When Jesus "saves" us, who or what does he save us from?

I have heard a few atheists -- and rarely, one or two Christians -- say that Jesus saves us from the Father. While it doesn't surprise me to hear an atheist cast the Father in the role of the bad guy, when I hear a Christian follow suit then I must speak up. I'm aware I don't have any particular claim to be heard, so I would encourage people to review what Jesus himself said on this matter. If we look at Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, as he was on the brink of the events that would save us -- he was praying to the Father to spare him, but only if it were the Father's will. From the Father's answer to Jesus' prayer, we know clearly it is the Father's will to save us. 

For those who hold certain beliefs about the unity of Jesus and the Father, there's a shorter way to the same point: we know that Jesus and the Father are not at odds because we know that God and God's Word (Jesus) are not infighting amongst themselves.

It can help to touch base with Scripture on what we're saved from. Here is a short overview of Jesus' own words on the topic, as recorded in the four Biblical accounts of his life. These are not selected verses, but a word study based on times when words for save and salvation are used in the four gospels.* 

In this world: 

• We may be saved from untimely death or the fear of it (Matthew 8:25; Matthew 14:30, Mark 3:4, Mark 5:23, Luke 6:9, Luke 8:50, John 11:12)
• We may saved (healed) from certain worldly afflictions (Matthew 9:21, Mark 5:28, Mark 5:34, Mark 6:56, Mark 10:52, Luke 7:50, Luke 8:48, Luke 17:19, Luke 18:42)
• We may be saved from our enemies, from those who hate us (Luke 1:71)

In the eternal perspective: 

• We are saved from our own sins or sinfulness (Matthew 1:21, Matthew 19:25, Mark 10:26, Luke 1:77)
• We are saved from death (Matthew 10:22, Matthew 16:25, Matthew 24:13, Matthew 24:22, Mark 8:35, Mark 13:13, Mark 13:20, Luke 9:24, Luke 9:56, Luke 13:23, Luke 17:33, Luke 18:26, John 10:9)
• We are saved from the devil or powers of evil (Luke 8:12, Luke 8:36)
• We are saved from being lost (not home, not belonging, not safe) (Matthew 18:11, Luke 19:9-10)

Scripture's use of the words leaves us free to draw connections among these. For example, how different is it to be saved from our enemies and to be saved from the powers of evil, or from untimely death? How different is it to be saved from worldly afflictions -- especially disease -- and from untimely death? While there are clearly differences between being saved from untimely death and being saved from death altogether by resurrection, there is also some connection between the two. This quick list of what we're saved from still leaves us plenty of room to look more closely and expand our understanding.

What we do not have is anything that would lead us to say that Jesus saves us from the Father. Jesus does not give us precedent to say that we are saved from the Father. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John likewise do not give us precedent to say that we are saved from the Father. The old Reformer's note that we are saved from "sin, death, and the devil" is close to the mark, though I might add that we are saved "from being lost." On that view, we're not only saved away from bad things such as sin, death, and the devil, but into good things: fellowship with God, and a home where we are safe and where we belong. The reason that being saved into fellowship with God is a good thing is because God is not the bad guy, but the good guy, in the story of this world. 

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* For those wanting details of the word study, it's a trace of Strong's numbers G4982, G4991, and G4992 in the four gospels, scoping it to times when Jesus is doing the saving, and times where either the verse states what we're saved from or nearby context clarifies that.