Jesus was the one and only

JESUS WAS THE ONE AND ONLY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Acts 4:12 12
Salvationis found in no one else, for there
is no other name under heavengiven to mankind by
which we must be saved."
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Unfolded Banner Of Salvation
Acts 4:12
R.A. Redford Neither is there salvation in any other, etc. The contrast between the position of
Christ's heralds thee and now. They pointed to one miracle just wrought; we point to the whole
succession of wonders along the line of Christian history. Already the Name of Jesus is "above
every name."
(1) A proclamation;
(2) a warning;
(3) an invitation.
I. A PROCLAMATION. "None other name."
1. The proclamation of witnesses. They knew the person, they saw the power, they were subjects
of the grace. The Name was a history, testified by those who published it. Others could take
knowledge that they had been with Jesus. So Christians still can speak of the Name as in their
own hearts and lives "above every name."
2. The proclamation of inspired teachers. The name misunderstood among Jews, because
salvation itself nothing to them, not spiritually regarded. The Name of the "Messiah" represented
the promise of atonement, spiritual deliverance. The apostles themselves taught of God,
otherwise would never have known the secrets of the Name. They proclaimed salvation
necessary to all, denouncing the self-righteousness of the Jews.
3. The proclamation of sincere philanthropists. "Under heaven given among men." The standard
set up at Jerusalem, but it meant conquest of the whole world. No name will bear this test but

Christ's. Other names, Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, have but a limited range, of sympathy -
divide the world, not unite it. The history of man is a progressive preparation of the race to
acknowledge a Name which shall be adapted for universal recognition and homage. A
missionary spirit the test of a true Church.
II. A WARNING. There are other names among men. Recall the chief dangers of our present
time. The builders at the temple of human progress are setting at naught the corner-stone. An
emasculated Christianity, robbed of its deepest adaptation to the wants of men; a mere bundle of
moral principles and examples. The pride of the human intellect set on the throne; in rationalistic
criticism; the dry bones of the Bible offered instead of the living reality; in socialistic theories
put in place, of spiritual change, which alone can produce the fruits of righteousness; in
sophistical arguments against the leading doctrines of the gospel; and pretended philanthropy,
which means nothing but trifling with the awful realities of sin, and undue exaltation of the
material above the spiritual interests of men. Other names in the Church. The priest hiding the
Savior; the ritual shutting out the truth; sectarianism dishonoring Christ; names of leaders and
teachers made into temptations to spiritual pride, and mere hero-worship substituted for simple-
minded obedience to Christ's commandments. Yet the Name above every name in fact, and must
be seen to be so. The Name of the coming Judge, who, though he find not faith on the earth, will
still destroy all that exalteth itself against him, "that God may be all in all."
III. AN INVITATION.
1. To acceptance of a free gift. "Given amongst men." Contrast between Christ's method of
helping men and that of the world's teachers.
2. To separation from a lost cause. The names of the world represent the old things which are
passing away. Come out and be separate. Name the Name of Christ in order to realize salvation.
Half-hearted religion no joy.
3. To anticipation of a final victory. As the Name we honor represents a life which went up from
the lowliest places on earth to the highest in heaven, so those who are called after the Name rise
to the throne to reign with Christ. Will you sell such a birthright for vain delight? Will you forfeit
such a prospect for lack of faith? - R.
Biblical Illustrator
Neither is there salvation in any other.
Acts 4:12
Salvation in none other
J. P. Lange, D. D.This is —
1. The substance of every apostolic announcement.
2. The experience of every pardoned sinner.
3. The strength of every courageous confession.
4. The foundation of all missionary preaching of the Church.
(J. P. Lange, D. D.)

Salvation in Christ alone
A. O. Smith, B. A.I. SALVATION is a subject of world-wide interest, for all need it.
1. The infant at birth needs salvation, and unless kindly hands "save" it, and minister to its
necessities, it must perish. Through Childhood the saving interposition of others is needed. Even
in manhood there is constant exposure to dangers, salvation from which is required. In age,
sickness, and sorrow, how great is the need of temporal succour and salvation!
2. The unhappy fall of our first parents has involved all their descendants in ruin. By it the
human race has been brought into imminent peril (Romans 3:10, 23; Ezekiel 18:4). Nor is the
danger of sinners the less real because they are ignorant of it, or affect to make light of it. See to
it that you neglect not so great salvation. To give prior consideration to any earthly
consideration, however pressing, is a terrible mistake.
II. SALVATION IN CHRIST.
1. With the general outlines of the plan of salvation in Christ we are all happily familiar. We
know how the Divine pity was extended to man in his fallen estate (Job 33:24). Christ undertook
our cause, and purchased our salvation by His death (Isaiah 53:5; Romans 5:6, 8; 1 Peter 2:24; 1
Peter 3:18). Now, since Christ was really God, His sufferings had an infinite value, and His life
might well be regarded as more than an equivalent for the life of guilty man; and since He was
perfectly man, it was both possible and proper for Him to take man's place, endure his
punishment, and procure his salvation, so that God can be, and is "just, and the justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).
2. The conditions on which this salvation is bestowed are also familiar, viz., repentance and faith
(Acts 20:21). Compliance with these conditions is necessary. Nor can you justly complain of
this. The seaman, provided with chart and compass, and instructions as to their use, who refuses
to follow his instructions, and perishes, has only himself to blame. The man who has taken
poison, and refuses the antidote, will have but scant pity.
3. And how much does the expression "salvation in Christ" include?(1) By it the mind is brought
in contact with the entire range of human history. We are led to think of the fall of our first
parents, the promise of a Deliverer in the seed of the woman, the types and shadows of the
patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations, the incarnation of the Messiah, His atoning death, His
triumphant resurrection and ascension, the mission of the Holy Spirit as His representative and
administrator until He shall come again, His high-priestly intercession and mediatorial reign, the
coming judgment of quick and dead.(2) Nor are thoughts connected with the salvation of the
individual less full of interest. Salvation in Christ comprehends the first dawn of conviction of
sin, the apprehension of the plan of salvation, the exercise of repentance and faith, the joy of
forgiveness, adoption, and renewal, a life of holiness and usefulness, with its vicissitudes, its
conflicts, and its triumphs, conquest of death, entrance into heaven, everlasting life in God's
presence, where there is fulness of joy, the light of perfect knowledge, the glow of perfect love,
the rapture of perfect felicity, and all this for ever.
4. This salvation, as it is needed by all, is adapted to all. Of all so-called faiths the gospel alone is
equally suited to all latitudes and Lives. Some religions can only flourish in certain countries,
just as some kinds of food are peculiar to certain climates; but this seed of the kingdom is like
corn — wherever man lives it will grow.

5. And this greatest of all blessings, while adapted to all, is intended for all. It is cause for
thankfulness that the chief blessings even of this world are not the exclusive property of the great
and wealthy. And salvation may be the portion of the poor as well as of the rich. Moreover, it
may be embraced by the illiterate as well as by the learned.
6. This salvation is in the name of Christ. Amongst the Jews a mystic virtue was supposed to be
attached to certain names (chap. Acts 19:14-16). And we rejoice to know that the name of Jesus
is still the most potent of charms, and is invested with glorious mystic and saving properties.
III. SALVATION IN CHRIST ALONE.
1. With regard to the salvation of the race, of no other being except Christ has it ever been
affirmed, "He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). Christ, however,
having redeemed all, claims the homage and the hearts of all (1 Timothy 4:10).
2. As to the salvation of the individual, this, too, is to be had in Christ alone.(1) We cannot save
ourselves. The poor sinner under conviction resolves, it may be, to "turn over a new leaf," but the
first thing he does is to make a blot at the top of the next page. But even supposing he could
succeed, what would it profit him while his former sins still cried for vengeance? For a sinner to
undertake to lead a moral life henceforward is merely like a bankrupt promising his creditors that
for the future he will always pay cash. Nor can we save ourselves by the merit of our penitence
and faith. Impenitence is a perpetuation and aggravation of sin; but penitence has in it no atoning
efficacy. And unbelief — the refusal to accept Christ — is a sin; but faith is not a meritorious act
which earns salvation.(2) And as we cannot save ourselves, so also no other human being can
save us. We would not undervalue the loving efforts of others for our salvation. Who can tell
how much those of us who are now saved owe to the examples, counsels, prayers, and faith of
pious parents and devoted friends? The conditions of salvation cannot be fulfilled by proxy.(3)
Nor can any human system save us.(a) Look at the various systems of heathenism. How
degrading and demoralising their teaching and tendency!(b) Sometimes an impious priesthood
has professed to dispense salvation by external religious rites and sacramental efficacy; but such
a claim is mere blasphemy.(c) Philosophy has often made proud pretensions as to the elevation
and salvation of mankind, but her actual performances have not been such as to warrant boasting.
Education and civilisation may do much for man; but with regard to his sorest need they are
helpless. The greatest benefits which it is in their power to bestow may be enjoyed, and enjoyed
to the full, by sinners whose end is everlasting destruction. In the great work of human
redemption Christ is absolutely alone (Isaiah 63:1-3; Isaiah 45:22; Matthew 1:21; Hebrews
7:25).
(A. O. Smith, B. A.)
Salvation by Christ alone
Theological Sketch-Book.I. WHAT IS IMPLIED. That there is salvation for us in Christ, we
appeal —
1. To the typical representations of Christ. There were a great variety of sacrifices under the law
which typified the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. To the positive declarations concerning Him. Nothing can be conceived more clear and strong
than the Scripture declarations of Christ's sufficiency to save. How forcibly has the prophet
marked the extent (Isaiah 45:22), the fulness (Isaiah 1:18), and the freeness (Isaiah 55:1, 2) of
His salvation!

3. To matter of fact. We can draw aside the veil of heaven, and point to some before the throne
of God who are such monuments of grace as leave no doubt respecting the sufficiency of Christ
to save any others whatsoever. Let us now turn our attention to —
II. WHAT IS EXPRESSED. It is of infinite importance to every one of us to know that, as there
is salvation for us in Christ, so "there is no salvation in any other."
1. There is not.(1) In whom else can we find the requisites of a Saviour? In whom can we find a
sufficiency, either of merit to justify, or of power to renew, a sinner? If we should apply to the
highest angel in heaven to give us of his merit, he would tell us that "he himself is only an
unprofitable servant; for that he does no more than is his duty to do" (Luke 17:10). If we should
intreat him to change our hearts, he would confess his utter inability to effect so great a work.
Shall we then look to ourselves? We are full of sin.(2) If there were any other Saviour, the most
eminent of God's servants would have had some intimation of it. Abraham (Romans 4:3-5);
David would probably have been acquainted with such an important fact in order to his own
salvation; but he sought refuge in none but Christ (Psalm 51:7). We might hope at least that some
information of this kind would have been given to the Apostle Paul (Philippians 3:9; 1
Corinthians 2:2).
2. There cannot be. We are warranted by the Scriptures to say that, consistently with His honour,
as the Moral Governor of the universe, man could not have been saved without a Mediator: nor
could any Mediator besides Jesus have been found to execute all that was necessary for our
salvation. But there is yet another ground on which we may deny that any other could save us,
namely, that if we were indebted to any other, either for righteousness or strength, we could not
join in the songs of the redeemed in heaven, but must separate from the heavenly choir
(Revelation 7:9, 10), and ascribe to ourselves, or to some other, the honour of our salvation. And
how would this comport with the dignity of Jehovah, who has determined "that no flesh should
glory in His presence"?Address —
1. The careless. Wherefore are men so indifferent about their spiritual concerns? Is it that they
are in no danger of perishing? Surely the very circumstance of Christ being sent down from
heaven to die for us is enough to alarm all our fears, and to convince us that, if the salvation
offered us could be procured by none but Him, the danger of those who are not interested in Him
must be inexpressibly great.
2. The self-righteous. It is difficult to convince those who are looking to Christ in part that they
are really renouncing Christ altogether.
3. The desponding. By nature and practice. Let none complain as though they were beyond the
reach of mercy: for there is nothing impossible with Jesus: "with Him there is mercy; with Him
is plenteous redemption; and He shall redeem Israel from all his sins" (Acts 3:16; Acts 4:10).
(Theological Sketch-Book.)
Salvation only from above
J. P. Newman, LL. D.In Germany there was a prison of exquisite beauty; its floors and walls
were highly polished; it was roofless, and the prisoner could look out upon the beautiful sky. A
prisoner was placed therein, and for a moment congratulated himself upon the polish and
splendour of his apartments; he could freely breathe the fresh air and see the stars that decked the
brow of night, or the sun that rose in glory; but after a time he observed that the walls were
gradually approaching him, softly as the fall of the dew from the hand of night; noiselessly, as by

the force of gravitation, those walls drew nearer, inch by inch, and as they came closer and closer
the cold sweat stood upon his brow, for he saw that those walls were soon to embrace him in the
arms of death. There was but one way of escape, and that was from above; a friendly hand might
possibly be put down, but there was no such friendly hand for him. That represents the condition
of humanity; the walls are approaching, there is but one way of escape, and the relief comes from
above. The Son of the Highest from His Father's throne is reaching down His hand of power into
our dungeon; our hope is to grasp it, or the walls of our dungeon will crush us to death. "There is
none other name given under heaven whereby we must be saved."
(J. P. Newman, LL. D.)
Salvation in Christ alone"You have been a good child to your parents," said the venerable
George
III. to his daughter, the Princess Amelia; "we have nothing for which to reproach you; but I need
not tell you that it is not of yourself alone that you can be saved, and that your acceptance with
God must depend on your faith and trust in the merits of the Redeemer." "I know it," replied the
dying princess, with gentle resignation, "and I could not wish for a better trust."
Christ the only Saviour"Believe a dying man," said Dr. Johnson in his last days to his physician.
"There is no salvation but in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God."
Christ the only Saviour found out too late
C. S. Robinson, D. D.It is not long since that a prominent business man, when closely pressed by
his pastor, who had lately come to the church, replied with a call force which was meant to put
an end to further pertinacity: "I am interested in all religious matters; I am always glad to see the
ministers when they call; but I have in the years past thought the subject over long and carefully,
and I have come to the decision deliberately that I have no personal need of Jesus Christ as a
Saviour in the sense you preach." Only two weeks from this interview, the same man was
suddenly prostrated with disease; the illness was of such a character as to forbid his conversing
with any one, and the interdict from speaking was continued until he was within an hour of
death. A solemn moment was that in which a question was put to him, intimating he might talk
now if he could — nothing would harm him. The last thing, and the only thing, he said was in a
melancholy and frightened whisper, "Who will carry me over the river?"
(C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
Christ the only SaviourA young French nobleman, a particular friend of Napoleon III., becoming
unaccountably gloomy in mind, and threatened with insanity, was urged by the Emperor to apply
for advice and treatment to the celebrated Dr. Forbes Winslow. He came to London, and the
great doctor, after careful questioning, discovered the character of his disease. He was tormented
with a thought — and the thought was "Eternity! where shall I spend it?" This haunted him day
and night. Dr. Winslow told him he could not help him. He had sought in the wrong quarter for
his cure. "Is there no hope, then!" exclaimed the nobleman in despair. "Yes; listen to me, and I
will tell you how I was helped and healed" said Dr. Winslow. "When I was younger I had your
complaint; and I tried every resource but the right one. At last I carried my case to the Lord Jesus
Christ in prayer, and He gave me health and peace. Go thou, and do likewise." The nobleman
was astonished, but he stayed while the doctor read to him the portions of Scripture that had been
blessed to himself, and after prayer, light and comfort came to him. The new medicine had cured
him.

