Yeshua, Yahweh Saves

Jesus’ purpose is to save us, but not just to save us from condemnation in Hell—his purpose is to save us from sin. The name Yeshua is Jesus’ name in Hebrew, and it means Yahweh saves. Shua means “he saves” while Yah is the abbreviated name of God, Yahweh. Yeshua is Jesus’ name.

When the angel Gabriel revealed to Joseph that Joseph should give the name Yeshua to the child who would be born of his fiancé Mary, the angel said:

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

Jesus’ name declares his purpose: to save the Jews from their sin. John the Baptist also knew that Jesus’ purpose was to save people from their sins. When he saw Jesus approaching, he declared it to the crown around him.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the World!’ (John 1:29)

So, Jesus does more than save the Jews, he takes away everyone’s sins. That sounds great, but how exactly does Jesus save us from our sins? What are the mechanics of this salvation?

In the words of Paul, ‘in Hope we are saved’ so we need to start with this: The mechanics of salvation have a foundation in the Hope. Yes, we are saved from the power of sin by harnessing the Hope—but this is not just any old hope. We fix our minds on the hope of the Resurrection.

Jesus: Giver of Hope

Now, Jesus gives us the Hope—but how does he do it? By having become, through his consistent faith in God, the first man to be resurrected. That is, to be the first man to be resurrected into a resurrection body ever in the history of the human race. What Jesus accomplished was greater than Enoc, Elijah, and Lazarus. Jesus lives forever!

We are supposed to now see what God did in Jesus and trust that God will do the same thing for us. That’s right. We believe that anyone who has put their faith in Jesus—anyone who is in a covenant with God through Jesus, will also be resurrected into an eternal and glorified body, at the Resurrection.

So, Jesus was first to be resurrected. That’s what the passage below calls the first fruits of the Resurrection. We hope to obtain the same glory, the same divine nature, the same eternal life as Jesus. That’s why we follow him. What he was we are, but what he is we hope to be!

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the Dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

For since death came through a man, the Resurrection of the Dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him (1 Corinthians 15:19-23).

In Hope we are saved. That is, you get saved from sin not because you’ve become so good. It’s not because you found a way to balance out your sin debt by doing enough good works. This is not the scales of justice but amazing grace.

Salvation is not by works of righteousness which we have done. That’s not a hope. Salvation is not by the works of the Law either—that’s not a hope either. Rather, salvation is through faith. By faith we mean that we follow the man Jesus Christ, who showed us the lifestyle of someone who lives in the Hope of the Kingdom. We trust our lives completely to him.

Our Glorious Freedom

When we are resurrected, that’ll be our glorious freedom. Only then will we be set free. Then also the Creation (the Earth with its plants and animals, the oceans with their fish, the atmosphere with its birds, and space above us) will be set free form the futility they are now subject to.

For the Creation has been subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the One who subjected it [God], in hope that the Creation itself also will be set free from its servility to decay, into the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that the whole Creation groans together and suffers agony together until now. 

Not only this, but we ourselves also, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves while we await eagerly our adoption, the redemption of our body. For in hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he sees? (Romans 8:20-24; LEB)

There it is. You just read it: In hope we were saved! Paul explains this expression by saying that the Holy Spirit in us inspires us to yearn for our bodies to be restored into their perfect condition, the condition of the Resurrection.

The restoration of our bodies through the Resurrection will mean nothing to us if we don’t understand ours and the Creation’s current futility. What is this futility? Precisely we, animals, and plants are part of a World that will come to an end. Animals won’t be resurrected. They die and will not be resurrected. The plants and trees will burn up. All these are subject to death.

Vanity and Futility... Under the Sun

Both the Creation and we groan from within, longing for the Kingdom to come—that we might be set free from death and the futility of this life. That’s the futility that Solomon recognized when he wrote:

‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’ What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the Sun? (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3).

Solomon is right. There is no profit in what we do if our focus is on those things which are under the Sun. In that case, all is vanity. But if we are storing up treasures in Heaven, and aim at obtaining a better resurrection, one with greater glory, then we’ll accept suffering. Heck, we’ll even accept torture!

… others were tortured, not accepting release, in order that they might gain a better Resurrection (Hebrews 11:35; LEB).

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:19-20).

Who teaches us how to live this way? The Lord. The one who endured the Cross. Jesus.

… fixing our eyes on Jesus, the originator and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross, disregarding the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God (Hebrews 12:2; LEB).