There is only one baby who was born to be the Savior of the world. This Child was sent from heaven on a divine search-and-rescue mission — and meeting Him must be our ultimate goal in life.
Who is this Child? 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 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).
This One of whom the prophets foretold was born to die. He overcame death and He rose again to save us from sin, guilt, shame, despair and hell. His purpose in coming was to seek and to save the 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. This is not based on any works that of our own, but rests solely on the redeeming grace of Christ Jesus. Saving us is the greatest and most concrete demonstration of God’s love for us, the definitive display of His grace throughout time and eternity.
The Bible says, “God our Savior … saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did. He declared us not guilty because of His great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7, NLT).
Some years ago as our home was being constructed, I noticed a bird trapped inside the house trying to get out of the skylight. I cajoled, tossed things up to scare it, and even got on the roof, only to discover the skylight was nailed shut. I tried everything, but I couldn’t reach the bird to set it free.
I wanted so badly to save that pitiful creature, but I was unable to communicate with it to explain what I was trying to do. If only I could have become a bird for a few minutes, I could have made it understand that I was there to rescue it. That’s what Jesus did. The gulf between God and human beings is far greater than the distance between humans and birds, yet His grace spanned the great divide. As sinners, we are trapped in the plexiglas of guilt, caught in the snare of our own making, separated from God, lost and alone in the world. But Jesus, who was God Himself, became a man to communicate with us, to die for our liberation, and to rise again for our salvation.
As Alister McGrath put it, “God did not send a subordinate to redeem us. He chose to do it Himself.”
Feel trapped today? Caught in a closet of crooked habits or corrupt relationships? Perhaps you’re able to see the blue sky, but the glass ceiling of sin keeps you down and holds you in. You long to soar on wings of the wind, but you’re exhausted.
Jesus became mortal to give you immortality; and today, through Him, you can be free. This is the Child who was born to become our Savior.
So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come, peasant, king, to own Him.
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
— by David Jeremiah | BP
Dr. Jeremiah is the founder and host of Turning Point for God and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California. For more information on Turning Point, go to www.DavidJeremiah.org.