Savior

 

But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.’” Luke 2:10-12

Savior- one who saves from danger. The Bible tells us over and over again that we will be saved through faith in Jesus Christ- saved from our sins, saved from the punishment of our sins, saved to life eternal.

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
“The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:30-32)
“so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of man, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:28)
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10)

In some ways those ideas are all very lofty and can be hard to comprehend… until you experience God’s saving grace in your life. I found myself asking the question: How has Jesus saved me? And then I decided to ask my family- what has Jesus saved you from? My family all responded fairly quickly, with answers such as: 

despair
heartache
lack of hope
stress
worry
being lost
eternal death
my thoughts. 

For me, the response was nearly immediate- Jesus saves me from myself.

The answers are wide and varied but I would imagine that is because our sins are wide and varied. Jesus saves each of us from the sins we struggle with and so our personal experiences will each look a little different. No matter how diverse our answers to the question, the final outcome is the same: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)  

Jesus saves! How incredible that the One who made the world, who holds all together with His Word, who is before and beyond time itself would choose to do that for me and for you!

More verses to consider:
Romans 10:9, Hebrews 7:25, Romans 6:1-23, 1 John 2:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

Lord,
You offered salvation to us before we knew we needed saving. You offered salvation to us when we didn’t think we needed saving. You offer salvation even if we never accept our need. Thank you Lord for meeting us where we are and being a Savior greater than anything we could have imagined or needed.