God of our Salvation

A Divine Rescue: Discovering the God of Salvation

Help us, O God of our salvation,
For the glory of Your name;
And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins,
For Your name’s sake!
—Psalm 79:9 NKJV

I love the theological insight Psalm 79:9 provides for us. The God of our salvation helps us, delivers us, and provides atonement for our sin, all for His name’s sake. God saves us not because of who we are or what we have done but because of who He is. This Old Testament passage indicates that God’s provision of atonement for our sins is not a new theology developed in the New Testament but rather was God’s plan all along.

The first hint I see of this in the Bible is when God provides Adam and Eve with tunics of skin. The text implies that an animal was sacrificed to cover Adam and Eve’s shame.

Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
-Genesis 3:21 NKJV

Adam and Eve had sewn fig leaves together to make themselves coverings, but apparently, this was not enough to cover their shame since they still hid from God. (Genesis 3:7-10) This demonstrates that our own efforts cannot cover our shame and guilt; a sacrifice must be made. I am oversimplifying this for brevity’s sake (for a deeper dive, see One Story to Rule Them All). Abraham understood this principle of God’s provision when he told his son, Isaac, that God would provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering. (Genesis 22:8 for a deeper dive, see Akedah)

Throughout the Bible, the message of the gospel is consistent. Our salvation is not based on our performance; it is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8) We don’t deserve it, and we can’t earn it. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6) Based on this, I would argue that there never was nor could there ever be another way for anyone to gain salvation apart from Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. (Hebrews 10:4, 10-14)

Jesus was aware

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,
—John 13:1-3 NKJV

Jesus was aware of His origin - He had come from God. (I believe the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God, but I am sticking to the words used in John 13 for now.)
Jesus was aware of His authority - the Father had given all things into His hands.
Jesus was aware of His mission - His hour had come (He would die). Loved His own who were in the world to the end.
Jesus was aware of His future - departure from this world to the Father (He was going to God).
Jesus was aware that he would be betrayed. - The devil was behind the betrayal.

With perfect awareness, Jesus humbled Himself and washed the feet of His disciples.

Even in His humiliation, our Lord had all things through His Father. He was poor and yet He was rich. Because Jesus knew who He was, where He came from, what He had, and where He was going, He was complete master of the situation. You and I as believers know that we have been born of God, that we are one day going to God, and that in Christ we have all things; therefore, we ought to be able to follow our Lord’s example and serve others.
—Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 344–345.

Foot Washing - Ordinance of Humility

4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
—John 13:4-5 NKJV

Jesus taught His disciples and us a powerful lesson in humility and service. Jesus showed that we do not serve because we are inferior, but because we are confident in our identity in Him and in the mission He has given us. In a world where everyone seems to put others down in order to get ahead, Jesus gives us the example of service.

Jesus knew that there was a competitive spirit in the hearts of His disciples. In fact, within a few minutes, the men were disputing over which of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24–30). He gave them an unforgettable lesson in humility, and by His actions rebuked their selfishness and pride. The more you think about this scene, the more profound it becomes. It is certainly an illustration of what Paul wrote years later in Philippians 2:1–16. Peter must have recalled the event when he wrote his first epistle and urged his readers to “be clothed with humility” (1 Peter 5:5).
—Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 345.

How should we respond?

6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”

7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”

Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
—John 13:1-10 NKJV

Like Peter, we might first react by denying Jesus the opportunity to cleanse us, as if we could do it on our own. It can be so embarrassing to have God do this for us, but there is no hope for us apart from what Jesus does for us. But we cannot save ourselves, and if we do not accept Jesus’ sacrifice for us, His righteousness, His grace, then we are completely lost.

Peter seems to understand this and now wants a full bath. Many of us might also, at times, feel a desire for rebaptism for various reasons. I interpret Jesus’ response to Peter to mean that once we are baptized, we do not need to be rebaptized. But in a similar way that someone who is bathed might get dusty feet from walking on a dirt road, those of us who are baptized also get dusty feet from walking in a sinful world. Meaning, though we did not deny Jesus and completely walk away from a relationship with Him, we have done things that we regret, things that hurt our relationship with Him, and we feel a desire to re-commit our lives to Him.

Communion and the foot washing are the perfect opportunity for this.

Mini Re-Baptism

The communion service is an excellent opportunity fr us to consider our identity in Christ, all that He has done for us, and our desire to have Him as our Lord and Savior. Taking communion does not mean that we committed some grave sin and need to repent. It is a re-commitment. Many times, the danger lies not in one big sin, but in the small habits we form that not only keep us from growing closer to God but may also slowly draw us away from God.

Call to Action

I encourage you to take this opportunity to prayerfully consider your life, what it is, and what you would like it to be. Talk to God.
What is He calling you to surrender to Him?
What do you recognize as an obstacle in your walk with Jesus?
What keeps you from giving it up?
Do you love this habit more than you love Jesus?
Is the “high” of your secret sin of greater value than what God offers you?

I am not going to give you a list. I don’t know the details of your life. Pray about this. What is the Holy Spirit convicting you of? Your decision is between you and God, but you must decide. Your ultimate destiny and your impact on the lives of those around you are determined by the choices you make.

This is a great opportunity for you to make a great choice that will not only impact you, but also those who love you most.