Of course, we know that Jesus was never actually called "Jehovah" as though it was His name. Rather, His role was to bring the righteousness of YHWH/Jehovah/Yahweh to those who would believe in Him and to exchange that righteousness for our sin. Therefore, this is another one of the many titles or "names" by which we might know Him.

In the same way, to say that Jesus would be called "Immanuel" is God's way of letting us know that the Messiah to come [Jesus] is God, that He would dwell among us in His incarnation, and that He is always with us. Jesus was God in the flesh. Jesus was God making His dwelling among us.

No, Jesus' name was not Immanuel, but the Person who dwelt among us was indeed Immanuel: "God with us". Immanuel is one of the many titles for Jesus, a description of who He is.
[Portions of the preceding excerpted from "Why wasn't Jesus named Immanuel?" at Got Questions?.org]

Which Name Should We Use?
There are some groups today that say we must pronounce the name of Jesus in a certain way or we are sinning. Some say Jesus' name must be pronounced according to the original Greek [in which the New Testament was written], while others say it must be pronounced as "Yeshua", which really is not Hebrew but Aramaic. Some even go so far as to say that the name "Jesus" is of pagan origin, deriving from the Greek god "Zeus". They say the name "Jesus" really means "hail Zeus".

Is there a definitive answer as to what the Messiah's real name is? Yes, and it is found right there in your New Testament.

The New Testament was written in Greek. If there were ever any original Hebrew manuscripts of the New Testament, they don't exist today. We only have Greek manuscripts from that period of time. Since we only have the Greek manuscripts, it is from them that we need to investigate what the Apostles wrote about Jesus. In other words, we begin our investigation based on what we do have, not what we don't have.

But before we look at the word "Jesus" itself, let's ask this question: Is the pronunciation of a word the foundation or rule by which we determine if one is Christian or not? Of course not. It is the receiving of Jesus as Lord and Savior that makes us a Christian. We are saved by faith in Christ's work on Calvary, which can neither be undone nor made more valuable or precious by how we pronounce the name of our Savior.

In fact, to insist on a particular pronunciation, as if there is some mystical power in it, rather relegates its use to a form of idolatry. We are not to worship or venerate anything except the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as we don't worship the cross or the blood as somehow having some superior spiritual power, neither do we worship the name. We worship the Man!

The "God Who Died by Execution"
There's a story about the wicked Communist leader, Pol Pot in Cambodia, who sent his troops out to execute anyone rich, educated, or Christian. The soldiers went into the jungles executing people by the thousands. They came to one village where they rounded up everyone at gun point. The soldiers dug a wide and deep pit in the middle of the village, and then ordered everyone, including the children to stand at the edge of the pit.

Then a soldier took his hand gun, walked behind them, and started shooting them one at a time in the back of the head; and they would fall into the pit.

After shooting several people, as the soldier came to one woman and placed his gun on the back of her head, the little lady shouted aloud, "OH GOD! THE GOD WHO DIED BY EXECUTION! SAVE ME!" Suddenly, the soldier lifted his gun off her head, put his gun in his holster, ordered all the other soldiers back into their vehicles, and off they drove, never to be seen by those villagers again!

Those left standing at the pit, who knew they would have been killed next, just stood there in silence looking at the little lady who had just called on "the God who died by execution". She had never heard the name "Jesus". She only heard, one time in her life, that somewhere there was a God, who was the real and true God . . . and He died by execution...

Those villagers, who had served thousands of gods and knew nothing of Jesus, except what that little lady had shared, then got down on their knees and each and every one called on "the God who died by execution". After they got back up, they gathered up all of their gods and destroyed them.

Their testimony became well-known as those who "serve the God who died by execution". They still did not know His name or anything else about Him. All they knew about Him was "the God who died by execution" had saved all of them from certain execution!

It would be 14 more years before a missionary would visit their little village and tell them the name of the God in whom they had already placed all their trust!
[Taken from a story told by Pastor Jentezen Franklin of Free Chapel Church, in Gainesville, Georgia. View the video on YouTube.]

