Paul wrote, “But then God our savior showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did. He declared us not guilty because of his great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life. These things I have told you are all true.” (NLT, Titus 3:4–8)

In other words, our loving God appeared in order to save people. People did not have to earn salvation. God gave it to them. Accordingly, people who accepted God’s salvation were baptized with water to represent their renewal by the Holy Spirit.