“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Joel 2:32 NIV
“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus [Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves, or He Will Save His People], because he will save his people from their sins.”
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[Isaiah 7:14] (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Matthew 1:20-24 NIV
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-18 NIV
“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” John 4:39-42 NIV
“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.” John 14:46-48 NIV
Christ Jesus came into this world to save it. This means that he came into the world to rectify a wrong that had been done at the very beginning, with the fall of mankind. It all actually began much earlier before that, with the fall of Lucifer (now called Satan). Satan took one-third of Heaven’s population with him in rebellion against God and His Son. Satan, as the lying Great Serpent, then lied to Eve and Adam causing their disfaith in God—sending God’s creation, this world, into darkness and sin. This caused the world, and everything in it, to sink into decay and entropy. Without salvation, without deliverance, without any chance of hope we would never again be able to come into the presence of God in His Holy Kingdom.
God sent Moses to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt. This was a great illustration for the rest of God’s people, and all those who would believe in Him and hope in His Salvation, in His Deliverance. Egypt always represented the people of God’s bondage and slavery to sin, since the fall of Adam. We were doomed because of our sinful condition and tendency toward evil. Sin is anything that God determines as against Him, and it is what God determines that is against Him that we are being delivered from, or “salvaged” from. God gave Moses the Law, and it is good, because only God is “Good.” God gave the Law and offered one way out of eternal judgment, the judgment reserved for the fallen ones of Satan and all those who follow the Lord of Lies.
The Law given by the hand of God to Moses was God’s perfect standard of righteousness. However, because humans are imperfect and unable to uphold the perfect standard of God (Romans 3:23), we were unable to still come before God without the covering of blood offered for our sin. Our sin caused this terrible revelation of death and evil from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Knowing good and evil destroyed our innocence, and produced guilt. We still needed God’s mercy, hope, and grace to be with Him again, and have peace with Him again. So God promised His Right Hand, His Right Arm, His bringer of Mercy, Justice, and Grace upon the grace we have already received (John 1). God sent His One and Only Son, that whomever should call on Him would be saved (John 3)!
“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
“But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.
“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
“And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
“When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.” Matthew 14:22-33 NIV
“This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.” Psalm 34:6 NIV
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 NIV
“The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.” Psalm 37:40 NIV
“Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools.” Psalm 39:8 NIV
“Be pleased to save me, Lord; come quickly, Lord, to help me.” Psalm 40:13 NIV
“As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me.” Psalm 55:16 NIV
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.” John 10:9 NIV
Christ Jesus is our Savior, our Deliverer, and our Salvation. To “save” someone means to rescue or deliver them from danger or harm. It is the act of preserving them or guarding them from loss, injury, or death. To “deliver” someone is the exact same meaning in this context. To “salvage” something is very similar, but even more exact in this context. To “salvage” something means the act of saving or rescuing property in danger or from a calamity. It also means to take something valuable or useful out of something or from other things that are not valuable or useful, such as rubbish. These definitions are extremely important to understand as it is the very heart of the Gospel Message, the Good News of Salvation through God’s Son, Christ Jesus.
“The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
“There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
“Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:32-43 NIV
“You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” Matthew 27:40 NIV
“He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” Matthew 27:42 NIV
“The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” Matthew 27:49 NIV
“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” John 12:27-28 NIV
Christ Jesus came to salvage us from the rubbish heap of this fallen world. He came to set right what Satan had destroyed. He came to save those of us whom God has chosen out the world. We were chosen in predetermined councils of Heaven, as it says in Ephesians 1. All of this was God’s salvation plan for Eternity. This is God’s plan for our Eternal Life with Him. The world is not good, and those of the world are not of God and do not have His Spirit in them, therefore they will not understand. The world will hate us because of our faith in God’s Son and His plan. The world does not want to be told that what it does is evil or wrong, but it is. The people of the world believe the lie, and will be doomed. It is exactly what we are being delivered from in the end, and what God’s Great and Terrible Day of Judgment is all about.
