Jesus saves us from ...

[Hashe]

The other day in church I was listening to yet another altar call. The preacher was telling us that Jesus saves. If we have problems with loneliness then we should come to the front because Jesus saves us from our loneliness. If we have problems with anger that is destroying our families then come to the front because Jesus saves. If we have problems with addictions then come to the front because Jesus saves.

As I was sitting there I started thinking about the concepts of Jesus and salvation. I had recently been studying the Christmas stories in the early chapters of Luke and Matthew. Jesus was born in interesting times. The Romans had control of the area and ruled through their patsy king Herod. Neither was particularly popular and the Jewish masses were hoping for a Messiah to come and save them from the situation.

The religious experts taught that their scriptures prophesised for a Messiah to come and lead their people to world domination. With the uniqueness of the Jewish people and the religious stubbornness these teaches were known throughout the Roman world. There a number of people who rose up and claimed to this Messiah. In Acts 5:35-37 Gamaliel speaks of Theudas and Judas the Galilean rising up, gathering men yet ultimately coming to nothing.

So when Jesus, the real Messiah came, many people didn’t get it. They were looking for a military leader to save them from their circumstances. What they got was a religious teacher who saved them from their sins. This made them so angry that the masses turned on Jesus and called from the Romans to kill him as a political agitator.

As I thought about the altar call, I wondered about the message being given. The message was Jesus saves but I’m not sure it was really about Jesus saves us from our sins. It seemed to be,’ Jesus will save you from your circumstances’. I’m not saying that churches shouldn’t be helping people overcome difficult circumstances. Churches should be in the business of loving people! But what is the message about Jesus that churches really give?

I reflected on a number of people I knew who had come and gone from different churches. What Jesus did they know? What Jesus did they want? Was he the saviour of their sins? Or did they rather want a saviour of their circumstances?

 

[B-A-C]

I agree, the message of Jesus has gotten lost, even in some churches.
I recently went to see a movie called "Son of God". It was an OK movie. It wasn't 100% scripturally accurate, and certain dialogs were added that
aren't in the Bible. It had scripture quoted in it. It showed many miracles of Jesus, but after watching it. The question remains... why would I need
to believe in/follow this guy? What is he doing for me?

The message of sin and repentance has gotten lost, or watered down so much that it barely resembles the Bible.
The fact is, we sin!!! ( Rom 3:23; ) The price of sin is death!!! ( Rom 6:23; )
Even if you are a mostly good person. Even if you don't sin 99.9% of the time (I wonder how many people can really say that?)
But even if it's true... that 0.1% will still keep you from eternal life/heaven/salvation. That will still keep your name out of the book of life.
You have to be 100% perfect. If not, into the lake of fire you go. No exceptions. We should be repulsed by sin.

I'm reminded of the story of brownies with dog manure in them. The baker said "well 90% of the ingredients are real flour, shortening, and sugar. The other 10% is dog manure. Go ahead, you won't be able to taste the difference". I wonder how many of us would want those brownies. God views sin the same way. He doesn't want 50%, or 75% or even 99%. He wants us to be perfect, spotless, cleansed from sin.
Otherwise it's eternal damnation, once your soul comes into existence, it never dies. It can live in glory with God, or it can live in the lake of fire in damnation. Those are really the only two choices.
So how do we become 100% spotless?

This is what Jesus really saves us from. Can God help our circumstances and bless us while we are on the earth? Sure. He can heal us, emotionally, physically and even spiritually. He can save us from ourselves, bad choices, bad decisions, and sins that have long lasting consequences.
Jesus forgives us of our sins, but God usually allows us to face the consequences of them. ( Not the eternal consequences, just the earthly consequences ) While all of that is great, and I don't want to lessen what a great thing this is.

Remember this life is just but a vapor. A mere millisecond in eternity. The real salvation of Jesus is eternal life. ( I know I said earlier, your
soul doesn't die, but I would hardly call burning in torment "living" ). No more tears, no more pain, no more sickness.

It seems there are many churches that teach, your sins aren't really that bad. Well those brownies with the manure in them.. aren't "that bad".

