Jesus Saves
Jesus Saves
Jesus saves! Such a wonderful thought! We hear this from ever
corner of the religious world. It is a wonderful thought expressed in
such a minimum of words. There is nothing as wonderful as the grand
fact that Jesus does indeed save. While there is unique agreement among
all religious confessions that Jesus saves, there is a wide diversity of
views about the salvation Jesus offers. Do we have biblical information
clearly demonstrating how Jesus saves? Today on our program we will
investigate this great topic. I hope you find it convenient to listen
to the entire broadcast.
The West End church of Christ presents this program each week at
this time. Our purpose is to help you have a better understanding of
the Bible. We also hope you will come to understand and know us. We
offer nothing other than that which we find in your own Bible. At any
time, should you hear anything from us that you do not believe is
biblical, please call that to our attention. We will not deliberately
be wrong about anything.
We invite you to meet with us today. At 9 this morning we have
Bible classes for all ages, followed at 10 for worship. We meet to
worship again this evening at 6 p.m. Wednesday at 7 p.m. we have more
Bible classes for all ages. Our meeting house is located at the corner
of Parkside Drive and Old Morgantown Road, just across from Lampkin
Park. Please come visit and see what the church of Christ is like.
We publish a small paper twice a month. It is a teaching medium
only. It is free. There is no subscription price. There is no
obligation. In it you will find a number of biblical themes discussed
in short lessons. If you want this paper, write a note or card to West
End Church of Christ, 1609 Parkside Drive, Bowling Green, Kentucky. Our
zip code is 42101. You also may call 842-7880 and we will put you on
the mailing list. We do not ask for nor do we accept contributions,
donations, or gifts for this paper.
Jesus does save. About such a fundamental premise there can be no
doubt by those who accept the Bible as the word of God. But whom does
He save and from what does He save? How does He save those who need
salvation? Those are questions that merit our most ardent attention and
study. If we miss the meaning of these questions, no matter how many
times we may verbalize the saying, "Jesus Saves," it is of no
consequence at all.
One of the first things the New Testament has to say about Jesus is
that He is the Savior. Of Mary, an angel told Joseph, "And she shall
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save
his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). His very name means
salvation. Jesus is the Greek form of the name Joshua and it means,
"Jehovah is salvation." That He is the Christ means he is "the anointed
one" or "Messiah."
He is the Savior promised by to the world by Almighty God. Acts
13:23 reads, "Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise
raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus." Paul was preaching Christ in a
Jewish Synagogue in Antioch. He rehearsed the history of Israel and
when he came to David, the man after God's own heart, He proclaimed
Jesus to be the seed of David, the Savior. Only through Jesus is
salvation possible. Read with me Acts 15:11. "But we believe that
through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved . . ."
From what does Jesus save those who need salvation? The verb to
save in its most basic sense means, the saving of a life from death or
harm. The Bible, especially the New Testament, extends salvation to
include deliverance from the penalty and power of sin. The text of Matt
1:21 closes with, "He shall save His people from their sins." Those who
engage in the noble work of extending the salvation Christ offers to the
world are described in James 5:20. "Let him know, that he which
converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from
death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." So salvation is from sin.
Sin is the most dangerous element faced by mortal human beings. Paul
argues that it pays off in currency minted in the coffers of hell. "For
the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23).
Jesus did not come to save the world from poverty, ignorance,
mental disorders, and political repression. Those who preach a "social
gospel" have vainly tried to interpret Jesus as a great social reformer.
His primary mission to this planet was to save the sinner from the doom
and horror of sin. On one occasion a young man came to Him to seek
justice. He asked Jesus to make his brother divide the family
inheritance fairly. Jesus replied, "Man who made me a judge or a
divider over you?" (Luke 12:14). Jesus then address the young man's
problem by warning him of covetousness.
Whom does Jesus save? Luke tells us that Jesus said He came to
seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Paul learned how
beautiful salvation is and how valuable it is. He wrote in the waning
years of his earthly life, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of
whom I am chief" (1 Tim. 1:15). During his personal ministry on earth,
Jesus regularly associated with sinners. His arch critics, the
Pharisees, seeing it, complained to His disciples, asking, "Why eateth
your Master with publicans and sinners?" (Matt. 9:11). Jesus heard them
and responded, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that
are sick" (verse 12). Jesus further declared, "I am not come to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (verse 13). Luke 7:34 tells
us that He was regarded as "a friend of publicans and sinners!"
