Father, Son and Holy Spirit as Saviour

In the Old Testament we are told that God is the Saviour and that He saved the Jews many times and from places.  Many times they were in trouble because of their own sin.  Sometimes, like when they were in Egypt, God led them there but they got into trouble because of things that were beyond their control and the trouble was no fault of their own.

1Corinthians 10:11-12 says Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.  That chapter is talking about when God saved the Jews from Egypt but ended up killing the entire generation except for Joshua and Caleb because they refused to obey God and become the type of people that God wanted them to be.  (Read the first 10 verses of this chapter to see this truth).

God worked Moses, and other men, when He saved them from Egypt.  The Jews understood that it was not the men but was God Who truly saved them.  So while Moses and other men were called Saviour, the Jews understood that:

1. God the Father was the true Saviour and He was just working through that man who was called Saviour.
2. Their Saviour would not just get them out of their problems but that He would also change their circumstances.
3. They understood that God promised them a Saviour Who would change their circumstances so much that they would end up ruling the world.  That's why they were looking for the promised prophet that would be like Moses (Genesis 49:10; Deuteronomy 18:15-18; Matthew 11:3; Matthew 21:11; Luke 7:16; 24:19; John 1:21; John 4:19; John 4:25; John 7:40; Acts 3:22-24; Acts 7:37).
4. However, they rejected their Saviour and King because they wanted to tell Him what to do, just like Satan wanted to tell God what to do (Isaiah 14:12-19).  When God offered salvation He didn t out of their trouble but He also put them into His kingdom.  However, He killed them when they refused to have the kingdom of God.  The kingdom of God  is inside us.  It is the changes to our character that makes our character to be like God s character.

So the main lesson from the Old Testament is that God is a Saviour Who will save His people.  However, as part of that salvation He expects them to let Him change their internal character to make them like Him and fit for His kingdom.  All who come to Him for salvation and refuse His changes to their internal character were destroyed.

Now we come to the New Testament and find that people have not changed.  Matthew 1:21 tells us thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.  The religious crowd will tell you that 'JESUS means Saviour'.  They will preach that he will remove the consequences of sin but deny God's message that He will remove the sin itself.  You see, the religious man wants to keep on sinning and wants a Saviour who will a Saviour who will remove all consequences while he lives a life that mocks God (Galatians 6:7).  What the Bible truly teaches about our Saviour is that He removes the consequences of sin by removing the sin itself.  If we refuse to stop sinning, we are refusing our Saviour just as much as the Jews did.

In order to truly understand what the Bible teaches about our Saviour we first need to understand some basics about being truly Biblically saved.  This is one of the subjects that has the most doctrinal error taught about it and so people should not be surprised that a lot of saved people believe some things that are not Biblically true.  However, all truly saved people have agreed with God that He can use the Bible to correct their beliefs.  Refusing to do so is asking God to punish the saved person just like He punished His people in the Old Testament.

True Biblical Salvation:

We are made in the image of God.  God is a trinity.  We are a triune being with a body, a soup and a spirit.  True Biblical salvation includes the salvation of each part of us.  However, the Bible also teaches that God saves each part a different way and at a different time.

1Corinthians 15:35-38 says But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

1Corinthians 15:41-45 says There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.  So also is the resurrection of the dead.  It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.  There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

1Corinthians 15:53-55 says For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.  of death, where is thy sting? of grave, where is thy victory?

Thus we see that after we die we will get a new incorruptible  body.  Therefore, the salvation of our body does not happen until after we get to Heaven and even then the Bible indicates that it really won t be until the saved return with Christ to this world when He sets up His kingdom.

That s our body s salvation.  However, the salvation of our soul and spirit are different.  But before we deal with the difference in their salvation we need to understand the difference between our soul and our spirit.

John 4:24 says God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.  Notice that the first Spirit  in this verse is capitalized because it belongs to God.  However, the second spirit  is lower-case because it belongs to us.  Without going into all of the verses I will tell you that our inner-most being is our spirit  and that our spirit  is in the spiritual dimension with God and other spirits.  Our spirit  was attached to our body at conception and will stay attached until our death when our spirit will take our soul and leave our body and go before God to be judged for how we lived in this life.  Your spirit  is what keeps your body alive because when it leaves your body your body dies.  Therefore, your spirit  is what is really the true you.  Ephesians 2:5-6 says Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  This is talking about what God does for the saved.  Notice that the phrase when we were dead in sins  is talking about our past when we were lost.  Now notice that phrase hath raised us us up together, and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus  is talking about what was started in the past and is still going on now, even though the reader is still alive in their body.  The only part of us that can, right now, sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus  is our spirit.  While I could go into other verses I will save time and simply say that our spirit  is saved and taken to Heaven the instant that we accept the Son of God as our Lord.  That is why people can talk about being saved in the past.  Their body will be saved in the future but their spirit  was saved in the past.