I once saw a boy and his dad playing frisbee in a park. As the boy was looking up to catch the frisbee, a bird flying overhead pooped in the
boys eyes. Immediately the boy ( about 10 years old I would guess ) starting screaming at his dad, "GET IT OFF!! GET IT OFF!!!"
Now the boy's life wasn't in any danger, he wasn't going to die from this. But still, he had a very urgent need to "get it off".
They found a water fountain, and the boy got cleaned up fairly well.

I think we should view sin like this. Instead of saying "it isn't really so bad", maybe we should be saying "get it off!! get it off!!"

 

[james1523]

The other day in church I was listening to yet another altar call. The preacher was telling us that Jesus saves. If we have problems with loneliness then we should come to the front because Jesus saves us from our loneliness. If we have problems with anger that is destroying our families then come to the front because Jesus saves. If we have problems with addictions then come to the front because Jesus saves.

As I was sitting there I started thinking about the concepts of Jesus and salvation. I had recently been studying the Christmas stories in the early chapters of Luke and Matthew. Jesus was born in interesting times. The Romans had control of the area and ruled through their patsy king Herod. Neither was particularly popular and the Jewish masses were hoping for a Messiah to come and save them from the situation.

The religious experts taught that their scriptures prophesised for a Messiah to come and lead their people to world domination. With the uniqueness of the Jewish people and the religious stubbornness these teaches were known throughout the Roman world. There a number of people who rose up and claimed to this Messiah. In Acts 5:35-37 Gamaliel speaks of Theudas and Judas the Galilean rising up, gathering men yet ultimately coming to nothing.

So when Jesus, the real Messiah came, many people didn’t get it. They were looking for a military leader to save them from their circumstances. What they got was a religious teacher who saved them from their sins. This made them so angry that the masses turned on Jesus and called from the Romans to kill him as a political agitator.

As I thought about the altar call, I wondered about the message being given. The message was Jesus saves but I’m not sure it was really about Jesus saves us from our sins. It seemed to be,’ Jesus will save you from your circumstances’. I’m not saying that churches shouldn’t be helping people overcome difficult circumstances. Churches should be in the business of loving people! But what is the message about Jesus that churches really give?

I reflected on a number of people I knew who had come and gone from different churches. What Jesus did they know? What Jesus did they want? Was he the saviour of their sins? Or did they rather want a saviour of their circumstances?

Altar calls or "coming to the front of the church" are not Biblical. They were started by Charles Finney, in the 19th Centuary. Jesus did not call people to an altar, He went to them or called them to Himself. In Roman Catholicism, the altar is where the Eucharistic Sacrifice is made... and they "sacrifice Christ" every Sunday, believing the bread and wine to actually be Christ's body and blood.

Jesus is the Savior not only from sins exclusively but from all of life's troubles and anxieties, most of which are sin related. For example, loneliness is due to the sin of independence and self-sufficiency. Even an outstanding righteous man, needs Jesus. He may not see his need to be saved from sin, but he may have other problems to be saved from (eg loneliness).

In the Bible Jesus simply said "come unto Me", He did not specific any particular reason. People came to Him for all sorts of reasons - sickness, forgiveness, inquisitiveness, astonishment, etc.

Any idea that if a person doesn't come to Jesus to be saved from sins they haven't truly come to Jesus, is not true; the important thing is that we come to Jesus first, for any reason, and then He Himself will deal with us concerning our sins.

 

[NoHype]

Our Lord Jesus can save us even out of circumstances from sin that we commit. He can influence the minds of those we sin against to be more favorable to forgive us when we ask them to forgive us. He can even influence the minds of our accusers and the jailer. But it can depend upon our own humility and sincereness whether He will do that for us. Sometimes He allows us to reap the rewards of our sin as a chastisement out of love for us. And sometimes He allows the enemy to be like a thorn in the side upon those of us whom He has given much, like Apostle Paul's situation with the abundance of revelations he was given (2 Cor.12:7).

But for today's times, we must not forget what kind of times we are now in...

