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In this series we're talking about the names and descriptive
phrases identifying Jesus. Thus far we've talked about Jesus
as God,
Lord,
Creator,
the Word,
the Son of
God, and the Lamb
of God.
In this article, we talk about Jesus as our Savior.
What is a Savior?
A savior is a deliver and preserver.
For example, if you were sleeping in a burning house,
and a fireman comes in and carries you to safety, he is
your savior.
God is our Savior
The first New Testament appearance of the word "Savior"
is in Luke 1:47, when Mary tells Elizabeth, "And my spirit
has rejoiced in God my Savior."
God is our Savior because He delivered us from sin and
eternal damnation.
- "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness
. . ." (Col. 1:13).
And He is our deliver because He protects and preserves
us in Christ.
- "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and
transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Col.
1:13-14).
- "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great
love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in
our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with
Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places
in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might
show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness
toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:4-7).
God Saves us in Jesus
Evident from the Scriptures above, God saves us in Christ.
- He transfers us into the kingdom of Christ, wherein
we're saved (Col. 1:13-14).
- He makes us alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:5).
- He seats us in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph.
2:6).
- He'll show us the surpassing riches of His grace in
kindness toward us in Christ (Eph. 2:7).
Additionally, Jude expressly tells us that God is our
Savior through Christ.
- "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless
with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through
Jesus Christ . . . " (Jude 1:24-25).
And John tells us that "the Father has sent the Son
to be the Savior of the world" (1 Jn. 4:14).
Jesus, Savior of the World
Jesus has been our Savior from birth, as announced by angels
the day He was born.
- "For today in the city of David there has been
born for you a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord" (Lk. 2:11).
And during His earthly ministry, sincere and honest people
clearly knew Jesus was the Savior of the world.
- "So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they
were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there
two days. Many more believed because of His word;
and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because
of what you said that we believe, for we have heard
for ourselves and know that this One is indeed
the Savior of the world" (Jn. 4:40-42).
Jesus, Savior of People in His Kingdom
Jesus is our Savior. He saves the people in His kingdom.
- "Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make
certain about His calling and choosing you; for as
long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly
supplied to you" (Col. 1:10-11).
God transfers us into the kingdom of Christ when we obey
the gospel, resulting in forgiveness.
- "Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified
us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred
us to the kingdom of His beloved Son in whom we
have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:12-14).
It's interesting to note, as we study Colossians:
- We are forgiven at the time God transfers into the
kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:14).
- We are forgiven at the time we're baptized (Col. 2:12-13).
- Therefore, God transfers us into the kingdom of Christ
when we are baptized.
Other scriptures indicate this also:
- Jesus says we must be born of water and Spirit to enter
the kingdom (Jn. 3:5). To be born of water is to be baptized.
- Paul states that we are baptized into Christ; hence,
we're baptized into Christ's kingdom when we're baptized
(Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27).
Jesus, Savior of People in His Church
The kingdom is the church, given to Jesus by God (Heb. 12:22,
28; Lk. 22:29-20).
- Jesus has made us a kingdom (Rev. 1:6).
- Paul preached, persuading people about the kingdom
of God (Acts 19:8; 20:25).
- Note: Jesus' kingdom is not limited to the church,
but the church is referred to as His kingdom.
As with Christ's kingdom, we see regarding the church:
- We are added to the church when we are baptized (Acts
2:47).
- We are baptized into the body, which is the church
(1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:22-23).
- Jesus is the Savior of the church (Eph. 5:23).
To be continued.
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