Matthew 1:21 — He will save His people
And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
Who are His people?
This verse is well known, yet poorly understood. Evangelicals know well the part that says that Jesus would save people from their sins. But few seem to be aware of who “His people” are. The verse does not say that He would save everyone from their sins. Nor does it say that He would save all the Jews from their sins. In fact, it doesn’t even say that He would save all “believers” from their sins. That might or might not be taught in some other verses, but that is not what this verse is saying.
Not referring to all Israel
When it says, “He will save His people,” it is obviously not referring to the nation of Israel or to the Jews as a whole. Not all the offspring of Isaac are saved. Hosea 1:9 says that a time would come when Israel would not be looked on as His people: “And He said, ‘Name him Lo-Ammi [Hebrew for Not My People], for you are not My people, and I shall not be to you your God’ ”. In line with that, Romans 9:6 says, “Not all those of Israel are Israel.” And Romans 9:8 says, “That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God.” Just because they are descended from Israel, that does not mean that they are God’s people. Some of the Israelites and Jews are saved, but not all are saved. So the words “His people” are not referring to Israel.
Who would Joseph have understood them to be?
So who are His people? When the angel said this to Joseph, about whom did he expect Joseph to think he was talking? The angel would most probably have expected Joseph to understand the words “His people” as referring to those that the Hebrew Scriptures identified as God’s people. Those Scriptures make it clear that the people of God are those that are genuine disciples: those who seek the Lord with all their heart, who listen to His Word, and who trust and obey Him.
Old Testament texts that show who His people are
Here are some passages that Joseph would have known and that would have made it very clear to him who the people were to whom the angel was referring when he talked about “His people”.
Jeremiah 24:7 says, “And I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am Yahweh; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.” All the blessings in this verse are said to flow from the fact that they would return to God with their whole heart. They would be God’s people because they would return to Him with all their heart. So the angel was promising Joseph that Jesus would save His people (those who return to God with all their heart) from their sins.
Jeremiah 11:4 says much the same thing: “Listen to My voice, and do according to all that I command you; and you will be My people, and I will be your God.” When people listen to God’s voice and obey Him, they are His people. God’s people are those who listen to what He says and obey Him. The angel promised that Jesus would save His people (those who listen to His voice and obey Him) from their sins.
Jeremiah 31:33-34 says something very similar to what the angel said: “I will be their God, and they shall be My people. [34] … I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” God promises to save those who are His people from their sins. This promise was for those with whom He would make the New Covenant: “ ‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares Yahweh, ‘I will put My law in their inner parts [in their minds] and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they will be My people’ ” (v. 33). God’s people are identified as those who have His Word written on their minds and hearts. The angel promised that Jesus would save His people (those who have God’s Word written on their hearts) from their sins.
Jeremiah 7:23 says, “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people.’ ” God’s people are those that obey His voice. Obeying His voice does not bring forgiveness (you cannot earn salvation), but it does allow you to qualify as someone who can be saved through faith. The angel promised that Jesus would save His people (those who obey His voice) from their sin.
Conclusion
From these verses, then, we see that the people the angel said Jesus would save from their sins are God’s people because they
(1) return to Him with all their heart,
(2) that listen to His voice,
(3) that have His Word written in their heart, and
(4) that obey His voice.
This kind of people are basically what the Bible calls genuine "disciples." There are no Old Testament texts which identify "His people" as the ones whom He would save from their sins which teach that a different kind of people who do not have these qualities will be saved.
These are the people whom Joseph would have and should have understood the angel to be talking about when he said that Jesus would save His people from their sins. These are the same ones the Bible is referring to when it says, “the just shall live by faith.” These characteristics of His people come up again and again in the New Testament when it expounds on the gospel. It is the just (these righteous ones) who shall live by faith. For they are the ones the Bible is talking about when it says that Jesus would save His people from their sins.
→ next text: Matthew 3:1-12
Matthew 1:21 — He will save His people
And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
Who are His people?