Dan 12:7
7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by Him That liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
(KJV)

In these last days The LORD is allowing the times of the Gentiles to take sway so as to allow the trials and tribulations upon His Church for the end. It's kind of a time of purging within The Church, for many are being, and will be tested, in these times today like never before in the history of this present world. That is why the power Christ's Church has had for many centuries past in this world is now waning, so as to allow Christ's enemies control over the earth to fulfill the end according to how God has said in His Word (2 Timothy 3; Revelation 13).

 

[farout]

The other day in church I was listening to yet another altar call. The preacher was telling us that Jesus saves. If we have problems with loneliness then we should come to the front because Jesus saves us from our loneliness. If we have problems with anger that is destroying our families then come to the front because Jesus saves. If we have problems with addictions then come to the front because Jesus saves.

As I was sitting there I started thinking about the concepts of Jesus and salvation. I had recently been studying the Christmas stories in the early chapters of Luke and Matthew. Jesus was born in interesting times. The Romans had control of the area and ruled through their patsy king Herod. Neither was particularly popular and the Jewish masses were hoping for a Messiah to come and save them from the situation.

The religious experts taught that their scriptures prophesised for a Messiah to come and lead their people to world domination. With the uniqueness of the Jewish people and the religious stubbornness these teaches were known throughout the Roman world. There a number of people who rose up and claimed to this Messiah. In Acts 5:35-37 Gamaliel speaks of Theudas and Judas the Galilean rising up, gathering men yet ultimately coming to nothing.

So when Jesus, the real Messiah came, many people didn’t get it. They were looking for a military leader to save them from their circumstances. What they got was a religious teacher who saved them from their sins. This made them so angry that the masses turned on Jesus and called from the Romans to kill him as a political agitator.

As I thought about the altar call, I wondered about the message being given. The message was Jesus saves but I’m not sure it was really about Jesus saves us from our sins. It seemed to be,’ Jesus will save you from your circumstances’. I’m not saying that churches shouldn’t be helping people overcome difficult circumstances. Churches should be in the business of loving people! But what is the message about Jesus that churches really give?

I reflected on a number of people I knew who had come and gone from different churches. What Jesus did they know? What Jesus did they want? Was he the saviour of their sins? Or did they rather want a saviour of their circumstances?

What a great thread! Brother you hit the nail on the head.

On friday I was listening to The Bible Answer Man...(Hank Hanegraaff) and he was telling about his new book The OSTEENING OF AMERICA. He used examples of Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, T. J. Jakes and a few others. He used actual tapes of Joyce Meyer, and T. J. Jakes telling peopel they are "little gods". And how if they gave $100. God would bless them with $1,000. and how we deserve from God what we ask and want. Joel Osteen is perhaps the most wishy washy preacher I personally ever heard. But there is such a mass of get rich because God owes it to you, that hell better have a dung hole for their home in hell. Jesus is a added tacked on issue and sin is always a "mistake".

Just as in the days that Jesus walked with the people, today most people don't believe who Jesus really is and why He came, died and rose again to SAVE US FROM OUR SINS!

As I get older, sometimes I think about things in my psat ans the Holy Spirit will make me aware of a sin or sins from many years ago. Even though it's beem many years I confess that as sin and seek the Lords forgiveness. It is easy to let something slip by, but we need to allow the Lord to speak to our heart of things we do wrong now and even in our past. Yes Jesus saves us, and as we face up tomour sins He also sets us free from things that trapped us even today. Blessinsg.

 

[Hekuran]

Jesus was a political threat to the power of the Roman Empire. Not in the sense of leading a rebellion or a direct power confrontation, but Jesus completely undermined the authority of Rome. The empire was based on the Imperial cult of Caesar - called a son of God.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, he was greeted as a saviour and a king. In his interview with Pilate he showed the bogus ultimate authority of the empire up for what it was. Anybody in Palestine at the time would have heard "Kingdom of God" as incendiary talk.

The Romans were invincible in a military conflict, but they had no defence against the man who healed lepers and preached forgiveness.

So yes to Jesus dying for the forgiveness of our sins, and also for ruling at the right hand of the Father.