Christ Our Savior
Christ Our Savior CHRIST OUR SAVIOR
(Matthew 1:21)
By Cecil E. Hill
Napoleon said, “I know men, and I tell you that Jesus Christ was not a man.” He may have been right when he said, “I know men,” but he was certainly right when he said, “Jesus Christ was not a man.”
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified.” With equal propriety and the same meaning he could have written, “For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him as the Savior of men.”
Paul preached Christ and for the same reason we must preach Christ. Our greatest need is not exploration, not invention, not education, but salvation. Christ is our greatest benefactor because he can supply our greatest need. From Pentecost until now all of God’s preachers have been proclaiming salvation through Christ. Perhaps every gospel preacher has meditated' this question, “How can I preach so as to accomplish the most possible good?” Christ left us the supreme example in homiletics when he said, “If I be lifted up .... I will draw all men unto me.” Christ must be preeminent in our preaching because he is eminent in the Bible. Christ is its object and salvation its object. If all that pertains to Christ were removed from the Bible, there would be little left and it would be without meaning or value. From Genesis to Revelation we see him high and lifted up, He is the seed of woman found in Genesis 3:15, and the seed of Abraham through whom God promised to bless the world. For hundreds of years the prophets had foretold his coming. Before the scepter had departed from Judah, Shiloh came. His coming was announced to Mary and he was born in Bethlehem. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John record the story of his life and mission. In Acts we see how the apostles executed his final commission. In the epistles he is set forth as the crucified and resurrected Son of God. In Revelation he is unveiled as King of Kings.
Many offices and titles have been ascribed to Christ, but these are all included when we speak of him as the Savior. Indeed, I believe I am right when I say that this whole lectureship will exhalt Christ as the Savior. How appropriate then that this subject should be given a place. Read the subjects of the Lectureship with the thought that Christ is the Savior.
He is “God’s Gift to Humanity” because humanity needed a Savior. He is the “Fulfillment of Prophecy” because it has been God’s revealed purpose through the ages to send his Son into the world that the world through him might be saved. He was born of a virgin that he might be both man and God for this dual nature was indispensable in accomplishing his work as the Savior.
He was a “Teacher Come from God” that he might bring us to God. His was a “Sinless Life” because only a sinless life could be offered for sin. He is the “incomparable Christ” because he is the Savior of men. There have been priests many, prophets many, and kings many, but he is the only Savior from sin. By his “Resurrection” he was declared to be the Son of God with power, and Paul said he was raised for our justification. He is our “High-priest and Mediator,” but his priestly ministries are performed for our salvation. The incarnation of Christ is one of the cardinal doctrines of the Bible. It stands at the very center • of God’s methods with a sinning race. Toward that event everything moved until its accomplishment. “The message of the prophets and the songs of the psalmists trembled with more or less certainty toward the final music which announced the birth of Christ.” It is equally true that from that event all subsequent move ments have proceeded, depending upon it for direction and stimulation. Not only the actual messages which have been bound in the divine library, but all resulting issues from them are finally dependent upon this self-same coming of Christ. It is surely important, therefore, that wTe should understand its purpose in the economy of God. Various statements are given as to why he came, but when properly understood, thej all lead to the truth of it as announced by Christ, “I came to seek and to save the lost.” It is said that he came to set up a kingdom, but to be saved and to enter the kingdom are the same.
Let us here notice some Scriptures relating to his mission: To Joseph, in ms perplexity, the angel said, “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit, and she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for it is he that shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21). Thus we see that it.was his mission that determined his personal name., “Thou shalt call his name Jesus.” Why? “He shall.save his people from their sins.” He is Jesus because he is Savior; Jesus means Savior. The righteous and devout Simeon had learned that he was not. to die until he had seen the Messiah. When he saw the child Jesus in the temple, he prayed, “Now lettest thou thy servant depart Lord, according to thy word in peace. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation” (Luke 2:29-30).
John the Baptist pointing to Jesus said, “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Jesus had a perfect knowledge as to why he came. He came on a definite mission and clearly stated it. “I came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). “I am the way, the truth,.and the life; no one cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6).
