When we think of salvation, we tend to think of it in a single dimension – that of Christ’s sacrifice and the resulting possibility of salvation from our sins. This is, indeed, the central aspect of salvation as taught in many verses of the New Testament, but there is a scriptural passage we tend to overlook, or read over, that shows God’s salvation of those who turn to him is even broader.
In the opening chapter of his Gospel, Luke tells us that before Jesus’ birth Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied by the Holy Spirit:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us … to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear… to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God… to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:68–79).
The passage shows that Zechariah clearly identified the coming Messiah who would be heir to David’s throne, and who would provide salvation for his people from “our enemies and all who hate us,” from “sins,” and from “darkness and the shadow of death.”
First, we see the Messiah would save his people from their enemies, and while Zechariah may have presumed this was salvation from physical enemies of that time such as the Roman conquerors of Judea, we know from the larger prophetic picture the Bible gives us that the physical salvation of God’s people from their enemies would come later – at the Messiah’s return. But there is also a spiritual application of this prophecy: Jesus did save his people from their spiritual enemies – the spiritual powers that desire our destruction (1 Peter 5:8–9), and this aspect of our salvation is certainly in place now (2 Corinthians 10:3–5).
Next, we see that Zechariah foretold the Promised One would bring salvation to his people through the forgiveness of their sins. Luke 1:31 records the angel told Mary “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus” which means, of course, “salvation,” and Matthew’s account makes this explicit for us by saying “you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). While we often think of this salvation in a somewhat abstract way – like the canceling of a debt, or the overturning of a guilty verdict – we should remember that in reality it is salvation from the very Wrath of God. We may concentrate on God’s loving kindness and mercy in forgiving us, but we are forgiven our sins to save us from God’s wrath, as the apostle Paul made clear: “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9). Sometimes we need to remember this to see the full extent of this aspect of the salvation we are given.
Finally, Zechariah’s prophecy shows us that we are saved from ourselves. In saying that we are saved from “living in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1:79), we are told that we are saved from the way we naturally live according to our own carnal minds (Ephesians 2:3). As Matthew’s Gospel puts it: “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16). This does not only refer to sin and sinfulness, but to the sad darkness that clouds most human minds so that we hurt ourselves and others endlessly for lack of knowledge of what is good, sane, and right (Hosea 4:6).
So Zechariah’s prophecy shows us in a single passage the three forms of salvation we receive through the work of the Son of God: we are saved from the spiritual enemies who would destroy us, saved from God’s righteous judgment of sin, and also saved from ourselves and from ultimately destroying our own well-being and happiness due to our spiritual blindness. Zechariah’s inspired words show that God saves us from far more than an abstract spiritual debt – rather, in his kindness, he saves us in every way that we need to be saved.
In the opening chapter of his Gospel, Luke tells us that before Jesus’ birth Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied by the Holy Spirit:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us … to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear… to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God… to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:68–79).
The passage shows that Zechariah clearly identified the coming Messiah who would be heir to David’s throne, and who would provide salvation for his people from “our enemies and all who hate us,” from “sins,” and from “darkness and the shadow of death.”
First, we see the Messiah would save his people from their enemies, and while Zechariah may have presumed this was salvation from physical enemies of that time such as the Roman conquerors of Judea, we know from the larger prophetic picture the Bible gives us that the physical salvation of God’s people from their enemies would come later – at the Messiah’s return. But there is also a spiritual application of this prophecy: Jesus did save his people from their spiritual enemies – the spiritual powers that desire our destruction (1 Peter 5:8–9), and this aspect of our salvation is certainly in place now (2 Corinthians 10:3–5).
Next, we see that Zechariah foretold the Promised One would bring salvation to his people through the forgiveness of their sins. Luke 1:31 records the angel told Mary “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus” which means, of course, “salvation,” and Matthew’s account makes this explicit for us by saying “you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). While we often think of this salvation in a somewhat abstract way – like the canceling of a debt, or the overturning of a guilty verdict – we should remember that in reality it is salvation from the very Wrath of God. We may concentrate on God’s loving kindness and mercy in forgiving us, but we are forgiven our sins to save us from God’s wrath, as the apostle Paul made clear: “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9). Sometimes we need to remember this to see the full extent of this aspect of the salvation we are given.
Finally, Zechariah’s prophecy shows us that we are saved from ourselves. In saying that we are saved from “living in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1:79), we are told that we are saved from the way we naturally live according to our own carnal minds (Ephesians 2:3). As Matthew’s Gospel puts it: “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16). This does not only refer to sin and sinfulness, but to the sad darkness that clouds most human minds so that we hurt ourselves and others endlessly for lack of knowledge of what is good, sane, and right (Hosea 4:6).
So Zechariah’s prophecy shows us in a single passage the three forms of salvation we receive through the work of the Son of God: we are saved from the spiritual enemies who would destroy us, saved from God’s righteous judgment of sin, and also saved from ourselves and from ultimately destroying our own well-being and happiness due to our spiritual blindness. Zechariah’s inspired words show that God saves us from far more than an abstract spiritual debt – rather, in his kindness, he saves us in every way that we need to be saved.
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