Savior of the World

David Jeremiah has a way with words. I stumbled on this article today and thought it was a good read:

What Child Is This?

This is a fairly brief article that is well worth reading. Just a few good quotes below:

Only one baby came as the Savior of the world. His name was called Jesus because He came to save His people from their sins.

A "savior" is someone who saves. But there's only One who was sent from heaven on a divine search-and-rescue mission, and meeting Him must be our ultimate goal in life.

His name, Jesus, comes from the Greek words for Jehovah Saves; and that's why the angels hovering above sleepy little Bethlehem sang: "For there is born to you this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).

In John 4:42, Jesus is called "the Savior of the world," and the apostle Paul called Him, "God our Savior" (1 Timothy 1:1 and 2:3). Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah had predicted:

- He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them (Isaiah 19:20).
- I, even I, am the Lord, and besides me there is no Savior (Isaiah 43:11).
- He became their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted (Isaiah 63:8-9).
- He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities . . . . His soul (was) an offering for sin (Isaiah 53:5, 10).

The Bible tells us He was born to die; He died to overcome death; and He rose again to save us from sin, guilt, shame, despair, and hell. He came to seek and to save those who are lost.

When the Bible uses the words salvation, Savior, and save, it's speaking of the total work of God in bringing people from a state of death - hopeless separation from God - to a state of everlasting life through the forgiveness of sin, based on the merits of Christ Jesus who died and rose again. Saving us is the greatest and most concrete demonstration of God's love, the definitive display of His grace throughout time and eternity.

As Alister McGrath put it, "God did not send a subordinate to redeem us. He chose to do it himself."

Jesus became mortal to give you immortality; and today, through Him, you can be free.