in a position of being an overseer since such an office may lead to arrogance, as in 1 Timothy 3:6:
He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.
Anyway, it is our assertion that the apostle reminded us that our salvation is not due to anything in us, to keep us from being conceited. Conceit, as we have implied, could lead to being insensitive to unbelievers as we interact with them. We have to be careful to remember that we are not to endorse sinful conduct but that we should show tenderness when dealing with unbelievers even in their sinful conduct so as to help them recognize the goodness of our God that is responsible for our salvation.
Be that as it may, the second fact the apostle states about our salvation is that it is because of God’s mercy and not our good works. We have considered the negative element in the second fact about our salvation which is that our salvation is not because of our deeds done in uprightness of character or in righteousness. So, we proceed to consider the positive element of the second fact about our salvation. The second positive element is that salvation is because of the mercy of our God as in the next clause of Titus 3:5 but because of his mercy.
The word “mercy” is translated from a Greek word (eleos) that pertains to kindness or concern expressed for someone in need, hence means “mercy, compassion, pity, clemency.” It may be used to describe the attitude humans show or should show each other as it is used in James 2:13:
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
The clause anyone who has not been merciful is more literally one who has not practiced mercy. Nonetheless, it is a word that is predominantly used of God’s attitude or action towards humans. Hence, it is used to describe God’s attitude towards those who revere His name in Luke 1:50:
His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
Apostle Paul used it to describe an aspect of God’s character as he discoursed the matter of salvation in Ephesians 2:4:
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
The apostles used it several times in their greetings in their epistles. Apostle John used it in 2 John 3:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.
Likewise, Apostle Paul used it for greetings in his epistles to Timothy, for example, in 2 Timothy 1:2:
To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
He used the word in his prayer-wish for Onesiphorus in 2 Timothy 1:16:
May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.
In any event, mercy in our context refers to the kindness of God extended to us who were in need of salvation. All humans are in pitiful state, but God extended His mercy to some individuals He had chosen as that is the implication of the statement of Apostle Paul in his defense of the doctrine of election in Romans 9:23:
What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—
There is nothing in any human being that would have warranted God’s kindness so the fact that there are objects of His mercy speak to His goodness. This being the case, it is important to remind us that our salvation is totally dependent on God’s kindness. His mercy is the basis of our salvation. Thus, Apostle Paul reminds us of this truth so that we will never become conceited or be insensitive as we interact with unbelievers. By the way, Apostle Paul is not alone in expressing the truth that our salvation is based on God’s mercy so did Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:3:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
In any event, the second fact Apostle Paul states with respect to our salvation is that it is because of God’s mercy and not our good works. Remembering this fact should help us not to become conceited as we interact with unbelievers but to be tolerant towards them.
A third fact about salvation Apostle Paul states is that it involves rebirth that leads to renewal by the Holy Spirit. It is this fact that is given in the second sentence of Titus 3:5 He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This sentence is not easy to interpret hence there are several interpretations of what the apostle meant. An interpretation is that God saved us by means of washing us with the result that we were both regenerated and renewed by the Holy Spirit. Another interpretation is that God saved us by means of washing us with the result that we were regenerated and by means of our being renewed by the Holy Spirit. Another interpretation is that God saved us by means of washing us with the result that we were regenerated, that is, we were renewed by the Holy Spirit. These various interpretations make sense and probably each contains a part of the truth the Holy Spirit communicates through the apostle. However, it seems to me that there are two words among others that are important in understanding what the apostle stated because they connect the phrases the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit to our salvation.
The first is the word “through” which is translated from a Greek preposition (dia) that has various usages. But in our passage, there are four possible usages of the Greek preposition that makes sense. A first usage of the Greek preposition is as a marker of means with the meaning “through” as our Greek word is used as the death of Christ is presented as the means of our reconciliation to God in Romans 5:10:
For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
The implication of this meaning in our passage is that the phrase the washing of rebirth of Titus 3:5 is the means of our salvation. A second usage of the Greek preposition translated “through” in the NIV of Titus 3:5 that has relevance to our passage is as a marker of manner and so means “by” as it is used to describe the manner Apostle Paul communicated God’s truth to the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2:15:
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
The implication of this usage in our passage of Titus 3:5 is that the phrase the washing of rebirth defines the manner of our salvation. A third usage of the Greek preposition we are considering is as a marker of efficient cause of something hence means “via, through”, as it is used by Apostle Paul to convey that the gospel message is the efficient cause of him being the spiritual father of the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 4:15:
Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
The implication of this usage in our passage of Titus 3:5 is that the phrase the washing of rebirth is the efficient cause of salvation. A fourth usage of the Greek preposition translated “through” in the NIV of Titus 3:5 that has relevance to our passage is as a marker of reason or cause and so means “because of.” It is in this sense that the apostle used it to indicate that the service of the Corinthians will lead to God being praised by those who are the recipients of their generosity in 2 Corinthians 9:13:
Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
Taking the Greek preposition in the sense of reason or cause in our passage of Titus 3:5 implies that the phrase the washing of rebirth is the reason or cause of our salvation.
