Why is Jesus Our Savior?
Why is Jesus the Savior in Christianity? As we understand the depth of God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifices, the essence of salvation gives us a deeper appreciation for the significance Christmas story.
What is a Savior?
What is a Savior? What does that mean in Luke 2:11, a Savior?
This is a common-sense response, but a savior saves us from something. But the real question is, what are we being saved from? Before I answer that question, let me affirm something about the nature of God: God is loving. We see this affirmation in 1 John, where John writes, “God is love,” but we also recognize that out of a loving spirit, God is just.
When we ponder the nature of the living God, sometimes there’s a veneer about what we think about God versus what is revealed about Him through Scripture. American Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr said, “In this age, we’ve created a God without wrath, who brought men and women without sin into a kingdom without judgment to the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.”
So, let’s look at how Jesus is a Savior.
How is Jesus Savior?
He Saves Us From God’s Judgement
Christ’s birth and death save us from sin. To be more specific, He’s offering Himself to save us from the consequences of our sins. He’s saving us at the cross from the judgment of a holy and loving God.
Karl Marx once said that religion is the opiate of the people. However, in rebuttal, Tim Keller said, “Christianity is by no means the opiate of the people. It's more like the smelling salts.” In other words, what Keller is saying is that religion is an invitation to push through and to awaken.
In the movie, The Matrix, the protagonist is offered a red or blue pill. With one pill, you can wake up to reality, or with the blue pill, you can go back to living within the veneer. Christianity offers you the ability to wake up to the reality that there is a God. You were created, and we have the ultimate accountability to our Creator.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
Now, if that verse is true, it also has an inference, which is if I’m not condemned, I am in Christ. What is the inference for an individual not in Christ?
“Whoever believes in Jesus is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already.” John 3:18
That verse doesn’t invite you to cognitively believe in Jesus, instead, it’s an invitation to trust what God did by sending His Son in place of taking our sins on the cross. Romans 2:8 tells us that “for those who are self-seeking, do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”
If God turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ash, literally condemned to extinction as an example of what happens to the ungodly, this is not a message to take likely. And I say this with tenderness because, as Ephesians 2:1-3 reminds us, we were all dead with sin in our trespasses at one point.
Keller also said if you stay away from Christianity because parts of the Bible’s teachings are offensive to you, assume that if there is a God, He wouldn’t have any views that upset you.
Does that belief actually make sense?
There are things in the Bible that God tells us that are simply put, disturbing. However, He also provides the offer of a Savior. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 tells us to “wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” To overlook statements like that is to gloss over the reality of the power of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Died For Our Forgiveness
“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9
If God is all-powerful, why doesn’t He just forgive sin? Why did He need to send His son to die for sin?
When people make this rationale, they often do not take into consideration the full nature of God. He is all-powerful, but He's loving. You cannot love without being just. God knows that sin robs us of life; Sin takes life. That's what sin does.
Ultimately, all sins are against God because we are all made in His image. We were not designed for sin or to bring damage to our own souls. Because God is just, He must judge sin, and every time you see Jesus hanging on a cross, He’s subbing for you. When you put your faith in what Christ has done, instead of judgment coming toward you, Jesus is taking the judgment on your behalf.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
How does Jesus do this? Because He satisfies God's justice.
What does the Savior do? He saves.
Why does God do this? Because God is love, and He wanted to make a way for you to know Him.
1 John 4:9 tells us, “In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him.” Jesus came into this world to show us that we can avoid living a diminished life because we’ve forsaken the sin that bounds us.
His Love is Holy
"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 3:17
Scripture tells us that the Lord is not slow to fulfill His promises. Some see the word slow and think of ticking clocks burning away. But what that passage is actually telling us is He is patient. He doesn’t want anyone to perish, but that all should turn to him. That's what the word repentance means, to turn to the person of Jesus.
That's what we would call holy love. That's a love that doesn't compromise the standard. God met the standard through His son Jesus. It’s also a passionate love because God sent His Son on the cross and extended grace to you. It’s grace because you cannot receive what you have not earned.
If your fear of coming to God is the expectation that you need to get your life together first, allow me to quote (again) Tim Keller. “God's salvation does not come in response to a changed life. A changed life comes in response to the salvation in crisis offered to you as a free gift.”
The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dare to believe. Yet, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared to hope. The Christian Gospel is that I'm so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that God would send His Son to die for me.
We all need a Savior, and we have one. His name is Jesus.
TL;DR
The nature of salvation highlights God's love and justice, and the role of Jesus in saving humanity from sin and its consequences.
When we consider the seriousness of sin, we can better grasp the transformative power of Christ's birth and death.
The message of the Gospel explains our deep flaws, God’s deeper love, and how Jesus' sacrifice exemplifies God's commitment to humanity's redemption.
The piece aims to deepen understanding and appreciation of the Christmas story's significance in Christian faith.
Related Reading
How to Meet With Jesus by William Merriman
The Christmas Story Prologue by Bro. Chris Carter
A Light in the Darkness by Rev. Jacky Gatliff