The way of salvation
C. H. Spurgeon.Salvation is the total restoration of man from his fallen estate; and yet it is
something more, for God's salvation fixes our standing more secure than it was before we fell. It
first heals our wounds, removes our diseases, takes away our curse, puts our feet upon the rock
Christ Jesus, and baying thus done, at last it lifts our heads to be crowned with the King of
heaven. Some people, when they use the word "salvation," understand nothing more by it than
deliverance from hell and admittance into heaven. Now, that is not salvation: those two things
are the effects of salvation. We are redeemed from hell, and enter heaven because we have been
saved. Observe here —
I. A NEGATIVE FACT. "Neither is there salvation in any other."
1. Did you ever notice the intolerance of God's religion? In olden times the heathen respected the
gods of their neighbours: but Jehovah put this as one of His first commandments, "Thou shelf
have none other gods besides Me." The Christian religion is just as intolerant. The Brahmin may
admit that there is salvation in fifty religions besides his own; but we admit no such thing. There
is no true salvation out of Jesus.
2. What is the reason of this intolerance?(1) Because there is the truth with the Jew and the
Christian. A thousand errors may live in peace with one another, but truth is the hammer that
breaks them in pieces. A hundred lying religions may sleep peaceably in one bed, but wherever
the Christian religion goes as the truth, it is like a fire-brand. Truth cannot afford to be yoked
with error- it gives to error its due, declaring that it hath no salvation.(2) Because we have here
the sanction of God. It would be improper in any man who had invented a creed of his own to
state that all others must be damned who do not believe it; but since this religion is revealed from
heaven, God, who is the author of all truth, hath a right to append to this truth the dreadful
condition. We are not really intolerant, for we are but echoing the words of Him that speaketh
from heaven, that there is no salvation out of Him.
3. Now persons say, "Do you imagine, then, that none are saved apart from Christ? "I reply, I
don't imagine it, but I have it here in my text. "Well, but how is it concerning the death of
infants? Are they saved? and if so, how?" I answer, Saved they are beyond a doubt; but not apart
from the death of Christ. Another says, "But how about the heathen?" Holy Scripture saith but
very little concerning them; but there are texts which lead us to believe that there are some who,
led by God's Spirit, are seeking after Him; and it may be that the God of infinite mercy is pleased
to make to them revelations, so that they may be made partakers of the blood of Jesus Christ,
without having such an open vision as we have received. But this much is certain: no heathen,
however moral — whether in the days of their old philosophy, or in the present time of their
barbarism — ever did or ever could enter the kingdom of heaven apart from the name of Jesus
Christ.
4. But it is a great deal better not to talk upon speculative matters, but to come home personally
to ourselves. And let me now ask you this question, have you ever proved by experience the truth
of this great negative fact? Once I thought there was salvation in good works, and I laboured
hard to preserve a character for integrity and uprightness; but when the Spirit of God came into
my heart, "sin revived and I died"; wherein I thought I had been holy I found myself to be
unholy. After that I thought, surely salvation might be obtained, partly by reformation, and partly
by trusting in Christ; so I laboured hard again. But after fagging on for many a weary day, like a
poor blind horse toiling round the mill, I found I had got no farther, for "Cursed is every one that

continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them." Perhaps I have in
my presence some who are trying to gain salvation by ceremonies. You have been baptized; you
take the Lord's Supper; you attend church; and if you knew any other ceremonies you would
attend to them. As well might you labour to build your house with water, as to build salvation
with such poor things as these. These are good enough for you when you are saved, but if you
seek salvation in them, they shall be to your soul as wells without water, clouds without rain, and
withered trees, twice dead, plucked up by the roots.
II. A POSITIVE FACT, viz., that there is salvation in Jesus Christ. Thou hast long been trying to
find the road to heaven, and thou hast missed it. Guilt, like a heavy burden, is on thy back, and
thou darest not yet cry for pardon. Satan whispers, "It is all over with thee; there is no mercy for
such as thou art: Christ is able to save many, but not thee." Poor soul! Come to the Cross of
Christ, and thou shalt there see something which shall remove thine unbelief.
1. Come now with thy defilement, and look at Christ's purity; and as thou lookest at that purity,
like the lily, and thou seest the crimson of His blood overflowing it, let this whisper be heard in
thine ear — He is able to save thee, sinner, inasmuch as though He was "tempted in all points
like as we are," yet He was "without sin"; therefore the merit of His blood must be great. Oh,
may God help thee to believe on Him!
2. But this is not the grand thing which should recommend Him to thee. Remember, He who died
upon the Cross was no less than the everlasting Son of God. If He were a mere man, a Socinian's
or an Arian's Christ, I would not bid thee trust Him; but since He is none other than God Himself
incarnate in human flesh, I beseech thee cast thyself upon Him: "He is able, He is willing, doubt
no more." "He is able to save unto the uttermost them that come unto God by Him."
3. Recollect again, as a further consolation for your faith, that God the Father has accepted the
sacrifice of Christ. It is the Father's anger that you have the most cause to dread. Now, Jesus was
punished in the stead of every sinner who hath repented, and God the Father hath accepted Christ
in the stead of sinners. Ought not this to lead you to accept Him? If the Judge -has accepted the
sacrifice, sure you may accept it too; and if He be satisfied, sure you may be content also. If the
creditor has written a full and free discharge, you, the poor debtor, may rejoice and believe that
that discharge is satisfactory to you, because it is satisfactory to God. But do you ask me how I
know that God has accepted Christ's atonement? I remind you that Christ rose again from the
dead.
4. Another argument is this — many have been saved who were as vile as thou art, and therefore
there is salvation. The chief of sinners was saved years ago; that was the Apostle Paul: but even
if thou should exceed him, still that word" uttermost" goes a little beyond you. I could turn to
you myself, and tell you that surely there must be salvation in Christ for you, since I have found
salvation in Christ for myself. Often have I said, I will never doubt the salvation of any one, so
long as I can but know that Christ has accepted me.
5. To quicken thy diligence, however, I will conclude by noting that if you do not find salvation
in Christ, remember you will never find it elsewhere. What a dreadful thing it will be for you if
you should lose the salvation provided by Christ! For "how shall you escape if you neglect so
great salvation?"
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
One only way of salvation

R. Wardlaw, D. D.I. OTHER WAY OF SALVATION THERE CANNOT BE, FOR THAT ONE
WAY IS GOD'S WAY; its divinity necessitates its exclusiveness. It is clear, that when man fell,
he lay at the mercy of his Sovereign. To Him alone it pertained to determine these two points-
whether the offender should have means of salvation at all; and then, what those means should
be. If, in the exercise of the mercy in which He delights, Jehovah determined on man's salvation,
and appointed and revealed the way, how can the conclusion be resisted that that way is the only
way? The name by which we are to be saved must he "given"; i.e., it must have Divine
appointment. If "Jesus" be the name "given," then must it be the only name that can furnish any
valid and satisfactory plea at the throne of the eternal God? If men could have been saved in
ways of their own, God would not have devised one of His; and the very fact of His having done
so is sufficient to show that men cannot be saved in ways of their own. It is related of Alphonsus,
of Castile, that on having the Ptolemaic system of astronomy explained to him, he jeeringly said,
that had he lived at the time, to give the Almighty counsel, he could have instructed Him to make
a universe better. We now know that the scoff of presumptuous profanity was founded in sheer
ignorance. And so it is in every one who fancies that he can dictate to God the way to save him.
Men calling themselves philosophers have speculated whether God could have saved men in any
other way than that which Christianity reveals, so as to forget the necessity of an interest in the
way which He has accomplished. The question with us should be, what God actually has done,
and if you admit that God has done what was best, you admit that He has done what alone He
could do without ceasing to be God.
II. WE ARGUE THE SAME THING FROM THE DIVINITY OF THE EXECUTOR of the
plan; that is, from the person of the Redeemer. He is "God manifest in the flesh." Now if this is
true, then that there can be no other Saviour must of necessity be as true. Either such a Mediator
and such means of salvation were necessary, or they were not. If they were not, God could never
have had recourse to them, for He is infinitely wise, doing nothing in vain, never using great
means for little ends; and if they were, then all others must have been not only inadequate, but
infinitely inadequate. The Mediator between God and man must either have been created or
Divine. Then if a creature were sufficient, no matter how exalted, a Divine Mediator was
infinitely above the exigency of the case; and if, on the contrary, a Divine Mediator was
requisite, then was a created infinitely beneath the exigency of the case. We might base our
argument, with equal conclusiveness, on the wisdom or the goodness or the justice of God. Take,
in connection with the Divinity of the Saviour's Person, the sufferings which He endured. Then,
if all this was not necessary, the adoption of such a plan was at variance with the Divine justice
and goodness.
III. We argue exclusiveness, on the ground that THE PLAN REVEALED IS THE ONLY ONE
THAT BEARS TO BE TESTED BY THE PRINCIPLE OF ADAPTATION TO WHAT THE
EXISTING CASE REQUIRES. This principle of adaptation is largely appealed to, as exhibiting
the evidence of Divine perfection in the works of creation. This principle is as applicable in the
moral world.
1. The gospel plan of salvation is in the essential and elementary principle of it, as well as in its
provisions, adapted to the circumstances of man as the party to be saved. As guilty and
condemned, he needed pardon and justification; and these are provided for by the mediatorial
propitiatory obedience unto death of the divinely constituted and Divine Saviour. As depraved
and sinful, he needed renewal in the spirit of his mind, sanctification; and this is provided for
him by the work of the Holy Spirit in association with the work of Christ.

2. It is the only scheme adapted to the character of Him who saves. There is no salvation in any
other, because He is the only Saviour by whom, and His the only name by which, in saving the
lost, the glory of God is in every point secured.
IV. The last ground on which we rest the exclusiveness of the gospel method of salvation is THE
COMPLETENESS OF THE SALVATION ITSELF. It is a salvation worthy in all respects of
God, and fully meeting the wants of man. It is a salvation from guilt, sin, suffering, death, hell, to
a state of pardon and acceptance and favour, to the exercise of holy principles and holy
affections, to life, to happiness, to usefulness, to heaven, and all for eternity. All God's works are
perfect, and this not less than others.
(R. Wardlaw, D. D.)
Jesus the only Saviour
J. Begg, D. D.This passage is remarkable as forming part of a sermon by Peter — who thrice
denied this very Jesus — and as having been first delivered in the hearing of the judges and
murderers of Jesus. When Jesus stood before their tribunal, He told them that "hereafter they
would see the Son of Man standing on the right hand of power," and when the sacred writer
speaks of His second coming, he says, "Every eye shall see Him, and they also that pierced
Him." Now, it must have been a foretaste of this fearful truth when His apostles stood in their
presence. In illustrating this subject, let us —
I. REMOVE AN OBJECTION. A difficulty arises in the minds of some, as if the doctrine
savoured of intolerance. They rest satisfied with the general idea that Christianity is true and
important, but do not feel that it is the only Divine religion. Now these views are precisely those
of the ancient heathens, who would have allowed an image for Jesus as one amongst many idols.
What they found fault with was the universal demand that every idol should be destroyed, and
that Jesus alone should be regarded as the object of worship and the author of salvation. But this
is evidently the very spirit of Christianity. No blood can cleanse sin but that which was shed on
Calvary; no power can open the gate of heaven but that of Him who "hath the key of David,
opening so that no man can shut, and shutting so that no man can open"; no power can overcome
the "strong man armed," but the power of Him who binds Satan in chains and bruiseth him under
the feet of His people. If men would only meditate on the solemn truth, that "God spared not His
only-begotten Son," who "died the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God," he would
see that it is blasphemy to imagine that the salvation of man can be secured in any other way. For
if so, God would have spared His only-begotten Son. Nor is there any ground for imagining that
the doctrine of the text is at all inconsistent with just views of the benevolence of God. Suppose a
body of men cast ashore on a desert island, smitten with disease, and famishing, and that in such
circumstances one solitary ship was descried making towards the island, loaded with bread, but
carrying an infallible physician, who offered to supply and heal the diseases of the people and to
carry them to a land where they should hunger no more, and where there should be no more
death — what would you think of the perishing men if they objected to all this because there was
only one ship by which to escape, only one physician, only one supply of bread — because
vessels had not been sent to all sides of the island, and bread of various kinds, and physicians of
various qualities? Would you not think them insane and deeply ungrateful? Now this is the very
case before us, only not nearly so strong. And what are we to think of such as object solely on
the ground that God has not sent many deliverers instead of one; and instead of hailing the
glorious offer, stand by callous and indifferent, and imagine that somehow or other they will
escape, although death and famine are raging around.

II. EXPLAIN THE TRUTH.
I. We are said here to be saved by the "name" of Christ. This is a mode of expression sometimes
used in Scripture; as, e.g., "The name of the Lord is a strong tower"; where by the name of the
Lord is meant God Himself. We speak of the "greatest names" of antiquity, and of men filling
the world with the "terror of their names," when in both cases we mean not the names but the
persons. And so we are saved by Christ Himself, although in Scripture we are said to trust in His
name. "In His name shall the Gentiles trust."
2. The form of expression, also, in the first part of the verse, is peculiar. The apostle does not
represent Christ as giving salvation as a thing disconnected from Himself, but as a thing existing
in Him, as a great treasure-house of spiritual blessings in Christ, from whom all the members
united to Him by faith derive strength, nourishment, and salvation. The general doctrine here is,
that Christ is the only Redeemer as He was the only Creator; and that He only is able to create us
again, as He was to make us at first. The special doctrine is, that this fulness of mediatorial
power is laid up in Christ as the Head of His Church, and that it descends from Him upon all His
members, like the holy anointing oil from the head of Aaron, which flowed down to the skirts of
his garments. The general truth is, that Christ alone hath removed the curse of the law and
silenced the accuser of the brethren. He hath died, the just for the unjust, that He may bring us to
God, and is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. The special truth is
that it hath pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell, and that we become partakers
of all the blessings which He hath purchased only when by faith we become branches of the true
vine, living stones in the spiritual building of which Christ is the chief corner-stone. And these
blessings are in no other. The merits of saints only exist in the imaginations of blinded idolaters;
for every saint is by nature a child of wrath, even as others. If we desire blessings we must go to
the Master of the house direct, for none of the servants can supply our wants.
III. SHOW THE CONCURRENCE OF SCRIPTURE IN THIS TRUTH. The whole stream of
revelation from the beginning points to Jesus and His finished work. The law which was given
by Moses pointed to that grace and truth which were to come by Jesus Christ. The prophets
prophesied beforehand His coming and sufferings. The angels of heaven filled the air with
melody at His birth, and announced that the great Deliverer had at length arrived. The Spirit of
God descended like a dove, and rested on His head, and a voice from heaven said, "This is My
beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him." John, who baptized Him, said, "Behold
the Lamb of God," etc. Old Simeon said, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace,"
etc. Philip said to Nathanael, "We have found," etc. And what was the uniform doctrine of the
apostles? "Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." And
the song of heaven is full of Christ's atonement.
(J. Begg, D. D.)
Salvation exclusive but comprehensive
Canon Liddon.I. THE NATURE OF THIS SALVATION. St. Peter might well have meant —
1. Salvation from physical discomfort and pain. The circumstance was the healing of the cripple
which the judges thought was effected by magic, but which the apostles ascribed to the name of
Jesus, who had simply employed them. Pain and discomfort, although they may be transfigured
by resignation, may yet crush out heart and hope, and our business in imitating God is to cure it
if we can. Our Lord did by His apostles what He still does by generous hearts. The inspiring
force of our hospital system is the grace and charity of Christ.

2. National salvation. This was the point of the reference to Psalm 118. Christ's way of delivering
the nation was by becoming the corner-stone of its hope. For Israel was the real cripple. As a
political body the Roman power had broken it. Still more was it crippled morally. The devotion
of prophets and psalmist had died away, and in its place were Pharisees, Sadducees, and
Herodians. The old heart had been eaten out. What Israel wanted was new life, and its only
Saviour was He who had healed the cripple.
3. Spiritual salvation. This was implied by the national, and the spiritual salvation of the nation
implied that of the majority of its members. A nation is but an aggregate of individuals seen as
such by God. To save men they must be taken one by one. Did not the Redeemer, who gave
Himself a ransom for all, love me and give Himself for me? Does not the Spirit, by whom the
whole Church is governed and sanctified, dwell in each separate soul? Does not a mother deal
with her children personally? So Christ dealt with Peter, Thomas, Mary Magdalene, as if there
were no other souls in existence.
II. SALVATION IN THIS SENSE IS NO MONOPOLY OF ISRAEL. What was Israel that she
should claim the sole monopoly of the saving name? The final absolute religion could not but be
universal. The question of the Gentiles had not been raised, but there was behind the apostles the
broad commission. The old infection of nature still remains in the world. Who mill save it? Now,
as eighteen centuries ago, Jesus washes out the stains of a guilty past, and gives new desires,
aims, hopes, enthusiasms, and renews by His eternal Spirit what His enemies have destroyed.
III. SALVATION WAS EXCLUSIVELY CONFINED TO THE POWER OF THE LORD
JESUS. Christ was not one among many possible saviours; He was the only Saviour. And the
ground of Peter's con. fidence was that he had not a human speculation or theory, but, as he
firmly believed, the final, absolute, one truth. Error may pay its insincere and splendid
compliments to that which contradicts it. Truth can only firmly, tenderly, unvaryingly say, "It is I
who save; neither is there salvation in any other." "No man cometh to the Father but by Me." The
apostles speak as men who had found the secret of life, hope, happiness, salvation, and their
highest ambition was that others might share their privilege.
1. When we affirm that there is salvation in none other than Jesus, we do not deny that other
religions than Christianity have in them certain elements of truth. They would not exist if they
had not. The element of truth in them enables them to resist dissolution. But they cannot save.
2. When we affirm that Christ alone can save men, we do not deny that other agencies can
improve mankind. Education, etc.
3. But such influences as these are bounded by the horizon of time; they have no effects in the
great hereafter. They are not opponents nor rivals; they move in a different sphere.
4. There can be no doubt that this conviction was in the first ages of Christianity, and has been
since a great motive power in urging devoted men to spread the religion of their Master.
(Canon Liddon.)
Christ our only home
C. H. Spurgeon.On a huge cross by the side of an Italian highway hung a hideous caricature of
the Beloved of our souls, who poured out His life for our redemption. Out of reverence to the
living Christ we turned aside, disgusted, from the revolting image, but not until we had espied
the words SPES UNICA, in capitals ever its head. Here was truth emblazoned on an idol. Yes,