So, the question again is: Do we become Christians by how we pronounce Jesus' name, or do we become Christians by putting our faith in "the God who died by execution"?

The truth is, as linguists will tell us, no one really knows exactly how Jesus' name would have been pronounced in the ancient Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic languages. We might have a pretty good idea, but no one can be 100% certain of the correct pronunciation of any of the forms of the name of Jesus. Therefore, those who say we must pronounce Christ's name in a certain way, in fact, may themselves be mispronouncing His true name.

We must be careful to not get caught up in "name calling" or anything else that might cause division among God's people. Instead, let's get caught up and passionate about the Man whom we call Savior, Redeemer, Deliverer, Healer, Provider, Sanctifier, Justifier, Shepherd, "God with us" Immanuel, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, the Lamb of God and Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the One who was and who is and who is to come, the One who died but behold is alive forevermore, "the God who died by execution"...!

Power in the Name
We have all been taught that there is power in the name of Jesus! And certainly, that is true . . . to a point. But again, we must be careful not to assign some mystical power to the name itself. It is not the name that saves, but the Savior to whom the name points. When Peter said "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12), he prefaced it with "there is salvation in no one else." And he was answering the question put to him by the High Priest, "By what power, or by what name have you done this?" (v. 7); so he responded in kind with the same words so there would be no misunderstanding. Peter was making the point that the Jesus whom they had murdered was alive and working in men's lives today.

We must be careful not to separate the name from the Man! In fact, when some Jewish exorcists invoked the name of Jesus over a man with a demon, "the evil spirit answered them, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?' And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." (Acts 19:15-16)

This is why we must not take Scripture out-of-context. It is too easy to build a false theology on one or two verses separated from the whole of Scripture. We must always view Scripture in its context to be sure we are receiving what the Spirit of the Lord intended when He gave us His Word.

Peter and John healed a crippled man in Jesus' name. But, as Peter explained in Acts 3:16, the man's healing came "through Jesus" (thereby deflecting any attempts to venerate or elevate Jesus' name to a level that would make it the object of our pursuit and worship):

"By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith [Peter and John's faith] that comes through him [Jesus] that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see." (Notes added)

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Prophecy and the Lamb of God
In previous lessons, we have discussed Jesus as the Son of God, Son of Man, and Messiah - all of which are building blocks leading up to this discussion of Jesus as the "Savior of the World". Now, let's look into what God's Word says specifically about His redemptive work as the Lamb of God whose shed blood makes us righteous, heals us, and sets us free from the effects of sin.

"Behold the Lamb of God..."
John the Baptist introduced/announced Jesus to a crowd of people and to his own disciples as the Lamb of God.

"The next day John sees Jesus coming to him and says, 'Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'" (John 1:29)

Of course, the title "Lamb of God" refers to Jesus' earthly mission to be the Savior of the world.

Did the people understand what John meant? Well, under the Levitical Law given to Moses, they had been sacrificing lambs for man's sins for several thousand years. The person who had sinned would confess his guilt before God and ask Him to accept the death of the lamb in his place. So they were familiar with the Law, the sacrificial system under which they lived, and the fact that God was one day going to send the Messiah to them.

But did they understand that the Messiah would die for them? They should have. Or at least, the religious leaders should have. But the Gospel records seem to indicate that they did not have that understanding. Even Jesus' own disciples, whom He told plainly that He had to die, didn't seem to grasp what He was saying.

"He was teaching his disciples, saying to them, 'The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.' But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him." (Mark 9:31-32)

"'For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.' But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said." (Luke 18:32-34)

As such, we must not assume that the people who heard Jesus introduced as the "Lamb of God" understood John's point either.

But their understanding, or lack thereof, did not change the fact that the Messiah had finally come into the world - not as expected, but just as prophesied. While they were looking for a Messiah who would "seek and save" them from their Roman oppressors, God had sent a Lamb who would die for them - for all of us.

