God is the Saviour. Isaiah chapter 45 makes this point abundantly clear:
But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
Isaiah 45:17-25
God is the Saviour all throughout the Bible, but we must recognize that a declaration of the Father occurs, through the Son, within the four Gospels[1]. Within the Old Testament, God prophesied of a Christ that would come. That fact was not a mystery, it was information that was made known:
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Daniel 9:25
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Micah 5:2
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
The words Messiah and Christ should be thought of as synonyms within the Bible. Messiah is Hebrew and Christ is Greek. The book of Daniel speaks abundantly about the Messiah. The prophets spoke in detail about the Messiah to come. The Messiah is the Anointed One, the King of Israel, the High Priest of Israel, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. Jesus was identified within the four Gospels as the Messiah:
One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
John 1:40-41
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
John 4:25-26
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
John 20:30-31
Isaiah 45 also identifies that God is the Creator of all things[2]. Though all three members of the Godhead had a role in creation, the New Testament tells us that Jesus Christ is the Creator:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:1-3
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Colossians 1:16-17
The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is God, that He originated from Heaven, that He is the Creator of all things, that He is God manifest in the flesh[3], that He is equal with the Father[4], that He is the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of God. Jesus Christ has all the attributes of God, including omniscience, and without omniscience, Jesus would not be able to judge all things righteously:
But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. … For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
John 5:17-18, 21-22
Jesus is the Messiah; He is the Christ that the prophets spoke about. Jesus is God and Jesus will be your judge.
Errors and confusion come from misunderstanding the doctrine pertaining to Christ’s deity. One can understand each of these pieces as they connect together, but if one does not see Jesus Christ as God manifest in the flesh, then we must ask the question, “who is that on the cross?” Realize that a man cannot die for your sins. It was God’s shed blood, Him being the perfect sacrifice, that atoned for your sin.
We have thus far established that we are sinners and that salvation is our only hope. Our hope is not to be placed in enlightenment, technology, money, human progress, science, government, or anything physical. We are not to place our hope in those things. Our only hope is to be placed in salvation and salvation only comes through Jesus Christ and His gospel. God alone can forgive sins and that forgiveness comes through Jesus Christ:
When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Mark 2:5-12
Only God can forgive sins. Jesus Christ forgives sins. Jesus Christ is God. Not only can Jesus Christ forgive sins, but Jesus Christ has the ability to have sin imputed to Himself:
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21
Jesus was made sin for you and thus Jesus can save you from your sins. Each book of the Bible is in complete harmony with each other. The Bible presents a consistent message. Jesus Christ is deity. Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. Jesus Christ is performing reconciliation for sinners. Jesus Christ is able to do all things that we are not able to do for ourselves. Salvation comes through Jesus Christ as He is the Saviour. Jesus Christ will also one day judge the world:
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
1 Timothy 1:15
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:12
[1] Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
[2] Isaiah 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
[3] 1 Timothy 3:16, John 1:14
[4] Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
[5] 2 Corinthians 5:19
[6] 2 Corinthians 5:21