indeed, Jesus, our now exalted, but once crucified Lord, is the sole and only hope of man.
Assuredly, O Lord Jesus, Thou art spes unica to our soul.
"Other refuge have we none,
Hangs our helpless soul on Thee."We found this diamond in the mire of superstition: does it
sparkle any the less?
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
None other nameA few persons were collected round a blind man, who had taken his station on a
bridge in the City Road, and was reading from an embossed Bible. Receiving from the passers-
by of their carnal things, he was ministering to them spiritual things. A gentleman on his way
home from the City was led by curiosity to the outskirts of the crowd. Just then the poor man,
who was reading from Acts 4., lost his place, and, while trying to find it with his fingers, kept
repeating the last clause he had read, "None other name, — None other name, — None..." Some
of the people smiled at the blind man's embarrassment, but the gentleman went on his way
musing. He had lately become convinced that he was a sinner, and had been trying in many ways
to obtain peace of mind. But religious exercises, good resolutions, altered habits, all were
ineffectual to relieve his conscience of its load, and enable him to rejoice in God. The words he
had heard from the blind man, however, rang their solemn music to his soul — "None other
name." When he reached his home and retired to rest, the words, like evening chimes from
village towers nestling among the trees, were still heard — "None other name — None other
name." And when he awoke, in more joyful measure, like matin bell saluting the morn, the strain
continued, "None other name — None other name." The music entered his soul, and he awoke to
new life. "I see it all; I see it all! I have been trying to be saved by my own works — my
repentance, my prayers, my reformation. I see my mistake. It is Jesus who alone can save me. To
Him I will look. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name — none
other name — none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved."
The power of the name of Jesus
W. Baxendale.A brave cavalry officer was dying of his wounds. He thought himself on the field,
at the head of his gallant men, and fancied that a heavy gun was just in front of them ready to be
fired. His distress was great. At length he thought the gun had been fired, and his men, badly cut
up, were retreating. Here I interposed, saying, "There is no gun there; you are safe among
friends." "Let me alone," he sternly replied; "I must recover my command and renew the attack."
"No," said I, "let us not think of battle scenes. You are soon to die. Let us talk of Jesus." The
mention of that name seemed to exert the powerful influence I had often heard ascribed to it. His
agitation ceased at once; his delirium passed away; a smile lit up his pallid features. After a
moment's silence, he said in a low tone, "Jesus, Jesus! It is He who said, 'Come unto Me,' etc. I
want rest, I am weary." Soon after he entered the glorious rest of heaven.
(W. Baxendale.)
The one saving name
A. B. Livermore.The text declares that Christ's is the only saving name on earth. Other terms are
used elsewhere to indicate the paramount value of His religion over all other instrumentalities for
man's well-being in this world and in that to come. But, either from an inadequate idea of moral
evil, or from a failure to see the perfect fitness of God's remedy for it, this truth is yet widely
unfelt or denied. Men resort elsewhere, and apply to this or that pretender, instead of the only

infallible Physician. With some insufficient and temporary expedient, they patch up evils which
the miraculous touch of the Son of God is requisite to cure. Lanterns and lamps are of no little
use, but he would not be accounted wise who should propose to substitute them for the sun. Let
us consider some of the substitutes which have been proposed by some men for the great
instrument of man's highest good.
I. LIBERTY — the goddess, as Mammon is the god, of the present civilisation. Summoned upon
the theatre of Europe by the fearless voice of Luther, breaking forth in the tremendous throes of
successive French revolutions, and winning her more complete triumph in the New World,
liberty is one of the strongest passions of modern history. And no wonder. When you have
entered the house of human bondage, and remembered its dreadful secrets, no wonder your blood
boils. The Bastiles of tyranny have fallen before this potent indignation. Let them fall. All
honour is due to those who have lifted the yoke from the neck of humanity, and said to myriads,
"Ye are men, go free." But then we need only glance at the condition of the freest nations to see
that Liberty can be no substitute for the gospel. Under her dominion men may know their rights,
but they need another master to teach them their duties. Liberty must take law into her
partnership, or she is but another name for license. And when the general relations of society are
equitably adjusted, and justice done between man and man, what a wide empire of character is
beyond her reach! National liberty, glorious boon as it is, is external. But the liberty wherewith
Christ makes His people free is carried into the inmost recesses of the mind. Where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is liberty — Liberty from anger and malice and lust and drunkenness, and the
whole legion of evil spirits wherewith society is possessed.
II. MODERN CIVILISATION. The crying demand for a spiritual regeneration is postponed for
external ease and luxury. When the sacred writer wished to describe the growing degeneracy of
the chosen people, he said, "Jeshurun [a term of endearment for Israel] waxed fat, and kicked."
That phrase describes the two great eras in a nation's growth: first, of prosperity; and secondly,
of insolent power, forgetting right. Thus modern civilisation has woven so thick a veil, that many
seem to be incapable or indisposed to see underneath the living texture of Divine laws, and our
accountableness to the will of the Supreme. Strange and deplorable result, if home become so
attractive that it should prove a rival to heaven! Sad mistake, if the charms of earthly friendship
and comfortable life should dull our sensibilities to our holy relationship to God and Christ! We
need to know that what is best and safest in this modern civilisation has flowed from
Christianity; but that, so far as it is disconnected from Christ, as its controlling principle and
sanctifying motive, it is base and soulless and dangerous; that there is hazard of entombing our
souls in this magnificent earthly good. The splendid gift of life was not bestowed that we might
dress in purple or fine linen, or fare sumptuously every day, or even that we might ride a mile a
minute, cross the ocean in ten days, or send a despatch round the globe in the twinkling of an
eye. He who rides a mile a minute ought to be using that grand conveyance on no fool's errand.
He who can cross the Atlantic in ten days should feel himself commissioned to do some great
and good work for man, when the Almighty has thus put in his hands the sceptre of the winds
and waves, and they obey him. He who can send swifter than the sun's flight messages from
clime to clime ought to charter the telegraph with some good tidings of good. Modern
civilisation is all good and safe, when kept down at the proper secondary mark; but if it arise, and
assume prouder titles, and the privilege of monopolising immortal capacities for mortal uses, the
watchmen must cry aloud, and spare not. For none can look abroad, and not see that the world,
so called, has got a fearful hold of men's minds. Everything, even virtue, is to be turned to profit.
What does not bring money is not, in general, thought to be worth anything. Then is there no fear

that we have another God than the Lord of heaven and earth, even Mammon, as the actual deity
of our worship! Tried by every rule, and weighed in every balance, modern civilisation, as such,
is found wanting. Ill can it suffice for its own temporal needs, and keep itself out of fire and
water; how much less meet the great need of immortal man! Ill can it stand in the place of Christ
for the healing of the nations. Its god is gold, its aim is self; too many of its governments are
tyrannies; too many of its cities Sodoms; its highest honours are military butcheries; and its only
tolerable deserts are discoloured reflections from His glory who died on the Cross.
III. REFORMATION, PHILANTHROPY, A NEW ORGANISATION OF SOCIETY. The plea
is ingenious, because it has some truth to give it countenance, that, notwithstanding Christianity
has existed so many centuries, the dreadful evils of society have gone unreformed. True, but it is
because it has been corrupted, both under Greek, Catholic, and Protestant forms. But there it is,
in the life of Christ, in the books of the New Testament, and it will never suffer man to give sleep
to his eyes until it has made all things new. It is said, also, by the reformer, that though men
make institutions, institutions, in turn make men. For example, that you may preach heavenly-
mindedness, but how can you expect any considerable amount of spirituality in the brutal camp,
or in the damp, cold cellars of city pauperism? We confess we cannot. It becomes, accordingly, a
matter of the last consequence that the permanent institutions of society, and the customs of the
time, should all square with the Christian standard, Christ must sit as sole and final umpire upon
all the great questions that now agitate society. And in this just judgment, whatever Christ, by
His Word, rejects, we, who are His followers, must reject; and whatever He commands we must
do, let whoever will say nay. So much we yield to reformation. But what we protest against is,
simply, that moral reformation, or any new organisation of society, can take the place of the
religion of Christ. For, in the outset, how could these great moral movements start, unless there
were the heaven-derived and omnipotent influences of Christian ideas acting behind? This is the
ever-flowing river that sets in motion all the wheels and complicated machinery of practical
philanthropy. This is the exhaustless reservoir and lake that fills all the pipes, aqueducts, and
fountains, and quenches a city's thirst, and cleanses a city's impurity. Christ is the reformer's
wisdom and guidance and strength, and without Him he could do nothing. Then, again, grant that
you could by a possibility get the world all reformed, the timepiece wound up and running well,
properly more equalised, education and happiness universal. How long would the millennium
last without Christ? Self is still there, and passion is busy, and the old man will again come to
life though he has once been crucified with the lusts thereof; and then the world is as bad as it
was before, and you have all your work to do over again. No; Christ is the only Sovereign and
legitimate Reformer, as He is the Saviour of the individual soul, and those only who go forth in
His name and spirit are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.
IV. EDUCATION. We grant, indeed, that if the world is ever to be better and happier, it must be
in no slight measure by a better family and common school nurture. But education, like all other
great movements of benevolence, is powerless of good when disjoined from Christ. The culture
of the mind exclusively becomes a doubtful good, if moral training keep not an even pace with it.
Jesus, as the perfect representative of our spiritual nature, encourages the earliest moral training,
He called children to Him, and pronounced His blessing upon them. At one time He set a little
child in the midst, and bade His disciples be converted and become like little children, or they
could not enter His kingdom. And He left it in charge to His apostles, "Feed My lambs."
Education, then, in its higher forms, has the explicit encouragement of Him who knew what was
in man.

(A. B. Livermore.)
One saving name
S. Martin.We can destroy ourselves and each other, but we cannot save ourselves or each other.
There are some dangers and evils from which we can save both ourselves and our fellows, but
from the worst we can neither save ourselves nor others. All that in this case we can do for
ourselves is to look to a Saviour, and for others to direct them to a Redeemer. We are seldom
satisfied with what we have. Eve desired the forbidden fruit; and the Jews desired a Saviour
entirely different from Him to whom the prophets had given witness, and whom God had sent.
To this fact Peter calls attention, and then adds, "Neither is there salvation in any other," etc.
Note here —
I. SALVATION.
1. Ignorance with respect to the highest subjects is compared to darkness; to be called out of
darkness into marvellous light, is in part salvation.
2. Foolishness is ever attendant upon sinfulness. To receive wisdom from above, and to be made,
concerning the highest ends and the best means, truly wise, is in part salvation.
3. The imagination is a faculty ever busy for good or evil. Unless connected with knowledge and
wisdom, its fabrications are vain and wicked. To have all such imaginations cast down, is in part
salvation..
4. The heart of man is a tree bearing corrupt fruit, and a fountain pouring forth bitter water. To
have created within us a clean heart and a right spirit, is in part salvation.
5. The will of man was created to correspond to the will of God, as a wheel within a wheel, but it
has fallen from its place and revolves out of its sphere. Like the rudder of a ship, the will was
intended to keep men true to the glory of God while compassing the broad way of God's
commandments. But the helm is in the hands of pirates, and the vessel's prow is to the rock, or
the quicksand, or the iceberg. To be delivered from a rebellious and wayward will, and to be
made ready to do the will of God as an obedient child, is in part salvation.
6. Conscience is a faculty which many suppose can never become corrupt. But a man may do
evil when he acts conscientiously, for there are evil consciences. To have the conscience
cleansed and healed by the precious blood of Christ, and rectified by the Holy Ghost, is in part
salvation.
7. God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:27). As the painting or the statue to its subject,
as the mirror to the spectator, so was the first man, in the beginning, to his God. But the mirror is
broken, and the statue is defaced, and the painting is rent, and the child has fallen and is
disfigured and maimed. To have the mirror replaced, the picture renovated, the child healed, and
the Divine likeness restored, is in part salvation.
8. With a sinful nature we are born. To have our sinfulness crucified and its dominion destroyed,
is in part salvation.
9. The position of man was, in his first estate, righteous and filial. But we have fallen from our
position by sin, and are accounted guilty and ungodly. To be justified, is in part salvation.
10. There is an evil spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience. To be delivered from his
presence and power, is in part salvation.

11. There is evil in all human institutions and arrangements. God's world is good, but man's has
much evil. To be made to overcome the world, is in part salvation.
12. Death has crept over our human nature, spiritual death. To be morally and religiously
quickened, is in part salvation.
13. Punishment hangs over our guilty heads like a thunder-cloud pregnant with storm, and the
impending tempest murmurs in our present sorrows. The wages of sin is death, and all the evils
to which flesh and soul are heir are as instalments of the wages of sin. To have the firmament of
life cleared of these clouds by the forgiveness of sins, is in part salvation.
14. Such are the derangements of evil, that the forgiven and regenerated are exposed to affliction,
and it is appointed that they too should die. To be sustained in the hour of tribulation, to go down
into our grave and to rise again, shouting, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy
victory?" is in part salvation.
15. Paradise was lost by Adam, but paradise is regained by Jesus Christ. To enter that garden as
our own, and enjoy its innumerable delights, and to realise therein everlasting life, this is the
consummation of salvation. This salvation God promised at the beginning, this God has
provided, and this we offer you in the preaching of the gospel.
II. SALVATION IN A PERSON.
1. Deliverances are sometimes wrought by things. The shipwrecked one is saved by clinging to a
floating spar, the tenant of a house on fire by the trap-door in the roof. And deliverances are
effected by things employed by persons, as by a crew in a lifeboat, a fireman and the fire-escape,
a physician and his medicines. There are, moreover, persons whose profession is some work of
salvation, as the medical practitioner, the fireman, and the lifeboat crew.
2. The salvation of which we have been speaking is not in the Divine purpose, or in the Divine
fiat, or in anything, but in a living Saviour.
3. To be saved by a Saviour.(1) This shows our weakness, and in our weakness we see our
wretchedness. We are like one drowning, bound hand and foot. We are like one exposed to the
flames, and paralysed in every limb. We are like one poisoned, upon whom the sleep of death is
already creeping.(2) This arrangement removes all cause of boasting from the saved.(3) It places
the redeemed under special obligations. They are indebted to their Saviour as to none other.
Father, mother, husband, wife, have done nothing for us compared with Him who saves us.(4) It
renders the actual work of salvation a service of sympathy and love. Salvation comes not from a
mere power or force, but it is connected with intelligence, affection, and volition, and is therefore
not liable to failure.(5) it creates a new relation and connection. By our existence we become the
offspring of God. By our entrance into life we have parents of the flesh. And these and other
connections are natural. We have Creator, mother, father, perhaps brothers, sisters, in the
ordinary course of providence. But a Saviour is distinct from all other relations. Blessed is the
man who, looking toward one mighty to save, can say "My Saviour." A man may be an orphan
and friendless, but with a Saviour anything but desolate, while he who, in the midst of the largest
and most loving circle, has no Redeemer is not only a forlorn, but a lost man.
III. SALVATION IN A PERSON WHOSE NAME IS MADE KNOWN.
1. Six thousand years ago the Saviour of men was simply called the seed of the woman. Then He
was denominated the Shiloh, the Prophet, Wonderful, Root of Jesse, Righteous Branch, Jehovah

our Righteousness. And the angel who announced the conception said, "Thou shalt call His name
Jesus," etc.
2. Jesus is the name given among men as the name of the Saviour. To this Jesus give all the
prophets witness as the Christ of God. This Jesus was proclaimed Saviour by the angel Gabriel,
by another angel, and by a multitude of the heavenly host. This Jesus was introduced by one of
the greatest prophets the earth has ever known. The works He wrought bare witness of Him. The
heavens were thrice rent, and from the excellent glory a voice came, saying, "This is My beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased." Eclipse and earthquake saluted Him as the Saviour when He
died; resurrection revived His renown, and ascension established it for ever, "That at the name of
Jesus every knee shall bow." It is an interesting fact that the name Jesus occurs nearly seven
hundred times in the four Gospels, Christ alone some sixty times in the Gospels and in the Acts,
Jesus Christ but five times in the Gospels, and Christ Jesus not once in those books. We may
regard Jesus as therefore the name given among men.
3. Joshua, to which name Jesus corresponds, is composed of a portion of the name Jehovah, and
of a word which signifies salvation. So that the etymon would signify the Lord's salvation, or
Lord of salvation. This name was given to the Son of Man, to a Bethshemite in the time of
Samuel, to a governor among the cities of Judah in the days of Josiah, and to a high priest in the
days of Haggai. The name, though in use, was not common, and it was given the Son of Mary
with a special signification.
4. But who is this Jesus? He is God manifest in flesh. He has all the attributes and properties of
God, but while on earth He "made Himself of no reputation," etc. He has all the attributes and
properties of humanity, but without sin. In Him is all that is requisite for complete redemption.
God has given this name — in writing to be read, by preaching to be heard; given it Himself that
it may never be forgotten, and that it may be above every name; given it among men, that men
may read and hear it, learn and repeat it, incorporate it with their prayers and their songs, and
that it may become as familiar in their mouths as any household word.
IV. Salvation limited to this person.
1. There have been other names under heaven given among men. The Pharisees gave the name of
Abraham, and said, "We have Abraham for our father," and the name of Moses, saying, "We are
Moses' disciples." The false prophet of the sixth century gave his own name. The Church of
Rome gives the name of the Holy Catholic Church, the names of angels, saints and martyrs, and
above all, the name of Mary. But Abraham was the ancestor of the Saviour, not the Saviour;
Moses was a prophet of the Saviour, not the Saviour; Mahomet was self-deceived and a deceiver;
the Church is composed of the saved, not of saviours; the angels minister to the heirs of
salvation, they cannot save them; and Mary is indebted for her own salvation to her own son
Jesus.
2. But not only have other names been put forward, but things have been presented as saviours.
Thus, sacraments are given among men as means of salvation, and men-made creeds, and
membership with particular churches, and good works. But these are given among men by men,
and not by God.
3. It would be interesting to inquire into the causes of other names and things being put forward.
Perhaps the chief cause is pride. We shrink from the practical acknowledgment of entire and
absolute dependence upon the grace of God for our redemption; we despise the simplicity of

