Acts 4:11-12 (NIV)
“He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone’. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Peter had just declared to the whole Sanhedrin that it was through faith in the name of Jesus that the man standing with them, lame from birth, had been completely healed after more than forty years as a cripple. He had gone on to not only accuse the high priests and the whole Sanhedrin of orchestrating the murder of Jesus, but also had accused them of being grossly ineffective, since Jesus had risen from the dead on the third day.
Peter, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, went on to quote Psalm 118:22. Using that passage, He identified Jesus as the rejected stone, and the leaders of the Sanhedrin as the builders who had rejected Him. The problem was that, while the leaders had rejected Jesus, God had accepted Him, and had made Him into the cornerstone of the people of God, the cornerstone being placed first, and thus determining the orientation of the entire structure.
The teachers of the Jewish people taught that Salvation was accomplished through circumcision and obeying the law of Moses, both the Ten Commandments and the other 603 commands spread throughout the first five books of the Bible, the Torah. This, in effect, elevated Moses, making him into a savior through whom people could find God and live as one of His people.
But here was Peter boldly declaring to those firm believers in Moses, that it is Jesus, not Moses, who is the true Savior of all mankind. In fact, being the only begotten Son of God, and the one who not only died for the sins of all humanity, but who also rose from the dead on the third day to show that He had forever defeated both sin and death, Jesus is the ONLY Savior, and His is the only name through which salvation can be experienced and wonders can be performed.
Father, the world recognizes many saviors today. And there are even many people who are determined to act as their own savior through “living a good life” and doing nice things for others. But the truth then is still the truth today: Jesus and He alone is the Messiah, the Savior, the Lord of all. Therefore, there is still no other name or combination of names that can result in salvation. Thank You, Lord, for providing Jesus for us. Amen.
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