A. In the previous lessons, we considered some descriptions that aid our understanding of Jesus as both the Christ and the Son of God.
B. In this final lesson, we will consider some descriptions that aid our understanding of Jesus as the Savior.
II. THE MEANING OF “SAVIOR”
A. The title of Savior means that Jesus is the source of salvation.
1. In the English translation of the New Testament, “Savior” is translated from the Greek word sōtēr.
a. “Savior” is an accurate translation, for it means one who saves, delivers, or preserves.
b. This word was a common Greek epithet for the Greek gods, noblemen, and rulers.
c. In the New Testament, this word is used three times to describe God the Father (Luke 1:47; 1Tim. 2:3; Tit. 2:10) and twenty-one times to describe Jesus Christ the Son of God.
2. When angels announced the birth of Jesus, they heralded Him as the source of salvation.
a. When an angel spoke to Joseph, he said, “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” (Matt. 1:21).
b. When the angels spoke to the shepherds, they said, “For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
3. Jesus revealed Himself to be the Savior of the world by the very words that He spoke (John 4:42).
4. When the full gospel was revealed, the apostles proclaimed that Jesus is the Savior of the world (Acts 4:12; 5:31; 13:23).
B. Jesus earned the position and title of Savior through the ordeal He suffered.
1. Jesus is called the Lamb of God to demonstrate that the purpose of His incarnation was to shed His blood for the sins of the world.
a. When John the baptist introduced Jesus, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, 36).
i. Notice that Jesus “takes away the sins of the world.” This is a present tense statement that implies no limitations by scope or time.
ii. Christ’s sacrifice is retroactive and proactive. He is the source of salvation to all people for all times.
b. Throughout the Scriptures, the sacrificial lamb is a figure of Jesus.
i. Genesis 4:4 – This is the first mention of the sacrificing of lambs.
ii. Genesis 22:8 – When Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac and Isaac questioned him, he said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” This was a prophetic shadow of the Lamb whom God would send for the world.
iii. Exodus 12 – The blood of the sacrificial Passover lambs saved Israel from death. This was a foreshadowing of the sacrificial blood that would save the world.
iv. Isaiah 53:7 – The Man who would suffer for man’s sins is compared to a lamb.
v. John 1:29, 36 – The Lamb is identified as Jesus.
vi. 1Peter 1:18-19 – We are now redeemed “with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless.”
vii. Revelation 5:6-14 – John saw a vision of the slain Lamb glorified in heaven.
c. In order to become the sacrificial Lamb of God, it was necessary for Christ to come in the flesh (John 1:1, 14; Heb. 2:14-18).
2. Through His suffering on the cross, Jesus became the source of salvation.
a. Notice Hebrews 5:8-9 – “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.”
i. When the Son of God suffered on the cross, He suppressed His will in favor of His Father’s will (see Matt. 26:39). In this way, He learned obedience and was made perfect (complete).
ii. By this process of submission, obedience, suffering, and perfection, Christ became the source of eternal salvation to all those who subject themselves to the same process for His sake.
b. Also notice Isaiah 53:4-6 – “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 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. 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 o fall on Him.”
III. OTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SAVIOR
A. The Savior is described as the Mediator of a new covenant for salvation.
1. Mediator is defined as one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant.
2. Notice 1Timothy 2:5-6 – “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.”
3. The book of Hebrews describes Jesus as the Mediator of a new and superior covenant between God and man (Heb. 8:6-14; 9:15-16; 12:24).
4. Jesus is uniquely qualified to serve as the Mediator of the new covenant, for He represents God before man, and He represents man before God.
B. The Savior is also designated as the believer’s Advocate with the Father.
1. In 1John 2:1-2, John wrote to Christians, “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”
2. The word “Advocate” is translated from the Greek word paraklētos.
a. The meaning of this word is a person who is called to one’s side for aid. It communicates the idea of a counselor who pleads another’s case before a judge.
b. Jesus used this word to describe the Holy Spirit (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7) where it is translated as “Comforter” (KJV, ASV) or “Helper” (NKJV, NASB).
c. Notice that Jesus promised to send “another Helper” in John 14:16, thus implying that He was the first Helper.
3. Thus, to have Jesus as our Advocate with the Father means that when we sin Jesus pleads our case before the Father and atones for our sins with His own blood.
C. The Savior is specifically described as the Savior of the church.
1. Ephesians 5:23 calls Jesus the “Savior of the body.”
a. “Body” in this context is a term designating Christ’s church (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18).
b. That Jesus is Savior of the body indicates that one must be part of His body, the church, in order to have Him as Savior.
2. Acts 2:47 confirms that salvation is found within the Lord’s body, which is His church, the called out assembly of believers.
a. The passage says, “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
b. “Their number” refers to the number of persons who had previously received the word of God and were baptized (Acts 2:41). By doing so, they were baptized into Christ and therefore into His body (Gal. 3:27).
3. Notice that it is God’s intention to save all men through Christ, but only the faithful will be saved.
a. 1Timothy 4:10 says God is “the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”
i. This means that Christ is the only source of salvation to all men, but only those who comply with His conditions (believers) will be saved.
ii. In this way, God loves the whole world and offers Christ as the propitiation for all sins, but God’s offer only avails to those who conform to His will (Matt. 7:21-23; John 3:16; Heb. 5:9; 1John 2:2).
b. Jesus affirmed that few will be saved even though He offers to be the Savior of all (Matt. 7:13-14; 22:14; Luke 13:22-24).
IV. CONCLUSION
A. Having considered Scriptural descriptions of Jesus that help us to understand Him as the Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior, we can better appreciate what Jesus means to us.
B. “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph. 3:20-21)