faith, or we are not prepared to follow after holiness. But, however, this may be, "neither is there
salvation in any other."
4. There is much mystery surrounding this name, the mystery of the holy incarnation, of the
union of the Divine and human natures, of oneness with the Father, co-existing with subjection
to the Father, of the temptation and agony, and of the "Eloi, Eloi," of the grave, and resurrection
and ascension; but we cannot afford to neglect the name Jesus because of the mystery which
surrounds it, because "neither is there salvation in any other."
5. There are differences of opinion concerning Him who bears this. name Jesus. Some deny His
Deity, others His true humanity. Some refuse to recognise Him as victim and priest, and do Him
homage only as a teacher; others leave Him in the sepulchre among all the mighty dead. The
unbelieving Jew still accounts Him an impostor, the believing Gentile crowns Him Lord of all.
But amidst this diversity of opinion we may not say, "I suspend my judgment." We must on this
subject make up our minds. Nor can we hold error without fearful peril, for "neither is there
salvation in any other."
6. Many who say they are saved by Christ show no signs of redemption. As we look at them we
say, "Saved from what?" If they be saved, what must they have been before? There are men who
boast that they are saved, who are such children of the devil, that many have said, "If this be
salvation, may Heaven keep it far from me!" But what then? Although many who say they are
saved exhibit no signs of salvation — yea, more, although but few be saved — yea, more, if as
yet not one soul has been saved, my text abides true, "Neither is there salvation in any other."
7. Many men think their own cases too singular to be saved by Christ Jesus. One man is
sceptical, and his doubtings are, in his judgment, of the most extraordinary character. There have
been sceptics many, but none like himself. A second was once an atheist or a deist, and in the
denial of religious truth proceeded farther than he can conceive it possible for an infidel to go. A
third has been a blasphemer. A fourth has been a licentious profligate. A fifth has been more
cruel than a beast of prey. A sixth once wore the form of godliness while destitute of the power.
A seventh once heard the Word with joy, but endured only for a while; tribulation arose and he
was offended. The eighth has been a bitter persecutor. Now, each of these say, Jesus may save
others, but He cannot save me. But whatever eminence a man may have in that which is sinful, if
he be saved at all, he must be saved by the Redeemer of the least of sinners. There is one sun to
rule our day, one moon to rule our night, one atmosphere round our globe in which to breathe
and move, and not another. "Neither is there salvation in any other."Conclusion:
1. And are there any persons here who believe not on Jesus? If there be, who can they be? Surely
not the children of believing parents? Not those who are now, or who have been, in our Christian
schools? Not the possessors of a New Testament? Not those who regularly or even occasionally
hear the gospel? Not such as know this name Jesus? Or is it so, that the unbelievers here consist
of these very classes? Not believe! Why do you not believe? This name, by faith in this name,
saves. The ignorant by faith come to this Jesus as a teacher; the unwise by faith come to this
Jesus as wisdom's fountain; the foolish builders by faith come to earth's Creator; the impure by
faith come to this Jesus, as to a fountain opened for sin and all uncleanness; the conscience-
wounded creature comes by faith to this physician of souls, that He may make him whole; the
fallen come by faith to this Jesus, mighty to save, that He may lift them up; and if you believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ you will be saved.

2. My brothers, believe. Do I hear you say, "Go thy way for this time"? For this time! Why for
this time? Ah, I know why — that you may drink more freely of this world's pleasures.
3. Believers in this name, do your utmost to make it known. When you see it, does it not sparkle
beneath your eye as the gem of gems? When you hear it, does it not sound as heaven's sweetest
music in your ear? and in your heart of hearts, do you not feel it to be the power of God to your
salvation? Then do your best to sustain the men by whom, and to uphold the places in which, this
name of names is preached.
(S. Martin.)
Only one way inStanding opposite Fort William, a missionary heard the Mussulmans and
Chinamen saying, "There are very many gates into Fort William — there is an hospital gate, a
water, gate, and others. Now, Sahib, it is just the same in regard to heaven. Chinamen get in at
one gate, Mussulmans in at another, and Hindoos in at another!" "Yes," the missionary said, "that
is true; but there is a sentinel at every gate, and every sentinel has the same watchword, and you
cannot get into it without that watchword." There is none other name under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved, but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."
Christianity the only reformatory force
J. P. Newman, LL. D.1. Four great facts confront us at every turn.
(1)There is that in the world which men have consented to call vice.
(2)There is that in the world which men have consented to call virtue.
(3)This vice and virtue has its residence not in the human physique or intellect, but in that which
you and I have consented to call character.
(4)The power to suppress vice and to develop virtue is not in man nor of man, but from God.
2. These are four facts, confirmed by the whole race, that stand to-night unchallenged. And we
stand here to advocate the great thought in the text that the only power whereby vice can be
suppressed and virtue developed is the power of Christianity, manifested through a personal
Christ, resident in the human heart.
I. THE LIBERALISM OF TO-DAY is opposed to such a thought, and POINTS US TO OTHER
SOURCES OF REFORMATORY POWER.
1. Our attention is directed to China, where a name is held as sacred as the name of Christ by us.
Once a year the Emperor, surrounded by his court, enters a temple, and exclaims: "Confucius,
Confucius, how great is Confucius; before Confucius there was no Confucius, and since
Confucius there has been no Confucius; Confucius, Confucius, how great is Confucius!" Now
what was the radical conception of humanity by Confucius? It was that humanity is radically
good, that it is capable of the highest form of virtue, independent of any external force; hence he
gives to his countrymen the five relations. The great reformatory force of Confucius was
subordination; the obedience of the wife to the husband; of the child to the parent; of the
youngest brother to the eldest brother; of the youngest friend to the oldest friend; and of the
subject to the Emperor. Let us honour Confucius for the moral principles he gave his
countrymen; but those principles have been tested under the most favourable circumstances, and
what are the results? Go all through the Chinese Empire, and what do you find? Lying and theft,
and all forms of dissipation; the degradation of women; and an expenditure of £33,400,000
annually in one branch of idolatry.

2. Then in the East there is another rival name, the name of a man who sways his sceptre over
more than 100,000,000 of people in China, Japan, the Isles of the Sea. Sakya-Muni went forth
with the two great ideas that vice is the result of the change that is apparent all around us, and
that to secure virtue the mind must rise to that law under which no things change. Hence the
name Buddha is given to one who ascertains that changeless law. I have no interest in
misrepresenting this great man. I would estimate him a providential man, as Socrates and Plato.
But when he is brought as a rival against my Master I am bound to sit in judgment upon his
proposals to make humanity better. He gave noble precepts to his people, and that six hundred
years before Christ came into the world. He issued His commandments," Thou shalt not kill,"
"Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not commit adultery," all of which, however, can be traced to
Moses. But now go all through where Sakya-Muni has swayed his religious sceptre. Here not
only are his precepts violated, but all the precepts in our Ten Commandments.
3. In India we find another rival to our Master in the form of Brahma. The great theory in
Brahminism for the elevation of humanity is that as sin abides in the flesh, and virtue in the
intellect, we must reduce the physical to the minimum, and exalt the intellect to the maximum,
and then we suppress vice and develop virtue. Well, let us judge of Brahminism by its results.
Let us go to that fair land, where all nature is lovely and only man is vile. Look at the idolatry —
360,000,000 of gods! Woman is degraded; childhood, especially female child-hood, is sacrificed;
Thuggism prevails, and there vices are dominant. And all this is the result of the insufficient
reformatory force in Brahminism.
4. I do not mention Mohammedanism, for Mohammedanism is not original; it is plagiarism.
II. NOW TURN TO CHRISTIANITY. What is Christ's radical idea of the condition of
humanity? It is that human nature is bad, and that this badness is in the condition of the will,
conscience, and affections, and that out of this moral condition flows vice, and that out of vice
comes the misery of the world. Now, what does He propose to do? To transform by a
supernatural power.
1. We must not look upon Him as a mere philanthropist; Christ's philanthropy is subordinate to
His supernatural power. Christ did not come to improve the physical condition of man. Do you
tell me that He performed miracles? True; but not as a philanthropist. He did not raise all the
dead, or heal all the sick; but only where He could write a credential for His great mission to
renew the human heart. The significance of the miracles of Jesus Christ is this, that all through
the East there prevailed the idea that sin was in matter, and that there was no power in the
universe by which matter itself could be controlled. Hence He performed His miracles simply to
prove that He was higher than nature, and that matter was subject to Him. He was not a
philanthropist in the ordinary sense. The orphans cried in the streets of Jerusalem, but He erected
no orphan asylum; He never founded a college. He might have given to the world a perfect
system of science and a Materia Medica that would have alleviated the sufferings of humanity.
But He did nothing of the kind. He might have anticipated great inventors; whatever to-day
seems to be the glory of our civilisation must have floated through His Divine imagination. But
this was not the purpose of His coming. Nor did He come as a statesman. Twice He was invited
to be a judge, but He declined; once He was asked to be a king, but He refused. He expressed no
preference for this form of government or that. He knew that government was oppressive, and
slavery fearful, but He issued no proclamation of emancipation. The social evil prevailed, but He
organised no meetings for reclamation. Intemperance prevailed, yet He never offered the pledge
of total abstinence to any. War prevailed, yet He did not organise peace societies. Even idolatry

cursed every hill and valley, yet He organised no crusade against idolatry. What He did not do is
as remarkable as what He did do. The infidels of to-day arraign Him because He did not do these
things.
2. But listen! His eye looked down the ages, and, passing over China, saw what subordination or
subjugation had failed to do; over the region swayed by Buddha, and saw what his teaching had
failed to do; over India, and saw that intellectual culture had proved a failure; over Rome, and
saw that law had failed to suppress vice or develop virtue; ever Greece, where art was in its
glory; and there He saw that the aesthetics of civilisation had failed, and that art was not a
reformatory force. Then He said, "I will now enter the citadel of man; I will come to each
individual, and ask him to permit Me to incarnate Myself in him; to enchain his conscience to
My severe morality, to harmonise his will with Mine, to enthrone Myself in his affections; I will
make each man a living, walking, speaking Christ."
3. He resolved not to do what men could do. He knew that man, unaided by Him, could educate
the mind, could bless the orphan and comfort the widow; but He resolved to touch the fountain
of life that all the streams might be pure, and just in proportion as He is received as the
regenerator of the human heart, in that proportion do public charities become facts, and
benevolence is a sublime truth in the world. A learned Chinese in Philadelphia wrote a series of
articles to this effect — that in his country there were houses of charity for the reception of the
widow and the aged, but he should have had the honesty to tell two facts — first, that in his
country there is no house of charity which antedates the introduction of Christianity; and,
secondly, that on the banks of the Yang-tse-kiang there is a house of charity for animals which
antedates Christianity. Those Chinese are in advance of Darwin, for they say these animals are to
be men in the next world. In the same city I attended the semi-centennial of the Bible Society.
First came upon the stand a mute, who, in his graceful language, recited to us the Beatitude,
"Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." Then came a beautiful girl born deaf,
but Christian science had taught the mute lips to speak, and she whispered, "Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they shall see God." Then came a Chinese lady who was born blind, brought to this
country and converted, and Christian science had taught her fingers to read deftly in the language
of the blind, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Christian science is doing to-day what
Christ did in His person. The genius of Christianity working through renewed hearts is writing its
credentials in favour of our Divine Lord. Is it true He did not found a college or a university? He
did something better; He placed in the hands of each man a book that should tell men of the
character and the claims of Almighty God; that should inform man of his own origin, that he is
immortal, and responsible to the ages as he is to God; a book that should present to him the
noblest specimen of virtue and the grandest laws of morality, and wherever this Book has spread
its banner of wisdom and love knowledge has been diffused, universities founded, and science
advanced. Christ did not come as a statesman? He declared the brotherhood of mankind; He
announced the eternal principles of truth and justice, and He knew that wherever these principles
were accepted, from a heart that had been renewed by Him, there government would be
modified, oppression would cease, and liberty would be enjoyed. Is it true He did not organise
missions to reclaim the poor courtesan? He knew it was necessary to create a new affection in
the heart of men and of women, for Him to be received into the human heart, to restrain passion;
and He knew that, having been thus received, there would come a reformation of this fearful
class in society. Only in a Christian land, and as Christianity becomes a living force in society is
the social evil branded and banished. Is it true He did not offer the pledge of total abstinence to
any? He knew that antecedent influences would be at work at first, and that great moral forces

must operate. Is it true He did not organise peace societies? He whispered that Beatitude,
"Blessed are the peacemakers," and He very well knew that only as humanity is transformed by
His power would war-passions cease and men live in sweet harmony together. Christian men
have organised the only peace societies in the world.
(J. P. Newman, LL. D.)
PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
The Way Of Salvation BY SPURGEON
“Neitheris there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12
IT is a very happy circumstance when the servants of God are able to turn
everything to accountin their ministry. Now the Apostle Peterwas summoned
before the priests and Sadducees–the chiefs ofhis nation–to answerfor having
restoreda man who was lame from his mother’s womb. While accounting for
this case ofhealing, or, if I may use the expression, for this case oftemporal
salvation, the Apostle Peter had this thought suggestedto him, “While I am
accounting for the salvationof this man from lameness, I have now a fine
opportunity of showing to these people who otherwise will not listen to us, the
way of the salvationof the soul.”
So he proceeds from the less to the greater, from the healing of a man’s limb
to the healing of a man’s soul. And having informed them once that it was
through the name of Jesus Christ that the impotent man had been made
whole, he now announces that salvation–the greatsalvation, must be wrought
by the selfsame means–“Neitheris there salvationin any other: for there is
none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved.”
What a greatword that word “salvation” is!It includes the cleansing ofour
consciencefrom all past guilt and the delivery of our soul from all those
propensities to evil which now so strongly predominate in us. It takes in, in
fact, the undoing of all that Adam did. Salvation is the total restorationof
man from his fallen estate. And yet it is something more than that–for God’s

salvationfixes our standing more secure than it was before we fell. It finds us
broken in pieces by the sin of our first parent–defiled, stained, accursed. It
first heals our wounds, it removes our diseases, it takes awayour curse, it puts
our feetupon the rock Christ Jesus and having thus done, at last it lifts our
heads far above all principalities and powers, to be crownedforever with
Jesus Christ, the King of Heaven.
Some people, when they use the word “salvation,” understand nothing more
by it than deliverance from Hell and admittance into Heaven. Now that is not
salvation–thosetwo things are the effects of salvation. We are redeemed from
Hell because we are savedand we enter Heaven because we have been saved
beforehand. Our everlasting state is the effectof salvation in this life.
Salvation, it is true, includes all that because salvationis the mother of it and
carries it within its heart. But still it were wrong for us to imagine that that is
all the meaning of the word.
Salvationbegins with us as wandering sheep. It follows us through all our
mazy wanderings. It puts us on the shoulders of the Shepherd. It carries us
into the fold. It calls togetherthe friends and the neighbors. It rejoices overus.
It preserves us in that fold through life. And then at last it brings us to the
greenpastures of Heaven–beside the still waters of bliss–where we lie down
forever in the presence ofthe Chief Shepherd, never more to be disturbed.
Now our text tells us there is only one way of salvation. “Neither is there
salvationin any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.” I shall take first of all a negative
Truth of God taught here, namely, that there is no salvationout of Christ.
And then, secondly, a positive Truth of God inferred, namely, that there is
salvationin Jesus Christwhereby we must be saved.
1. First, then, A NEGATIVE FACT. “Neitheris there salvation in any
other.” Did you ever notice the intolerance of God’s religion? In olden
times the heathen, who had different gods, respectedthe gods of their
neighbors. For instance the king of Egypt would confess thatthe gods of
Nineveh were true and realgods and the prince of Babylon would
acknowledge thatthe gods of the Philistines were true and real gods.
But Jehovah, the God of Israel, put this as one of His first
Commandments, “You shall have none other gods besides Me.”
And He would not allow them to pay the slightestpossible respectto the gods
of any other nation–“You shall hew them in pieces, you shall break down their
temples and cut down their groves.”All other nations were tolerant, the one to
the other, but the Jew could not be so. One part of his religion was, “Hear, O

