Have you ever wondered…
“Why is Jesus called the Saviour?” We know from Scripture that it is one of the titles given to Him, but why? Well, the Lord Jesus Himself told us when He explained the reason for His coming to the earth. He said: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10).
What does it mean to “save”?
To save means to rescue someone from danger. It could refer to someone being rescued from drowning or pulled from a burning building or prevented from falling.
What did Jesus come to save us from?
Even before His birth, the angel of the Lord instructed Joseph to call the Child “Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Our sins have placed us all in a place of grave danger. The Bible says that we are all born “dead in our trespasses and sins,” (Eph. 1:21)and therefore we are separated from God and under His wrath. Yet God, because of His great love with which He loved us (Eph. 2:4), sent His Son to be our Saviour from sin and the wrath of God (Rom. 5:9).
Are you saying that I need a Saviour?
If you are a sinner, you need a Saviour. You might argue that your sins are few and small, but it only takes one sin to make a sinner, just as it only takes one murder to be a murderer. The Bible clearly states that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). The Lord Jesus offended many respectable people in His time by telling them that they were sinners, but He told them that He didn’t come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance (Matt. 9:13). You may think that you are good enough, but you are deceiving yourself and are in even greater danger of God’s wrath because you are rejecting His provision for your sin.
Is Jesus the only Saviour?
That is what the Lord Jesus claimed. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The apostle Peter taught the same when he said, “Neither is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven, given amongst men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Notice that Peter said we MUST be saved.
Some object that this is narrow-minded and intolerant. But the fact is that Jesus is the only one who is qualified to be our Saviour. He is the only sinless person who ever lived. A sinner couldn’t take the punishment for your sin as he must pay the penalty for his own sins. And the fact that Jesus is God means that He has the power to save us from our sins. When He went to the Cross, our sins were laid on Him and then He rose from the dead the third day, conquering death. By His resurrection, God demonstrated that He had accepted the death of Christ as the payment for our sins.
The religions of the world tell you how to save yourself. The Bible says you cannot save yourself but that God has provided a risen, living Saviour who loves you and wants to save you from sin.
What must I do to be saved?
This question was beautifully answered by the apostle Paul. He said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Some argue that that is too simple, that we must do our part. Jesus said that our part is to trust Him. “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent” (John 6:29).
When you say that this is too simple, you are refusing to believe what the Lord Jesus said. You aren’t taking Him at His word. You are denying the sufficiency of His death on the Cross. But Jesus announced, “IT IS FINISHED!” (John 19:30). Every sin was covered by the death of Christ, and if you will come to Him, acknowledging your own sin and ask Him to be your Saviour, He will save you from your sin. Are you willing to trust Him?
DNW