November 23 THE SAVIOR And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 1 John 4:14 “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” The whole gospel in a phrase! This is the only time in which John uses the expression “Savior” in the entire epistle. He gives the same teaching, of course, in other places. He says that our Lord is “the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). There is a sense in which he repeats the thought here, but he does not use this precise phrase but describes Him as “the Savior of the world.” The word “Savior” does not merely mean helper. We are not told that the Father sent the Son to help mankind; it does not mean that He is just someone who assists. Nor does it mean that He is just one who teaches or indicates to us what we ought to do; He is not merely an instructor. Indeed, I would go further and say that the term “Savior” and its connotation must not be thought of in terms of an example or pattern or encourager. I use these terms because so often people speak about our Lord as Savior, and yet if you ask them to define what they mean by that, they say that Christ as Savior is One who is marching ahead of us and is leading the way. Now the element that is seen in such ideas is that ultimately you and I have to save ourselves, and what the Lord does is to aid and assist us—to give us encouragement and make it somewhat easier for us to do so. Now that, of course, is clearly a complete denial not only of the biblical teaching, but also of the historic faith and creeds of the Christian church. A Thought to Ponder The word “Savior” does not merely mean helper. From The Love of God, pp. 132-134.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 10:24:32 +0000
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