Saviour

Saviour (Hebrew moshia'; Greek soter) designates one who delivers from danger, evil, or destruction. In the Old Testament, God himself is repeatedly called the Saviour of Israel (Isa. 43:3, 11; 45:15, 21; Ps. 106:21), the one who rescued the nation from Egypt and its enemies. Human deliverers — particularly the judges — also bore this title (Judg. 3:9, 15; Neh. 9:27). In the New Testament, Soter is applied both to God the Father (Luke 1:47; 1 Tim. 1:1; Jude 25) and preeminently to Jesus Christ, whose very name means Yahweh saves (Matt. 1:21). The angel at Bethlehem proclaimed him "a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11), and the Samaritans confessed him "the Saviour of the world" (John 4:42). Paul develops the title in the Pastoral Epistles and Titus, where the appearing of "our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13) anticipates the completion of salvation at his second coming. The title encompasses deliverance from sin's guilt (justification), its power (sanctification), and its presence (glorification).