Israel, the Lord your God is one God.” And as the consequence ofhis belief
that there was but one God and that one God was Jehovah, he felt it his duty
to call all pretended gods by nicknames, to spit upon them, to treat them with
contumely and contempt. Now the Christian religion, you observe, is just as
intolerant as this. If you apply to a Brahmin to know the way of salvationhe
will very likely tell you at once that all persons who follow out their sincere
religious convictions will undoubtedly be saved. “There,” says he, “are the
Mohammedans. If they obey Mohammed and sincerelybelieve what he has
taught without doubt Allah will glorify them at last.”
And the Brahmin turns round upon the Christian missionaryand says, “What
is the use of your bringing your Christianity here to disturb us? I tell you our
religion is quite capable of carrying us to Heaven if we are faithful to it.” Now
just hear the text–how intolerant is the Christian religion! “Neitheris there
salvationin any other.” The Brahmin may admit that there is salvationin fifty
religions besides his own. But we admit no such thing. There is no true
salvationout of Jesus Christ. The gods of the heathens may approach us with
their mock charity and tell us that every man may follow out his own
conscientious convictionand be saved. We reply–No such thing–there is no
salvationin any other–“forthere is none other name under Heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Now, what do you suppose is the reasonfor this intolerance–ifI may use the
word again? I believe it is just because there is the Truth of God both with the
Jew and with the Christian. A thousand errors may live in peace with one
another, but the Truth of God is the hammer that breaks them all in pieces. A
hundred lying religions may sleeppeaceablyin one bed–but whereverthe
Christian religion goes as the Truth of God–itis like a firebrand and it abides
nothing that is not more substantialthan the wood, the hay and the stubble of
carnalerror.
All the gods of the heathen and all other religions are born of Hell and
therefore, being children of the same father, it would seemamiss that they
should fall out and chide and fight. But the religionof Christ is a thing of
God’s–its pedigree is from on high and, therefore, when once it is thrust into
the midst of an ungodly and gainsaying generationit has neither peace, nor
parley, nor treaty with them. For it is the Truth of God and cannotafford to
be yoked with error. It stands upon its own rights and gives to error its due–
declaring that it has no salvation–but that in the Truth of God and in the
Truth of God alone, is salvationto be found.
Again–it is because we have here the sanctionof God. It would be improper in
any man who had invented a creedof his own to state that all others must he

damned who do not believe it. That would be an overwhelming censoriousness
and bigotry, at which we might afford to smile. But since this religion of
Christ is revealedfrom Heaven itself–God, who is the Author of all truth–has
a right to append to this truth the dreadful condition that who so rejects it
shall perish without mercy. And He may proclaim that apart from Christ no
man can be saved. We are not really intolerant for we are but echoing the
Words of Him that speaks fromHeaven and who declares that cursedis the
man who rejects this religion of Christ, seeing that there is no salvation out of
Him. “Neitheris there salvationin any other: for there is none other name
under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Now, I hear one or two persons saying, “Do you imagine then, Sir, that none
are savedapart from Christ?” I reply, I don t imagine it, but I have it here in
my text plainly taught. “Well but,” says one, “how is it concerning the death
of infants? Do not infants die without actual sin? Are they saved? And if so,
how?” I answer, savedthey are beyond a doubt–all children dying in infancy
are caughtawayto dwell in the third Heaven of bliss forever. But mark this–
no infant was eversaved apart from the death of Christ.
Christ Jesus has with His blood bought all those who die in infancy. They are
all regenerated, not in sprinkling, but probably in the instant of their death a
marvelous change passesoverthem by the breathing of the Holy Spirit. The
blood of Jesus is applied to them and they are washedfrom all original
corruption which they had inherited from their parents. And thus washedand
cleansedthey enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Otherwise, Beloved, infants
would be unable to join in the everlasting song, “Unto Him that loved us and
washedus from our sins in His blood.” If infants were not washedin the blood
of Christ, they could not join in that universal song which perpetually
surrounds the Throne of God.
We believe that they are all saved–everyone of them without exception–but
not apart from the one greatsacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Another says,
“But how about the heathen? They know not Christ–are any of the heathen
saved?” Mark, Holy Scripture says but very little concerning the salvation of
the heathen. There are many texts in Scripture which would lead us to infer
that all the heathen perish. But there are some texts which, on the other hand,
lead us to believe that there are some out of the heathen race who, led by
God’s secretSpirit, are seeking afterHim in the dark. By His Spirit they are
endeavoring to find out something they cannot discoverin nature. And it may
be that the God of infinite mercy who loves His creatures is pleasedto make to
them these revelations in their own heart. Dark and mysterious revelations
concerning the things of Heaven–so that even they may be made partakers of

the blood of Jesus Christ, without having such an open vision as we have
receivedwithout beholding the Cross visibly elevatedand Christ set forth
crucified among them.
It has been observedin many heathen lands that before the missionaries have
gone there, there has been a strong desire after the religion of Christ. In the
Sandwich Islands, before our missionaries wentthere, there was a strange
commotion in the minds of those poor barbarians. They did not know what it
was, but they were all on a sudden discontentedwith their idolatries and had a
longing desire after something higher, better and purer than anything they
had up to then discovered. And no soonerwas Jesus Christpreached than
they willingly renounced all their idolatries and laid hold upon Him to be their
strength and their salvation.
Now we believe this was the Work of God’s Spirit secretlyinclining these poor
creatures to seek afterHim. And we cannot tell but that in some sequestered
spots where we had thought the Gospelnever has been preachedthere may be
some lone tract, some chapter of the Bible, some solitary verse of Holy Writ
remembered which may be sufficient to open blind eyes and to guide poor
benighted hearts to the foot of the Cross of Christ. But this much is certain–no
heathen, howevermoral–whetherin the days of their old philosophy, or in the
present time of their barbarism–everdid or ever could enter the kingdom of
Heaven apart from the name of Jesus Christ. “Neitheris their salvationin any
other.” A man may seek afterit and labor after it in his own way, but there he
cannot possibly find it, “for there is none other name under Heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.”
But after all, my dear Friends, it is a greatdeal better–whenwe are dealing
with these subjects–notto talk upon speculative matters but to come home
personally to ourselves. And let me now ask you this question, have you ever
proved by experience the truth of this great negative fact, that there is no
salvationin any other? I canspeak what I do know and testify what I have
seenwhen I solemnly declare in the presence ofthis congregationthat it is
even so. Once I thought there was salvationin goodworks and I laboredhard
and strove diligently to preserve a characterfor integrity and uprightness.
But when the Spirit of God came into my heart, “sin revived and I died.” That
which I thought had been goodproved to be evil. Wherein I thought I had
been holy I found myself to be unholy.
I discoveredthat my very best actions were sinful, that my tears needed to be
wept over and that my very prayers needed God’s forgiveness. I discovered
that I was seeking aftersalvationby the works ofthe Law–thatI was doing all
my goodworks from a selfish motive–namely to save myself and therefore

they could not be acceptable to God. I found out that I could not be savedby
goodworks for two very goodreasons–first, I had not any, and secondly, if I
had any, they could not save me. After that I thought salvationmight be
obtained partly by reformation and partly by trusting in Christ. So I labored
hard againand thought if I added a few prayers here and there, a few tears of
penitence and a few vows of improvement, all would be well.
But after forging on for many a wearyday like a poor blind horse toiling
round the mill, I found I had gotno farther, for there was still the curse of
God hanging over me–“Cursedis everyone that continues not in all things
that are written in the Book ofthe Law to do them.” And there was still an
aching void in my heart the world could never fill–a void of distress and care–
for I was sorely troubled because I could not attain unto the rest which my
soul desired.
Have you tried those two ways of getting to Heaven? If you have, I trust the
Lord, the Holy Spirit, has made you heartily sick of them, for you shall never
enter the kingdom of Heaven by the right door until you have first of all been
led to confess thatall the other doors are barred in your teeth. No man ever
will come to God through the straight and narrow way until he has tried all
the other ways and when we find ourselves beatenand foiled and defeated,
then it is that pressedby sore necessitywe betake ourselves to the one open
Fountain and there washourselves and are made clean.
Perhaps I have in my presence this morning some who are trying to gain
salvationby ceremonies. Youhave been baptized in your infancy. You
regularly take the Lord’s Supper. You attend your Church or Chapel. And if
you knew any other ceremonies youwould attend to them. Ah, my dear
Friends, all these things are as the chaff before the wind in the matter of
salvation. They cannot help you one step towards acceptancein the Personof
Christ. As wellmight you labor to build your house with water as to build
salvationwith such poor things as these. These are goodenough for you when
you are saved, but if you seek salvationin them, they shall be to your soul as
wells without water, clouds without rain and withered trees, twice dead,
plucked up by the roots.
Whateveris your wayof salvation–forthere are a thousand different
inventions of men whereby they seek to save themselves–whateverit may be,
hear its death knell tolled from this verse–“Neitheris there salvationin any
other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby
we must be saved.”

II. Now, this brings me to the POSITIVE FACT which is inferred in the text,
namely, that there is salvationin Jesus Christ. Surely, when I make that
simple statementI might burst forth with the song of the angels and say–
“Glory to God in the highestand on earth peace, goodwilltowards men.”
Here are a thousand mercies all bound up in one bundle in this sweet, sweet
fact–thatthere is salvationin Jesus Christ! I shall endeavornow merely to
deal with any soulhere present who entertains a doubt as to his own salvation
in Jesus Christ. I shall single him out and address him affectionatelyand
earnestlyand endeavorto show him that he may yet be saved and that in
Christ there is salvationfor him.
I know you, Sinner! You have long been trying to find the road to Heavenand
you have missedit. You have had a thousand dazzling gimmicks to deceive
you and never yet one solid ground of comfort for your poor wearyfoot. And
now, encompassedaboutby your sins, you are not able to look up. Guilt, like a
heavy burden, is on your back and your finger is on your lip for you dare not
cry for pardon. You are afraid to speak, lestout of your own mouth you
should be condemned. Satanwhispers in your ear, “It is all over with you.
There is no mercy for such as you are–youare condemned and condemned
you must be. Christ is able to save many, but not to save you.”
PoorSoul! What shall I say unto you but this–Come with me to the Cross of
Christ and you shall there see something which shall remove your unbelief. Do
you see that Man nailed to yonder tree? Do you know His character? He is
without spot or blemish, or any such thing. He was no thief, that He should die
a felon’s death–He was no murderer and no assassin, thatHe should be
crucified betweentwo malefactors. No–His originalwas pure, without a sin.
And His life was holy, without a flaw. Out of His mouth there proceededonly
blessing. His hands were full of gooddeeds and His feet were swift for acts of
mercy. His heart was white with holiness.
There was nothing in Him that man could blame. Even His enemies, when
they sought to accuse Him, found false witnesses but even they “agreednot
together.” Do you see Him dying? Sinner, there must be merit in the death of
such a man as that! Without sin Himself, when He is put to grief–it must be
for other men’s sins. Godwould not afflict and grieve Him when He deserved
it not. God is no tyrant that He should crush the innocent. He is not unholy
that He should punish the righteous. He suffered, then, for the sins of others–
“Forsins, not His own, He died to atone.”
Think of the purity of Christ and then see whether there is not salvationin
Him. Come now with your blackness aboutyou and look at His whiteness.

Come with your defilement and look at His purity. And as you look at that
purity like the lily, and you see the crimson of His blood overflowing it, let this
whisper be heard in your ear–He is able to save you, Sinner, inasmuch as He
was “tempted in all points like as we are,” yet He was “without sin.”
Therefore, the merit of His blood must be great. Oh, may Godhelp you to
believe on Him!
But this is not the grand thing which should recommend Him to you.
Remember, He who died upon the Cross was no less than the everlasting Son
of God! Do you see Him there? Come, turn your eye once more to Him. Do
you see His hands and feet trickling with streamlets of gore? ThatMan is
Almighty God! Those hands that are nailed to the tree are hands that could
shake the world. Those feetthat are there piercedhave in them, if He willed to
put it forth, a potencyof strength that might make the mountains melt
beneath their tread.
That head, now bowedin anguish and in weakness, has in it the wisdom of the
Godheadand with its nod it could make the universe tremble. He who hangs
upon the Cross is He without whom was not anything made that was made–by
Him all things consist–Maker, Creator, Preserver, Godof Providence and
God of Grace–He who died for you is God over all, blessedforever. And now,
Sinner, is there any power to save in such a Savior as this? If He were a mere
man, a Socinian’s Christ, or an Arian’s Christ, I would not bid you trust Him.
But since He is none other than God Himself incarnate in human flesh, I
beseechyou, castyourself upon Him–
“He is able,
He is willing, doubt no more.”
“He is able to save unto the uttermost, them that come unto God by Him.”
Will you remember again, as a further consolationfor your faith, that you
may believe that God the Fatherhas acceptedthe sacrifice ofChrist? It is the
Father’s angerthat you have the most cause to dread. The Fatheris angry
with you, for you have sinned and He has sworn with an oath that He will
punish you for your offenses. Now Jesus Christwas punished in the place of
every sinner who has repented, or ever shall repent. Jesus Christstoodas his
Substitute and Scapegoat. Godthe Father has acceptedChrist in the place of
sinners. Oh, ought not this to leadyou to acceptHim? If the Judge has
acceptedthe sacrifice, surelyyou may acceptit, too!And if He is satisfied–
surely you may be content also.
If the Creditor has written a full and free discharge–you, the poor debtor,
may rejoice and believe that that discharge is satisfactoryto you because it is

satisfactoryto God. But do you ask me how I know that God has accepted
Christ’s atonement? I remind you that Christ rose againfrom the dead.
Christ was put into the prison of the tomb after He died and there He waited
until God should have acceptedthe atonement–
“If Jesus never had paid the debt,
He never had been at freedom set.”
Christ would have been in the tomb this very day if God had not acceptedHis
atonement for our justification. But the Lord lookeddown from Heaven and
He surveyed the work of Christ and said within Himself, “It is very good. It is
enough.” And turning to an angel, He said, “Angel, My Son is confined in
prison, a hostage for My elect. He has paid the price. I know He will not break
the prison down Himself–go, angel, go and roll awaythe stone from the door
of the sepulcherand setHim free.” Down flew the angeland rolled awaythe
massive stone. And rising from the shades ofdeath the Savior lived. “He died
and rose againfor our justification.” Now, poor Soul, you see God has
acceptedChrist–surelythen, you may acceptHim and believe on Him.
Another argument which may perhaps come nearer to your own soul is this–
many have been saved who were as vile as you are and therefore there is
salvation. “No,” you say, “none are so vile as I am.” It is a mercy that you
think so, but nevertheless it is quite certain that others have been saved who
have been as filthy as yourself. Have you been a persecutor? “Yes,” yousay.
Yes, but you have not been more blood-thirsty than Saul! And yet that chief of
sinners became the chief of saints.
Have you been a swearer? Have you cursed the Almighty to His face? Yes.
And such were some of us who now lift up our voices in prayer and approach
His Throne with acceptance.Have you been a drunkard? Yes and so have
many of God’s people been for many a day and many a year. But they have
forsakentheir filthiness and they have turned unto the Lord with full purpose
of heart. Howevergreatyour sin, I tell you, Man, there have been some saved
as deep in sin as you are. And if none have been saved who are such great
sinners as you are, so much the more reasonwhy God should save you–that
He may go beyond all that He ever has done.
The Lord always delights to be doing wonders. And if you stand the chief of
sinners, a little ahead of all the rest, I believe He will delight to save you–that
the wonders of His love and His grace may be the more manifestly known. Do
you still say that you are the chief of sinners? I tell you I do not think it. The
chief of sinners was savedyears ago–thatwas the Apostle Paul–but even if you

should exceedhim–still that word “uttermost” goes a little beyond you. “He is
able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him.”
Remember, Sinner, if you do not find salvation in Christ it will be because you
do not look for it, for it certainly is there. If you shall perish without being
savedthrough the blood of Christ, it will not be through a want of powerin
that blood to save you, but entirely through a want of will on your part–that
you will not believe on Him but do wantonly and willfully reject His blood to
your own destruction. Take heed to yourself, for as surely as there is salvation
in none other, so surely there is salvationin Him.
I could turn to you myself and tell you that surely there must be salvationin
Christ for you, since I have found salvation in Christ for myself. Often have I
said I will never doubt the salvationof anyone, so long as I can but know that
Christ has acceptedme. Oh, how dark was my despair when I first soughtHis
mercy seat!I thought then that if He had mercy on all the world, yet He would
never have mercy on me. The sins of my childhood and my youth haunted me.
I sought to getrid of them one by one, but I was caught as in an iron net of
evil habits and I could not overthrow them. And even when I could renounce
my sin, yet the guilt still did cling to my garments. I could not washmyself
clean. I prayed for three long years–Ibent my knees in vain and sought, but
found no mercy. But, at last, blessedbe His name, when I had given up all
hope and thought that His swift anger would destroy me and that the pit
would open its mouth and swallow me up–then in the hour of my extremity
did He manifest Himself to me and teachme to castmyself simply and wholly
upon Him. So shall it be with you, only trust Him, for there is salvation in
Him–rest assuredof that.
To quicken your diligence, however, I will conclude by noting that if you do
not find salvation in Christ, remember you will never find it elsewhere. What
a dreadful thing it will be for you if you should lose the salvation provided by
Christ! For“how shall you escape if you neglectso greata salvation?” Today
very probably I am not speaking to very many of the grossestofsinners, yet I
know I am speaking to some even of that class. But whether we are gross
sinners or not–how fearful a thing it will be for us to die without first having
found an interest in the Savior!
Oh Sinner! This should quicken you in going to the mercy seat. Remember
that if you find no mercy at the feet of Jesus you can never find it anywhere
else. If the gates ofHeaven shall never open to you, remember there is no
other gate that ever canbe opened for your salvation. If Christ refuses you,
you are refused. If His blood is not sprinkled on you, you are lost, indeed. Oh,
if He keeps you waiting a little while, still continue in prayer. It is worth

waiting for–especiallywhen you have this thought to keepyou waiting,
namely–that there is none other, no other way, no other hope, no other
ground of trust, no other refuge. There I see the gate of Heaven and if I must
enter it, I must creepon my hands and knees, for it is a low gate. There I see
it, it is a strait and narrow one–Imust leave my sins behind me and my proud
righteousness andI must creep in through that wicket.
Come Sinner, what do you say? Will you go beyond this strait and narrow
gate, or will you despise eternal life and risk eternalbliss? Or will you go
through it humbly hoping that He who gave Himself for you will acceptyou in
Himself and save you now and save you everlastingly?
May these few words have power to draw some to Christ and I am content.
“Believe onthe Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” “Forthere is none
other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Amen. Amen! Adapted from The C. H. Spurgeon Collection, Version1.0,
Ages Software, 1.800.297.4307
BRUCE HURT MD
Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else;for there is no other name
under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."
KJV Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvationin any other: for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
• there is salvation in no one else Acts 10:42,43;Mt 1:21; Mark 16:15,16;
John 3:36; 14:6; 1 Cor 3:11; 1 Ti 2:5,6;Hebrews 2:3; 12:25; 1 John
5:11,12;Rev 7:9,10;20:15
• there is no other name under heaven Acts 2:5; Genesis 7:19;Job 41:11;
Ps 45:17; Col1:23
• Acts 4 Resources -Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
JESUS IS THE SAVIOR
THE ONLY SAVIOR
No Other Name

