What does it mean that Jesus is our Savior?

Beloved, before we can comprehend what it means that Jesus is our savior, we need to first know who is a savior and what does our savior saves us from and for what purpose? By the end of this article, we will have answers to these questions, so we can better appreciate and be thankful for the work Jesus Christ wrought in our room and stead two thousand years ago. A savior is a person who saves someone from something. In the old testament, God in his grace saved the children of Israel by a strong and a mighty hand from the hands of the Egyptians (Deuteronomy 7; 9). God became their savior by delivering them from the yoke of the Egyptians. God is also depicted as the Savior of his people in several places in the old testament, see (2 Samuel 22: 3, Psalm 17; 7, Isaiah 19; 20, Isaiah 45; 25, Jeremiah 14; 8, Hosea 13; 4).  I read a beautiful story sometime ago by an excellent author, which I will like to share with you because it is very consistent with our subject matter, and I believe it will be a great blessing to you. 

"The story is told of a Viking king. In his kingdom peace reigned, because the king was just and fair. Criminals were punished. The innocent were vindicated and victims of crime were protected. One day, a robbery took place in the royal treasury – the value of the stolen goods was breathtaking. It was enough to raise a great army! Nothing like this had ever happened before. Who could have done it? The king urged his officers to find the criminals, and he decreed that, when found, the thief or thieves should be whipped to death. One day, the culprit was caught and arrested. Who was it? It was the king’s own mother! She had been plotting to overthrow her eldest son and put her own illegitimate son in his place. The question arose among the people as to what the king would do. Would he apply the sentence? Would he execute his own mother? How could he be considered just and fair if he spared her because she was his mother? If it had been anyone else they would certainly face the penalty and die.

On the one hand, he loved his mother and wanted to spare her. How could justice and mercy be expressed without injustice by sparing her or her death without mercy? No one could see a way forward without them either seeing injustice or an execution. The day of execution came. The place of the palace was sombre. The whole city was there. The king ascended the throne which had been erected in the central square. His son and heir sat beside him. His mother was then brought bound before him. He only had to order the execution. The silence of impending death hushed the place! It was the silence of impending death. Everyone was waiting for the king’s decision. Would he pardon his mother and deny his justice? Would he put her to death without mercy?

The king rose with determination, took off his crown, laid it on his son’s head, took off his royal tunic, and placed it on his son’s shoulders. He slowly descended the steps of the throne. He stood beside his mother, who stood with head hanging down, in humiliation and shame. She was overwhelmed with regret and sorrow. Her only expectation was her just execution. To the utter astonishment of the crowds, the king wrapped his arms around her, covered her with his body, and gave the order to the executioner to begin. The executioner raised his arm and brought down the lash. The flogging continued. The kings back was like a ploughed field. Yet the lash fell again and again on the mother, but with her son protecting her and taking the blows on himself. Eventually, the king fell to one side and breathed his last. He died. His mother lived. Justice was done, and it was seen to be done, but mercy was revealed and it was seen by everyone. He didn’t deserve the punishment, she did. She didn’t deserve to live, he did. He took her place and he took her punishment. The people understood. They cried out, “Long live the King” to the son who remained on the throne. The young man, just a child, rose and ordered that his grandmother, weeping in repentance, to be released and received back into the royal apartments".

The story is a beautiful illustration of what Jesus Christ our Savior did for us. From the context of the story, who was the savior? The king was the savior. And what did the king save his mother from? He saved his mother from death, because if he had not intervened, his frail mother would have been flogged to death. And what was the purpose for saving his mother? To set her mother free, but not at the expense of the punishment the law required for transgressors. He did not set aside his justice in order to make room for his mercy, nor did he make room for his justice at the expense of his mercy. Rather, both his justice and Mercy were reconciled in his death for his mother. He satisfied the demands of the law, and his mother was set free. 

We also like the King's mother committed a high treason against God through the sin of Adam and by our own sins. We broke God's perfect laws and the only worthy punishment for our disobedience was death, for the bible says: For the wages of sin is death, (Romans 6: 23). We all stood guilty before God, as sinners and law breakers, for it is written: Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God (Romans 3; 19). And in the same chapter, it is written: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23). We were far from from God, we had no relationship with him by virtue of sin. We needed a savior to save us from the curse of the law and to restore us unto fellowship with our maker. For this reason, Jesus Christ came on earth and was perfect in Godhood and perfect in Manhood as well. As God and Man he could bear our sins in his own self for all eternity through the sacrifice of himself. Jesus Christ like the Viking King satisfied the demands of the law and died in our place. He satisfied God's justice through the sacrifice of himself by which the law has been fulfilled. God's justice and Mercy though seemingly contradictory was fully reconciled on the cross of calvary in the death of our savior Jesus Christ. The purpose for saving us was to expiate our sins and to conciliate us unto the father (2 Corinthians 5; 18).  He died to save us from eternal death and to give us the gift of eternal life (Romans 6; 23).

 Jesus Christ when he saves you, he saves you not to lose you, but saves you eternally unto himself. He is the accredited savior who is endued with power and authority to save all those who put their faith in him (Hebrews 5; 9, 1 John 4; 14). We were sinners without hope but Jesus Christ came and suffered for us and by his stripes we are healed: Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed (Isaiah 53: 4-5). God's s love, mercy and grace was exceedingly abundant towards us in Christ Jesus. Peradventure, if you do not have any personal relationship with God, then you need to exercise faith in Jesus Christ because you cannot save yourself. You cannot have any relationship with God without Jesus Christ, therefore I beseech you to believe in the death and literal resurrection of Christ, and confess him as your Lord and Savior from the depths of your heart and you shall be saved, for it is written: That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation (Romans 10: 9-10). God bless you

                     A thought to ponder

Jesus Christ when he saves you, he saves you not to lose you, but saves you eternally unto himself

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