Which of these various interpretations did the apostle have in mind? The interpretations that involve manner and efficient cause are unlikely because the concept of rebirth is not presented in the Scripture as the manner or efficient cause of salvation. Therefore, there are two possible meanings that the apostle could have had in his mind. He could have meant that the washing of rebirth is the means of salvation or that it is the reason for our salvation. While it is true that salvation applies only to those who are recipients of rebirth so that we can state that a reason for salvation is rebirth, but it is most likely that the apostle considered the washing of the rebirth as how salvation is accomplished. Therefore, the Greek preposition translated “through” in the NIV has the sense of means of doing something so that it is probably better to use the phrase “by means of” to convey that it is used to declare that the washing of rebirth is a means of salvation. This interpretation may seem to conflict the apostle’s declaration that salvation is through faith in Ephesians 2:8:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
There is no conflict if we understand that “faith” is the means God has given for the elect to appropriate salvation and “rebirth” is the means God has chosen to bring the elect to the point of exercising faith. Thus, the apostle presents the concept of means with respect to salvation from two different perspectives. From God’s perspective, he described the washing of rebirth as the means of salvation but from human perspective he described faith as the means of salvation. In any event, it is our interpretation that the phrase the washing of rebirth is to be taken as the means of salvation. This being the case, the Greek preposition we have considered although means “through” is better rendered “by means of” to make clearer the concept involved in it is that of means of doing something.
The second word that helps in interpreting the clause of Titus 3:5 He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit is “and”. It is translated from a Greek conjunction (kai) that is often translated “and” in the English versions, but it has several other usages. In our passage of Titus 3:5, there are three possible usages. A first is as a marker of coordinate relation hence means “and” which in this passage will make the clauses joined by it to be of equal ranking in the thought of the possible, implying that both clauses describe the means of salvation. A second is in what is known as “explicative” so that the Greek conjunction is used to connect two words or two clauses for the purpose of explaining what goes before it hence means “that is, namely, and so.” It is in this sense that the Greek conjunction is used in Romans 1:5:
Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
The phrase grace and apostleship may be translated as grace, that is, the office of an apostle as suggested in the standard Greek English Lexicon of BADG under this usage of the Greek conjunction that is often translated “and” as used before a second clause to explain what goes before it. A third usage is to introduce a result that comes from what precedes it and so it means “and then, and so.” It is in this sense that the Greek conjunction is used in 2 Corinthians 11:9:
And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.
The sentence of the NIV I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way is more literally and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you. However, the conjunction “and” functions to introduce a result from what preceded it that it could be translated “and so.” The Revised edition of the NAB seems to have adopted this meaning since it began the clause with the word “so.” Of course, this passage of 2 Corinthians is listed in the standard Greek English lexicon of BADG under the use of our Greek conjunction to introduce result that comes from what precedes. In effect, the apostle meant to state that as a result of the supply from Macedonian, he was not a burden to the Corinthians.
Which of these three interpretations is intended in our passage? Truly, all three interpretations are possible. Nonetheless, the first interpretation of “and” as we have indicated imply that both clauses joined with “and” are of equal rank and so both are means of salvation. This is possible but it does not seem to be what the apostle intends to communicate in that this would imply several means of salvation from God’s perspective. The second interpretation of explanation does not seem also to be what the apostle had in mind because his use of the phrase the washing of rebirth of Titus 3:5 involves explanation as we will note later. Therefore, we believe that the apostle used the Greek conjunction translated “and” in the clause of Titus 3:5 He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of stating result, that is, that the phrase renewal by the Holy Spirit is concerned with result. This brings us to the major difficulties of the last sentence of Titus 3:5 He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
A first difficulty is how to interpret the phrase the washing of rebirth. The problem is to determine if the apostle is concerned with two actions or one action in the phrase. It is our interpretation that the apostle is concerned with one action of rebirth, implying that salvation is by means of rebirth. In effect, we are saying that the Greek syntax used indicates that the phrase of rebirth is used to explain the ambiguous word “washing”, implying that the Greek phrase translated the washing of rebirth should be fully unpacked to read the washing, which is, rebirth. To demonstrate that our interpretation is indeed what the apostle meant, we need to examine the two key words in the phrase washing of rebirth.
