Verses 5-7 may be part of a song that they sang at a *baptism.

Christians should be grateful that Jesus has rescued them from their *sin. People cannot save themselves. And God does not save them because they have made themselves good enough. Nobody is good enough for God. God loves people so much that he sent Jesus to this world (John 3:16). God is kind to people because he loves them. That is why God saves people. Paul emphasised God’s kindness (his ‘*grace’) in other letters (Ephesians 2:4-9; Galatians 2:16).

When a person washes in water, his body becomes clean. When God forgives a person God ‘washes away’ the person’s *sins. *Baptism shows what happens in a person’s spirit (Romans 6:3-7). His old life dies and the Holy Spirit gives him new life. The person leaves his old life behind and he begins a new Christian life. Life begins again like a new birth. The Holy Spirit gives people power to please God.

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