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| Vol. 15 No.9 September 2013 | Page 5 |
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Home | Archive | Guest Book | Links | churches of
Christ | Contact Us | Salvation | Blog
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| Vol. 15 No.9 September 2013 | Page 5 |
Clarence Lavender
It is beyond question that Christ is the Savior of my life. “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior; To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 1:3-4).
Just as Christ is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8), so is this promise made to me and to all men who receive new life through Christ. This is an unshakable truth, spoken by the God of truth, the one and only true God that cannot lie. To every member of the New Testament church, Christ gives grace, mercy and peace. Why? He is our Savior!
Why Is He My Savior?
(1) He came to earth for that purpose (Luke 2:11; 19:10; John 3:17; Acts 5:31; 1 Timothy 1:15; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 4:14). (2) He became our substitution (Psalm 69:9; Isaiah 53:5; Galatians 3:13; Hebrews 2:9). (3) He came to bear the sins of all men (Isaiah 53:12: Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 3:5). (4) He is our Mediator with the Father (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6; 12:24; 1 John 2:1). (5) He is absolutely indispensable as our Savior, for He is our only Intercessor (Isaiah 59:16). (6) He is the true bread of life (John 6:35). (7) He is the only source of divine truth (John 6:68). (8) He is our only Savior (Acts 4:12). (9) He is the only true foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11).
How Did He Not Become My Savior?
Since all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), we are in a position where we are totally unable to extricate ourselves from the power of sin. Christ must be our Savior, but here are some ways by which the Savior does not save. He does not save by: (1) faith alone (James 2:24), (2) grace alone (Titus 2:11-12), (3) meritorious works on the sinner’s part (Ephesians 2:8-9), (4) human wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:19-21), (5) adherence to the Law of Moses (Hebrews 10:4), (6) “praying through” at some altar, (7) just being honest and sincere, (8) just having a good conscience, (9) a direct operation of the Holy Spirit, (10) predestination or (11) subjectivism.
How Did He Become My Savior?
In the history of the world, the most thought provoking and penetrating question ever asked was posed on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:37, “…Men and brethren, what shall we do?” and in Acts 16:30, “…What must I do to be saved?” Let us notice some things implied by the questions. (1) “What” suggests that there is something required of man in being saved. (2) “Must” reaches the absolute necessity of the requirement. (3) “We” denotes human responsibility in redemption. (4) “Do” implies activity on the part of the person being saved. (5) “To be saved” is the object sought by those asking the question. Also implied within the question is that the saving is done by another, specifically, by Jesus Christ.
Christ saves from sin when a sinner obeys God’s objective standard of truth (John 8:32). Involved in obedience is: (1) hearing the Gospel (Romans 10:14-17), (2) believing (Hebrews 11:6; Mark 16:15-16) and (3) repentance (Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:26-27). [Obedience culminates in baptism (immersion, Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12) for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21. ~ Editor.] The Bible nowhere promises to save sinners in any other manner than recorded by inspired men. There is a great deal of subjective thought regarding salvation in the world today, but God has spoken finally through His son (Hebrews 1:1-2). Deliverance from sin, beloved, is not a matter of what I think, what my family, friends and neighbors think. It is what God says in His Word. Christ becomes the Savior of men who love Him enough to comply with His teaching.
Now that He Is the Savior of My Life,
My Life Must Be Used in His Service
Paul said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). The small sacrifices made by the saved are not worthy to be mentioned in the same breath with those made by our Savior (Philippians 2:6-8).
Is it not the case, since He is the Savior of our lives, that our lives belong to Him? Paul stated that he was a “bondservant” and “messenger” of Jesus Christ (Titus 1:1). He was willing to spend and be spent for the cause. Are we willing to do the same?
There are thousands of Christians scattered throughout the world today. Some are filling places of importance in the Lord’s kingdom while others are sitting idly by. What makes the difference? Is it because the idle do not want to be useful? If so, why did they obey the Gospel? The fact that some are useful and others relatively useless seems to me to be a result of something other than intention or desire. It is my strong conviction that when brethren are taught better they do better. Those in the early church believed Christ was their Savior; therefore, they were involved. Those God used were the: (1) talented (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 12:48), (2) trained (Acts 20:4; 7:22), (3) young (Acts 16:1-3), (4) old (Revelation 1:1-4; Luke 2:25-35; 36-38), (5) humble (Luke 18:9-14), (6) dedicated (Matthew 3:1-12; Acts 9:10-22) and (7) willing (John 6:66-71).
The purpose of Christ being the Savior in our lives is that in turn we can teach others (Matthew 28:19-20). We were saved to save others. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift – Christ, our Savior.