Peter climaxed one of his sermons with the statement “apd in none other is there salvation; for neither is there any other name under heaven that is given among men, wherein we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Again Peter said, “Him did God exalt with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins” (Acts 5:31). John said, “Ye know that he was manifested to take away sins” (1 John 3:5). Paul said, “Faithful is the saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Peter said, “Christ also suffered for sin once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). These Scriptures and many others picture;.Christ as the Savior of the world. He is not a Savior, but the Savior, “and in none other is there salvation.” With joy and understanding we sing:
“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking send ”
There are, several questions that present themselves concerning the Savior and salvation:
1. Why does man need a Savior?
2. From what does he need to De saved?
3. To what does he need to be saved?
4. To whom is Christ the Savior?
1. The first question is answered with the fact that man is lost. To speak of salvation implies that, the world is lost. The whole revelation of God assumes this. It is fundamental. This is the very thing we must make the world realize. The very first step in converting men ro Christ is to make them realize they are lost.' When you have
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see.”
2. From what does Christ save? Salvation to the Jews meant physical deliverance, such as the deliverance of Daniel from the lions. When Christ came, it meant their deliverance from the dominion of Rome. But the text answers the question: “And he shall save his people from their sins.” People are. lost because they are in sin. Sin abounds n the world. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Isaiah declared that sin and iniquity had separated men from God. Those who have not accepted Christ are yet in their sins. You may be a fine neighbor and a good citizen—you may be upright in your dealings —you may be honorable and just, but if you have not accepted Christ as your Savior, you are yet in sin. There can be no greater sin than to reject Christ. When Christ promised the Holy Spirit, he said he “would convict the world of sin.” The world can be brought to salvation only when it is convicted of sin. Men are convicted now as then, by the preaching of the gospel (Romans 1:16).
Frankly, let me tell you that with many the sense of sin is declining. The Christian Scientist has tried to explain it away. He has come to disregard and ignore it. He denies sin, and resolves it wholly into a traditional illusion and delusion. He claims that he has dug sin up by its roots and made away with it.
There are many who look upon sin as a misfortune and not a fault. With them the sinner is a victim and not an offender. He has not done wrong but has suffered wrong. He does not owe God repentance, but humanity owes him an apology. This view cancels all sense of sin. Yet the terrible reality of sin remains. Although the sense of sin has declined with some, the fact of sin remains. It has not been eradicated from our nature. The voice of conscience cannot be hushed. Sin is still the most frightful fact in the world and writes its ruin in a thousand ways. It is the awful tragedy of the universe and only fools mock at it. God cannot overlook sin and be a just and respectable God. It is still an eternal law that “The wages of sin is death.”
Please do not think that I am getting.away from my subject in discussing the subject of sin. The meaning and the necessity of the Incarnation is to be found in the fact of sin. Jesus said so and that is enough. We cannot, therefore, fully comprehend the meaning of Christ if we will not frankly study the matter of sin. And this study of sin, if it is to be effective, must be a study of oneself. It is easy to prove the universality of sin. Added to Scriptures on the subject, we also have the statement from Sophocles the Greek, “Sin is common to all men.” Senaca, the Roman moralist, said, “We have all sinned.” But this general impeachment hardly disturbs our conscience. Sin, like death, is not seriously realized except as a personal fact. We really know it only when we know it about ourselves. In our hearts there is the consciousness of sin. We may try to excuse it; we may argue as to the reason for it, but there it still remains. We know we have sinned and. we wish we had not.
Some theologians would blame Adam for all our woe. While I accept the Bible teaching as to the consequence of Adam’s sin, it seems to me we have been blaming him long enough. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die; the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son” (Ezekiel 18:20).
It has become our custom to classify sins. We divide them into big sins and little sins. We talk about white lies and black lies, but let me tell you that God makes no such classifications. The particular sins to which Jesus referred most pointedly were:, pride, hypocrisy, resentment and unmercifulness. All sin comes from the heart. Man is defiled by the evil thoughts that proceed from within. Hate is the source of murder Lust is the essence of adultery.