There are those who claim Jesus saves everyone. This is known as
"Universal Salvation." They argue that He "tasted death for every man"
(Heb. 2:9), therefore no man has to taste death. Since no man will
taste death or be lost, Jesus will save everyone. These misguided
people ignore a passage in the very same New Testament book. Hebrews
5:8-9 reads, "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the
things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author
of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" (Heb. 5:8-9). How
could Jesus save all, yet be the author of eternal salvation only to
those who obey Him? Obviously universal salvation is rank error.
How then does Jesus save sinners from sin? Examine carefully the
current concepts of theologians, historians, and religious leaders.
Some believe Jesus saves the lost whether they want to be saved or not.
John Calvin was a great man among the reformers. He constructed a
system of theology that teaches:
1. Man is completely depraved in sin by birth.
2. Man can be saved only by the meritorious work of Christ's
death on the cross.
3. Man can do nothing to promote his own salvation.
4. Those God elects will be saved unconditionally and eternally.
This makes of man, the sinner, nothing more than a puppet. But if
Calvin was right Jesus saves sinners automatically, and nothing they do
or do not do has any bearing on salvation. Since there are clear
indications that sinners must choose to be saved, the Calvinistic
doctrine is false. Notice: Jesus said, "Whosoever will save his life
shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find
it" (Matt. 16:25). He also said, "Whosoever will come after me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Mark 8:34). The
sweetest invitation ever extended affirms man must make the choice to be
saved by Jesus. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him
that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever
will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17).
Are men saved by being good, honest, fair, and just citizens? Some
seem to think that as long as a person never steals, lies, cheats, or
commits egregious sins, he will be saved. But Jesus said only those who
are born again will become children of God and citizens of the kingdom
of God (John 3:5). Jesus said that unless sinners believe in Him, they
will die in sin (John 8:24). He said without repentance all will perish
(Luke 13:3). So, Jesus does not save sinners who just try to be good
enough to be saved.
On a positive note the Bible clearly teaches us not only that Jesus
saves, but it tells us His means of saving sinners. Paul wrote to the
church in the powerful metropolis of Rome and said, "I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation, to
everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for
therein is revealed the righteousness of God from faith unto faith"
(Rom. 1:16). Paul further tells us, "For after that in the wisdom of
God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Cor. 1:21). Jesus saves, but
His power to save is the gospel and the gospel must be preached. That
same gospel must be obeyed. The great apostle wrote to the
Thessalonians, that Jesus would come "In flaming fire taking vengeance
on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:8).
How does one obey the gospel? Obedience begins in one's heart.
Paul wrote, "But God be thanked that whereas ye were the servants of
sin, ye obeyed from the heart that form of teaching, being then made
free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" (Rom. 6:17-18).
That form of teaching is described clearly in the first verses of Romans
6. Paul asked, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into
Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with
him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness
of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his
death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection" (Rom. 6:3-
5). Baptism for the remission of sins is the likeness of the death,
burial and resurrection of Jesus from the dead. That is why Peter
wrote, "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth now save us, not the
putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead" (1 Pet. 3:21).
Yes, my friend, Jesus saves -- He saves sinners, but not all
sinners. He saves sinners who come to Him through an obedient faith
that leads them to repent of their sins and be baptized into Him for the
forgiveness of sins. Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). I urge you today to be saved by Jesus in
the one and only way He ever revealed.
If you have a question about this, or anything else you hear from
us, please let us know. And if you want our paper, the Voice of West
End, write a note or card to West End Church of Christ, 1609 Parkside
Drive, Bowling Green, KY 42101 or call 842-7880. Thank you for being
with us today. Remember to set your dial right here next Sunday at 8
a.m. Till then, God bless each of you and good bye.
Radio Sermon No. 149, Page 1 12/02/96
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Children's NT Studies
