SAVIOR OF THE WORLD

Anglican Morning Devotion, 29 August 2021 Anno Domini
A ministry of the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.”

(1 John 4:14; all scripture quoted is from the King James Version)

 

This unique title of the Lord Jesus Christ assures us that when the Father sent His Son away from the glories of heaven down to a world lost in sin, it was not just to be the Messiah of the Jews, or to assume David’s throne as King of earthy Israel, or to punish the wicked Gentile nations.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17).

In fact, this special title is used only one other time in the Bible, and it was used by Samaritans rather than Jews when they came to know Jesus as He ministered among them for two days. These people were mostly of Gentile background with a mixture of the blood of Abraham who had become adherents of a quasi-Jewish religion that was also part pagan.
But they were actually looking for a Savior, and their testimony after meeting Jesus was: “Now we believe . . . and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world” (John 4:42). They perceived that He had come to bring salvation to lost sinners in every nation, not just to Israel or Samaria. As He said later, “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47).
And so He commanded His disciples “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations” (Luke 24:47). He became to the Father “the propitiation . . . for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2), when He offered up His life as a sacrifice for sins, then died and rose again. We who have believed on Him as our personal Savior are now to be His witnesses “in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The Jews looked for a worldly Messiah who would rule a worldwide kingdom from Jerusalem, but they rejected, with cunning understanding, the true Lord and Savior of the world. None of the disciples witnessed more of the miraculous works of the Lord, or heard more of His teachings, than the Jewish leaders who followed Him everywhere – hanging on every word and deed – to catch Him in some net whereby they could kill Him. Their rejection was a willing rejection of the One whom, deep in heart, they knew to be the true Messiah of God. Even the High Priest, Caiaphas, along with Pontius Pilate, gave witness of the purpose and innocence of Christ:

Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. 48If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. 49And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. 53Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.” (John 11:47-53) The Jewish rulers concern was not spiritual, but POLITICAL as it is to this day not only in Israel, but our own beloved land.

The Jerusalem (City of Peace) of God is not that dirty little, violence-stricken Jerusalem of Judah, trodden down by heathen men and filthy beasts, but that Jerusalem from on High described by God:

Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” (Galatians 4:21-26) NOTE: It is this Jerusalem that is the Mother of us all – not Mother Mary, nor the crime-ridden Jerusalem of the world. The world that our Savior came to save are all those who have been granted, by grace, the faith to know Him. The Judaic Jews are as much in bondage as are their Ishmaelite Muslim brethren. Only in Christ, can any know the Perfect Law of Liberty

By |2021-08-31T17:06:48+00:00August 31st, 2021|Blog|Comments Off on SAVIOR OF THE WORLD

About the Author: