The One God . . .

 

Yesterday we were with my son, his son, and his grandson who is our great grandson. Four generations. How delightful. 

This morning, I’m looking at the One who is called the Son of God but realize where God in concerned, there is only one generation, one God revealed to us in more ways than one, but still One. He is the Lord God Almighty and our Savior.

In the OT, the noun ‘yešûʿâ’ means “salvation, deliverance, Savior.” This word is limited to God as Savior and the deliverance He brings. In the OT, this is often physical deliverance yet also spiritual rescue from sin. It is pictured in Exodus when God delivered His people of their bondage in Egypt, a bondage like slavery to sin.

As for sin’s power, the NT, particularly Romans 3, repeats the words and concepts of Psalm 14 and 53:

Romans 3:10–12. “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

This bondage to sin cannot be overcome by human effort. It is that “I will do it myself” attitude that means even our efforts to overcome it alone are sinful as the first part of Isaiah 53:6 affirms: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way . . . .” and for that reason, God came to this earth to rescue us from that taskmaster sin — “and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

 In the NT, the word translated Savior (sōtēr) becomes a title for Jesus. His birth was announced that way, When He grew to manhood, those who witnessed His power to change lives knew that this was the One, the promised Deliverer.

Luke 2:11. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

John 4:42. “They (those who heard the testimony of the woman at the well) said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’ ”

The rest of the NT often says of Him, “our Savior Jesus Christ” for all who put their faith in Him knew that this was God come in the flesh to deliver them from the bondage of sin.

Isaiah 43:11. “I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.”

Hosea 13:4. “But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior.”

Acts 5:31. “God exalted him (Jesus whom they crucified) at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 13:23. Of this man’s offspring (speaking of David) God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.”

1 Timothy 2:3. “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.”

Titus 3:4–7. “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Jude 25. “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.”

There was no doubt in the minds of these who first believed that Jesus Christ was indeed God, Emmanuel, the One who came to deliver us all from our self-centered “I will do it myself” sinfulness.

John 1:1-14. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Focusing on Jesus has two major effects in my life. One is that I worship the One who loves me and was willing to die in my place so that I could be saved me from my sin. He changes lives; He has changed my life. To Him be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. The other result of focusing on Jesus is that He puts light on how helpless and needy I really am and His goodness shows me how far I fall short. Negative yes, yet seeing my need in light of His perfections keeps faith placed where it should be — in my flawless Savior and not in myself.