Savior

Savior is simply the “one who saves.” Although God sent men to deliver his people at different points in Israel’s history (Moses, Gideon, David, etc.), they all pointed ahead to the one Savior who would come to rescue the world, Jesus Christ.

While Jesus’ commands are important, no one can be saved by obedience to the law (Romans 3:20). For this reason, looking to Jesus as our example can never save us.

The Bible emphasizes Jesus as our substitute. He lived perfectly under the law (Galatians 4:4) for us. His perfect record is given to us (Romans 4:25).

See Justification.

He also took the punishment for all sin (1 John 2:2). By providing perfection and removing sin, Jesus rescued us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13).

As evidenced by the numerous times the Bible describes Jesus’ saving work “for us,” Savior is best understood as “Jesus is our substitute.”