The Power to Save Resides in Christ Alone

In an age where empowerment and self-reliance are touted as supreme goals, virtues to be praised, it is vital that we recognize where our salvation truly comes from.

The power to save resides in Christ alone. The bible makes this single truth crystal clear, again and again.

‘For by grace have you been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast’ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

That verse alone should be enough to convince us that we cannot save ourselves. We do not have the power to save ourselves. If we did, there would have been no reason for the sacrificial death and resurrection of our Savior. The necessity of His coming to earth was the most blatant display of our powerlessness, and of our need to be saved by One greater than ourselves.

Unfortunately there is much guff out there trying to diminish the greatness of His work in order to exalt human power. But Scripture, as always, illuminates the truth:

‘—for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23).

‘—and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness of God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed unto His death’ (Philippians 3:9-10).

 Notice there that righteousness is not found in us apart from Christ. Also note that the bible emphasizes God’s righteousness, God’s resurrection, God’s sufferings—not ours. All that has been done and is done toward saving us comes through our Heavenly Father and the saving grace of His Son.

Our lives are brightened every day by the hope we find in our Savior. It is, truly, a miracle that He came to save us. Wisdom can be found in taking a precious moment out of each day to sit and be silent before our Lord, to meditate on His grace and to praise His name for coming to save lost souls. The message of the cross has not changed. It does not need updating or translating into modern social media rhetoric. It is the single greatest expression of love in history, and we owe everyday of our lives to His miraculous sacrifice. Amen.