That leaves us with our soul to consider.  People have defined the soul as our mind our will and our emotions.  However, that is only partially correct.  It is more the way that we think most of the time and the way that we feel about people and problems most of the time and it is the way that we make most decisions.  In each of these areas how we acted in the past and what results we received have a major effect upon how we do these things now.  For example, if a child usually gets their way any time that they throw a temper tantrum, then they will usually throw a temper tantrum every time they don t get their way.  However, if they start getting punished every time that they throw a temper tantrum and their punishment gets words as their temper tantrum gets worse, then they will eventually start thinking differently about throwing a temper tantrum.  If they are also instructed to ask nicely and to reason with the adult for the things that they really want then they will eventually try these methods and, when the child finds these methods work, they will change their behaviour.

Thus we see that it takes time and different experiences to change the way that a child thinks and acts when they don t get their own way.  This is also true with the child of God.  Matthew 1:21 says And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.  In order for Him to save us from our sins  He has to get us out of our sins just like He had to get Peter out of the water when Peter started to sink after walking on water.  The job that Jesus gave to Paul included To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.  (Acts 26:18).  This is still the job of the church today.  What s more, the way that we turn  is to change how we think and how we feel and how we make decisions.  This type of change is the ongoing salvation of our soul that happens after our spirit gets saved and before we die and have our body saved.

Notice that, in our verse, Paul was told to first turn people from darkness to light.  That means to get them to turn from following the way of sin and Satan, which the Bible calls darkness  and get them to turn to following the way of God, which the Bible cans light.  Secondly notice that our verse says that saved people are to turn from the power of Satan unto God.  When we sin after we get saved we submit to the power of Satan  which tries to get us addicted.  A saved person can still get addicted to drugs or drink or any sin if they do even though they are saved.  Turning like this is true Biblical repentance and is something that we must do even after getting saved.

Our verse tells us that when saved people do this they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance.  After our spirit is saved we still sin and must be punished in this life or when we get to the judgment seat of Christ.  This is a different judgment than lost people go to.  Since saved people are the children of God, He punishes their sin and rewards their obedience so that they will change how they act.  This is exactly how we talked about dealing with a child who throws temper tantrums.

Further, notice that our sentence says that saved people may receive inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.  The word may  means it is not guaranteed.  The word inheritance  is used in the Bible for what we get in Heaven and have for all of eternity.  Notice that this inheritance  is among them which are sanctified by faith.  Saved people who do not get sanctified by faith  do not get this inheritance.  The word sanctified  means set apart for God s use.  That means we have to let God use us in His work or we do not get any inheritance.  It is bad enough to be a poor farmer in this life.  It would be even worse to be poor for all of eternity because you never let God use you in this life and and never had an eternal inheritance.

So, what we have seen so far is that true Biblical salvation includes the saving of all three parts of our being.  Our spirit is saved instantly when we accept the Son of God as our Lord.  Our body will not be saved until after we get to Heaven and return with Christ when He sets up His kingdom.  The salvation of our soul is one of the main reasons why God leaves us in this world after our initial profession.  He is using the experiences of this world, and the teaching of the Bible, to change our thinking, our way of making decisions and our emotional reactions to circumstances.

True Biblical salvation is not just getting saved out of our trouble but is also getting saved into God s kingdom.  However, that includes letting God change us to make us fit for His kingdom.  Think of the Jews that were saved out of Egypt but then killed because they refused to enter God s Promised Land by faith.  Think of the prodigal son who received a robe and a ring when he returned to his father.  God s salvation includes the demand that we wear His robe of righteousness and wear His ring of authority.  But to have God s authority we must act in the character that truly represents the kingdom of God.

Having looked at what God does when He saves us, we will now quickly look at what the Bible says about God as our Saviour.  In these verses we will see how God acts to save us.  We will also see that each person in the Trinity, and each role of the Son of God does different functions as our Saviour.  This is similar to a mother and a father both being called parent even while each does different functions as a parent.

