He Shall Save His People from Their Sins

Most Protestant church leaders today believe and teach that Christ’s death has actually “made it possible” for all of mankind to be saved, if they will turn and believe in Christ. This is the central and most cherished doctrine of the system sometimes known as Arminianism.

An allegory often used by such preachers has “Jesus” in a lifeboat, ready to rescue people who are drowning at sea. This “Jesus” calls to them, offering and desiring to save them all. He reaches out his hand, offering to grab all of them—but he does not save them all. He does not save anyone unless they put their hand into his. I have even heard such a preacher describe this “Jesus” as a “perfect gentleman, who does not force salvation upon anyone against their free will.”

What a strange kind of “Rescuer” this is! In this Arminian gospel illustration, the people of the world are drowning—they are dying out there. And their would-be “Rescuer” holds back his saving power, not going all-in to save them. This “Jesus” limits his efforts at rescuing to the decision of the drowning people themselves to reach out to him. They say he desires to save all mankind—but he might have saved none! It all ultimately depends upon people making a “decision for Christ.” The main message of this illustration is that people must choose to believe in Christ in order to be saved—it is up to them to grasp the Lord’s hand.

Faith in Christ or Faith in Faith

What is the foundation of your hope and assurance of salvation, Christian reader? Is the Lord Jesus Christ your Saviour—or did your faith-decision save you? Is your faith resting upon Christ alone—or is your faith resting upon itself?

Many true Christians struggle with this question. The Holy Spirit has convinced them of their sinful state, of Christ’s righteousness, and of his right as Judge to condemn them to hell for their sins (John 5:22; 16:8; 2 Corinthians 5:10). So, they really do beg God for mercy, and they genuinely look to Christ for salvation.

However, they have attached themselves to a local church where they teach that Christ’s redeeming, propitiating, atoning sacrifice was made on behalf of each and every sinner of mankind, and yet they also also teach that not all mankind will be saved.

Precisely here is the root cause of the deepest distress-of-soul in these saved people. This “decision for Christ” doctrine throws them back upon their own spiritual resources, which they know are all corrupt, requiring of them to provide faith (i.e. belief) as the essential component in their salvation.

So, they seek to “grasp Christ’s offered hand” by believing in him. Meanwhile, knowing themselves as well as they do, they fear that their faith is not strong enough, or that it is not real enough, or that it will not survive under temptation and the world’s constant anti-Christian propaganda, or that they are not believing in Christ “for the right reasons.”

And so, for a while—perhaps for many, many years—their ever-present but suppressed terror is: “There is no hope for me.” And that is the truth! There is no real hope for any of us if our salvation depends upon anything which we must provide out of our own fallen, spiritually dead, totally depraved souls.

Meanwhile, in reality, there is every hope for them in their Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Appendix

Matthew Poole, A Commentary on the Whole Bible, on Matthew 1:21.

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

When the usual time of women is accomplished, “she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.” He shall not be thy [Joseph’s] natural son, but he shall be her son, not begot by thee, but brought forth by her, so flesh of her flesh. His name shall be called Jesus by thee, or by his mother. It is the will of God thou shouldest give him that name.

“For he shall save his people from their sins.” It was the custom of the Jews (God’s ancient people) to give names to their children, either expressive of the mercy which God had showed them in giving them their children, or of the duty which their children did owe unto God. This name was given by God, expressing the mercy of God to his people in giving them this child; “for he shall save his people from their sins,” saith the angel. Jesus comes from a Hebrew word, which signifies salvation. Joshua had his name from the same word, because he was to be a temporal saviour to save the Jews, the whole body of the Jews, from the Canaanites their enemies. This Jesus was to save his people, all that should believe in his name, whether Jews or Gentiles, from their sins. Hereby the angel hints the mistake of the Jews, in thinking the Messias should be a temporal saviour, who should save the Jews from their enemies, minding them that he was to save them, not from their bodily, but spiritual enemies, from their sins; the guilt of them, and the power of them, and from the eternal danger of them: and he alone should do it; “There is none other name under heaven given among men, neither is there salvation in any other” (Acts 4:12).

John Calvin’s Commentaries, on Matthew 1:21.

“He shall save his people from their sins.” The first truth taught us by these words is, that those whom Christ is sent to save are in themselves lost. But he is expressly called the “Savior of the Church”…When salvation is declared to be shut up in Christ, it clearly implies that the whole human race is devoted to destruction. The cause of this destruction ought also to be observed; for it is not unjustly, or without good reason, that the Heavenly Judge pronounces us to be accursed. The angel declares that we have perished, and are overwhelmed by an awful condemnation, because we stand excluded from life by “our sins.” Thus we obtain a view of our corruption and depravity; for if any man lived a perfectly holy life, he might do without Christ as a Redeemer. But all to a man need his grace; and, therefore, it follows that they are the slaves of sin, and are destitute of true righteousness.

Hence, too, we learn in what way or manner Christ saves; he “delivers us from sins.” This deliverance consists of two parts. Having made a complete atonement, he brings us a free pardon, which delivers us from condemnation to death, and reconciles us to God. Again, by the sanctifying influences of his Spirit, he frees us from the tyranny of Satan, that we may live “unto righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24), Christ is not truly acknowledged as a Savior, till, on the one hand, we learn to receive a free pardon of our sins, and know that we are accounted righteous before God, because we are free from guilt; and till, on the other hand, we ask from him the Spirit of righteousness and holiness, having no confidence whatever in our own works or power. By “Christ’s people” the angel unquestionably means the Jews, to whom he was appointed as Head and King; but as the Gentiles were shortly afterwards to be ingrafted into the stock of Abraham (Romans 11:17), this promise of salvation is extended indiscriminately to all who are incorporated by faith in the “one body” (1 Corinthians 12:20) of the Church.