What does it mean when it is said Jesus Christ is the savior of the world?
Every Easter, we hear people saying ‘Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, has risen from the dead.’ During Christmas we hear ‘Jesus Christ the savior of the world is born’. What does it mean when they say Jesus Christ is the savior of the world?
Hebrews 1:3 in the Bible says that “The Son (Jesus Christ) is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
This verse says that Jesus Christ who was God himself, provided the purification of sins of all mankind, through Him offering Himself as a sacrifice on the cross of Calvary (But Jesus rose again from the dead on the third day and today is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven). This includes the purification of the past, present and future sins of all mankind to have ever lived on this earth. So Jesus made a way for all mankind to be saved from the consequence of sin, which is death and eternal separation from God. Thus, ‘Jesus Christ is the savior of the world’.
God so loved the world
John 3:16 in the Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
This points out another truth, that even though God saved the world through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, it is every individual’s responsibility to believe in Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Just like if you are in a sinking ship and there is a lifeboat available for you to escape, you still have to make the choice to get into that lifeboat. Similarly, God has made a way for each one of us to be saved. But you have to make the choice to believe in Him as your savior.
Jesus Christ didn’t come to the world to make a religion but, He came to restore mankind’s broken relationship with God.
John 1:12: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
If following Jesus were just a religion, then saying a prayer or performing a ritual would have sufficed to join it.
But, thankfully, it is not a religion. Following or receiving Jesus into your heart means entering into an eternal relationship with God. The decision to follow Jesus has to come from our heart.
Receive Jesus Christ into your heart
To come to Jesus:
ADMIT that you are a sinner and that you need a saviour
- Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
- 1 John 1:8: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
REPENT of your sins and seek forgiveness of your sins from God
- Acts 3:19: “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out.”
- 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
BELIEVE in Lord Jesus
- John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
- Acts 16:31: “And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’”
CONFESS with your mouth
- Romans 10:9-10: “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
If you have believed in your heart that Jesus is Lord and that he died for your sins on the cross, and was risen on the third day, you can say this simple prayer personally to believe in Jesus as your savior.
Dear Lord,
I am a sinner. I repent of my sins. I believe Jesus took the punishment of my sins by sacrificing Himself on the cross of Calvary. I believe that Jesus Christ came into this world and died on the cross for my sins and on the third day, He rose again victorious over sin, death and hell. I accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior today. Amen.
If you have made this simple prayer, you have accepted Jesus as your savior. You have become a child of God. Once you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit of God starts to indwell inside you. The Holy Spirit continues to guide you to grow closer to God. It points out any wrongs and sins that might come into your life. If, by chance, any wrongs does happen, you can ask God to forgive that wrong and move forward in the strength of the Lord. The Lord will also fill your heart with joy and peace that is indescribable.