"...knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:18-19 emphasis added)

Prophecy about the Savior
Through the prophet Isaiah, God told us how the Messiah would become the ultimate, everlasting sacrifice for our sins. He would be arrested and falsely accused but would not defend Himself. He would be mercilessly whipped, and then put to death like a criminal with other criminals. He would take on Himself all the guilt for all of our sins, so that even His Father would have to turn away from Him. He would die in our place, as our substitute, and He would be buried in a borrowed grave from a rich religious leader. Later He would come back to life, see the results of His sacrifice, and be satisfied. All this happened to Jesus exactly as Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 53 —

3 He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering. No one wanted to look at him. We despised him and said, "He is a nobody!" 4 He suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment from God. 5 He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well. 6 All of us were like sheep that had wandered off. We had each gone our own way, but the LORD gave him the punishment we deserved. 7 He was painfully abused, but he did not complain. He was silent like a lamb being led to the butcher, as quiet as a sheep having its wool cut off. 8 He was condemned to death without a fair trial. Who could have imagined what would happen to him? His life was taken away because of the sinful things my people had done. 9 He wasn't dishonest or violent, but he was buried in a tomb of cruel and rich people. 10 The LORD decided his servant would suffer as a sacrifice to take away the sin and guilt of others. Now the servant will live to see his own descendants. He did everything the LORD had planned. 11 By suffering, the servant will learn the true meaning of obeying the LORD. Although he is innocent, he will take the punishment for the sins of others, so that many of them will no longer be guilty. 12 The LORD will reward him with honor and power for sacrificing his life. Others thought he was a sinner, but he suffered for our sins and asked God to forgive us. (Isaiah 53:3-12 CEV)

They Crucified Him
All four Gospels tell us how Jesus died for our sins. The religious leaders did not want to accept Him as the Messiah. They were jealous of Him because He was manifesting a God they did not know or want to know, and He was exposing their hypocrisy. As He grew in popularity, their disdain of Him intensified so that they determined to kill Him.

If they had known Jesus was truly the Messiah and that His mission was to die for mankind, they probably would not have plotted to kill Him. They hated Him so much that they would have done anything possible to thwart His plans.

"None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Corinthians 2:8)

But they were mere pawns in the hands of a sovereign God who sent the Messiah to die for our sins and thwart Satan's plans.

"At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, 'Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.'" (Matthew 26:55-56)

"Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, 'Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.'" (Luke 22:52-53)

Even Judas, who betrayed Jesus, was doing the Lord's work and fulfilling prophecy:

"Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me." (Psalm 41:9)

"[Jesus prayed...] 'While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those that You have given Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.'" (John 17:12 emphasis added)

They accused Him to the governor and hired witnesses to tell lies about Him at His trial. Pilate, the Roman governor, tried to appease the religious leaders by having Jesus scourged² even though he knew Jesus was not guilty. But he cowardly gave in to the demands of the religious leaders to have Jesus crucified in order to avoid a riot.

Jesus was crucified. This was the punishment for the worst criminals. He hung between two thieves on a hill called Calvary. And there the Lamb of God spilled His life's blood and died — the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

"And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' And they cast lots to divide his garments." (Luke 23:33-34)

Even the "casting lots to divide His garments" was a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. In fact, the entire scene that played out on Golgotha's hill that day had been prophesied hundreds of years earlier in Psalm 22 — before anyone in Israel had ever witnessed a single crucifixion.

¹ "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me, and are far from my deliverance, and from the words of my groaning?"

⁷ "All who see Me mock me; they shoot out the lip; they shake the head, saying,
⁸ He trusted on Jehovah; let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him, since He delights in Him!

¹⁴ "I am poured out like water, and all My bones are spread apart; My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of My bowels.
¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws;
¹⁶ and You have brought Me into the dust of death. For dogs have circled around Me; the band of spoilers have hemmed Me in, piercers of My hands and My feet.
¹⁷ I can count all My bones; they look and stare at Me.
¹⁸ They divide My garments among them and cast lots for My clothing.

