Sabbath Thoughts For Your Week
God & Jesus Christ, Our Savior
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The O.T. calls God “Savior.” Hebrew words, all of which come from the same root, are translated “soter” in the LXX (Septuagint). Psalm 24:5, "
He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior"(NIV). Psalm 27:1, "The LORD is my light and my salvation (savior)..." See also Psalms 35:3; 62:2,6; 65:5; 79:9.The book of Isaiah identifies God with the title Savior more than most of the other O.T. books. See Isaiah 12:2; 17:10; 43:3, 11; 45:15, 21; 60:16; 62:11; 63:8. Note particularly Isa 43:11: “ I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior.” And Isa 45:21 “and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me.”
These give God this title most often but it occurs also elsewhere and may be traced thru the whole of the O.T.
"Thou Hope of Israel, Its Savior in time of distress... "(Jer. 14:8 NAS). "But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me"( Micah 7:7NIV). "yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior" (Hab. 3:18 NIV). Deut. 32:15-16 is particularly interesting : “Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior.” (NIV)Neither by Himself no by others was Jesus ever called Soter (savior) during his lifetime. Like the word “Lord” (Kyrios) the title Soter presupposes the completion of Jesus’ earthly work being confirmed by His exaltation as Lord and Savior following his resurrection.
The writings that mention Jesus as Savior are primarily those that also bestow this title upon God!! This is especially true of the Pastoral Epistles: 1Tim. 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4.
Many passages refer to Jesus Christ as our savior. "
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).2 Pet. 1:1 reads, "
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." In verse 11 we read, "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." See also 2 Pet. 2:20; 3:2; 3:18.Luke’s gospel tells us that Mary referred to God as Savior when she said, “My spirit rejoices in God my savior.” But Luke also explains that Jesus is the savior as well when it says, “To you is born this day a savior who is Christ the Lord.” See Luke 1:47 and 2:11.
Primarily, we are concerned with the transfer to Jesus of an O.T. divine attribute. Jesus is the Soter “because he will save his people from their sins”(Matt. 1:21). The proper name is one of the Hebrew forms of the title Savior applied to God in the O.T. At the lease everywhere in the N.T. where a knowledge of Hebrew may be assumed, we must take into account the significance of the proper name Jesus for the origin of the Savior Jesus. In fact to the Jewish ears “Jesus” meant the same as “soter”, Savior. The author of Matthew was certainly not the only one who knew this.
The idea of salvation from sin and death lies behind the statements 1) about the birth of the Savior (Luke 2:11), 2) after his resurrection (2 Tim. 1:10) and 3) at his still awaited coming in glory (Titus 2:13). Jude 25 says these words “
to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen" (NAS). Notice the words "thru Jesus Christ our Lord.” Now, even when God is called savior after the O.T. pattern, the foundation of all divine salvation is the atoning work of Christ.--
David L. Antion for Guardian Ministries