• Before you study this passage,take a moment to worship - Play this old
Don Moenchorus - No Other Name - It will make you want to pause
and praise His glorious Name!
This passageis not narrow minded. It is wide open grace!Peterin essenceis
issuing the Sanhedrin an offer to be repent and lay hold of the Stone and be
savedfrom eternal punishment and being crushed by the Stone.
This passageis one of the greatestpassagesin the entire Bible. I agree with
Lenski who wrote "In plain, literal language Peterpresents the fulness of the
gospelwith its mighty call to salvation." (Ibid)
John Stott - We notice the ease withwhich Peter moves from healing to
salvation, and from the particular to the general. He sees one man’s physical
cure as a picture of the salvationwhich is offeredto all in Christ. His two
negatives (no-one else and no other name) proclaim the positive uniqueness of
the name of Jesus. His death and resurrection, his exaltation and authority
constitute him the one and only Saviour, since nobody else possesseshis
qualifications. (The Message ofActs)
And there is salvationin no one else - Literally this reads in Greek "the
salvation," (he soteria)the idea being this is the specific salvationof mankind,
the Messianicdeliverance brought about by the Stone, Jesus Christ, the
Nazarene. The Greek is difficult to translate literally into English, but there
are actually two words for "no" in this first phrase (ou - no, oudeis - no one)
and both signify absolute negation. Lenski says that what Peteris saying is
that "No second, no substitute, no alternate to Jesus exists."
Salvation(deliverance, preservation))(4991)(soteria from soter= Savior in
turn from sozo = save, rescue, deliver) (Click here or here for in depth
discussionof the related terms soterand sozo)describes the physical rescue or
deliverance from danger, destruction and peril (Acts 27:34, Heb 11:7). This
Jews had been looking for deliverance by the Messiah, but they repeatedly
failed to understand that their greatestneedwas for spiritual deliverance
found only in Jesus.
Salvationis a broader term in Greek than we often think of in English. Other
concepts that are inherent in soteria include restorationto a state of safety,
soundness, health and wellbeing as well as deliverance from danger of
destruction resulting in a state of preservation. One of my favorite uses of
soteria is by Paul who describes the glorious Messianic deliverance atthe end
of this present evil age - "Do this (love Ro 13:10), knowing the time, that it is
already the hour for you to awakenfrom sleep;for now salvationis nearer to
us than when we believed.(Ro 13:11HYPERLINK"/romans_1310-

11#13:11"+).Are you a sleepysaint? Paul would say "Wake up!" redeem the
short time left in this age!(Eph 5:16HYPERLINK "/ephesians_515-
16#5:16"+).
Other than Jn 4:22, it is surprising that the only Gospelwriter to use soteria is
Luke. Here are all his uses of soteria in his Gospeland in Acts - Lk. 1:69; Lk.
1:71; Lk. 1:77; Lk. 19:9; Acts 4:12; Acts 7:25; Acts 13:26;Acts 13:47; Acts
16:17;Acts 27:34.
William Barclay(who himself may not have been saved! See fascinating
article The Enigmatic William Barclay)writes that "In classicalGreek soteria
means 'deliverance'or 'preservation'. It canbe used for a man's safe return to
his ownhome or his own country after an absence anda journey. It can mean
a 'guarantee of safety'or a 'security againstdanger'. In the papyri by far the
commonestmeaning of soteria is 'bodily health'. For instance, a member of
the family writes home, 'Write me a letter about your soteria,'or, as we would
say, 'Let me know how you are.' (New TestamentWords)
For (gar) - A term of explanation. What is Peterexplaining to the Sanhedrin?
This must have been a "tough pill for them to swallow!"
IN CHRIST ALONE
IS HOPE
There is no other name under heaven - In other words there is no other name
like this in the entire world. NotConfucius. NotBuddha. Not Mohammed.
Every other name is absolutely excluded. This verse is "intolerant" of
pretenders, regardless oftheir name or claim!
Worship Him in spirit and truth:
• Play Robin Mark's Be Unto Your Name.
• No Other Name - Hillsong
RelatedResources:
• Inclusivism vs. exclusivism - what does the Bible say?
• Is Jesus the only way?
• What is the way of salvation?
• With all of the different religions, how can I know which one is correct?
• Is Jesus really the only way to Heaven?
• What did Jesus meanwhen He said “I am the way and the truth and the
life” (John 14:6)?
• Just how narrow is the narrow gate?

• Why did God make salvationsuch a narrow path?
• Why is being a good personnot enough to getyou into heaven?
That has been given among men - We againsee God's magnificent grace, His
unmerited favor. Peteremphasizes this is a gift given to sinful mankind, a gift
given to a godless world that otherwise has no hope of eternal life. The verb
has been given is in the perfecttense (and passive = "divine passive" = God
the GreatGiver) indicating that the Name has been given at a point in time
and having been given it remains permanently the means of salvation. Indeed,
it will remain throughout eternity!
Barnes on given - The Lord Jesus is thus uniformly representedas given, or
appointed by God for this greatpurpose, John 3:16, 17:4, 1 Corinthians 3:5,
Galatians 1:4, 2:20, Ephesians 1:22, 5:25; 1 Timothy 2:6, Romans 5:15-18,
6:23 and hence Christ is called the "unspeakable gift" ofGod, 2 Corinthians
9:15. (Barnes'Notes onthe New Testament)
Among men recalls a similar declarationin Acts 2:39HYPERLINK "/acts-2-
commentary#2:39"+ that "the promise is for you and your children (Jews)
and for all who are far off (Gentiles)."
By which we must be saved- Peteruses the pronoun "we" thus joining the
two apostles to their opponents, in a sense appealing to them. We signifies they
all have the same need for salvation.
As someone has well said "The Name of Jesus is profanity to the sinner but
heaven's passwordto the saint." Hallelujah!
Must be saved- "By which it is fit or proper that we should be saved." If one
is to be savedfrom eternal death to eternal life, it MUST be by this way, by
this Name. Note the passage doesnot say"will be saved," or"might be
saved," but MUST BE SAVED. The verb for must is dei which speaks ofan
obligation, an absolute necessity, the logicalnecessity. As Lenski says it is "an
absolute fact of necessityon which hangs eternal salvationor eternal
destruction. Since salvationis possible only in connectionwith Jesus, allwho
desire to be savedmust embrace His Name."
Horton adds a note on the verb must - Must (Gk. dei) is an emphatic word
indicating compelling necessity. If we do not find salvationthrough the name
(Person)of Jesus, we shall never find it. Nowhere in the entire world is there
another Savior—there never has been and never will be. (Acts: A Logion
Press Commentary)
Albert Barnes - To show the failure of all other schemes ofreligion was the
greatdesign of the first part of the Epistle to the Romans. By a laboured

argument Paul there shows Romans 1 that the Gentiles had failed in their
attempt to justify themselves;and in Romans 2, Romans 3, that the same
thing was true also of the Jews. If both these schemes failed, then there was
need of some other plan; and that plan was that of salvationby Jesus Christ.
(Barnes'Notes on the New Testament)
There is no skirting around the Name of Jesus. There is no entrance into the
Kingdom of God and the presence ofthe Fatherbut through the "Door" of
the Name Jesus Who clearly declared...
"I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will
go in and out and find pasture." (John 10:9)
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father
but through Me." (John 14:6)
Jesus'made these exclusive, "narrow minded" (but open hearted) claims as
He warned his Jews atthe conclusionof His Sermon on the Mount
"Enter through the narrow gate;for the gate is wide and the wayis
broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through
it. Forthe gate is small and the wayis narrow that leads to life, and
there are few who find it." (Mt 7:13-14HYPERLINK"/matthew_713-
14#7:13"+, cfPr 14:12)
In one passageJesus"doubly warned" His Jewishhearers
"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you
believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (Jn 8:24)
Jesus couldnot have statedit more clearlythat He is the only Name by which
lost men must be savedand yet the lost world sees it as narrow minded. And
actually they are correct!Their problem is that they love their sin way too
much! Jesus explainedtheir "spiritual pathologicalcondition"
“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men
loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For
everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light
for fearthat his deeds will be exposed(THERE IT IS! THEY DO NOT
WANT THEIR SINS EXPOSED!). “But (BLESSED, MERCY-FILLED
TERM OF CONTRAST!)he who practices the truth comes to the
Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in
God.”(John3:19-21)
The apostle John spoke ofthe exclusivity of Jesus in his first epistle...

He who has the Sonhas the life; he who does not have the Son of God
does not have the life. (1 Jn 5:12)
Paul describedthe exclusivity of the Gospelthis way
For there is one God, and one Mediator(One Who intervenes between
two parties to resolve a conflict) also betweenGod and men, the Man
Christ Jesus,(1Timothy 2:5)
Savedis the verb sozo (see previous note), which Peterhad used to describe
the lame man's healing in Acts 4:9. Peteruses the same verb sozo, to deftly
move from the irrefutable evidence of a beggar's physicalhealing, to the
greatermiracle of spiritual healing found only in the Name that brought
about the physical healing. His logic could not have been more "air tight!"
Luke has already used sozo twice in the contextof spiritual salvation...
Acts 2:40HYPERLINK "/luke-2-commentary#2:40"+ And with many
other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying,
“Be saved(aorist imperative = "Don'tDelay! Don't wait until tomorrow
for tomorrow may be too late!") from this perverse generation!”
Acts 2:47HYPERLINK "/luke-2-commentary#2:47"+ praising Godand
having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their
number day by day those who were being (present tense, passive voice =
Salvationis an "inside"job wrought by an "outside" Power!) saved.
Compare other uses of sozo - Acts 11:14, 15:11, 16:30, 31
The first use of sozo in the entire NT clearly links the Name Jesus with
spiritual salvation. Matthew recorded the angel's conversationwith Joseph
"She (Mary) will beara Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, forit is He
who will save (sozo)His people from their sins." (Mt 1:21) In Mt 1:21 sozo is
equated with deliverance from sins (guilt and powerof). Jesus'Name (Iesous)
is a transliteration of Joshua meaning "Jehovahis salvation".
Boice is right when he says "“Oh, how the world hates such statements!If you
want to be laughed at, scorned, hated, even persecuted, testify to the exclusive
claims of Jesus Christ.”
A T Robertson- It is amazing to see Peterspeaking thus to the Sanhedrin and
proclaiming the necessityofsalvation(dei sōthēnai)in the name of Jesus
Christ and in no other. If this was true then, it is true today. There is no
second(heteron) name to go beside that of Jesus in India, China, Japan, or
America. (Word Pictures in the New Testament)

David Guzik says "If someone wishes to believe that all are savedor that there
are many roads to heaven or that one can take the best of all faiths and blend
them into one; fine. Believe so and bear the consequences;but please do not
claim this is the teaching of the Bible."
F F Bruce -- If the rulers persistedin their repudiation of Jesus, no such
deliverance could be hoped for from any other quarter or by the powerof any
other name . . . The course of duty and wisdom for the rulers was therefore
clear;if they refused it and persistedin their present attitude, they would
involve their nation as wellas themselves in destruction.
John MacArthur aptly sums up this greatpassagewriting "The exclusivism of
Christianity goes againstthe grain of our religiously pluralistic society. A
chapel built at the North Pole in February 1959 by the men of Operation Deep
Freeze 4 typifies the prevalent attitude today toward religious belief. The
structure contained an altar, over which was hung a picture of Jesus, a
crucifix, a starof David, and a lotus leaf (representing the Buddha). On the
wall of the chapelwas an inscription that read "Now it can be said that the
earth turns on the point of faith."Christians preach an exclusive Christ in an
inclusive age. Becauseofthat, we are often accusedof being narrow-minded,
even intolerant. Many paths, it is said, lead to the top of the mountain of
religious enlightenment. How dare we insist that ours is the only one? In
reality, however, there are only two religious paths: the broad way of works
salvationleading to destruction, and the narrow way of faith in the only
Savior leading to eternallife (Matt. 7:13-14HYPERLINK"/matthew_713-
14#7:13"+). Religiouspeople are on either one or the other. Sadly, the
Sanhedrin and all who followedthem were on the broad road to hell."
(MacArthur New TestamentCommentary – Acts)
Of course the exclusivity of Acts 4:12 always raises questions - what about
infants who die? what about the native who never heard the Name?, what
about OT people who never heard the Name of Jesus?, etc See the resources
below.
RelatedResources:
• What happens to babies and young children when they die?
• What does the Bible say about the evangelizationof children?
• Do the souls of aborted babies go to heaven?
• What happens to those who have never heard about Jesus?
• Can a person be savedthrough generalrevelation?
• How were people savedbefore Jesus died for our sins?

Ian Paisley- The Where Gospel
"Neitheris there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:10
Wherein
"Neitheris there salvation in any other"
Salvationis in Christ and Christ alone. It is not in the church, in the
sacraments, in goodworks nor in the creed. It is in the living Personof the
Son of God alone.
Wherefore
"for there is none other name under heaven given among men"
Wherefore?
1. Becausethere is none other name. Jesus means Saviour.
2. Becauseunder heaven you will find none other.
3. Becausenone other is given. He is the only Saviour.
Whereby
"we must be saved"
Salvationis not only in Christ but by Christ. He is not only the Life but He is
the wayto Life. If you are not savedin Him through Him and by Him you will
be forever lost. (A Text a Day Keeps the Devil Away)
JoshMcClellan:Are there really many roads to God – the question of
religious pluralism -- Commonly askedquestions:
1) What if someone is sincere in their belief? Would God really send them to
hell?
2) Isn’t it arrogant for one group to claim that they have the right answer?
3) Is there anything right in other religions?
4) If only one religion is right, why are there so many religions?
5) What about all of the people who never did or never will hear about Jesus?
http://joshmcclellan.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/are-there-really-many-roads-
to-god-thequestion-of-religious-pluralism/
Paul Apple has examples of wellknown individuals who were confronted with
questions about the exclusivity of the Gospel...

