The Lord Jesus, The Only Saviour – A Meditation

‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved’, Acts 4. 12.

This scripture in itself is ample evidence of the necessity of salvation in Christ alone, but scripture also abounds with references to those features seen in Him that mark Him out as the only One capable of providing salvation.

His perfection and sinlessness
2 Corinthians 5. 21 tells us, ‘He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him’. From the time of His birth as that ‘holy thing’, Luke 1. 35, through a life in which He was ‘in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, Heb. 4. 15, to the time when He ‘suffered for our sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God’, 1 Pet. 3. 18, He was unique in His sinless perfection. In it all He fulfilled in perfection the will of His God and Father. The dying thief recognized it when he said, ‘this man hath done nothing amiss’, Luke 23. 41. In the Old Testament, the sacrifices foreshadowing the death of Christ required an offering that was without blemish and without spot. Clearly none other than our Lord Jesus Christ could meet this requirement; as for others it says ‘all have sinned’, Rom. 3. 23.

There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin;
He only could unlock the gate
Of heaven, and let us in.

The unique satisfaction that God found in His work is shown by His resurrection from the dead and His ascension into glory, where He sits on the right hand of the majesty on high, Heb. 1. 3.

Further, we see that the Saviour identifies with the exact needs of the saved. Isaiah 53. 5-6, reads, ‘But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed … and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all’. Notice too, the confession of the sins of the people in their completeness upon the head of the scapegoat in Leviticus 16. 21-22.

His strength
‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly’, Rom. 5. 6.

Clearly, our salvation also requires One strong enough to free us from the claims and bondage into which Satan has brought us. None but the Lord’ Jesus Christ has ever been able to do this. See Hebrews 2. 14-15, ‘that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.’ Also John 10. 17-18, ‘I lay down my life that I may take it again … have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again’. This is the One that Mark 3. 27 and Luke 11. 21-22 tell us is stronger than Satan, has overcome him and has spoiled his goods, and there are types in the Old Testament that speak of His great strength. Consider David overcoming Goliath, 1 Sam. 17, and the way in which the Israelites were brought out from the bondage of Egypt through the Red Sea (a type of the death of Christ). No wonder they could sing ‘The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation’, Exod. 15. 2. The New Testament as well abounds with references to the power of the precious shed blood of Christ. John tells us that it cleanses from all sin, 1 John 1. 7, and Hebrews 9. 14 tells us that it purges our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

There is power, wonder working power.
In the precious blood of the Lamb.