The word “washing” is translated from a Greek word (loutron) that means “bath, washing.” It is used only twice in the Greek NT, here and in Ephesians 5:26:
to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
Here in Ephesians, the washing with water refers to spiritual cleansing that is carried out through the word of God. That aside. The Greek word is used in the Septuagint with the meaning “washing” in Song of Solomon 6:6:
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep coming up from the washing. Each has its twin, not one of them is alone.
When the apostle used our Greek word in his epistle to Titus, those in Crete would understand the word differently. The local churches in Crete consisted of Jews and Gentiles. The implication is that the two groups may understand the word “washing” differently. The Jews would understand washing as meaning ritual purification that may be traced to worship under the old covenant as, for example, in Exodus 30:19–20:
19 Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. 20 Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made to the Lord by fire,
This washing that is associated with ritual cleansing was still in practice in the NT times so that we have an oblique reference to it in John 2:6:
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
On the one hand, when Jewish believers hear the Greek word translated “washing” the apostle used in his epistle to Titus, their thoughts would have drifted to the ritual cleansing of the old covenant. On the other hand, the Gentiles in Crete would also be thinking of ritual cleansing since there were many bathrooms in Crete in the time of writing of the epistle. To them washing was not only for cleansing but also for strengthening, especially, after a severe exertion. Of course, since both groups are believers, it is possible that they would also have thought of “washing” in terms of their water baptism. This being the case, it is possible that some, as it is today, would think that water baptism brings about salvation as some argue based on the declaration of 1 Peter 3:21:
and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
To counter such misunderstanding the apostle explained what he meant by “washing” using the next word in the phrase of Titus 3:5 the washing of rebirth we are considering, which is “rebirth.”
The word “rebirth” is translated from a Greek word (palingenesia) that outside the NT means either “return to existence” or “renewal to higher existence.” The Jewish historian Josephus uses it for the renewal of the land of Israel after a period of hardship, while the Jewish philosopher Philo uses it to describe restoration of life and the reconstitution of the world after the flood. In the NT, it may mean “renewal” as it is used in Matthew 19:28:
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
The word may mean “rebirth” of a redeemed person. It is in this sense that the word is used in our passage of Titus 3:5. Thus, the apostle wanted to ensure that there is no misunderstanding of what he means with the word “washing” that he explained it using the word “rebirth.”
Why then did the apostle not simply use the word “rebirth” to begin with instead of using the phrase the washing of rebirth? We cannot be certain but there are probably two reasons for the use of the phrase. He wanted to keep the same form of expression that Jesus Christ used when He taught about the necessity for regeneration in order to be in the condition that allows a person to come under God’s rule in John 3:5:
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
The phrase of water and the Spirit has been interpreted in several ways. Some consider water as either a reference to John’s water baptism or Christian baptism which, of course, creates the problem of water baptism being necessary for salvation which is not supported anywhere else in the NT. It is not our intention to consider the various interpretations of the phrase, but we consider the phrase to be similar to that of Apostle Paul which means that the phrase of water and the Spirit should be fully translated by water, that is, by the Spirit. Hence, the Lord Jesus explained the necessity of rebirth in terms of use of water for purification that is associated with rebirth, as implied in Ezekiel 36:25–26:
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Another reason the apostle used the phrase the washing of rebirth is probably to indicate that regeneration involves forgiveness of sins since “washing” conveys the sense of spiritual purity. Furthermore, salvation clearly involves forgiveness of sins, as stated in Luke 1:77:
to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
The phrase through the forgiveness of their sins may also be translated by the forgiveness of their sins. In any event, “rebirth” refers to the what is often described as regeneration or being born again, that is, impartation of a new life to an individual to qualify the person to be a child of God and so belong to God’s kingdom.