Exclusivity of the Gospel -- Look at waffling statements regarding that
exclusivity –
1) Larry King interview with JoelOsteen:
KING: But don’t you think if people don’t believe as you believe,
they’re somehow condemned?
OSTEEN:You know, I think that happens in our society. But I try not
to do that. I tell people all the time, preacheda couple Sundays about it.
I’m for everybody. You may not agree with me, but to me it’s not my
job to try to straighteneverybody out. The Gospelis calledthe good
news. My message is a messageofhope, that’s God’s [message]foryou.
You can live a goodlife no matter what’s happened to you. And so I
don’t know. I know there is condemnation, but I don’t feel that’s my
place. . . . . [Later in the interview]
KING: What if you’re Jewishor Muslim, you don’t acceptChrist at all?
OSTEEN:You know, I’m very careful about saying who would and
wouldn’t go to heaven. I don’t know . . .
KING: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They’re wrong,
aren’t they?
OSTEEN:Well, I don’t know if I believe they’re wrong. I believe here’s
what the Bible teaches andfrom the Christian faith this is what I
believe. But I just think that only God will judge a person’s heart. I
spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don’t know all about their
religion. But I know they love God. And I don’t know. I’ve seentheir
sincerity. So I don’t know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I
want to have a relationship with Jesus.
2) President George W. Bush – interviewed by prominent news anchor:
News Anchor: Do Christians and non-Christians, do Muslims go to
heaven in your mind?
Bush: Yes they do. We have different routes of getting there. . . I don’t
get to decide who goes to heaven . . .
3) President Obama:
PresidentObama’s brand of Christianity leaves enoughleewayto cause
confusionand concernamong evangelicals.
“My particular setof beliefs may not be perfectly consistentwith the
beliefs of other Christians,” Obama told Newsweek. “There’sthe belief,

certainly in some quarters, that if people haven’t embracedJesus Christ
as their personalsavior, they’re going to hell.”
In a discussionwith Franklin Graham, Mr. Obama explained,
“I do not believe that my mother, who never formally embraced
Christianity as far as I know, went to hell.”
http://www.standingforgod.com
ONLY ONE WAY - Many people reactnegatively to the claim that salvation
is found in Christ alone ("There is salvationin no one else!"). "How narrow-
minded, exclusive, and arrogant!" is the common charge leveledagainst
Christianity. But two facts are worth remembering: First, this is not
something the church arbitrarily decided; it is the specific teaching of Jesus
himself (John 14:6). Second, rather than reacting to the phrase, "in no one
else," people would be better served to focus on the wonderful promise,
"There is salvation." Thatis the goodnews of the gospel!God has provided a
way for sinners to be forgiven and granted entrance into eternal life! To be
sure, it is a narrow way(Luke 13:24), but it is a way nonetheless. Ifyour
cruise ship is sinking, it is foolish to remain on deck criticizing the emergency
evacuationplan. The wisercourse of action is to take a seatin the nearest
lifeboat! (Life Application Bible Commentary – Acts)
Paul Apple - Tactics ofthe Enemy:
1) Threatening the Preachers -- example of Peterand John we will study
today
2) Killing the Missionaries
Karen Watsonwas one of our young missionaries to Iraq. On March15, 2004,
she was killed by unknown assailants. Lateran envelope was found that said,
“Open in case ofdeath.” Inside was a letter that said in part: “DearPastor
Phil and PastorRoger, Youshould only be opening this in the event of death.
When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as
much as possible, my heart for the nations. I wasn’t calledto a place;I was
calledto Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my
reward,. . .The missionary heart: Cares more than some think is wise;Risks
more that some think is safe;Dreams more than some think is practical;
Expects more than some think is possible. I was callednot to comfort or to
successbut to obedience. ...There is no Joyoutside of knowing Jesus and
serving Him. I love you two and my church family. In His care, Salaam,
Karen.”

3) Burning the Bibles
a. We are familiar with the fact that the EnglishReformer William Tyndale
was burned at the stake for his labours in seeking to provide a faithful
translation of the Scriptures in the English language. In fact, Rome persecuted
the translationand circulation of the Scriptures in all the countries of the
European Reformation. The persecutionwas particularly fierce, however, in
England and Scotland. The threat of being put to death as a heretic did not
extend merely to translating the Scriptures into the English language, but also
even to reading or possessing sucha translation or any part of it. As Tyndale
translated and published portions of Scripture in English it was eagerlytaken
up and read. Although many thousands of copies of Tyndale's translation
were printed, so fierce was the persecutionthat only one complete copy of the
first edition has survived the systematic destructionordered by the Romanist
clerics. Tyndale knew that the Roman Catholic authorities would go far
beyond destroying the printed copies of his translation: 'In burning the New
Testament, they did none other thing than I lookedfor; no more shall they do
if they burn me also, if it be God's will it shall so be. Nevertheless in
translating the New TestamentI did my duty and so do I now...'.
When askedabout his impressionof "born-againChristians," George Brown,
a Presbyterianreal estate seller, has this to say: I am not a born-again
Christian and don't know any to my knowledge. Christians have talked with
me severaltimes but they came across sortof narrow-minded. It made me feel
like they were condescending and wouldn't recognize otherpeople's
beliefs....Inmany ways I considermyself a Christian, just not a born-again
one. I've already been born once. Why would I want to be born again? I think
that too many Christians will not believe that there are other religious faiths
in the world. To me that's the greatestshortcoming ofthe Christian church.
Christians should be something we often are not: humble. D.T. Niles:
"Evangelismis one beggartelling another where to find bread."
An illustration from conceptof law. 1) Some laws are determined by society -
stop lights. 2) Other laws cannot be determined by society - law of gravity. 3)
Spiritual laws are inherent, like gravity. a) God has revealed himself to us
through Jesus. b) Christ's death is the only way our sins can be paid for.
Out of thousands of religions in world, how can Christians saythey are only
way to heaven? We are not the only ones - Muslims do as well.
Today’s The Day

Read:Acts 4:1-14
There is no other name under heavengiven among men by which we must be
saved. —Acts 4:12
During a televisioninterview, a comedian was asked, “Whatdo you intend to
say when you meet your Maker?”The comedian, assuming possible rejection
by God and reflecting today’s mindset, quipped, “I’ll simply ask for a second
opinion!”
There was a time when the opinion of an expert in any field was takenas
correctand final. But today we often seek the advice of many professionals
until we find the one we think is best. This has given us many valuable
benefits. But when we are looking for answers aboutour eternal destiny, only
one opinion matters. God has the final answer.
In Acts 4:12, Peterboldly declared that Jesus is the only name given by God
through which we can be saved. We stand condemned before a just and holy
God because ofour sin. But the goodnews is that His love has found a way to
save us. He sent His Son Jesus Christto take our place of punishment. We
need only to acknowledgeoursinfulness, ask for His forgiveness, and trust
Him to save us. There’s simply no other way to heaven than through Jesus
and His sacrificialdeath on the cross.
What will you saywhen you meet your Maker? If you’re unsure, settle it
now—forit will be too late then.
It's foolishto say "tomorrow" when Godsays "today."
By Joanie Yoder (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand
Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
The Only One Who Saves
Read:Acts 4:1-12
Whoevercalls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. —Romans 10:13
A book in my library describes a marshal in Napoleon’s army who was
completely devoted to the emperor. One day the marshal was mortally
wounded in battle. As he lay dying in his tent, he calledfor Napoleon, who
sooncame.
The officerthought the emperor could save his life. But Napoleonjust shook
his head and turned away. The book describes the tragic scene:“As the dying
man felt the cold, merciless hand of death drawing him irresistibly behind the
curtain of the unseenworld, he was still heard to shriek out, ‘Save me,

Napoleon!Save me!'” In the hour of death, that soldier discoveredthat even
Napoleoncould not rescue him.
Similarly, when a person seeksdeliverance from spiritual death, he finds that
no human being has the powerto save—no minister of the gospel, no priest,
not even those who are greatprayer warriors. Only Jesus cansave a soul. The
Bible says, “Noris there salvationin any other, for there is no other name
under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Have you askedJesus to save you? If not, do it now! He always answers those
who plead for His mercy and put their trust in Him. He is the only One who
saves.
There is no other name on earth
By whom salvation's given
Save Jesus Christ the Lamb of God,
God's precious gift from heaven. —Stairs
Christ believed is salvationreceived.
By Richard DeHaan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand
SupermarketReligion
Read:Acts 4:5-12
saved. —Acts 4:12
It’s amazing how many brands of breakfastcerealare offeredby a typical
American supermarket. And regardless ofthe countless ads that extol the
virtues of one cerealoveranother, most brands are comparably nutritious
and hunger-satisfying.
Is the salvationof our souls like that? In the supermarketof religions, aren’t
all beliefs and dogmas spiritually nourishing and true?
Absolutely not! But that’s the common conclusionof many people—including
some so-calledBible scholars. One theologianwho clings to such a radically
wrong view of Scripture wrote, “If ‘saved’means being united and reconciled
with God, then Acts 4:12 is palpably false. There are many authentic roads to
God, and no religion holds the franchise for illumination.”
The writer’s insistence is an outright denial of God’s Word, which tells us that
Christ’s sacrifice for sin is the only waywe can gain a right relationship with

God. Salvationis available through faith in Jesus Christ(Jn. 14:6), and it is
absolutely free to anyone who accepts it by faith.
Finding spiritual truth is not like shopping for cereal. There’s onlyone right
choice. Make sure you, and those around you, know the difference.
Sincerity is no substitute for truth.
By Vernon Grounds (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand
Mention the Name
Read:Acts 4:5-20
I am in the Father, and . . . the Father is in me. John 14:10
A church group invited a speakerto address their meeting. “Talk aboutGod,”
the group leadertold him, “but leave out Jesus.”
“Why?” the man asked, takenaback.
“Well,” the leaderexplained, “some of our prominent members feel
uncomfortable with Jesus. Justuse God and we’ll be fine.”
Accepting such instructions, however, was a problem for the speakerwho said
later, “Without Jesus, I have no message.”
Something similar was askedof followers ofJesus in the days of the early
church. Local religious leaders conferredtogetherto warn the disciples not to
speak about Jesus (Acts 4:17). But the disciples knew better. “We cannothelp
speaking about what we have seenand heard,” they said (v. 20).
To claim to believe in God and not in His Son Jesus Christ is a contradiction
in terms. In John 10:30, Jesus clearlydescribes the unique relationship
betweenHimself and God: “I and the Father are one”—thus establishing His
deity. That is why He could say, “You believe in God; believe also in me”
(John 14:1). Paul knew that Jesus is the very nature of God and equal with
God (Phil. 2:6).
We need not shy awayfrom the name Jesus, for“salvationis found in no one
else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we
must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Jesus, You are God. Thank You for showing Yourself to us in the Bible and in
our lives. You have done so much for us. Help us to share with others what we
know of You and have experiencedof You.
The name of Jesus is at the heart of our faith and our hope.

By Lawrence Darmani (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand
No Other Name
Read:Isaiah 9:1-7
saved. —Acts 4:12
The angelannounced to Joseph, “You shall callHis name Jesus, for He will
save His people from their sins” (Mt. 1:21).
The name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Joshua, which is a
contractionof two words, Jehovahand Hoshea, which means “God the
Savior” or “SaviorGod.”
This is His name. This is the name which is above every name, and the name
of the only One who can save us. No one can take His place or approachGod
without Him.
We respectthe names of the patriarchs of the Bible and the godly men and
women of more recent history, but everyone will one day bow before Jesus
(Phil. 2:9-11). Even His own mother acknowledgedher need of a Savior (Lk.
1:47). Jesus alone is the mediator betweenGod and man (1 Tim. 2:5-6).
Yes, we honor godly men and women of the Bible. And we give due respectto
those who throughout history have faithfully lived for Christ and proclaimed
the gospel. Butwe are not to worship them or pray to them. Jesus alone is the
One whose name means “Savior.” He is the Son of God, of whom Isaiah
proclaimed, “His name will be calledWonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”(9:6).
My heart is stirred whene'erI think of Jesus,
That blessedName which sets the captive free;
The only Name through which I find salvation;
No name on earth has meant so much to me. —Eliason
© 1950 Alfred B. Smith
For time and eternity, Jesus is all we need.
By M.R. DeHaan(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand
A PersonIs The Pathway

Read:John 14:1-6
saved. —Acts 4:12
The pilot of a military plane was forced to parachute into a jungle in southeast
Asia. How could he possibly find his wayout? A localman saw whathad
happened and came to the pilot’s rescue, slashing through the tangled
underbrush. The frightened pilot cried out, “Where’s the road? Where’s the
way out?” The rescuershouted back, “No road!I’m the way! Follow me!”
The pilot trusted the man, who led him through the jungle to safety.
Some people have a difficult time accepting similar words spokenby the Lord
Jesus. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father exceptthrough Me” (John 14:6). Critics callthis teaching intolerant
and divisive. But because the Sonof Godsaid it, and the Word of God records
it, it is true no matter how much it is challenged. Faith in Jesus is the only way
to eternal fellowship with God.
The pathway to God is not found by following a creed, developing moral
character, orattending church. It’s found by trusting Jesus to forgive our sin
and reconcile us to the Father. When we open our hearts to the crucified and
risen Savior, we are on the only pathway that will bring us home to God.
Not all roads lead to God,
As many people claim;
There's only one true way—
Christ Jesus is His name. —Sper
No one can bypass Jesus and getto heaven.
Two Ways To God?
Read:John 14:1-6
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me. —John 14:6
In the marketplace ofideas, all vendors have an equal right to sell what they
believe. But that doesn’t mean all their ideas are equally right.
Christians proclaim that Jesus is the only wayto God not because they are
bigots but because they believe it is true. They take at face value His claim
that He alone is the true and living way to God.

Many people shrug off the claims of Jesus as the only Savior of the world by
saying, “Well, that’s all fine and good, but you have your wayto God and I
have mine.” Jesus stoodsuch thinking on its head when He said, “I am the
way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Fatherexcept through Me”
(Jn. 14:6).
If Jesus’claims are true, they are true for everyone. If they are false, the
soonerwe are proved wrong and put on the right road the better. As C. S.
Lewis put it, “Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance,
and, if true, is of infinite importance. The one thing it cannotbe is moderately
important.”
There are no two ways about it. Jesus doesn’task for our vote as the most
appealing candidate for Saviorof the world. He simply states His lordship of
the universe and demands our allegiance. DoesHe have yours?
THINKING IT OVER
What did Petersay about Jesus in Acts 4:12?
What did John the Baptistsay about Jesus? (Jn. 1:29).
What did Jesus sayabout Himself? (Jn. 14:6).
Christ is the only door into heaven.
By Haddon W. Robinson(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries,
Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Running For Nothing
Read:Romans 4:4-17
Nor is there salvationin any other, for there is no other name under heaven
given among men by which we must be saved. —Acts 4:12
As my friend RogerWeberstarted the 2006 ChicagoMarathon, he noticed
something on the ground. It was a runner’s chip—the device eachrunner puts
on his or her shoe to record progress atvarious timing stations during the
race. Apparently, one poor runner would be traversing the next 26.2 miles on
foot with nothing to show for it.
Officially, that runner did not run the race. There would be no record of his
participation. Even if he had finished the race in record time, it wouldn’t have
mattered. The folks who organize the race set the rules, and no matter how
well someone runs, if the officials say the runner doesn’t qualify, that’s the
way it is.

In one sense, that’s also the wayit is with all of us. We canrun what appears
to be a goodrace by doing goodthings for others and obeying lots of rules.
But when we arrive at the final checkpoint—heaven—andhaven’t made sure
our name is recordedin the Lamb’s Book ofLife by putting our faith in Jesus
as our Savior, we’re disqualified to enter.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
exceptthrough Me” (John 14:6). Are you trusting in Jesus? If not, you’re
running for nothing.
It’s not what I achieve that qualifies,
It matters not if I gain wealthor fame;
The only thing I must be certain of
Is “Have I put my trust in Jesus’name?” —Hess
If we could earn our salvation, Christ would not have died to provide it.
By Dave Branon(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand
Nowhere Tickets
Read:John 14:1-6
Nor is there salvationin any other, for there is no other name under heaven
given among men by which we must be saved. —Acts 4:12
We kept getting tickets to nowhere. We had finished a missions trip to
Jamaica and were trying to gethome. However, our airline was having
problems, and no matter what our tickets said, we couldn’t leave Montego
Bay. Over and over we heard, “Your flight has been canceled.” Eventhough
we had purchased our tickets in goodfaith, the airline could not back up its
promise to transport us to the US. We had to stayan extra day before
boarding a plane that could take us home.
Imagine thinking that you are headed for heaven, but discovering that your
ticketis no good. It canhappen. If you trust the wrong plan, you will getto the
gate of eternity but be denied entrance into heavento live with God forever.
The apostle Petersaid there is salvationin no one else but Jesus (Acts 4:12).
exceptthrough Me” (John 14:6). The only ticket to heavengoes to those who
have put their faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross as payment for
their sin.

Some offer other ways. But those tickets are worthless. To make sure you’re
going to heaven, trust Jesus. He’s the only way.
Lord, I know I’m a sinner and cannot save myself. I need You as my Savior.
Thank You for dying in my place and rising again. I believe in You. Please
forgive my sin. I want to live with You in heaven someday.
Jesus took my place on the cross and gave me a place in heaven.
The Wrong Stuff
Read:John 14:1-6
saved. —Acts 4:12
It was a simple task, but I was in over my head. One of the items on the
grocerylist was soy. Problem was, I didn’t know what kind of soy my wife,
Sue, had in mind when she made the list. After searching the aisles and asking
the advice of a workerwho was stacking soupcans, I grabbed a bottle of soy
sauce, placedit in the cart, and went on my way.
Only after I unloaded my bags at home did I discoverthat Sue didn’t want soy
sauce. She wantedsoy milk for our granddaughter Eliana. I was sincere in my
search. I even askedfor help and confidently pulled my selectionoffthe shelf.
But it didn’t do me (or Eliana)any good. I had the wrong stuff.
Sadly, some people are walking through the grocerystore of life with
“heaven” on their list, but they are not getting what they need. Despite their
sincerity and the intended help of others, they grab something that won’t get
them to heaven because they find a “different gospel” (2 Cor. 11:4).
exceptthrough Me” (John 14:6). And Peter said, “There is no other name
under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Trust Jesus. Don’tsettle for the wrong gospel.
Not all roads lead to God,
As many people claim;
There’s only one true way—
Christ Jesus is His name. —Sper
Christ is the only door into heaven.

