21“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 (NASB95)
In my morning reading, I was drawn into this verse and how this prophetic announcement to Joseph must have sounded. Here is a guy who just discovered that His fiancée is pregnant and he knows that it is not his. Everything about that seemed wrong and costly. If he dismissed her, everyone would still know that he was the guy that “Mary stepped out on.” If he moved forward with the marriage, everyone would think him a fool who Mary cheated on. What a choice for him!
But then the angel appeared and gave a good word. It would never be believed by others but for Joseph it was compelling (something we know since he changed the course of his decision about ending the engagement and chose to not only marry Mary but to keep her a virgin until Jesus was born.)
As amazing as these facts are, I want us to see the substance of the prophetic word regarding Jesus’ purpose… “He will save His people from their sins.” Yes, Jesus came to save. The Scriptures are unambiguous about this…but notice the cost (to us) of Salvation. Possession. He saves His people.
Growing up in the church culture that I did, salvation was often spoken of in terms of asking Jesus into my heart. He will be your Savior! He will forgive you. He will give you new life. He will start you over. All of this is true…but who does He save? Those who are His. Now, while some see this verse and others like it and discern that God capriciously (they might say sovereignly and according to His own wisdom and counsel) picks winners and losers, I see something different. Christ came to save those who would yield their lives to His total possession. [NOTE: Time and space won’t allow me to unpack all the theological implications here but let me affirm that from God’s perspective, there are no unknowns. He is not waiting to see who will act a certain way to determine how He will act. After all, He knows tomorrow, so today cannot be a surprise to Him in any regard. And, at the same time, Jesus invites people to follow Him, and they either choose to accept or reject that invitation. The Scriptures consistently record experiences of people choosing to follow Him…yielding control of their lives to Christ as their Lord! They are His, and He saves them.]
There is no salvation apart from Christ’s absolute possession of those He saves. And therein lies what I called the “stumbling block” of the Gospel. The loss of autonomy for the Christian. We may have agency (the ability to act according to our own will) but not autonomy (ownership and authority over our own lives).
20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:20 (NASB95)
1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Romans 12:1 (NLT)
14who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Titus 2:14 (NASB95)
18“The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments;
Deuteronomy 26:18 (NASB95)
Lord, today remind me and teach me to live as one who does not belong to myself but You. Amen.
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