rescued

For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:13-14

There’s a lot of “Christianese” out there that, to the unbeliever, can sound pretty intimidating. In our efforts to share the Good News of the Gospel, we may throw out words like “justification,” “sanctification,” maybe even “propitiation.” Sometimes, even the use of “salvation” can be daunting for someone who doesn’t know the love of Jesus, particularly since forms of this word have been diluted and blurred by heretics and false teachers in modern culture. 

So, as Easter morning is about to dawn, I wanted to try to sweep away any confusion, misconception, or trepidation about what it means to be a “Christian”—and why believers take this day to celebrate a Truth that is our daily reality.

What is a Christian? Simply put, a Christian is someone who has been rescued.

I think we all can agree that when we’re in trouble or at risk of impending danger, we need rescue. It could be financial distress, where we can’t pay our next rent or power bill and need help. Maybe it’s psychological peril resulting from life trauma, and we need someone to help us think and act in different ways to change our future trajectory. Or there’s physical endangerment, like an abusive situation, addiction, or risky behavior that has put us on a path of destruction from which we need extricated. 

Every person reading this (and every human on earth), is on a road to eternity. We are all walking in the same direction toward physical death—from the moment we are born, we are, in fact, dying. Although our physical body will cease in its current form, our spirit or soul is eternal (John 11:25-26, Matthew 10:28). And we’re all going somewhere.  

In truth, all of us are headed toward peril—an eternal existence of torment, guilt, pain, and separation from God. That road, the Bible says, is broad (Matthew 7:13). Like sheep being led to slaughter, we can unwittingly follow the mob mentality of “me first” and “if it feels good, do it” and “it’s my truth, so keep your judgment to yourself.” We are all in need of rescue.

Easter is about celebrating the Great Rescue. See, there’s a narrow road too—a path paved by the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ, leading to an eternal life with God in heaven. When Jesus died on Calvary’s cross, he paid the penalty for our sin, selfishness, and pride. And when He rose again, He defeated death so we could be reconciled with God. Jesus took our place, taking on our unrighteousness and cleansing us, making us pure and as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18, Psalm 51:7, 1 John 1:9). 

On that first Easter Sunday, Jesus provided a spiritual “life preserver”—and He stands ready to wrap it around us and pull us out of danger. But we have to want to be rescued. He will not force anyone to accept that free gift…we have to ask Him. 

So, will you do that today? Will you reach out to Jesus to be your rescuer, deliverer, rock, and refuge (Psalm 18:2)? Make this Easter a celebration of victory—Jesus’ triumph for your personal rescue.