Have you ever helped a turtle safe cross the street or helped a cat get out of a tree? If so, you could legitimately say that you saved them. Salvation comes in many forms, and Christians recognize Jesus Christ as the Savior. This is definitely correct. His very name means “Jehovah is Salvation” or “Jehovah Saves.” It is by Jesus Christ alone that we are saved eternally from sin and given fellowship with God.
On the other hand, we Christians are called to save ourselves and others from the error of sin. On Pentacost the Apostle Peter preached about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in saving the people eternally. After admonishing believers to therefore repent and be baptized, the Apostle said, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (Acts 2:40). In his first letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul also wrote, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:16).
What are we to do with these passages? Does Jesus save? Do you and I save? Yes, and yes. Jesus Christ saved (on e and for all) all believers unto eternal life. Nothing I do or don’t do can change that or enable it or affect it in any way. It is finished. However, having received the gift of faith by grace, you and I are called to turn from our sins and encourage others to do the same in order to save ourselves and them from the pain and temporal consequences of sin here and now.
Join us this week as we go deeper into these concepts. You can access the Bible Study handout here.
Bible Study 