The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. Acts 13:17

More from Paul’s sermon in Acts 13…

Not only did God choose Israel, He delivered them from their bondage in Egypt. Note that God didn’t choose them to deliver themselves. He delivered them.

They were enslaved, having no ability to deliver themselves. So God worked mightily to deliver them miraculously by His almighty “uplifted arm.” The salvation of Israel from Egypt is the most dramatic Old Testament prophetic types of Christ saving His people:

Egypt and Pharaoh are types of the world and the devil. Moses is a type of Christ.
God, through Moses, delivered Israel from bondage to Egypt. Jesus delivered His people from bondage to sin.
Israel did nothing to aid in their deliverance—if anything they resisted Moses. But God delivered them nonetheless. Is not the same true of Jesus’ triumph in rescuing us?

Let us meditate on how He saved us, remembering that we have not, nor are we saving ourselves.

Footnote: A prominent ordained Baptist minister who recently became a US senator tweeted on Easter Sunday, “The meaning of Easter is more transcendent than [goes beyond] the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” He went on to say, “Whether you are Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves.”

I am the judge of no individual person. But by the authority of the Word of God, anyone who teaches or believes that, is not a Christian!