Jesus, Our Heroic Savior

Jesus is the Hero of our story. In fact all of history is His Story. Before the cross it tells us of humanity’s fall and of God’s ways of preparing us for the Savior to come. Then for a brief moment in time Jesus left His divine powers behind, took the plunge into earth’s pain and darkness, and  lived in our midst, becoming forever united to our humanity.[1] At the cross He single-handedly redeemed us. After the cross and His ascension history reveals His slow, patient way of redeeming humanity through us. It is easy to miss it: easy to look at the world and not see a Creator; easy to look at our history and not see His Story. Seeing Him changes everything.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation… He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. Colossians 1:15, 18-20

All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

Our Point of Entry

Jesus is our entry point for truly coming to know God as God the Father desires to be known. No one comes to the Father except through Him.[2] Jesus not only reveals the Father and clears the way for our approach (by atoning for our sins), He leads us to Him.[3] Jesus is, therefore, our entry point to genuine spiritual life.[4]

Everyone has a spirit, but the spirit that we were born with was spiritually “dead”—fallen beyond repair. It serves as a connection to the kingdom of darkness, but not to the Father of lights. When we turn to God through faith in Christ, Jesus becomes real to us. We “know” He is Alive and that He is Lord. This lifting of the veil by our Father is also a sign that our spirit has been renewed. Now we can behold by faith the glorious Lord of creation, previously hidden from our sight by Adam’s sin.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

There are many ways of coming to faith and receiving the life-transforming revelation of Jesus our Savior. Some hear about Him for years, before the moment arrives when their heart opens to allow Him entrance. Others may encounter Jesus by supernatural intervention and then go to the Book to learn more about Him. Some will encounter Him as a more personal revelation of the Creator God that they have always tried to please and serve. Others (myself included) turn to Christ after plunging into the sin-stained depths of their depravity and there discovering their desperate need of a Savior. (See Steve's Story for the harrowing account of a truly unbelievable Rescue from Hell. It's free reading at healingstreamsusa.org) 

The Great Equalizer

No matter where we begin or how, we are all drawn into the same stunning revelation and placed on the same, level playing field. We are forgiven our past sins, given a new nature and the Name of Jesus. Through this God gives us a fresh start in life with Jesus at the center. The key to growth now is neither intellect nor attainments, social standing or social graces, age or appearance, past tragedies or past glories. What your life has been like up to this moment of receiving the revelation of Jesus Christ matters little in the spiritual life. What you will become now that you know who Jesus is, that is all that really matters. Will you become like Him? This is what the Father is after.

For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29 AMP

The main way we become like Jesus is by calling on His Name—calling for His mercy, His help, His wisdom, or His guidance—in every moment in which our old nature threatens to take over and run the show.[5] This gives Jesus our Savior the opportunity that He needs to intervene on our behalf, saving and transforming us in one situation after another. If you are not calling on Him, you are trying to save and transform yourself and He (reluctantly, no doubt) will leave you to it.

You now know that you cannot save yourself for heaven and that you don’t have to. Jesus can and will! That discovery was why we called on Him in the first place. Now embrace this truth: you also cannot change yourself or lead yourself into your true, new life.[6] For that you will need to cling to and call on Jesus every step of the way. That’s what levels things out. Even the worst reprobate, if he (or she) starts calling on Jesus in every moment of need, can quickly surpass the growth of someone with less need who rarely turns to Jesus. Will you begin calling on Him in order to yield your new life to Him at every point, or will you try to stay in charge? Our eyes may be on you, but your eyes need to be on Jesus![7]

Focus on Jesus

Now that your eyes have been opened, don’t lose this focus: it's Jesus! He is the beautiful One your heart has been uniquely shaped to love above all else. He is the living Word of truth that you have been hungry to know all your life. If we could see Him as He really is, we would instantly lose all fear, all doubt, all pain, all sorrow, all thought of self, all desire to turn aside. Our whole desire would be to stick to Him like glue!

One reason He doesn’t reveal more of Himself to us is so that we will “press in” to seek to “see” Him better, if that’s what we really want. The other reason is so that we will turn to explore our world and seek to find our appointed place of love and service in it (with His help). The danger here is that the world will capture our hearts and our focus, drawing us away from Him.[8] Our job is to keep our inward eye turned towards Him, making sure that everything we encounter also causes us to be drawn closer to Him in giving thanks or in seeking help.[9]

There is a rhythm to this like breathing: in and out, coming and going. We come to Jesus, getting our eyes back on Him as we seek Him in worship to be lifted higher or seek Him in repentance to be restored to His side. We call out for mercy or for saving help. We come to Him with every pain and problem or with every point of praise.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

It never ends there. Once restored to peace and joy, there is always the leading out, the going forth. We seek to follow Him out into the world of others, learning His ways of loving them and serving their needs, or pursuing the tasks He sets before us, our work in His world. According to Jesus, our very lives depend upon learning how to deny self and follow Him.

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 16:24-25

Trying to follow Jesus "out" into the world can all-too-easily carry us further from Him than we intend. We can get distracted, lose our way, become tangled in sin, or burdened by the legitimate cares of the world. That’s a sure sign that we need to come back to Jesus! These separations from the Lord show us that there is a “traitor” wearing our clothes. Self wants to stay when Jesus wants to get going; Self wants to head out in wrong directions and easily loses direction altogether. Self even resists coming to Jesus when it is past time for repentance. As hard as it is to follow Jesus without stumbling, it can be even harder to “come back” to Jesus if we fall.

The Rhythm of the River

We don’t have to fall into a pit to come back to Jesus. We can go to Him at the first sign of falling away. However short or long the distance that separates us, we come to Jesus to re-center, be restored and refreshed. Then we follow. Trust, then obey. That is the rhythm. You can do it in weekly cycles, just barely surviving from Sunday to Sunday (if you can hold your breath that long). Or you can learn to live in His presence by guarding His peace, moment by moment. I heartily recommend the latter! This requires surrendering your life to Him, but it leads to true wholeness and genuine emotional health (see Spiritual Healing).

Let His peace rule over you. Let any lack of peace cause you to turn swiftly to Him for help and restoration. He is our peace![10] If you lose His peace, you also lose your effective connection to His presence and His power. Always remember the peace that you felt when you first believed.[11] That peace is meant to be your 24/7 experience of new life in Him, through Him and with Him. Faith drew you close to Him then—that’s why there was peace.[12] Faith as trust and active believing will always draw you close. Then the peace will flow again. Where He goes, His peace goes so do your best to learn how to stay in step with Him. All His paths are peace.[13] Learn to walk under his leadership and your daily life will become a river of peace.[14]

Explore More about Jesus

His Eternal Pre-Existence  Jesus didn’t suddenly appear on the scene with His birth at Bethlehem. That was when He came to earth as one of us to play the central role in our redemption. But He wasn’t waiting in the wings rehearsing His lines! What was the Son of God doing before He became the Son of Man? The clues are scattered across the pages of the Bible like stardust in the heavens.

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Scriptures on Jesus Our Savior

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19

[Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation. For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him. And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]. For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him permanently. Colossians 1:15-19 AMP