Christ the Saviour

Jesus is called Saviour because he saved the world from the idea that God punishes us for our sins. This idea was a serious theological problem of the Old Testament. His fight against this idea is beautifully illustrated in the story where he heals a man born blind John 9:1-18. Paul later confirms it: “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12) and “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1).

This idea is one of the explanations why Christians worship the cross (see About the cross).

A hypertrophy of this idea is the question Did Jesus die for my sins?.

Some Bible verses about this:

• “Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood” (Romans 3:25)

• “For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)

• “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2)

• “But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26)

• “Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:12)

• “Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 2:2)

• “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:10)