Christ came to restore our relationship with God and give us victory. It is yours for the taking. He leaves the choice up to us. I would like to challenge you to willingly accept His gift to you.

1. 10 Things Christ
Saves Us From

2. Have you been saved? What does that even
mean? What are we being saved from? I will
answer that question with two words: a lot. In
this post I am going to share with you 10 things
Christ saves us from. Then I am going to throw
out a few challenges for all of us to meet that
will deepen our walk with Him and help us
succeed in our christian walk. What are we saved
from anyway?

3. Christ Saves Us From Our Past
I remember many of my sins, especially the “big ones.” I
remember going through a period in my youth of being
bullied by other kids. I remember people I have lost. As
a matter of fact, when it comes to the negative I haven’t
forgotten much. Funny how that works huh? I think it’s
easy for us to hang onto the hurt. It can seem a
challenge to step into the light and move forward.

4. Like they say, we all have a story. We have all been damaged to some extent
and have the scars to show it. Some have been through the trauma of abuse.
Others have faced the demons of addiction and bondage. Unfortunately
some have been burned by folks in the church itself. The list of issues and
baggage would be far more than one simple blog post could ever hold. The
point is, everyone has suffered their own pain in this world. We have all faced
our own darkness. Guess what? Jesus came to turn on a light in this dark
world. (John 1:1-5) In Christ we become new creations. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Through Christ we can have a renewed mind. (Romans 12:2) We can move on
from what is behind us and look to the future. Christ saves us from the
darkness of our past. Some things we may never forget, but we no longer
have to be stuck in the past. We can let go of it, acknowledge the pain, and
leave it at the foot of the cross.

5. Christ Saves Us From Fear
Can I make a confession? I have had many fears throughout my life. Fear of death,
failure, success, hell, rejection, commitment, and even of being alone. I’m not
ashamed to admit that, because, If you are honest with yourself you have been
afraid too. Fear is a natural part of the human condition. We have all been afraid
of something. Want to know a secret? In Christ we no longer have to fear. Notice
that I didn’t say we will no longer fear. We are still human beings with human
insecurities. We may fear something at times or even fall into worry, but we don’t
have to. God has promised to never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5-6; 2
Timothy 1:7) Christ has promised to always be with us. We have been accepted as
children of God and given eternal life. If we are in Christ, all of our sins have been
forgiven. We have been promised that through faith mountains can be moved.
We have almighty God on our side. When worry and fear start tapping on the
door they can be cast away through faith, prayer, and reading what God has to
say to us through the Bible.

6. Christ Saves Us From The Sting of
Death
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is where Paul said, “O death, where is your victory? O
death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55:) Scripture actually promises that the last
enemy that Christ will destroy is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26) We are granted eternal life by
God’s grace through our faith in his Son. I have lost people who I will miss for the rest of my
life. When I was an infant my biological grandparents adopted me. They are the ones I have
always known as my parents. They raised me. They gave me an amazing example of
dedication to Jesus and His work. In 2011 God called my dad home. At first I really wanted
to blame God. I came to understand and finally recognized that I never really lost him. God
called him home. I will see him again. In 2014 my mother-in-law passed from this world. You
know what? She is in a far better place than this world could ever be. Out of anyone that I
have known that has passed, it was those two that affected me the most. I can still praise
the Lord. They are in paradise. They are in Heaven, and one day through Christ, I will be
there too.We have hope beyond this world because of His sacrifice on the cross and
resurrection. We too, just like Paul, can say: “O death, where is your victory?”

7. Christ Saves Us From Shame
Have you ever felt shame? I bet you have at some point. I think we all have.
Did you know that shame is never a healthy emotion? There is never a right
time to feel it. Shame never comes from God. Shame is a curse from the Devil
himself. Why would I say that? Because shame is a lie. Guilt can be a very
healthy emotion. What is the difference? Guilt admits that we have done
wrong. Shame says that we are wrong. Guess what? We are not fundamentally
wrong. We were created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27) Even after we
rebelled against God Himself Christ gave Himself for us. (Romans 5:8) We are
loved enough that through Christ we are accepted into God’s family and
welcomed into His kingdom forever. Look at it this way: Guilt is the conviction
of the Holy Spirit telling us that we have done wrong and gone astray, shame
is Satan telling us that we are wrong and beyond hope. That couldn’t be
further from the truth.

