There are numerous nutshell verses in the Bible. By that I mean that there are verses that give the entire gospel in a condensed form. These nutshell verses will contain God’s plan of salvation in a nut-shell.
I will examine one of those verses in this article today, and it will by no means be exhaustive. We will just open the scripture and peek in to this verse, and skim from the surface the truth it has concerning the salvation plan.
Paul the apostle in his letter to Timothy, recorded in I Timothy 1:15 the reason Christ came into this world; “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” Now there is no doubt, according to the scriptures why Jesus came to this world; “To save sinners.” Christ did many things, and taught great truths, when he was here, but his first and foremost purpose was: “to save sinners.” While he walked on this earth, he opened blind eyes, he healed the sick, he unstopped deaf ears, he loosed dumb tongues, he cleansed the lepers, and he raised the dead; all of which was to prove that he had power on earth to forgive sins. All these wonderful works were to identify who he was. When the angel appeared to Joseph in Matthew 1 to tell him of the miraculous conception of Mary, his announcement prophesied the purpose of his birth. In verse 21, the angel gives the message, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
That kinda sounds like what Paul said; “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
In Luke 2:10, 11, at the birth of Christ, the angel appeared to the shepherds and gave the message of good news concerning God’s plan through Christ, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” A Saviour is one who saves. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” I notice that he said, a Saviour to all people. We all need a Saviour, and he came for that purpose. But he only saves sinners. If you don’t see yourself as a sinner, you have no hope of salvation. Luke 19:10 Re-emphasizes his plan: “For the Son of man is come to seek, and to save that which was lost.” He came seeking lost sinners to save! Finally, in the last part of Matthew 9:13, he again tells his purpose for coming to this earth. He had a reason. Hear his own words, “for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Only sinners are candidates for salvation, and the scripture says that “there is none righteous, no, not one,” “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Jesus did not come to make us healthy and wealthy, but to save us from our sins. He may allow us health and wealth, but that is only a benefit of his mercy and grace. If you are not saved, get in on God’s plan; by calling out as the publican did: “God be merciful to me a sinner.”