New Year Salvation

Today's reading: Matthew 1:1-25, 2:1-12

'She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:21 ESV

As you peruse the genealogy of Jesus, you see a slew of people who were trying desperately to save Israel (and themselves) from their enemies. Many of them failed, and those who succeeded provided only temporary relief.

Jesus' name means "the Lord saves," and it is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. Even Joshua didn't completely save his people as they entered the promised land.

Philistines. Assyrians. Babylonians. Persians. Greeks. Romans. Israel had its fair share of enemies throughout time. The Messiah would obviously be saving them from their oppressors, right?!

Matthew clearly records that the angel declares that Jesus would "save His people from their sins." Whoa, that is different from what the Jews were wanting (and expecting) in a Messiah (a Christ). The word used for sin here is hamartia, and it can also be translated as "failure."

How many failures did you have in 2020? Jesus came to save you from them all. May we walk in His salvation fully in 2021!