God: Savior

Here in the South, a lot of people have grown up with some kind of connection with God, the Bible or the church.  You would think that means that most people here would be how we would describe as “saved” or a “Christian,” but there’s one question that stumps so many people.  It even stumps the most religious of people.  If you would have asked me that question before my sophomore year of college I wouldn’t have known how to answer it.  

I want to show what the Bible says about God being a Savior.  Then I will share the question that stumped me for a long time.  After that we will read some passages to discover what He saves us from.  Finally, I will share a story that demonstrates different ways people respond to the Savior.  

When I’m finished we’ll have sharing time: we’ll circle up our chairs and spend time talking about what God is showing is in His word, sharing prayer requests and having communion.  It’s a great time to remind ourselves what God has saved us from.

So, what does the Bible say about God being a savior?

One passage is found in 2 Samuel 22:3:

“my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.  He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent men you save me.”  

Isaiah 45:21 says,

“Declare what is to be, present it—let them take counsel together.  Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past?  Was it not I, the LORD?  And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.”  

One of the Bible’s claims is that there is only one savior.  If another religion says that there’s another savior in addition to Jesus then the Bible and the other religion cannot be true at the same time.  For example, if John says that there’s only one husband for Melissa and his name is John, then that’s eliminating all other men from being a husband for Melissa. If a guy named Jethro says that there’s one husband for Melissa and his name is Jethro, then that is contradictory to what John just said.  Either both of the men are wrong or only one of them is right.  Both of them cannot be true.  If someone would say that truth is relative and that two contradictory statements can be true at the same time, while using the same definitions, then I doubt that person would live their personal life that way.  John could say that he believed that two contradictory statements can both be true, but I doubt he would actually live that way.  And the way we live our personal lives shows what we really believe.

So, what does God save us from?  Here are several verses which speak to this question:

“for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” –Deuteronomy 20:4

“my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.

He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent men you save me.” –2 Samuel 22:3

“He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.  He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.” –Psalm 72:13-14

“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

“and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” –1 Thessalonians 1:10

So, what is the question that many people have trouble answering?  It’s this: “Why do you need a savior?”  Most people can’t answer that, even the most religious church-going person.  

In my case, I didn’t feel like I needed a savior.  I was deceived.  I thought that I had to be a really bad criminal (or something like that) in order to need someone like Jesus.  When I looked at the 10 commandments, I saw why I needed a savior.  I had lied and stolen.  I had lusted and coveted.  We’re all sinners that need saving.  Some of us have done worse things than others but we’re all in need of saving.  

When you ask someone the question, “Why do you think you need a savior?” their answer reveals several things.  One thing is that it reveals if the person senses that they have God’s complete forgiveness.  Another is that it shows what or who a person is trusting in for their salvation.  And, it also reveals whether the person believes himself to be a sinner in God’s eyes, using God’s definition of the word “sinner.”

I used to know in my head that God was a savior.  But I didn’t respond to the savior until much later in life.  Let me close by sharing a story called “The Parable of the River.” You can read it here.  It can be found on pages 1-6 of In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado.