Answering Islam - A Christian-Muslim dialog

Our Great God and Savior

Sam Shamoun

The following chart lists all the places in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Greek Scriptures where the word Savior is employed in respect to both God and Jesus. This will help the readers appreciate the frequency in which the term is applied to Christ, especially when it is kept it mind that Jesus doesn’t merely save people from calamities, diseases, oppression etc. He also delivers believers from their sins by cleansing them through his blood which he shed as payment for all the iniquities that they have committed:

“She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

"to the praise of the glory of His grace which He graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace,” Ephesians 1:6-7

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.” 1 Timothy 1:15

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin… My little children, I am writing these things to you, so that you do not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world… I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake.” 1 John 1:7, 2:1-2, 12

“and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,” Revelation 1:5

However, this work of saving from sins is only ascribed to Yahweh God, who pardons whomever he so chooses for his own sake:

“Let Israel wait for the Lord! For mercy is found with the Lord; with Him is great redemption. He shall redeem Israel from all their iniquities.” Psalm 130:7-8

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25


YAHWEH GOD

JESUS CHRIST

 

“He said: The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my fortress and my sanctuary; my Savior, You save me from violence.” 2 Samuel 22:2-3

 

“Wondrously show Your lovingkindness, O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand From those who rise up against them.” Psalm 17:7 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

 

“They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt,” Psalm 106:21 New King James Version (NKJV)

 

“For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place… I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shown, when there was no strange god among you; therefore, you are My witnesses, says the Lord, that I am God.” Isaiah 43:3, 11-12

 

“Truly You are a God who hides Yourself, O God of Israel, the Saviorbut Israel shall be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you shall not be ashamed nor humiliated to all eternity… Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you fugitives of the nations. They have no knowledge who set up the wood of their carved image, and pray to a god that cannot save. Declare and set forth your case; let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient times? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no God besides Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is no other besides Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:15, 17, 20-22

 

“I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. And all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Isaiah 49:26 – cf. 60:16

 

“For He said, ‘Surely they are My people, sons who will not lie.’ So He became their Savior.” Isaiah 63:8 

 

“O the Hope of Israel, its Savior in time of trouble, why should You be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man who turns aside to pitch his tent for a night?” Jeremiah 14:8

 

“Yet I am the Lord your God ever since the land of Egypt. You know no God but Me, and there is no savior besides Me.” Hosea 13:4

 

“And Mary said: ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.’” Luke 1:46-47

 

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the command of God our Savior, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,” 1 Timothy 1:1

 

“for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3-4

 

“For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:10

 

“and has in due time revealed His word through preaching, with which I was entrusted according to the command of God our Savior,” Titus 1:3

 

“or stealing, but showing complete fidelity, so that they may exemplify the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” Titus 2:10

 

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared,” Titus 3:4

 

“to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” Jude 1:25

 

 

“For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 – cf. 19:10

 

“They said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this Man is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.’” John 4:42 – cf. 3:17; 6:51; 12:47

 

“God exalted this Man to His right hand to be a Ruler and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31

 

“From this man’s descendants God has raised a Savior for Israel, Jesus, according to His promise.” Acts 13:23

 

“For the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head and Savior of the church, which is His body.” Ephesians 5:23

 

“But our citizenship is in heaven, from where also we await for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our body of humiliation, so that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working of His power even to subdue all things to Himself.” Philippians 3:20-21

 

“but is now revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,” 2 Timothy 1:10

 

“To Titus, my own son in the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.” Titus 1:4

 

“as we await the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for Himself a special people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:13-14

 

“whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,” Titus 3:6

 

“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided for you.” 2 Peter 1:1, 11

 

“For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.” 2 Peter 2:20

 

“that you should remember the words that were spoken previously by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Savior spoken through us, the apostles… But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and forever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:2, 18

 

“In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins… And we have seen and testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” 1 John 4:10, 14

 

 

 

 

Unless noted otherwise, all quotations taken from the Modern English Version (MEV) of the Holy Bible.