Attitudes toward the Lamb
Some on that dark day looked at Jesus with hatred, made fun of Him, spat on Him, and resented Him. Others seemed unusually indifferent or saw their hopes being dashed before their eyes. Some even gambled for His clothes while He was dying. Some . . . not many, but some . . . looked at Jesus with faith, hope, and love.

Three crosses [or execution stakes] stood there on the hill; three men died that day on Golgotha.

Really, in the attitudes of the people at Calvary, we can even see an accurate picture of the whole world's attitudes toward Jesus Christ today. And in the attitudes and responses of those two criminals, we may find a key to our own attitudes:

"One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, 'Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!' But the other rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.' And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'" (Luke 23:39-43)

The three images speak to us of:

• Rebellion
  On the cross of rebellion hung a man dying in his sins. He had wasted his life in doing wrong. Life had made him bitter and hard. Now he faced death — a final defeat. If he had only believed, there was help right by his side. He was in the very presence of God. But the rebellion in his heart blinded him to spiritual truth. Within reach of the Savior he died in bitter agony of spirit — full of hatred, resentment, and hopelessness.
• Redemption
  Jesus died for our sins on the center cross in order to redeem us. Satan had deceived us, kidnapped us, and made us his slaves. The price for our ransom was the death of the Son of God. He redeemed us — bought us back for Himself — from Satan's power when He died in our place.
• Repentance
  On the third cross a sinner died to his sins, was freed from them forever, simply by trusting in Jesus. This man was willing to face himself and the truth of who he really was; He confessed his wrong, and he recognized Jesus as the Savior, the Messiah.

  Jesus was dying — suffering the same fate as he was — but the repentant thief believed He would rule the world some day. So he asked the Savior to remember him [have mercy on him, forgive him] when He came as King. What faith! One of the last things Jesus did before He died was to forgive the sins of the dying thief and give him eternal life.

Some people today object to following Jesus, using the vain argument that they can't believe in a God who would "send people to Hell." But the fact is that, like the two thieves hanging beside Jesus, every person decides his own eternal destiny by what he decides and does with the Savior. Both thieves had the same opportunity. One clung to his rebellion and hatred, mocking the only One who could save him; the other awoke later that day in Paradise.

These men are a picture of us all. One stubbornly remained rebellious and lost; the other repented, confessed His need to Jesus, and was saved.

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." (Ephesians 1:6-7)

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." (1 Peter 2:24-25)

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The Blood of Christ
In the Western Church, we have many songs about the blood of Christ ["There Is Power in the Blood", "Are You Washed in the Blood", "A Fount Filled with Blood", "Nothing but the Blood", to name a few]. These songs are fine in their proper context of recognizing the result of Christ's shed blood as it pertains to His sacrificial death. However, when we think of the blood, or representations of it, as having any real power or authority, it's important to remember that the power ultimately is in God, not in the blood.

As with other religious objects and symbols, there are some who assign more importance to the blood of Christ than what others do. Some tend to ascribe a mystical significance to the blood, and even to Adam's blood, that may or may not find support in the Scriptures.

Rather than assent to my own beliefs and church traditions, we will not discuss "pleading the blood", the blood being taken to Heaven and transfused to every believer, the Communion bread and juice becoming the actual body and blood of Jesus, or other such mutually exclusive and non-salvific church teachings. Rather, we shall look at the blood of Christ only from the standpoint of its role in salvation based on solid Scriptural support apart from any emotional bias.

The Biblical Importance of Jesus' Blood
The purpose of the Old Testament sacrificial system was to provide a temporary covering for sin. Since the sacrifices weren't capable of removing sin, they had to be repeated year after year.

"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming — not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." (Hebrews 10:1-4 emphasis added)

"Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins." (Hebrews 10:11 emphasis added)

However, the shed blood of the Lamb of God removed our sin from us. As John the Baptist said: "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29 emphasis added)

"He [Christ] did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption." (Hebrews 9:12 emphasis added)

"...we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:10 emphasis added)

"...by one sacrifice he [Christ] has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10:14 emphasis added)

Although the actual shedding of blood was a necessary part of what God accomplished through Jesus' death, the important thing is Christ's death by the shedding of blood, not the shed blood alone. If Jesus had bled but not died, or if He had died but not bled, we would not have been redeemed.

