In Jesus God Saves

When God the Father made all things, He made no mistake.

That’s the first article of the Christian faith in the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.”

But already at the second article, we get the sense that not all is well. For there we confess our faith in “Jesus.” What is the hint of trouble in this name? It means, “God saves.”

If all was still right with the world, there would be no need for salvation.

What went wrong? It was the centre-piece of God’s creation who decided that they wanted more. Deceived by Satan in the Garden of Eden, our first parents reached out for the false promise of greatness, the impossible dream of being just like God.       

At that point, the Maker could’ve shown himself the righteous Judge and immediately destroyed man and woman. But God showed himself to be a willing Saviour, and He promised that He would rescue his children from Satan’s power and sin’s just penalty.

It is this ancient promise that is fulfilled in Jesus.

In this Jesus, God saves. Not from poverty, illness, or social oppression. But by his cross He saves us from the punishment that our lawbreaking deserves and He restores us to the Father.

Now we have good news to broadcast to all the world: “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). This peace is available to all those whom the Creator has made.

But as it was in the beginning, so it is now: God wants us to depend on him, and not on ourselves. So God’s promise is this: If we believe in Jesus, we will be saved, now and forever.

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Scripture Reading: Romans 5:1-11

Prayer: Father, thank you for bringing salvation from sin through your Son, Jesus our Saviour—a gift that is completely undeserved. May I receive this gift with a believing heart. Amen.