Savior
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 (ESV)
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 (ESV)
Jesus is the Savior of the world. Maybe you’ve heard that before and wondered what He’s saving us from? That’s really where this all begins. When God created humanity, he didn’t create us as robots to be controlled; He gave us a free will with the choice to be in relationship with Him or choose to reject him. Adam and Eve were the first humans to walk with God and enjoy all of the goodness that God had intended us to live in. But the devil, who is our enemy, came and tempted Adam and Eve to sin by disobeying God.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" – John 14:6 (ESV)
The Bible says that sin separates us from God and creates a debt that must be paid. But in our sinful humanity, we have no chance to ever repay this debt; not even if you’re a really good person. But because God loves us, he wouldn’t settle for that distance, so He sent Jesus to Earth. Only a perfect sacrifice would be able to pay the debt, which is why Jesus paid our debt with his own life when they crucified him on the cross.
Friend
"- but God shows his own love for us in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -
Romans 5:8 (ESV)
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -
Romans 5:8 (ESV)
Many have heard at least something about Jesus dying on the cross and being called a Savior, but most haven’t heard Jesus called a friend. Because we often feel shame, regret, or guilt for our sin, we assume that God is mad at us, and is out to get us, but in reality it is the heart of God to be close to us, to extend mercy towards us.
"No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." - John 15:15 (ESV)
One of the things Jesus was known for while He walked on Earth was that He was a friend of sinners. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they instinctively tried to hide from God because they felt shame; we often do the same thing today, but Jesus extends friendship towards us and calls us to close to Him again.
Lord
"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)
He is our loving Savior, our close Friend, and finally, Jesus is Lord! It’s not enough to just believe that Jesus died on the cross; we must receive that gift for ourselves personally and choose to turn and follow Him. We submit to His plans and walk in His ways. Substituting our Secular Worldview with a Biblical Worldview. We must make a choice whether we will follow Him or not, and the ripple effect of that choice will affect our eternity.
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart! I have overcome the world." –John 16:33 (ESV)
Now, in the world we live in, we often think of a Lord as an oppressive dictator type figure, but following Jesus actually brings more freedom to our lives. So many people are desperately searching for meaning and purpose. We look for it in having more, getting more friends, being successful, or we even try to mask the void by excessive use of drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. But, you’ll only find joy when you release control and make Jesus your Leader and Lord.