A quick review of terms in the Old Testament reminds us that in Scripture the "shedding of blood" usually refers to a violent death (see Leviticus 17:4; 1 Samuel 25:31,33; 1 Chronicles 28:3; Psalm 51:14; Proverbs 1:16; Ezekiel 16:38; 22:6, 9,12, 27, 37; 23:45; 33:25).

Under the Levitical sacrificial system, the animals were violently sacrificed (throat cut), just as our Lord suffered a violent sacrificial death. Under the Old Testament system, forgiveness was not obtained on the basis of bleeding or merely on the basis of death. Forgiveness was granted because of the shed blood and death.

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:14)

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." (Romans 3:25)

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22

This is why He could not let the religious leaders kill Him when they were offended at His sayings and wanted to stone Him (cf. John 8:59; 10:31). His death by stoning would not have effected our redemption. It was the two — the blood and the violent death — working in concert with one another that purchased our redemption.

Jesus Did Not Bleed to Death
We must also remember that Jesus did not die by bleeding. He did not bleed to death; He suffocated.

We need to remember, too, that He did not die by execution at the hands of the Romans or the hatred and impulses of the religious leaders. No one took His life; He gave it for us.

"For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father." (John 10:17-18 emphasis added)

"When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (John 19:30 emphasis added)

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." (1 John 3:16 emphasis added)

The Most Important Feature of Christ's Death
Although His death was brutal beyond words [flesh ripped from His bones by scourging1, 3-inch thorns pounded into His scalp, His beard ripped out, spikes driven into the most sensitive area of His wrists and feet guaranteed to cause the most pain...], the end result was His physical death. Technically, His death was no different than that of Adam and every other human who's ever lived. He died.

What made Jesus' death more important to us and more torturous to Him is that He experienced spiritual death.

"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" (Mark 15:34)

As all of our sin was placed on Him and the Father was forced to turn His face away, Jesus suffered unimaginable emotional and spiritual pain that far outweighed the physical pain He was enduring!

He had never been separated from His Father. For all of eternity past, they had been One together, gloriously delighting and rejoicing in each other, head-over-heels in love with each other. And now, the Son was plunged into spiritual darkness to a depth that exceeded any mental image He could have perceived. He had never known a single moment when He could not hear the Father's voice, see the Father's face, sense the Father's love. And now, all He could hear were the taunts and jeers of the mockers . . . all He could see were faces twisted in hate, scowling and spitting at Him . . . all He could sense was that He was alone, abandoned, forsaken . . .

We can't begin to know the severity of that pain. We have never lived in a world where the Spirit of God is not present. And we have never lived in a world where God's majesty and brilliance totally consumed our every minute, our very existence being caught up with and an actual part of Him.

We weren't with the Father when He spoke the world into existence. We weren't by His side creating the stars and planets and moons, bringing light out of darkness, causing the great flood or parting the Red Sea, bringing down Jericho's walls or consuming Elijah's water-soaked sacrifice or causing the sun to stand still. We can't know the depth of their love for each other or the heights to which their joy in each other soared. And we cannot know the degree of their psychological pain that day . . .

Can we ever be worthy of a love so outrageous that it compelled God to endure such dreadful suffering in order to bring us back to Him? What love! What a great and extravagantly-loving God we serve!

When the Bible says He became the "firstborn from the dead", it's not just talking about physically, but as our Sin-bearer who died spiritually, He also became the "firstborn" spiritually.

"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:29)

"And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent." (Colossians 1:18)

See also Revelation 1:5.