1. God the Holy Spirit is part of our salvation.
• Ephesians 1:13-14 says In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.  The Holy Spirit preserves us (seal) and is our evidence of salvation (earnest of our inheritance).  As the earnest of our inheritance  He changes us a little bit to be like we will be when we completely have our inheritance  for eternity.  If we have little change here then we will have little inheritance  for eternity.
• 2Thessalonians 2:13-14 says But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• While these verses do not use the word Saviour  in relationship to the Holy Spirit, they do tell us that the Holy Spirit does certain critical functions which are part of our salvation.  When we first accept God as our Lord  our spirit is immediately saved and placed in Heaven.  Our verses tell us that we are given the Holy Spirit as the earnest of our inheritance,  which means that His indwelling presence is our proof of soul salvation.  In addition, as our seal  He assures us that future promises are preserved, which deals with our future body salvation.  As He provides our sanctification  He is helping with our surrent salvation of our soul.
2. God the Father is Saviour.
• As Saviour God the Father commanded the Plan of Salvation and provides the power to enable our salvation.  The main effect that we see is that God the Father commanded that the saved accept the kingdom of God  as a replacement for their prior character of a sinful worldly person.  Romans 14:17 says For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  Without going into all of the details we should be able to understand that we could only have true righteousness, and peace, and joy  when we understand that God te Father included all parts of our salvation in His plan.
• Luke 1:47 says And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
• 1Timothy 1:1 says Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;
• 1Timothy 2:3 says For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
• 1Timothy 4:10 says For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
• Titus 1:3 says But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
• Titus 2:10 says Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
• Titus 3:4 says But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
• Jude 1:25 says To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.  Amen.
• All of these verses literally tell us that God the Father is literally our Saviour.
3. God the Son is Saviour.
• 2Peter 3:2; 1John 4:14; Philippians 3:20.
• These verses tell us that God the Son is our Saviour and the context makes it clear that each and every role of the Son of God is involved in our salvation.  Please see below for more details.
4. God the Son as Jesus is Saviour.
• Acts 5:31, 13:23; Philippians 3:20; 2Timothy 1:10; Titus 1:4; 2:13; 3:6; 2Peter 1:1; 2Peter 2:20; 2Peter 3:18.
• Jesus  is the name of a literal physical man within the Bible.  1Corinthians 15:21 says For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  As a literal physical man He paid our sin debt and removed the barrier which allowed all of the rest of God s Plan of Salvation to be made available.  He also lived His physical life in this flesh using the power of the Holy Spirit.  Thus, He became our example of how to live in this world.  When we have problems with the world or our flesh we are to look in the Gospels and see 'What Did Jesus Do?'
• Since we each are different and relate to other physical humans on a personal basis, the role of Jesus  deals with each of us personally.  Jesus  makes our salvation experience personal.
5. God the Son as Christ is Saviour.
• Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Ephesians 5:23; Philippians 3:20; 2Timothy 1:10; Titus 1:4; 2:13; 3:6; 2Peter 1:1, 11; 2:20; 3:18.
• In most of these verses we actually see the phrase Jesus Christ,  which means that the Son of God is being our Saviour  through His roles as Jesus  and through His role as Christ.  As Christ  He provides for our spiritual gifts, our spiritual growth and for all things spiritual in our salvation.  1Corinthians 15 explains the role of Christ  in much more detail including how Christ  is involved in our body salvation.  While Christ  is the main instrument of our soul salvation, Christ  does not actually become involved until the instant of our spirit salvation.  This is like a godly man does not have any intimate relationships with outers until after he is married and then only with his wife.
• Since every marriage is different and personal, Christ  deals with each of us personally.  For example, Christ  gives different people different spiritual gifts and different jobs to do within the church.
6. God the Son as Lord is Saviour.
• Luke 2:11; Philippians 3:20; Titus 1:4.
• As Lord  the Son of God takes care of anything that is legal which is related to our salvation.  A critical difference here is that as Lord,  the Son of God does not deal with us in a personal manner but treats us all the same.  Since He judges us as Lord,  He would not be righteous if He considered anything personal while He is judging.  As Lord  He makes and enforces laws that all saved are to obey.
• While many people do not realize it, mercy  is a legal term which means we don t get the punishment that we deserve.  As Lord  He blotted out the record of sins which were against us and, thereby, allowed us to be adopted as children of God.  As Lord,  the Son of God provides the ongoing mercy  that is required for the salvation of our soul.  As Lord  He will judge us at the judgment seat of Christ.  We do not meet Christ  there but it is called the judgment seat of Christ  because all people who are supposed to have the relationship that is called Christ  will be there to be judged.  As Lord  He determines how well we did our part in the relationship that is called Christ  and He rewards all according to their level of obedience and punishes all according to their level of disobedience.
• As Lord  He blotted out the sin record which made our spirit salvation possible.  As Lord  he will judge us in the future and determine all of our future results of salvation including the salvation of our body.  As Lord  He decides when to punish and when to give mercy while He is trying to save our soul.

We should thank God the Father for His Plan of Salvation and for His power which enables or salvation.  We should also thank God the Holy Spirit for continuing to indwell us even when we make our soul filthy with sin.  But most of all we should realize that God the Son is still trying to save our soul by getting us to leave the ways of sin and to get into the ways of God.  We should ask Him for mercy  because of the times that we sin.  We should do all that He tells us to do through His role as Christ  because our level of obedience determines our eternal rewards and determines how many tears we will have for 1,000 years.

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