Christ THE Savior
Acts 4:12
8/7/2010
The title i chose for this devotional i think is appropriate as it encompasses all of the aspects of this message. And before i go into this devo i think it’s proper that i post the verse i am drawing from.
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) ESV
The subject of this devo is simply Christ the Savior, and because of its simplicity, or how often we hear it said, or how often we even might think about it in passing thought, we must be all the more careful to not underestimate this subject, as it is among the most important subjects to think about. But before i move into my several points i think it is necessary that i share with you that i write to you all as one who is at most an equal, but at least a servant, as i hope this is encouraging to you all. And as my last comment before i start i just wish to share with you that i know i do not fully grasp the magnitude of this subject myself.
Well most obviously from the title of the message and from the verse itself, my first and main point is that Jesus Christ is the only savior. It’s funny how we tend to understand this, give a nod, and then ask the question “AND??” Expecting more, as if this alone isn’t sufficient to blow our minds. This single statement is monumental. Jesus is THE only savior. And this one single simple point is so vital to a deeper understanding of what God has done in your life by saving you. So i hope that by the end of this devo you would feel the gravity of this statement.
Christ is the only savior. Acts says it so clearly that there is salvation in no one else besides Christ. Meaning that unless you are saved through Christ, you are not saved at all. Now we all know this. And i am sure that i am preaching to the choir right now, but this has a deep impact in our theology, and it is the impact that i am looking to get at, not just the fact. For when we think of Christ as our savior we rightfully acknowledge all other religions as false religions, but at the same time we may miss what it means to how we should think of Him.
For Christ did not die and rise from the dead to give us another way to heaven. That’s simply not true. Jesus died to give us our only way to heaven. Yet, we must still take into consideration the difference this makes or should make to us. If God sacrificed His son to provide only A savior instead of THE savior… there is quite a big difference. We really need to feel the gravity of this. The difference between the indefinite article “a” versus the definite article “the” is one of the main reasons why we can praise God so much. Let us for a moment imagine Jesus as just a savior and not the savior. How much can we really praise God. I assume some gratitude is in order. But the point of him coming and dying on our behalf would be, well, extraneous and unneeded. However this is not the case. For the Cross of Christ is NOT needless child abuse as some make it out to be. Jesus Christ is THE savior. And thus his death was absolutely necessary if we were to be saved, for without him we would all perish, but through him all who believe will have life. That is my point, that Jesus did not die a meaningless death, but died a much needed death. Christ the savior defends the glory of Christ as it reminds us of the necessity of his death.
Now let us move on from Christ THE savior to CHRIST the savior. And this is what i mean by what i said. Christ is our only savior, yet there is more to it than what i have already stated, for the person of Christ Himself changes what the reality of what happened. We sin against God and thus deserve hell, and Jesus is our savior who has taken upon himself our sins, imputed into us his righteousness, and thus saved us from God. Christ saved us from God’s wrath!! Do you see what im getting at? Christ IS God. And that’s my point. With designating Christ as our only savior, we should always remember who he is. Jesus is not some nobody, he is not a blank slate who we can project our imaginations on. We should all marvel at how the person of Christ makes his saving work all the more glorious. Be amazed that it is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, God of very God, it is HE who is our only savior. It is HE who saves us from whom? None but Himself. That is a staggering point. And it is this point that humbles me every day, that the God who i sin against. The God who rightfully should cast me into hell, it is none but Him who has saved me. And i hope that you all would feel the love in that statement. One verse summarizes this point.
“It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26) ESV
My point in this verse is simple. God must be just. And thus sin must be paid for. YET God desires to be the justifier (aka savior of men). But God can not let men off the hook. Every sin must be paid for, but he desires that men would not perish. And in light of this dilemma, Jesus Christ, God Himself, is the solution. For although God is wrathful towards sinners, because of his love, he promised and provided a savior, and dying for our sins he has saved us himself. Thus He remained just. And through Christ he also is the justifier.
Now i only have one last point. And i would like to start with a question to think about. What are we saved from? Now think about that. Jesus is our only savior. Yet what are we saved from? We are saved from hell. But… what is hell like?
Now i was reading a book called “The Church History” by Eusebius. And in it i came upon a section about the Jewish War. This section horrified me. As i was reading i could not help but place myself in the people’s shoes at the time. What sorrow the people must have felt. If you don’t know, during the Jewish War, the Jews were trapped in their city. And there was a severe famine. And in great detail the historian Josephus describes this wretched scene of men and women, young and old, either dying or dead in the street from starvation. Brigands that would break into houses and they would stab the dead corpses or kill those who were alive were far from the worst. In the city men and women went mad with hunger, stealing food from their very families as well as each other. And just imagine all of this happening over a period of time and the bodies of the dead decaying and oozing, giving off a putrid stench. What a terrible scene. And by far the worst was a mother, who was of a wealthy family, who so desperate with hunger cooked her own son in her madness. The point of this terrible story is that this would be horrible to live through. I can not imagine something more horrible to happen to a city than that, and yet what do we think of when we think of hell? Do we think of some fire? Do we dare think hell is simply the same as burning yourself, except you can’t escape? Or do we think of hell as some sort of suffering? Because i myself have never suffered much and it would be wrong to compare the sufferings of hell to any sort of suffering we may face on this earth. For many people have been burned alive and those who lived in the Jewish War have felt suffering to the point of wishing they were dead, yet do we dare say the judgment of God towards our sin is merely as horrible as that? Hell is far worse. For our sins deserve worse. As anything we experience here on earth is finite, yet hell is infinite. I heard it said once that being in hell would make suffering on earth a joyful experience, and i believe he is right. It is important to understand the suffering we deserve. It was said of Johnathan Edwards that he always kept on eye on Heaven and the other eye, he kept on the torments of hell.
I ended with a dark note, yet, brothers and sisters, only by seeing the darkness clearly, can we come to appreciate what is truly light. Let us be sober minded about hell for our savior has tasted it for us. And let us rejoice that it was God himself who tasted his own wrath towards us, which was reserved for us, instead of us. So, let us live in a way that reflects our admiration and appreciation for God becoming our only savior, and proudly declare Him as the only way of salvation in our actions and our words. Let us never lack in zeal and pray we come to an ever deepening understanding of who he is and what he has done, as well as all the facets of the cross. I hope that you are all encouraged by this devo, and though it was a little more on the dark side than i wanted, i thought it was appropriate. As usual, any comments or concerns or stones are welcome.
-Derek K. Harada