he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
Notice what this verse rules out before it says anything else: not because of works done by us in righteousness. Whatever's coming next, it isn't a reward for good behavior. That's worth pausing on if you've ever assumed the whole point of religion is moral performance — be good enough, and maybe you'll earn some spiritual credit.
Instead the image used is washing — regeneration and renewal, something done to a person rather than achieved by them. That's a very different picture than a scoreboard. It suggests the starting point isn't your track record at all, clean or messy. It's mercy, extended before any performance review happens.
If the idea of earning your way into anything spiritual has always felt exhausting or impossible, this verse is aimed at exactly that exhaustion. You don't need a finished record of good works to approach this. The verse says the opposite — that whatever washing and renewal it's describing starts with mercy, not merit.
If trying to earn your way into anything spiritual has worn you out, this verse is worth reading as an offer to stop trying that way.
A short video on this is coming soon — for now, read on.