The narratives in the Bible show us what kind of savior we need. The characters often positively or negatively demonstrate what type of savior for whom we are waiting. The prophets, priests, and kings of the Old Testament pointed forward to a person who would be the perfect prophet, priest and king on our behalf.

As citizens of earthly countries we often look forward to celebrating national holidays. Holidays like the Fourth of July for example are times for us to remember people who did positive things for our country or sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. Yet, sometimes we forget that we are citizens or a heavenly kingdom. God gives us a special day each week to celebrate our heavenly citizenship, the freedom from sin and death and the One who won that salvation for us by his life, death, and resurrection.

Jesus died to pay the penalty for sin and rose because he was perfectly righteous and defeated sin and death.

In the very beginning of history, man was made to love and serve God and to be faithful rulers of his creation, speakers of God’s truth, and guards of the garden. If Adam and Eve had done this faithfully, they would have earned eternal life for themselves and all their subsequent children (i.e. the whole human race).

Yet, instead of loving God and ruling the creation as vice-regents for God, they listened to and followed God’s enemy (Satan) and brought the curse of spiritual and physical death upon themselves and humankind. This state of spiritual death made it impossible for humankind to save themselves from God’s just wrath against sin. They needed a savior. You and I are sinners in need of saving. We cannot save ourselves.

God must be the one to save a people unto eternal life.

With humankind unable to save itself, God must be the one to save a people unto eternal life. The first glimpse we get of a promised savior is in Genesis 3:15. God tells Eve that her offspring will destroy Satan and save humankind. The Bible expounds on this promise to Eve, revealing more and more clues about what kind of offspring born will be able to destroy Satan and save us.

The narratives in the Bible show us what kind of savior we need. The characters often positively or negatively demonstrate what type of savior for whom we are waiting. The prophets, priests, and kings of the Old Testament pointed forward to a person who would be the perfect prophet, priest and king on our behalf.

The Old Testament examples all had faults of one kind or another. The prophet Isaiah reveals more information about the suffering servant of the Lord who will save God’s people. When we get to the New Testament, we meet the one person who can do all that the Old Testament examples were supposed to do but could not. Jesus is the perfect prophet, priest and king and faithful servant of God.

Read More