The only God our Savior…  Jude 25

A good question to ask somebody who is spiritually confused would be: “Tell me about how God saves you. Tell me about what He does for you.” And then, after you’ve listened, say to them, “Let me tell you about what the God of the Bible does for me.” If God is the Savior, then what does this saving look like?

God saves you from sin’s penalty

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  Romans 8:1

The moment you came to faith in Jesus Christ, God forgave your sins. He freed you from guilt, from condemnation and from hell. That is the beginning of your salvation, but it is certainly not the end!

God saves you from sin’s power

Sin shall no longer be your master.  Romans 6:14

Before you came to Christ, you were like a prisoner of war, “a prisoner of the law of sin” (Romans 7:23). Your hands were tied. You were blindfolded and defenseless. You were in no position to fight. You were at the mercy of the enemy.

But now in Christ, you are no longer sin’s prisoner. Sin is still your enemy. Sin is still powerful. But God has put you in a position to fight back, and that fight is a real battle. Sin has been beating you up for a long time. But God takes off the blindfold and frees your hands, bringing you into a whole new arena.

Imagine yourself climbing into a boxing ring through the ropes, and you’re seated in one corner. In the other corner is the guard who used to beat you in your cell. Just the sight of him brings back feelings of helplessness and the smell of defeat.

When the bell rings, he comes out to hit you, but now you’re in an entirely different position. Your hands are free and your eyes are open. There is all the difference in the world. Before he could strike you at will, and there was absolutely nothing you could do about it. Now you can land one on him. 

God saves you from sin’s presence

When the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

I Peter 5:4

Now imagine that you’ve been in the ring with sin for ten grueling rounds. You’ve landed some good blows, but your opponent just won’t go down. He keeps coming back! That’s a great picture of the battle against temptation.

The longer the fight goes on, the more you long to see your opponent hit the canvas, and one day he will. When Jesus Christ comes again in glory, your enemy will be down and out. He will never again rise to do battle with you. Your fight will be over, and you will receive the crown of victory.

God is our Savior. He saves us not only from sin’s penalty, but also from its power, and one day He will save us from its presence.

This LifeKey is based on the message (June 29, 2003) called: “Rest in God’s Triumph,” by Pastor Colin S. Smith, from the series, “Keeping Yourself in Spiritual Shape.”