What the Blood Accomplished for Us

• Jesus' Death Paid the Penalty for Our Sins
  As discussed in the section, ":God's Remedy for Sin", Jesus came to pay the penalty for our sins — that penalty being death. As the perfect, sinless Lamb of God, He was the only One who could die on our behalf; and He did so willingly, even eagerly, out of His abounding love for us.

  "But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5 emphasis added)

  "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." Hebrews 2:9 emphasis added)

  "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit." (1 Peter 3:18 emphasis added)

  See also Ephesians 5:2; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:14; 1 Peter 2:21-24.

• Jesus' Blood Redeems Us from Sin
  As we discussed in the section, "The Effects of Salvation", Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary didn't just redeem us from the penalty of our sins, but also from the guilt and pollution of sin. We have overcome the sin nature because He has overcome the world and brought us His peace for both body and soul.

  "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 emphasis added)

  "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5:4-5)

  "...knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." (1 Peter 1:18-19)

  "And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.'" (Revelation 5:9-10)

• Jesus' Blood Gives Forgiveness and Remission of Sin
  On the surface, this seems redundant. Didn't we already discuss Jesus' death being the sacrifice for our sins? Yes, we did.

  But while some Scriptures talk about Him paying the penalty for our sins, others speak specifically to His death granting forgiveness or pardon for our sin.

  I believe God has deliberately included both in Scripture because He wants us to come and fellowship with Him! And by telling us the penalty has been paid and we're forgiven, He's reassuring us that our sins have been totally removed from us and He has declared us "Not guilty!"

  "...for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:28 emphasis added)

  "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7 emphasis added)

  "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7 emphasis added)

  See also Hebrews 9:22, 25-28.

• Jesus' Blood Justifies and Sanctifies Us
  "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. . . . but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." (Romans 5:6, 8-9 emphasis added)

  "...then he added, 'Behold, I have come to do your will.' He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:9-10 emphasis added)

  "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,' then he adds, 'I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.' Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin." (Hebrews 10:14-18 emphasis added)

• Jesus' Blood Gives Us Peace and Reconciliation with God
  "Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." (Romans 5:9-10)

  "And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him" (Colossians 1:20-22)

  (See also Ephesians 2:12-16; Hebrews 5:8-9.)

• Jesus' Blood Defeated Satan
  On Calvary, we see the fulfillment of the promise God made in the Garden several thousand years earlier when He told Satan: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15)

  "We are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, who had power over death. But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying." (Hebrews 2:14-15 CEV)

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The Doctrine of Imputation of Christ's Life
Some religions teach that the sinless, perfect life of Jesus is imputed to the believer so that God does not see the Christian's sins; He sees only the perfect obedience and righteousness of Jesus.

This is called the "doctrine of imputation". To "impute" means basically to "attribute". In this case, it means that Christ's sinless life is attributed to us. And while that sounds reasonable at first glance, it is important to take a closer look.

The doctrine of imputation basically says:

"The 'just requirement' of the law is the law's demand for a perfect life which man was unable to accomplish because of fleshly weakness. Without doing any violence to the text whatever we could paraphrase Paul in this way: 'You have proven that because of your fleshly weakness you cannot meet God's demand for perfection: therefore, stand aside and let Christ meet this demand for you.' ...Therefore, we can say that the perfect obedience of Christ is imputed to us because the law is fulfilled in us!"
R.L. Kilpatrick in Ensign Fair, quoted with approval by Arnold Hardin in Persuader, 5/28/78, via Neo-Calvinism)

"...faith in Him [Christ] brings to the sinner's account the merits of his perfect obedience (satisfaction of law) and death (satisfaction of penalty for the broken law)."
Arnold Hardin, Persuader, 5/3/77; via Willis, Truth Magazine, 2/9/78

Hence, this false doctrine claims that sinners need two things to receive eternal life: (1) forgiveness of sins, plus (2) a record of having kept God's law without ever having sinned. Christ, we are told, is our substitute on both counts. He died in our place so we could be forgiven and He lived a sinless life in our place. They say we are saved by His doing and His dying.

