Rescued

RESCUED

A rescue is necessary to extricate someone from a situation when they are helpless. First responders rescue people from life-threatening problems. Medical professionals rescue people from disease through life-saving treatments. A few years ago, I received therapy for a knee injury. One aspect of the therapy was a contraption that held me upside down, allowing my weight to stretch the muscles around my knee. I could not get myself loose when I was in it. I needed the therapist to rescue me.

The Bible reports a series of rescues. God rescued Noah from the flood. He rescued Lot from Sodom. He delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. In His greatest deliverance, God rescues us from sin, freeing us from the domain of darkness (Colossians 1:13).

We are helpless, in need of rescue. Because sin came into the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, we are all born with a sin nature. Sin separates us from God. We are all guilty. The commandments in the Bible reveal how far short we fall of God’s perfect standard. James taught that if we break just one commandment, we are guilty of breaking them all (James 2:10). Jesus taught us we only have to think anger in our hearts to be guilty of murder (Matthew 5:21-22). There is nothing we can do to make ourselves righteous before God.

GOD’S LOVE

God loves us so much, He wants us with Him in heaven. But the problem of sin and evil had to be dealt with. God, in His holiness, cannot allow sin into heaven.

God, in all His magnificence, and all His incomprehensible glory, created people to have a relationship with Him. He loves us. Astounding!

It is especially astounding since God knew before He created mankind, that Adam and Eve would sin. Before He created the world, God knew He would need to send His Son on a rescue mission. He knew the cross would be necessary.

God could have created beings that had no choice but to do everything just as He wished.
But God created mankind with free will. Genuine love has to be freely offered. Free will enables us to respond to Him out of love, not coercion. God gave us the ability to choose, so we can respond to Him in love . . .or not.

WE CAN”T MAKE OURSELVES RIGHTEOUS

Nothing we can do on our own will make us righteous in God’s sight. Jesus, as God the Son, came to earth and lived as a man. He lived, in our place, the perfect, sinless life we couldn’t. Then for the joy of having us with Him forever (Hebrews 12:2) He willingly laid down His life for our sakes. He died, in our place, the death we deserved. Then He rose again, promising eternal life to those who believe in Him. All who accept His gift of salvation, have their sins forgiven and are covered by His righteousness. It was all arranged before God created the world (Ephesians 1:4,1 Peter 1:20).

God’s love for us is so great, He would do anything to enable us to spend eternity with Him. When we acknowledge our sin, and our need of a Savior, then repent and turn to Him in faith, we are born into new life. Rescued. It’s a free gift. We can’t earn it. As Jonathan Edwards said, “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.”

Who can fathom so great a love!

Happy Easter.

God paid a ransom to save you . . . It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. 1 Peter 1:19-20 NLT

How do you respond to Jesus’ rescue mission? Please leave a comment below.

Blessings,
Phyllis

© 2026 Phyllis L. Farringer

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay