“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
Notice from our text that Jesus saves those whom he seeks … “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” In other words, the reason Jesus came seeking certain individuals who were lost was to save them. Now what does it mean to be saved? It means forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God. It means being granted the perfect righteousness of Christ. It means redemption … being purchased by the blood of Christ. To be saved means God’s justice is satisfied against our sins and God accepts us as His dear children for the sake of Christ’s merits. It means that we are no longer enslaved to sin and enemies of God, but now we live by the principle of grace. To be saved means we no longer walk in darkness, but have been translated into the kingdom of light. To be saved also means we have been granted everlasting life and will nevermore come under condemnation for our sins; in Christ, we have escaped the second death. We have been rescued from the guilt, penalty and consequences of our sin by the perfect law-abiding life and sin-atoning death of the Savior, Jesus the Christ.
Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death” and we all have earned these wages. “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And so to be saved is to be spared from the just judgment of God against our sins and granted everlasting life. To be saved by Christ also means to be justified, and being justified is to be declared right with God even though we are still sinful. If Christ has saved you, God has declared that your debt of sin is wiped clean … it will never be remembered against you again … your sins are cast as far as the east is from the west. Not because of what you or I have done, but because of what Christ has done … He has saved that which was lost!
Do you realize the sinfulness of your heart and how hopeless your situation would be apart from Jesus Christ? Do you confess that Jesus came to seek and save sinners, and by faith do you cast yourself only upon Jesus as your faithful Savior? Jesus came to seek and to save – not all sinners (John 6:37, John 17:9) – but He came to seek and to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21) … He came for His sheep (John 10:15-17) … His elect and chosen ones (Ephesians 1) … all those sheep given to Him by His Father (John 6:37).
Are you anxious? Is your heart unsettled because of your sin? Well, our text gives us great hope that will bring peace to your soul and a renewed confidence in the God of Scripture: “The Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Dear Christian, may we never lose the wonder and amazement of the Gospel … that Jesus Christ came into this world to fulfill all righteousness and to suffer God’s just judgment against our sins in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!