JESUS THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD

The fact that the Bible teaches that Jesus came to this world to save man from sin is undeniable as the following portions of scripture will confirm. The testimony regarding Jesus' mission as Savior of the world comes from many sources in the New Testament including Jesus Himself. Consider the following information found in scripture concerning this vital mission accomplished by Jesus.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH

Throughout the New Testament the reader is constantly made aware of the fact that Jesus has come into this world in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. No more dramatic example of this can be found than that of Isaiah chapter 53. In this portion of scripture the prophet vividly describes how the messiah will come as the suffering servant and lamb of God to bear the sins of the people. In the book of Acts Philip the evangelist has occasion to meet with a court official of Ethiopia who was in Jerusalem to worship. This man was reading from Isaiah 53:7-8 but did not understand of whom this portion of scripture was speaking. Philip explained to the man that it referred to Jesus and starting there Philip continued to preach the good news about Jesus to him (Acts 8:26-40). Consider the words of the prophet Isaiah which describe the suffering of Jesus for the sins and iniquities of others.

(Isaiah 53) Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? {2} For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. {3} He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. {4} Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. {5} 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. {6} All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. {7} He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. {8} By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living, For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? {9} His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. {10} But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. {11} As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. {12} Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE ANGEL OF THE LORD

Joseph, who was a carpenter, learned that Mary his future wife was pregnant before their marriage. He was a good man who was most likely devastated to find out that Mary was pregnant before they had come together as husband and wife. When contemplating his circumstances Joseph was visited by an Angel of the Lord who explained to him that Mary had miraculously conceived by the power of God and revealed to him that the baby to be born would be the promised messiah who would save His people from their sins.

(Matthew 1:18-21) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. {19} And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. {20} But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. {21} "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins."

THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

John the Baptist was the man chosen by God to prepare the way for the coming of God's Son Jesus. John being a prophet recognized the true identity of Jesus and declared the truth as he announced the arrival of Jesus and the beginning of His public ministry. When responding to the questions of others John explained that Jesus was "the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world".

(John 1:26-30) "I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. {27} "It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." {28} These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. {29} The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

THE TESTIMONY OF THE APOSTLES

The apostles understood that Jesus came to this world as their Savior from sin and clearly taught that in scripture. Furthermore, Jesus is repeatedly referred to in the New Testament by the apostles as "Savior and Lord". At least 15 times in the New Testament Jesus is referred to as the Savior.

1. The Apostle Paul:

(1 Timothy 1:15-16) It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. {16} And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

(Titus 1:4) Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

(Philippians 3:20) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

2. The Apostle John:

(John 3:16-17) "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. {17} "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.

(1 John 4:14) And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

3. The Apostle Peter:

(Acts 5:29-32) But Peter and the apostles answered and said, "We must obey God rather than men. {30} "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. {31} "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. {32} "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

(2 Peter 1:10-11) Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; {11} for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS

Jesus explained to others the nature of His mission on earth as man's Savior from sin when He said He had come to seek and save the lost. He revealed to His disciples that a New Covenant between God and man would be inaugurated based on His substitutionary death for the sins of others. Consider Jesus words regarding His mission on earth.

(Luke 19:8-10) And Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." {9} And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. {10} "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

(Matthew 20:25-28) But Jesus called them to Himself, and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. {26} "It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, {27} and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; {28} just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

(Matthew 26:26-29) And while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." {27} And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; {28} for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. {29} "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." (see Luke 22:15-22)

Furthermore Jesus predicted His suffering and death and explained to His disciples that it was all in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The words of the prophet in Isaiah 53 cited earlier take on even more significance as the testimony of Jesus concerning His own death is considered.

(Matthew 16:21) From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.

(Luke 24:25-27) And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! {26} "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" {27} And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

(Luke 24:44-47) Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." {45} Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, {46} and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; {47} and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

After looking at these portions of scripture from both Old and New Testaments it becomes clear that Jesus, God's Son, came to this world to save mankind from sin through His own sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary.

JESUS THE LORD OF ALL

With good reason the scriptures present Jesus as both Savior and Lord. Sin is disobedience to God and a rejection of His authority in our lives. When a person realizes they are living in sin, that they are living a life of disobedience to God and disregard for His authority, and they seek forgiveness through faith in the savior, they then need to come back into a proper relationship to God. God has not provided a salvation from sin which grants forgiveness from sin while making no provision for the sinner to begin to live in obedience to God but He has given all authority in heaven and on earth to His Son Jesus and God calls all men to receive Jesus into their lives as their Lord. This means that we are called to embrace a life of obedience to Jesus Christ in every area of our life.

There is no negotiation on this point. God is not a grandfatherly figure who sits on a rocking chair in heaven overlooking our habitual sin with a wink and a smile. Nor is there any justification for the notion that we can continue in certain types of sin expecting that after death we will suffer a while in a place like purgatory and then enter into heaven after we have paid our debt. We are called to embrace a life of total surrender in obedience to Jesus God's Son by becoming His disciple now or face the certainty of judgment after death for our disobedience to the gospel.

I invite you to consider the following scriptures concerning the Lordship of Jesus Christ. First we will look in the Gospel of Matthew where we find Jesus after His resurrection from the dead meeting with His disciples and telling them that all authority was given by God to Him. Because of this Jesus told His followers to go out and make disciple of all the nation teaching them to observe all that Jesus had commanded them.

(Mat 28:18-20 NASB) And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. {19} "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, {20} teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

The fact that the Apostles understood their mission is clear from the record of the book of Acts. After Jesus had left this world the Apostles began to preach in Jerusalem and proclaim Jesus as Lord. On the day of Pentecost Peter was preaching to the people he explained to them that they had crucified Jesus not realizing that He was sent by God. He continued to tell the people that Jesus had risen from the dead by the power of God and was exalted to God's right hand having been made lord of all. The reader is encouraged to read the second chapter of Acts from which the following portion of scripture is taken:

(Acts 2:36-38 NASB) "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ-- this Jesus whom you crucified." {37} Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" {38} And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;"

Again in the book of Acts we find Peter and the apostles a short time later standing before the Council of religious leaders having been arrested for continuing to preach after they were forbidden to do so. In their reply to the council they make it clear that Jesus has been made both Savior and Lord:

(Acts 5:27-32 NASB) And when they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. And the high priest questioned them, {28} saying, "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us." {29} But Peter and the apostles answered and said, "We must obey God rather than men. {30} "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. {31} "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince (ruler) and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. {32} "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

The Apostle Paul echoed this same message when he wrote to the Christians who lived in the city of Philippi. When explaining to these new Christians how they should understand who Jesus was Paul used these words:

(Phil 2:9-11 NASB) Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, {10} that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, {11} and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The apostle Paul remains consistent in his teaching on the Lordship of Jesus when he writes to the Christians who live in Rome telling them that their personal confession of Jesus Christ as lord of their lives was an integral part of their salvation from sin. Paul writes to them using these words:

(Rom 10:9-13 NASB) ...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; {10} for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. {11} For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." {12} For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; {13} for "WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."