At first glance, the argument behind this doctrine seems reasonable. However, we must look to Scripture, not human wisdom, to discern the truth. God's Word tells us that Jesus, as the Lamb of God, had to live a sinless life.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin." (Hebrews 4:15 emphasis added)

Of course, the requirement for Him to be sinless is found in the Law which requires the sacrifice for sin to be spotless.

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." (1 Peter 1:18-19 emphasis added)

However, that requirement was for Him to qualify as the only suitable substitute to shed His blood and die for our sins.

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5 emphasis added)

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21 emphasis added)

"...for what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:3-4 emphasis added)

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'" (Galatians 3:13 emphasis added)

"...and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood..." (Revelation 1:5 emphasis added)

While it was necessary for Jesus to live a sinless life in order to take away the sins of the world, there is no Scriptural foundation for His life being a substitute for our lives. It is His death that atones for our sins, not His life.

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Is Everyone Saved through Jesus' Sacrifice?
We refer to Jesus Christ as the "Savior of the world". Does that mean that the whole world will be saved? Some people believe that Jesus will redeem all people, whether they accept or reject Him as Savior. They say that all people will one day repent — whether in this life or the after-life — and come to a saving relationship with the Savior. The verse they use for this doctrine is 1 Timothy 4:10, which says:

• ESV — "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe."
• NIV — "(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe"
• KJV — "For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe"
• CEV — "We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, but especially of those who have faith. That's why we work and struggle so hard."

However, as much as we all would like to believe that everyone will be saved and no one will be lost, that verse does not prove that everyone everywhere will be saved. Why not? Because we cannot build an entire theological doctrine on one verse. We must take the entire Word of God to know the will and mind of God.

So the question becomes: Can Jesus Christ be called the "Savior of the world" and yet not redeem all?

Yes. All people are, by nature, born under wrath (cf. Ephesians 2:3) and deserve to die. The reason is simple. Because God is holy and we are sinners. As we've already discussed in this lesson, in fact, our sins against a holy, infinite God deserve an infinite punishment.

By the infinite graces of our infinite God, however, believers are saved by faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God," (Ephesians 2:8)

What a wonderful promise and hope we have in Christ! But as beautiful and reassuring as that promise is, Jesus also told Nicodemus quite clearly: "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." (John 3:18)

All Are Made Redeemable
In calling Jesus the "Savior of the world", we are confirming that His sacrificial death made all people everywhere redeemable — that is, capable of being converted. Without His sacrifice, no one could be saved. While all people are now redeemable due to the sacrifice of Christ, redemption is exclusively for those who put their trust in Him — now . . . in this life.

"...it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)

It does not say, "after this comes another opportunity."

What about 1 Timothy 4:10?
So, what do we do with this verse? "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." (1 Timothy 4:10)

First, it's important to notice that the verse says "living God", not "Jesus" or "Christ". Yes, as we have previously established, Jesus is God in the flesh. But "God" — as in "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" — is also referred to as "Savior" in Scripture.

"The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.'" (Galatians 3:8)

"They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt," (Psalm 106:21)

"...I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior." (Hosea 13:4)

"...my spirit rejoices in God my Savior," (Luke 1:47 from Mary's Magnificat)




"...at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior." (Titus 1:3)

See also 2 Samuel 22:3; Isaiah 43:3; 45:21; Acts 5:31; 13:23; 1 Timothy 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; 2:10, 13; 3:4; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:25.

Thus, in keeping with all of God's inspired Word, 1 Timothy 4:10 does not convey the assurance that all will be saved. Rather, God is seen as the "Savior of all people" in that He has made salvation available to everyone. Sadly, not everyone has accepted it . . .

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¹Scourging — v. The Jewish method of scourging, as described in the Mishna [Judaism oral Torah], was by the use of three thongs of leather with nails, bones, pieces of pottery and thorns tied to them. Its purpose was to tear or rip the skin and to bring unimaginable pain. The offender would receive thirteen stripes on the bare breast and thirteen on each shoulder, the "forty stripes save one". Often the person being whipped would die.

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