8. Yes, Jesus can also save us from whatever is holding in bondage. What bondage
are you trapped in? An eating disorder? Sexual sin? Porn or drug addiction?
Alcoholism? An inability to forgive and let go of the past? I smoked for years. I
finally gave that up. I am sure my wife likes the smell better now. I will make
another confession though. I chew tobacco. And guess what? That is also a
bondage. We have all been trapped by our lack of belief and reliance on God.
Want to know something? God gets it and sent His Son to set us free. (Luke 4:18)
Through Christ there is freedom. That is the fact of the matter. Whatever is
holding us is weak and frail in comparison to our holy and loving God. It is time
to, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ, let go of whatever
is holding us in chains. As a matter of fact, maybe its time for me to lay my
tobacco addiction at the foot of the cross and allow God to take it away from me.
God willing I will give you an update on that one in a future post.
Christ Saves Us From Bondage

9. Christ Saves Us From Wrath
I know, not a fun topic. We are made in the image of God. God made us with
emotions. He has emotions too. He can become angry and when his anger
turns to wrath it is never a pretty sight. Have you read the Old Testament?
Yikes! Guess what is more powerful than His wrath? His love of course! (Psalm
136:1; 1 John 4:8) He loves us with a deeper love than the human mind could
ever comprehend. According to the book of John, God’s wrath remains on
those outside of Christ. (John 3:36) Not a good position to be in. In Christ
God’s wrath is satisfied, we are redeemed, and we are free of any
condemnation. (Romans 8:1) How do we come into relationship with Christ?
By accepting and confessing him and Lord in our lives and putting our faith in
Him and His resurrection. (Romans 10:9) In Him there is no more wrath.

10. Christ Saves Us From Our Sinful Nature
Lets be transparent here. We have sinned. No one is perfect. We
have all at some point given into temptation and done wrong.
That old sinful nature can be powerful. I know I have been guilty
of my share of giving into temptation and rebelling against God.
But God is more powerful than our sin. The hope that Christ
gives is greater than any temptation. Through Him our sinful
nature, and sin itself, no longer has rule over our lives. In Christ
and His kingdom he alone is King. Through Him we are set free
to live a life of righteousness, hope, and faith. Praise God for
such a savior.

11. Christ Saves Us From Despair
Despair is the complete loss or absence of
hope. In God there is always hope.
Through Christ we always have hope. There
is no room for despair. Hear me on this
one. You have hope. We have hope. Our
hope is in Him.

12. Christ Saves Us From Ourselves
I believe the saying is true: We are our own worst enemy. We get
down on ourselves and give into the despair that there should
be no room for. We give into temptation and take the easy way
out or go after the fleeting pleasure. So many times we sabotage
our own efforts to be a better people. (Romans 7:15-25) We set
so many traps for ourselves in our insecurity and selfishness. We
are afraid of change or being different. A couple of things hold
true though. We aren’t God and God is the God of hope and
second chances. In Christ we are even set free of the foolishness
of our own imperfections.

13. Christ Saves Us From A Damaged
Relationship With God
Go back in time thousands of years and you will see Adam and Eve. They had
it all. God blessed them. He walked in close relationship with them. They knew
no sense of shame. They lived in a perfect environment and complete peace.
Then sin entered the world. They gave into the serpents temptation and ate of
the forbidden fruit. The relationship with God and the world was damaged.
They chose the knowledge of good and evil over life itself. Christ came to
restore that relationship, heal what was broken, and reconcile us to our Father
God. In Him peace is restored. He sacrificed Himself on the cross taking on
the full punishment of all of our sin. He paid the price. Then He rose again on
the third day. The debt has been paid. Our hope was bought with His blood.
In Him our relationship with the Father is restored.

14. Take Action
 If you don’t have Christ in your life come to Him and find out what an amazing savior He is.
 Pray that He will help you let go of your past, forgive those that hurt you, forgive yourself, and allow Him
to heal the hurts.
 Start praying every day. Just talk to Him. He is always listening. And take the time to listen as well. He
wants to talk to you too.
 Start reading the Bible everyday. Check out BiblePlan to help you get started.
 Join a Bible believing church.
 Get involved in a good Bible study.
 Reject all forms of shame and embrace to love and forgiveness that are yours in Jesus.
 Recognize your identity as a child of God and allow Him to set you free from whatever is holding you in
bondage.Get involved in a support group if necessary. Break the chains that are holding you down. That
freedom is His gift to you.
 Praise God daily for the relationship you have with Him and your freedom from wrath through Christ and
His death and resurrection.
 Ask god to direct your steps and show you His will for your life. (Proverbs 3:5-6; James 1:5)

15. There you have it. Long story short,
Christ came to restore our relationship
with God and give us victory. It is
yours for the taking. He leaves the
choice up to us. I would like to
challenge you to willingly accept His
gift to you.

16. No holds Barred Grace
http://www.noholdsbarredgrace.com
Always by God’s grace
and through faith in
Christ.