Psychologically, sin is selfishness. Julius Muller has made a careful analysis of sin and has rather convincingly shown that every form of sin has its roots in selfishness. Tnat is the thought of Paul when ho wrote that Christ died for men that they might no longer live unto themselves.
Again I reinmd you that you cannot discuss salvation separate and apart from the subject of sin. The whole gospel story is written on the dark background of despair. The scheme of redemption grows out of the fact of sin.
3. Unto what does Christ save? Salvation is often too narrowly defined. Christ not only saves from but he saves unto. His work as the Savior does not stop when he has redeemed us from past transgressions. He saves unto a life of holiness and sanctification. Paul said that Christ was made unto us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30). It is by his power that we live the Christian life. We sometimes imagine that Christ saves us from past sins but that we must hve the Christian life without him. That may explain why many make such miserable failures in Christian living. Fruit-bearing depends upon abiding m Christ. “He that abideth in me and I in hi m, the same beareth much fruit” (John 15:5).
Christ is our Savior from the penalty of sm, and he is our Savior from the practice of sin. It needs to be emphasized that Jesus not only saves from the guilt of sin, but from the dominion of sin. He not only saves us from the sins we have committed, but from the sins we w'ould commit. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). Peter said, “The Lord know- eth how to deliver the godly out of temptation.” Paul said that with every temptation a way of escape is provided. Many have experienced temptations to which they did not yield. This has been true with me. After a victory over temptation, I have wondered how I overcame. I am sure it was not by my own power of goodness, but rather by his grace.
Again Paul said, “When I would do good, evil is present with me.” Again, “0 wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me?” Then he exclaims with joy and gratitude, “Thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ.” Jesus said, “Without me, ye can do nothing.” Let us learn to say with Paul, “I can do all things through him that strengtheneth me” (Php_4:13). He said, “It is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me.”
Jesus was our Savior and he is our Savior. When he came to the world, he came as a Savior, and when he went back to heaven, he went as a Savior. Not only is it true that he once did something to save us, but he is still doing something to save us. The Hebrew writer declares, “that he is able to save to the uttermost” and explains that this is true because, “He ever liveth to make intercession” for us (Hebrews 7:25). He has never ceased his efforts to save us. His work as an intercessor is for man’s benefit and salvation.
4. To whom is Christ the Savior? Let it be noticed that he will save people from their sins and not in their sins (Matthew 1:21). Christ died to save all men, but all men will not be saved. His death made it possible for all to be saved, but he only saves those who believe on him. Those that have '‘faith unto the saving- of the soul” (Hebrews 10:39) are those that obey him in whom they believe. “He became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:9).
Men are saved by faith, but not by faith only. “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren?” (James 2:20). James was not speaking of the works of the law, as mentioned by Paul in Romans, but was speaking of obedience to God. This is shown by the example he used in the next verse. “Was not Abraham our father not justified by works in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar?” Abraham obeyed God and James called it works. It was not a work of the law, but a work of righteousness. “All thy commandments are righteousness” (Psalms 119:172). Peter said, “God is no respector of persons, but in every nation, he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34-35). To work righteousness then is to obey Christ. Men are saved by faith just like the walls of Jericho fell by faith. “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after they had been encompassed about seven days” (Hebrews 11:30). The wall fell after Joshua did what God told him to do, but it was Joshua’s faith that caused him to obey. It is well to remember that the blessing was received after faith and obedience and not between faith and obedience. Christ said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Salvation is received after faith and baptism, and not between faith and baptism. Those who believed Peter’s preaching on the day of Pentecost cried out, “Men and brethren what shall we do?” Peter, speaking by inspiration, said to these believers, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Saul of Tarsus had believed in Christ three days and nights and had fasted and prayed. Yet, Ananias, who was sent by the Lord, said unto him, “Saul, why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins” (Acts 22:16). This was not the Holy Spirit baptism for the simple reason that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a promise and not a command. His sins were washed away when he was baptized. “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24).
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”