This verse is well known, yet poorly understood. Evangelicals know well the part that says that Jesus would save people from their sins. But few seem to be aware of who “His people” are. The verse does not say that He would save everyone from their sins. Nor does it say that He would save all the Jews from their sins. In fact, it doesn’t even say that He would save all “believers” from their sins. That might or might not be taught in some other verses, but that is not what this verse is saying.
Not referring to all Israel
When it says, “He will save His people,” it is obviously not referring to the nation of Israel or to the Jews as a whole. Not all the offspring of Isaac are saved. Hosea 1:9 says that a time would come when Israel would not be looked on as His people: “And He said, ‘Name him Lo-Ammi [Hebrew for Not My People], for you are not My people, and I shall not be to you your God’ ”. In line with that, Romans 9:6 says, “Not all those of Israel are Israel.” And Romans 9:8 says, “That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God.” Just because they are descended from Israel, that does not mean that they are God’s people. Some of the Israelites and Jews are saved, but not all are saved. So the words “His people” are not referring to Israel.
Who would Joseph have understood them to be?
So who are His people? When the angel said this to Joseph, about whom did he expect Joseph to think he was talking? The angel would most probably have expected Joseph to understand the words “His people” as referring to those that the Hebrew Scriptures identified as God’s people. Those Scriptures make it clear that the people of God are those that are genuine disciples: those who seek the Lord with all their heart, who listen to His Word, and who trust and obey Him.
Old Testament texts that show who His people are
Here are some passages that Joseph would have known and that would have made it very clear to him who the people were to whom the angel was referring when he talked about “His people”.
Jeremiah 24:7 says, “And I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am Yahweh; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.” All the blessings in this verse are said to flow from the fact that they would return to God with their whole heart. They would be God’s people because they would return to Him with all their heart. So the angel was promising Joseph that Jesus would save His people (those who return to God with all their heart) from their sins.
Jeremiah 11:4 says much the same thing: “Listen to My voice, and do according to all that I command you; and you will be My people, and I will be your God.” When people listen to God’s voice and obey Him, they are His people. God’s people are those who listen to what He says and obey Him. The angel promised that Jesus would save His people (those who listen to His voice and obey Him) from their sins.
Jeremiah 31:33-34 says something very similar to what the angel said: “I will be their God, and they shall be My people. [34] … I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” God promises to save those who are His people from their sins. This promise was for those with whom He would make the New Covenant: “ ‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares Yahweh, ‘I will put My law in their inner parts [in their minds] and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they will be My people’ ” (v. 33). God’s people are identified as those who have His Word written on their minds and hearts. The angel promised that Jesus would save His people (those who have God’s Word written on their hearts) from their sins.
Jeremiah 7:23 says, “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people.’ ” God’s people are those that obey His voice. Obeying His voice does not bring forgiveness (you cannot earn salvation), but it does allow you to qualify as someone who can be saved through faith. The angel promised that Jesus would save His people (those who obey His voice) from their sin.
Conclusion
From these verses, then, we see that the people the angel said Jesus would save from their sins are God’s people because they
(1) return to Him with all their heart,
(2) that listen to His voice,
(3) that have His Word written in their heart, and
(4) that obey His voice.
This kind of people are basically what the Bible calls genuine "disciples." There are no Old Testament texts which identify "His people" as the ones whom He would save from their sins which teach that a different kind of people who do not have these qualities will be saved.
These are the people whom Joseph would have and should have understood the angel to be talking about when he said that Jesus would save His people from their sins. These are the same ones the Bible is referring to when it says, “the just shall live by faith.” These characteristics of His people come up again and again in the New Testament when it expounds on the gospel. It is the just (these righteous ones) who shall live by faith. For they are the ones the Bible is talking about when it says that Jesus would save His people from their sins.
→ next text: Matthew 3:1-12
No comments:
Post a Comment