The names of God: Jesus

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners —of whom I am the worst.   1 Timothy 1: 15

Jesus, which means God is salvation, came into the world with the purpose of saving sinners. He said that everyone who sins is a slave to sin. (John 8: 34) As none of us is without sin we are all slaves to it. He used terminology that was understandable at a time when slavery was the order of the day. A slave was a person owned by someone else and couldn’t free himself. He needed someone else to be his redeemer, someone who would pay the price for his freedom. Imagine being that slave living a life completely under someone else’s control. He has no rights, no privileges, no free will to go where he wants and do what he wants. He cannot choose to serve someone else of his choice. He lives an oppressed life without any hope. Then one day a merciful man approaches his owner and offers to buy the slave from him. He redeems him by paying the price with his own money. The slave now belongs to his new master who is loving and kind. He sets the slave free to live a life of freedom. We are all slaves to sin and the payment due for our sin is death.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6: 23

Jesus is the merciful master who paid the redemption price with His own blood on the cross to set us free.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  1 Peter 1: 18 – 19

However, he didn’t save us to live as we want. He saved us so that we can be his possession, dearly loved children, who live with hope, joy and peace in his presence. He saved us to bring glory and honour to his name, the name above all names. We bring honour to his name when we live out our salvation with a hatred for nothing but sin, and a love for God and all people. The fear of death has no hold on us for his salvation was too a conquering of death.

Paul was a moral religious man seeking to follow the law of Moses to the utmost. He was zealous for the honour of God according to his own understanding. However, when he gained a glimpse of the risen Christ, the one who had died for him, he considered himself the worst of sinners in need of a Saviour. It was pride in his own self-righteousness that kept him enslaved to what he considered right and normal before God. The Saviour revealed his own slavery to him and redeemed him.

Are you enslaved by sin? The Saviour has paid the price for your redemption. Humble yourself before him to receive his salvation, which was at the price of his own life.

How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?   Hebrews 2: 3

What makes salvation great is the great Saviour, Jesus Christ.