Not My Savior
Do you see yourself as a sinner? It’s a Biblical truth that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This understanding of our shared human condition is the first step towards recognizing our personal need for a savior. In the Bible, the Greek word for sin is a derivative of “hamartia,” or missing the mark. The antonym for this word is “arete,” which in ancient greek means a unique excellence or perfection. Usually, we have pieces of both hamartia and arete in us and our unique excellence can become our tragic flaw. For example, we might be extremely good at speaking and using words powerfully. However, we may be so good at rhetoric, that we use words to manipulate others and as people applaud our presentational gifts, our narcissistic tendencies grow within us.
When we see ourselves as sinners, as people missing the mark, we see ourselves as people needing a savior. This realization is not a cause for despair but a source of hope. Where do you miss the mark and need a savior to redeem your brokenness? Consider those areas of your unique excellence. Could they also be places of falling short or missing the mark? Sometimes, we can know the Bible so well that we know where everyone else falls short. In our unique excellence of knowing God’s word and spending time in it, we have the other side of using it as a litmus test to measure others. In Romans 3, Paul says the law informs us of what is right, but no one can be declared righteous by the law. The law makes us aware that we are missing the mark. We do not understand our fallen nature if we cannot see that we miss the mark. The gospel writer John says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8, NIV). The good news is Jesus came to save sinners. So, if you recognize yourself as a sinner, Jesus came to save you.
To not see yourself as a sinner is nothing new. In Jesus’ day, the religious leaders focused on how others missed the mark. In one instance, when they saw Jesus eating with those they considered “sinners,” they called the disciples out. Here is how Mark recounts the story:
When the teachers of the law, who were Pharisees, saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:16-18)
If we recognize that we are sinners, we know that Jesus came to attend to us, too. But, if we see ourselves as righteous, having already attained perfection, then we do not need a savior. Here is the truth: As sinful humanity, we cannot always live in our unique excellence. We will always have that tragic side where we fail and fall short. Nothing and no one apart from Jesus can save us from our sinful selves. And so we need a savior.
So, don’t look for a savior who will save them. Look for a savior who will save you. And don’t be confused about who that savior is. Often, we look to our current religious and political leaders to save us. But they cannot. They are sinners themselves. There is only one who can save us, and that is Jesus.
Please join us at Connections Church, where we know we all have sinned and will sin and need Jesus as our savior. We worship the God who saves us, and we welcome fellow sinners to come alongside us as we grow in our knowledge and faith in Jesus.
Erin M. Reynolds, Ph.D.
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Friend of Connections Church