The means of the rebirth according to the Scripture is the word of God. Thus, James states in James 1:18:
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Apostle Peter states the same truth in 1 Peter 1:23:
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
We should state that rebirth or regeneration is essential to believe in Christ. This statement implies that regeneration logically comes before faith although since the entire process about salvation is God’s work, it is probably the case that both regeneration and faith occur almost simultaneously but from our perspective regeneration has to come before faith as a spiritually dead person is incapable of exercising saving faith. Some, of course, dispute this statement. However, there are two examples in the NT that bear out this truth. First, we have the case of the Holy Spirit coming on those who listened to the preaching of the gospel by Apostle Peter in Cornelius house, as we read in Acts 10:44:
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
This passage does not state that those who heard were regenerated or that they believed. But it is implied that they were regenerated, and they believed for otherwise we have the Holy Spirit come on unbelievers something that cannot be true in light of the declaration in Acts 5:32:
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
There is, of course, the case that the Holy Spirit did not immediately come on those who believed in Samaria and so had to wait for Peter and John to come and lay their hands on them, as recorded in Acts 8:14–16:
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Those in the house of Cornelius must have believed before they received the Holy Spirit but that is not all; they must also have been regenerated so they could believe. It seems that that is the correct order in salvation that a person must be regenerated by the Holy Spirit so the person can be spiritually alive to believe. This truth is implied in the order we find in 2 Thessalonians 2:13:
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
The order the apostle followed here is that the sanctifying work of the Spirit comes before belief in the truth. The sanctifying work of the Spirit refers to God the Holy Spirit setting a person apart or dedicating someone to God. But that which is spiritually dead cannot be set apart for God or dedicated to Him. It does not make sense that someone who is worthless because of being spiritually dead should be dedicated to God. Therefore, the sanctifying work of the Spirit implies making a person alive first before the person is dedicated or consecrated to God. Hence, the order the Apostle followed in this passage of 2 Thessalonians implies that regeneration comes before faith. Another illustration that supports the statement that regeneration takes place before one believes is the case of Lydia whom the Lord opened her eyes so she could believe, according to Acts 16:14:
One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
The idea of the Lord opening Lydia’s heart implies that she was regenerated. This is because the “heart” can be used to refer to the seat of spiritual and mental life. Furthermore, recall that in OT Scriptures the concept of regeneration is related to creating of a new heart. So, when it is said that the Lord opened the heart of Lydia there is the implication that she was regenerated so that she could respond by faith to the gospel message. It is not merely an enlightenment that was in view. For the same Greek verb (dianoigō) translated “open” is used in enlightenment of the disciples to the Scripture by the Lord after His resurrection, as recorded in Luke 24:45:
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
Here, the minds of those who are already regenerated are opened to understand the Scripture. The understanding of Scripture is definitely associated with the opening of the mind or the eyes so that the psalmist offered his prayer for the Lord to open his mind to understand the Scripture in Psalm 119:18:
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
Therefore, it is significant that it was not the heart of the disciples that were opened but their minds. The implication is that there is a difference between enlightenment given to those who are already regenerated and what happens to an unbeliever. The truth is that an unbeliever is incapable of understanding anything that is spiritual, as the Holy Spirit indicates through Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:14:
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The phrase man without the Spirit refers to the unbeliever or the one who is not regenerated. Such an individual we are told cannot accept the things of God or understand the things of God. The reason being that they are spiritually discerned which means that the inward state of the individual must be changed by the influence of the Holy Spirit to grasp the truth of the gospel. If a person cannot grasp spiritual truth of the gospel it is difficult to explain how faith comes by hearing of the preaching of the word, as the apostle states in Romans 10:17:
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Faith and regeneration are both from the word of God, implying some connection between them. A person who comprehends the gospel in order to believe could not possibly be described as man without the Spirit for otherwise such a person could not comprehend the gospel. The implication is that a person must be alive to comprehend the gospel message so as to believe it. Therefore, we contend that Lydia was regenerated prior to her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a human analogy to what we have explained, and it involves exhale in babies. There is birth first before there is exhale. Faith is an exhale, so to say, that tell us that a person is regenerated first as we continue to argue so we should expect that there should be new birth before the exercise of a saving faith. Of course, human analogy is not always useful in explaining spiritual truth but in this case our analogy is close to the reality with the point that a person cannot exercise faith without first being regenerated. The point is that faith results from regeneration as that will be the sense for Jesus’ assertion in John 6:65:
He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”
It is difficult to see in what sense the Father enables an unbeliever to come to Jesus, that is, to believe in Him if this enablement is not regeneration.
It is not only that the apostle indicates that salvation is by means of rebirth, but he goes on to tell us that a result of rebirth is renewal that is brought about by the Holy Spirit in the last phrase of Titus 3:5 renewal by the Holy Spirit. The word “renewal” is translated from a Greek word (anakainōsis) that is not found outside Christian literature that is used twice in the Greek NT; it means “renewal.” Its other usage is in Romans 12:2:
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
That aside, the point of the apostle is that rebirth results in renewal of the believer. There is that initial renewal of life but there is the continuous renewal that is carried out on the believer through the Holy Spirit administered through the use of the word of God. It is this renewal the apostle implied in 2 Corinthians 4:16:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
It is true the word of God is not referenced here but we deduce the fact that the Holy Spirit does the renewal through the word of God because the apostle connects renewal of the believer with knowledge in Colossians 3:10:
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
In any event, a third fact about salvation the Apostle Paul states is that it involves rebirth that leads to renewal by the Holy Spirit.