Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit;
All Commentaries on Titus 3:5 Go To Titus 3
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Strange, isn’t it, how we were so drowned in wickedness that we could not be purified? We needed a new birth! For this is implied by “regeneration.” For as when a house is in a ruinous state no one places props under it nor makes any addition to the old building, but pulls it down to its foundations and rebuilds it anew. So in our case, God has not repaired us but made us anew.