Saved to Love

Inspired by the following verses:

Titus 3: 4-7

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

John 13: 34-35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Ephesians 5: 1-2

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Luke 23: 35-36

And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”

My wife, Lindsey, and I have been serving with Refugee Resources for the past several years and have worked with refugees in Vickery Meadows for roughly a decade.  This past fall, our oldest son, Cohen, began volunteering as a mentor, and the three of us now serve together every Thursday evening.  What began as a “mom and dad thing” has become a “family thing” for our household, with our oldest daughters babysitting our youngest children while we’re away.  In our household with nine children, everyone has a part to play!  In a sense, we serve each other so that we may serve others.⁠

Early on in our ministry to refugees, we felt an immense pressure to “say the right things” and if we’re honest, we felt completely inadequate to engage this community – which didn’t look like us, speak our language, or share our culture and experiences.  Refugees do not choose that title – it is assigned to those who have had to flee their country to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster – none of which has our family have ever experienced!  I pray we never do.  What could we possibly say or do that would “save” them from their circumstances?

It turns out, the Bible makes it very clear what we can do.  In John 13:34, Jesus says, “just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”  And how has Jesus loved us?  In Ephesians 5:2, it says, “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”  How can we be like Christ in practice?  Finally, in Matthew 14:14, it says, “When he (Jesus) went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”  To our family, it means seeing people, having compassion on them, and acting on that compassion.  We may not be able to “save” anyone, but we certainly can strive to “love” everyone.

What does it really mean to ‘save’ someone?  The word itself means to keep safe or rescue from harm or danger, but can anyone be kept safe, forever?  When the onlookers saw Jesus hanging on the cross, they challenged him to save himself in that moment. After all, he had saved others by healing their illnesses, casting out their demons, and raising them from the dead.  Despite these prior saving miracles, it doesn’t take a historian to know that these people eventually died – no one escapes death.  Does this reality make any one of Jesus’ saving acts less miraculous?  Certainly not! Especially for those who were truly healed by Jesus in those moments.

So, if Jesus knew these miracles only ‘saved’ temporarily, why did he do them in the first place?  Why take the time?  Why delay the inevitable?  Repeatedly in Scripture, we read of Jesus’ compassion for all people.   As we read earlier, Jesus had “compassion on them and healed their sick." People were amazed when Jesus saved their flesh but then scoffed at him as He made the ultimate sacrifice to save their souls.  They failed to see that these ‘saves’ were just a glimmer of the final one to come, when he saved us by not saving himself.  As always, God has a more complete understanding of our needs than we do.  While we ask for Him to save us in the moment, He works to save us for eternity.  He goes further than saving us, since His work on the cross doesn’t just preserve our lives as they were, but rather restores our relationship with God.  Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we become “fellow heirs with Christ” – or simply, God’s children.

If Jesus sees our fleshly needs, how much more so must he see the needs of our souls?  It wasn’t that Jesus couldn’t ‘save’ himself from the cross, it’s that Jesus knew his death (and resurrection) was the only way he could permanently save us from our sins.  His compassion held him on the cross and by his blood we are saved.  In John 19:30, Jesus says, “It is finished” before giving up his spirit on the cross.  If the work is finished (in Christ), that means the only job remaining is to “love one another” and to “walk in love.”  It starts with seeing people as Christ sees us, having compassion on them, and taking steps to act.  If you’re ready to take action, we invite you to join us at Reading Circle where we have the opportunity to see refugee children, have compassion on them, and love them as Christ first loved us.

As we celebrate Easter with our family and friends, let’s remember how Christ saved us once and for all from our sins, conquered death, and restored our relationship with God.  Let us also remember that Jesus sees us, has compassion on us, and his love for us spurred his sacrifice – this saving grace is not only true for us in death, but it’s true for us today – in life.  

Written by: Brad Blanchard
Edited by: Jenna Peck