“You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:22 NIV
“Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” Jesus inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
“When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
“When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
“Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” Matthew 16:16-30 NIV
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:24-26 NIV
The “Gospel Message” of Today is not a Gospel at all, and it is not Good News. It is certainly not the Good News of what Christ Jesus did and said. Paul tells us that if someone comes preaching another Gospel other than the one Christ Jesus taught us, they are damned and cursed to eternal darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (not because of sorrow, but because of regret, anger and resentment toward God). The message today is twisted, and geared towards the things of this world like money, prosperity, success, good business, leadership in government and other spheres of the world and society, or any other humanistic ideology one can come up with. It is not the Gospel of Christ Jesus.
“When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
“When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
“Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
“Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:36-50 NIV
“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
“When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
“But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:1-10 NIV
Christ Jesus and the Good News, or Gospel, that he brought to us was that of salvation, deliverance, mercy and the grace of God. Grace is the gift of God, it is God’s favor on us that is not earned by us in any way. He simply gives it to us. We do not, as sinful humans, determine who gets God’s grace. Only God determines who gets His grace. It did not come cheaply. The message of the Gospel of Christ Jesus brought salvation and hope to those who had none. Only through him are we saved or delivered from sin, there is no other way. Only through faith in Christ Jesus does God determine who are His. This is a wonderful paradox of God’s omnipotence and omniscience. Christ Jesus was before the worlds were formed, he knew us before we knew Him; and while we were yet enemies with God, he volunteered out of love for His Father to die in our place to fulfill the terms of the Law, the First Covenant. This is what the prophets of old all spoke of and wished to see.
“We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
“Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women [God and Jesus go out of their way to include women in the New Covenant], I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
“I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the Great and Glorious Day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’[Joel 2:28-32]” Acts 2:11-21 NIV
“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood [two types of eclipses] before the coming of the Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.” Joel 2:28-32 NIV
“[Peter said,] “Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ [Psalm 118:22] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:11-13 NIV
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
“The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.” Acts 16:25-34 NIV
“Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:23-25 NIV
“No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.” Psalm 33:16-17 NIV
“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” Psalm 13:5 NIV
“Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!” Psalm 14:7 NIV
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2 NIV
“Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His Right Hand and His Holy Arm have worked salvation for Him.” Psalm 98:1 NIV [both are titles of Christ Jesus, the Messiah]
“The Lord has made His salvation known and revealed His righteousness to the nations.” Psalm 98:2 NIV
“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.” Psalm 95:1
“May your unfailing love come to me, Lord, your salvation, according to your promise.” Psalm 119:41 NIV
“My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.” Psalm 119:81 NIV
“My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise.” Psalm 119:123 NIV
“Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees.” Psalm 119:155 NIV
“I wait for your salvation, Lord, and I follow your commands.” Psalm 119:166 NIV
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” Romans 5:8-10 NIV
“Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved [Joel 2:32].” Romans 10:5-13 NIV
“For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate [Isaiah 29:14].” Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles [Isaiah 8:14], but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” 1 Corinthians 1:20-25 NIV
“All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:3-10 NIV
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:15-16 NIV
“So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2 Timothy 1:8-10 NIV
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.” Hebrews 11:17 NIV (As in the days of Noah)
Christ Jesus is driving out demons and healing the sick and saving the lost just as he did long ago; and he does it anywhere and anytime. He does it with the help of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter that Christ Jesus said God would send us to remind us of what he said, and to transform us. It is not to make us “perfect” because no one is perfect but Christ Jesus. It is to “perfect” us, as in a process, that takes a lifetime. We are still sinners being saved by God’s Grace and Mercy. The Holy Spirit would not be pleased with the way he is kicked around, worshiped, and used as a plaything by greedy, power-hungry people. Christ Jesus is the only one who can offer deliverance.
“But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
“Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” Jude 1:17-25 NIV
Remember, dear pilgrims, they that call upon the Lord WILL be saved. They that put their faith in God and Christ Jesus WILL be saved. They that believe that Christ Jesus and God did all of this for them, and that God loves them, and is the rewarder of those who trust and love Him WILL be saved. That is the truth of what Christ Jesus said. Christ Jesus offers us salvation and deliverance in him. Through the Savior of the World, and his shed blood, we are saved. Those who endure to the End in faith WILL be saved, as he promised. For his very name means, “He Will Save His People.” Christ Jesus is our Lifesaver, our Rescuer, our Savior and our Deliverer. Amen.
Painting: “Lifesaver” by Shannon Renshaw, copyright 2023 – All Rights Reserved
A Pilgrimage Into God's Word 