November 05, 2026 | Be Connected
The Savior of the World
Scripture: 1 John 4:13-16(NIV)
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
Devotional
Throughout this letter, John has been exploring the themes of God’s love for the world and God’s Spirit in us. Here he brings it together with the straightforward truth: “the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”
Several years ago, I preached a sermon on this concept. I talked about our sin, and how it separates us from a holy and perfect God. I spoke about human efforts to bridge that gap always fall far short. I then shared how God sent His Son Jesus to be the one who saved us by His sacrifice on the cross. It was a good sermon. After the service, someone came up to me and told me it was a bad sermon. He flatly said, “I don’t want anybody dying for me.”
We live in a DIY culture. From an early age we are taught to do our best, achieve the highest, and pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Nobody ever said, “If you want something done right, rely on somebody else to do it.”
Yet that is precisely what God is calling us to do. The sin gap is too vast to be traversed by human achievement. Saying that we are only a little bit sinful is like promising a bowl of pudding has only a bit of poison in it, or saying a skunk is only a little stinky, or claiming a mass murderer only killed a few people. The pudding can’t cleanse itself, the skunk can’t remove its own scent glands, and the killer can’t bring victims back to life.
Neither can we eradicate our own sins. Like it or not, we are dependent on somebody else to do it for us. And that somebody is Jesus, who died on the cross, rose from the dead, and became the Savior of the world. His offer is on the table. Stop relying on yourself. Put your faith in the only Somebody who can do it for you. If you are willing to do so, pray this prayer:
Dear God, I believe that you created a perfect world. You created people in your own image. But they destroyed that image by sinning against you. So did I, and I admit that I am a sinner, eternally separated from you without Christ. I am truly sorry. I believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to become the Savior of the world. I want the salvation Jesus offers. Come into my life and save me. And come Holy Spirit. Fill me, sanctify me, and equip me to serve you and others in this world. I put my trust in you. Amen.
