I see signs on churches all over the place letting me know that Jesus saves, or God sent his son to save us, etc etc.
I don’t mean to sound glib, but what is he saving us from? What have I done that requires saving?
You know what you did.
This is the pure factual answer that I know about. Keep in mind I’m not trying to debate this and I’m certainly not trying to witness… I’m just trying to answer the question as you put it, whether or not anyone believes it:
The bible says He’s saving you from dying and going to hell. He died for your sins so you don’t have to.
Because the bible also says “the wages of sin is death”…which means, once you sin, you’re going to die, since that’s the punishment of sin.
But Jesus died for your sins. Every sin that you will commit in your life. It was His gift to mankind.
However, since it’s a gift, one must “receive” it. The bible says they must "“confess with thy tongue”, which means saying it aloud (in a prayer) that you accept the gift.
Once you do, you are saved. Saved from death, because once you die, you will have eternal life in Heaven. It’ll be like going from living on earth to immediately living in Heaven…thus, saved from death.
Again, the above is just as factual as an answer as I know it. You may not agree with it, you may not believe it, you may argue against it or laugh at it…and all that is fine…
…but it’s what comes the closest to answering your question, if you’re really wondering.
In Christian theology, the human condition is in some sense broken; it is flawed and imperfect, leaving us unable to become all that we are called to be. This is called the Fall. But humanity is redeemed through the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, restoring to us the possibilty of fulfilment as perfect humans.
In other words, we are not saved (or at least not mainly or primarily saved) from a possible future hell; we are saved first and foremost from our current, imperfect fallen condition.
“…Moses picks up the rebound…he shoots, HE SCORES!!!”
“Jesus Saves! The rest of the party takes full damage.”
“… But Espo gets the rebound…!”
Jesus saves.
Moses invests.
Jesus puts his money in the Chase Manhattan Bank
Jesus saves!
If one takes some of the surveys I’ve seen on belief in Biblical literalism as a measure of how many souls Jesus will save, he’s currently posting a save percentage of about .300, by far the worst performance in the league. Once widely regarded as “the Savior”, with almost every shot on goal getting through his fumbling efforts disconsolate fans have started calling him “the sieve”. Jesus is never used as a starter any more and there are persistent rumors that at the end of the season he’ll be sent down to the farm team. His poor showing has also led to speculation that he may retire from active play altogether and is looking to become a color commentator for NBC.
5 posts of semi-serious responses and 5 posts of sports/banking jokes.
I love you guys. 
Anyways, yeah, basically the idea has to do with original sin. The idea that we’re all sinners, all tainted, and all going to hell. Jesus’s sacrifice “saves” us from this, which, as far as ideas go, is like Superman throwing us off a cliff and then “saving” us if we tell him our bank account info.
He’s “saving” us from the conditions his daddy so thoughtfully thrust upon us. “Poof, I create you! Poof, you’re all flawed sinners! Poof, you can’t stop sinning, so you have to ask my forgiveness! Poof, ain’t nobody gets to hang with me but without worshipping Lil’ God first!”
It’s hard to wrap your head around because it’s all pretty freaking retarded, actually.
It’s worth pointing out that the Greeks called several of their gods “savior”, without specifying exactly who it was he/she was saving, and what they were saving them from. Exactly the same word ‘’ “SOTER” – was used by the early Christians in describing Jesus.
I’m not making the claim, by the way, that Jesus was stolen or derived from these earlier Savior Gods (as so many websites seem to do – I was looking for a cite, and that’s just about all I could find). I’m simply saying that “Savior” was a common descriptor and attribute used in the Graeco-Roman world for deities. It’s not surprising that the Christians used it, too.
The difference is that the Christians produced an elaborate and detailed explanation of why Jesus was a SAvior, and what he was saving mankind from, and how. I get the impression that the Greek and other gods were called “Savior” simply because you could call upon them in times of stress and need with the hope that they would pull you out of the mess you were in.
Back in the day, it didn’t take long before a “Jesus Saves” sign got the words “Green Stamps” added to it.
Jesus saves! He shops at Kroger.
Indian: If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?
Priest: No, not if you did not know.
Indian: Then why did you tell me?–Ann Dillard
Think of how many Christians would save, if they could just keep their mouth shut. But nooooooooooo :smack: 
I heard a radiovangelist not too long ago firmly state that people in Africa (or wherever) who had never heard the Word of the Lord were still going to hell…because if they really desired him, they would somehow seek out the truth.
Some never miss a good opportunity to just shut up.
Sometimes I think that Christians earn points for every non-Christian they convert.
Yes, this.
Here’s a previous topic that goes into some more detail on this concept with some actual citations.
And thanks everyone for not letting this devolve into an argument over the truth or falsity of Christianity. This is what the SMDB is for - factual answers on some interesting ponderings. If it’s not clear, I consider the OP to be asking about what Christians and/or those Christians who put up that sign believe about what they are being saved from.