Jesus IS the Savior
A guest post by Chad Ramsey.
Various terms are used to describe Jesus in Scripture. Speaking of Him more than seven hundred years before His birth, the prophet Isaiah wrote: “And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
At the beginning of His ministry, John the Baptist called Him “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). In the book of Revelation, Jesus is referred to as “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 1:8) and “Lord of lords and King of kings” (17:14).
When He described Himself, He said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). These descriptions, and hundreds of others like them, help us to better appreciate who Jesus is.
Jesus is the Savior.
One special term often associated with Jesus is the word, Savior. For example, after His birth, the angel announced to the shepherds:
“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
After His physical ministry ended, the apostle Paul used the term and declared that “God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus” (Acts 13:23).
He later noted that those who anticipate His return “eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20), and Paul also pointed out that Jesus “is the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:23).
The Reason Jesus is the Savior.
The term, Savior, is appropriately applied to Jesus because He came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). This implies individuals need to be saved (cf. Romans 3:23), and it indicates Jesus has the ability to save (cf. Revelation 1:5; Ephesians 1:7).
To help better appreciate Jesus’s role as our Savior, consider some of the places Scripture describes Him as such.
First, in the announcement of His birth to Joseph, the angel said that Jesus would “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Second, He is referred to as “Savior” by the Samaritans who came from the city and listened to His words (John 4:39-42).
Third, He is called Savior by Paul, who provides a summary of God’s saving grace made possible by Jesus’s sacrificial death (Titus 2:11-14).
Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.
Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.