Straight To Heaven
Read:John 3:1-8
Nor is there salvationin any other, for there is no other name . . . by which we
must be saved. —Acts 4:12
An old spiritual warns, “Everybody talkin’ ’bout heaven ain’t goin’ there.”
Since heaven is God’s dwelling place where His presence and glory are
manifested in all their splendor, He has the sovereignright to determine who
will be admitted and under what conditions. Any other beliefs about the how
and why of admissioninto heaven are sadly mistaken.
Take, forexample, the confidence expressedby a well-knownactress.
Questionedabout her faith, she replied, “I pray. I read the Bible. It’s the most
beautiful book ever written. I should go to heaven; otherwise it’s not nice. I
haven’t done anything wrong. My conscienceis very clean. My soul is as white
as those orchids over there, and I should go straight, straight to heaven.”
God alone determines who goes straightto heaven. In the Bible, God’s holy
Word, He tells us that only those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their
personalSavior will be admitted. The apostle Petersaid, “Noris there
salvationin any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among
men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Self-judgment regarding the purity of one’s soul and one’s heaven-deserving
characteris not the criterion. Only God’s Word gives us the standard for
admission.
I must needs go home by the way of the cross,
There’s no other way but this;
I shall ne’er get sight of the gates of light,
If the way of the cross I miss. —Pounds
Christ believed is salvationreceivedand heavengained.
None Other Name - Biblical Illustrator

A few persons were collectedround a blind man, who had takenhis stationon
a bridge in the City Road, and was reading from an embossedBible.
Receiving from the passers-byof their carnal things, he was ministering to
them spiritual things. A gentlemanon his way home from the City was led by
curiosity to the outskirts of the crowd. Just then the poor man, who was
reading from Acts 4., lost his place, and, while trying to find it with his
fingers, kept repeating the last clause he had read, "None other name, —
None other name, — None..."Some of the people smiled at the blind man's
embarrassment, but the gentleman went on his waymusing. He had lately
become convincedthat he was a sinner, and had been trying in many ways to
obtain peace ofmind. But religious exercises, goodresolutions,alteredhabits,
all were ineffectual to relieve his conscienceofits load, and enable him to
rejoice in God. The words he had heard from the blind man, however, rang
their solemn music to his soul — "None other name." When he reachedhis
home and retired to rest, the words, like evening chimes from village towers
nestling among the trees, were still heard — "None other name — None other
name." And when he awoke,in more joyful measure, like matin bell saluting
the morn, the strain continued, "None othername — None other name." The
music entered his soul, and he awoke to new life. "I see it all; I see it all! I have
been trying to be savedby my own works — my repentance, my prayers, my
reformation. I see my mistake. It is Jesus who alone can save me. To Him I
will look. Neitheris there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
— none other name — none other name under heaven given among men
whereby we must be saved."
A young Frenchnobleman, a particular friend of NapoleonIII., becoming
unaccountably gloomy in mind, and threatenedwith insanity, was urged by
the Emperor to apply for advice and treatment to the celebratedDr. Forbes
Winslow. He came to London, and the greatdoctor, after careful questioning,
discoveredthe characterof his disease. He was tormented with a thought —
and the thought was "Eternity! where shall I spend it?" This haunted him day
and night. Dr. Winslow told him he could not help him. He had sought in the
wrong quarter for his cure. "Is there no hope, then!" exclaimed the nobleman
in despair. "Yes;listen to me, and I will tell you how I was helped and healed"
said Dr. Winslow. "When I was youngerI had your complaint; and I tried
every resource but the right one. At last I carried my case to the Lord Jesus
Christ in prayer, and He gave me health and peace. Go thou, and do
likewise."The nobleman was astonished, but he stayedwhile the doctorread
to him the portions of Scripture that had been blessedto himself, and after
prayer, light and comfort came to him. The new medicine had cured him.

It is not long since that a prominent business man, when closelypressedby his
pastor, who had lately come to the church, replied with a call force which was
meant to put an end to further pertinacity: "I am interested in all religious
matters; I am always gladto see the ministers when they call; but I have in the
years past thought the subjectover long and carefully, and I have come to the
decisiondeliberately that I have no personalneed of Jesus Christas a Saviour
in the sense you preach." Only two weeks from this interview, the same man
was suddenly prostrated with disease;the illness was of such a characteras to
forbid his conversing with any one, and the interdict from speaking was
continued until he was within an hour of death. A solemn moment was that in
which a question was put to him, intimating he might talk now if he could —
nothing would harm him. The last thing, and the only thing, he said was in a
melancholy and frightened whisper, "Who will carry me over the river?" (C.
S. Robinson, D. D.)
Standing opposite Fort William, a missionary heard the Mussulmans and
Chinamen saying, "There are very many gates into Fort William — there is
an hospital gate, a water, gate, and others. Now, Sahib, it is just the same in
regard to heaven. Chinamen getin at one gate, Mussulmans in at another, and
Hindoos in at another!" "Yes," the missionary said, "that is true; but there is
a sentinel at every gate, and every sentinel has the same watchword, and you
cannot getinto it without that watchword." There is none other name under
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, but Jesus Christ, and
Him crucified."
"You have been a goodchild to your parents," saidthe venerable George III.
to his daughter, the Princess Amelia; "we have nothing for which to reproach
you; but I need not tell you that it is not of yourself alone that you can be
saved, and that your acceptance withGod must depend on your faith and
trust in the merits of the Redeemer." "Iknow it," replied the dying princess,
with gentle resignation, "and I could not wish for a better trust."
Dr. Jack L. Arnold Lesson#10
ACTS
The First Persecution Acts
4:1-12

The preaching of the gospelby the first century Christians produced
persecutionof those who claimed to be followers ofthe Lord Jesus Christ.
This first persecutiondid not come from the unbelieving paganworld but
from the religious leaders in Jerusalem. The church came up againstthe old
Jewishreligious establishment, a system which had originally been established
by God but had become so corrupt because oflegalismand traditionalism that
it was scarcelyrecognizable as the Judaism of the days of Moses andthe
Prophets. “But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as their doctrines the
precepts of men” (Matt. 15:9).
Persecutionwas a hidden blessing for the early church. Five times in eleven
years the enemy stretched forth his fangs to vex the church at Jerusalem. This
chapter records the first of these persecutions which were to grow in intensity
through the years.
Persecution, whichis a terrible experience, is always goodfor the church, - for
it causes the church to grow in purity and numbers. As Christians, we should
never be surprised that when we preachthe gospelit encounters persecution,
for the Apostle Paul wrote, “And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ
Jesus will be persecuted” (II Tim. 3:12). And yet, Paul also wrote, “But thanks
be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through
us the sweetaroma of the knowledge ofHim in every place” (II Cor. 2:14). If
Christians are to be faithful in proclaiming the gospelin our day, they can
always expectto be offensive to a greatsegmentof society. When Christians
are faithful, they will experience some physical persecution. Some may offer
up the extreme sacrifice and give their lives for Christ, but even in death there
shall be triumph. The gospelis offensive to the natural mind and will cause
opposition in some.
Dr. James Stewart, professoroftheologyat Edinburgh University, said, “It is
a terrible thing when the church is contentto cultivate inoffensiveness.”
The backgroundfor Acts 4:1-12 is that Peterand John have been instruments
in the healing of the Lame Man. He had been a cripple from birth. When
Petersaid, “In the name of Jesus the Nazarene -- walk!” he immediately had
strength come into his ankles and feet and he startedwalking, jumping,
running and leaping alloverthe temple. He was hugging Peter and John and
all this excitement drew a crowd. Peterseized the opportunity and told the
unbelieving Jews to repent and turn to Christ. “Repenttherefore and return,
that your sins may be wiped away. . .” (Acts 3:19).
ECCLESIASTICALPERSECUTION Acts 4:1-4

PromotedBy Religionists (4:1): “And as they were s pea king to the people,
the priests and the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees, came upon
them, . . .” -- The very first persecutionto Christians came from the religious
people. Christianity was threatening the religious establishment and their
incorrecttheology. The political, judicial and religious body in Jerusalemwas
the Sanhedrin made up of seventy rulers in Israel, and the High Priestacted
as the moderator of the group. The Sanhedrin, the power structure in
Jerusalem, was made up of elders, scribes, PhariseesandSadducees and their
priestly families. The controlling group of the Sanhedrin was clearlythe
Sadducees. Theywere the wealthy, intellectual aristocrats,who wanted to
preserve the status quo in Jerusalem, and they were ever ready to collaborate
with the Romanauthorities to maintain the establishment and keeptheir
comfortable way of life. These Sadducees were rationalists andmaterialists
who denied the supernatural in the Jewishreligion. They denied any belief in
a bodily resurrectionand denied any spirit world, whether angels or demons.
“Forthe Sadducees saythat there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a
spirit; but the Phariseesacknowledge them all” (Acts 23:8). They also
consideredthe Prophets and the Writings of the Old Testamentto be less
authoritative than the words of Mosesin the Pentateuch. The Sadducees were
not only the first foes of Christianity, they were the fiercestfoes of Christ's
cause.
These Sadduceesare equivalent to our modern day liberals in Christendom.
They hold to the ethicalteachings of Christ but deny the inspiration of
scripture and the supernatural. Even today the greatestopponents to Biblical
Christianity are liberal ministers. Liberals encourage Christto be spokenof
as teacher, healer, example and leaderbut they distain the whole idea that He
is the resurrectedLord, the Savior of all who believe. The greatestantagonism
to Christ comes from liberal theologians who will not bow down and call Him
Lord and Christ, who exalt their minds above the mind of God revealedin
Holy Scripture.
ProvokedBy Truth (4:2): “Being greatlydisturbed (aggravated, angered)
because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the
resurrectionfrom the dead.” -- The Apostles were merely teaching the
ordinary Jew about Christ and His resurrection, and for this alone they were
put in jail. The Sadducees hadthe powerto declare who would and who
would not be teachers in Jerusalem. The Apostles in their thinking were
uneducated and untrained men. “Now as they observed the confidence of
Peterand John, and understoodthat they were uneducated and untrained
men, they were marveling, and beganto recognize them as having been with

Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Peter and John had not been sanctionedby the Sanhedrin
but they had been sanctionedby God.
The Apostles were not proclaiming the overthrow of the Sanhedrin repression
nor rebellion againstRomantyranny, nor were they protesting against
slavery, even though at that time one half of the people in the Romanempire
were slaves to the other half. They were not preaching againstthe excessive
taxation by the Romans of the Jews. Theywere not advocating the violent
overthrow of the establishment. They were only openly declaring the
resurrectionof Jesus Christ from the dead, and for this they were thrown in
jail. This message ofChrist was obviously a greatthreat to the establishment.
Why? Christ sets men free from sin and when man is setfree on the inside, it
is only natural for him to seek for external social, economic and political
freedom. Absolutely nothing is more threatening to religious establishments,
totalitarianism, dictatorships and tyrannies of this earth than the radical
messageofthe ResurrectedChrist. This is why Iron Curtain countries keep
the gospelout or repress those who hold it. This is why China today is
completely closedto the messageofChrist. This is why Mohammedan
countries are re-establishing the death penalty to any member of Islam who
converts to Christianity. This is why Roman Catholic countries keepthe Bible
out of the hands of the people. The messageofJesus and His resurrection
brings a radicalrevolution wheneverit is preached.
ProducedImprisonment (4:3): “And they laid hands on then, and put then in
jail until the next day, for it was already evening.” -- As Peterand John were
preaching to this huge crowdof people, there was a sudden display of
authority by the religious establishment. The temple guard led by the temple
chief or police, elbowedtheir way through the crowd, surrounded Peterand
John, arrestedthen and took then off to jail. The Apostles in no way resisted
the authorities because they believed in non- violence in the preaching of the
gospel. Since the Sanhedrin never met at night, the trial of the Apostles would
have to wait until the next morning. This was the first night spent in jail for
the cause ofChrist. Perhaps the Sadducees were justusing scare tacticson the
followers of Jesus to keepthem from spreading the news of the resurrection.
The Apostles must have recalledall the teaching Jesus Christ gave to then
about persecutions while He was on this earth.
“Rememberthe word that I said to you . . . If they persecutedMe, they will
also persecute you . . .” (Jn.15:20).
“These things I have spokento you, that you may be kept from stumbling.
They will make you outcasts from the synagogue;but an hour is coming for

everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God” (Jn. 16:1,
2).
“But be on your guard; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and you will
be floggedin the synagogues, andyou will stand before governors and kings
for My sake, as a testimony to them” (Mk. 13:9).
When the establishment is threatened by Christianity, the authorities get
annoyed and irritated. They often strike back by a show of force which only
causes true Christians to grow stronger. Persecutionis a help instead of a
hindrance to the purity and progress ofthe true church. Someone has said,
“We must bleed to bless.” Augustine said, “The blood of martyrs is the seedof
the church.”
Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, went to Rome at age 95 to offer himself as a
martyr for Christ.
Five years later he was brought before the proconsul and urged by him to
“swearby the fortune of Caesar. . swear, and I will release thee;reproach
Christ.” Polycarp, then about a hundred years old, replied: “Eighty and six
year have I servedHim, and He never wrongedme; how can I blaspheme my
King who hath savedme? I am a Christian, and if you desire to learn the
Christian doctrine, assignme a day, and hear.” “I have wild beasts,” saidthe
proconsul. “I will expose you to them unless you repent.” “Callthem,” replied
the martyr, “Our minds are not to be changedfrom the better to the worse;
but it is a goodthing to be changedfrom evil to good.” “Iwill tame your spirit
by fire unless you repent,” said the proconsul. “You threaten me with fire
which burns for a moment; but you are ignorant of the future judgment, and
the fire of eternal punishment reservedfor the ungodly. But why do you
delay? Do what you please,” answeredPolycarp.
As they were about to fastenhim to the stake, the old saint said, “Let me,
remain as I am, for He who gives me strength to sustain the fire will enable me
to remain unmoved.”
Placing his hands behind him, the heroic man then offered a prayer, closing
with these words: “O God, I bless Thee that Thou has counted me worthy of
this day and this hour, to receive my portion in the number of martyrs, in the
cup of Christ, for the resurrectionto eternallife both of soul and body, in the
incorruption of the Holy Ghost; among whom may I be receivedbefore Thee
this day as a sacrifice acceptable.Wherefore I praise thee for all things. I bless
Thee, I glorify Thee, by the eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, Thy well-
beloved Son . . . Amen.”

The fire was then lighted, but the rising wind sweptthe flame awayfrom his
body in so wonderful a manner that he was finally dispatchedby the thrust of
the executioner’s sword.
Profit from Crisis (4:4): “But many of those who heard the messagebelieved;
and the number of the men came to about five thousand.” -- These
unbelieving Jews had heard the messageand believed. They did not hear the
speculations and theories of men but they heard the gospel ofJesus Christ.
Furthermore, the Apostles did not defend the gospelbut declaredit with
boldness and men were saved. There were also five thousand savedthat day.
Some scholars believe this means that there were two thousand saved and this
number plus three thousand on the Day of Pentecosttotaledfive thousand.
However, there is no reasonnot to think there were five thousand saved, and
what we see is a rapidly expanding church as the Lord was adding to the body
of Christ daily.
This is the lasttime that numbers of converts are mentioned in the New
Testament, but we see there is nothing wrong with taking a count, especiallyif
these are truly convertedpeople. There was greatprofit from preaching
faithfully - five thousand souls were saved, but this blessing was not without
crisis. The Apostles suffered for their stand for Jesus Christ.
EXAMINATION BEFORETHE SANHEDRIN Acts 4:5-9
Place ofthe Trial (4:5): “And it came about on the next day, that their rulers
and elders and scribes were gatheredtogetherin Jerusalem.” -- This trial of
Peterand John and the Lame Man was conductedin the council chamber
which was a specialbuilding in the westernpart of the temple area.
Persons Examining (4:6): “And Annas the High Priest was there and
Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high priestly descent.”
-- For the Sanhedrin to be an official court, there had to be a quorum,
consisting of twenty-three members. This was a legalassemblyand the
Apostles were on trial. There was Annas, who was the honorary high priest
and the power behind the Sanhedrin, and the father of Caiaphas. Caiaphas
was the official high priest and there was John and Alexander, probably
brothers of Caiaphas. This confirms what we know from secularhistory. This
family of high priests intermarried with one another and constituted a ruling
class in Jerusalem, controlling the vast wealthof the temple and certain
profitable monopolies connectedwith the sacrifices. So here were the
aristocrats who satin power and authority in the city, who had greatpolitical
and economic interests in the city. They were threatenedby these Christians
who were proclaiming the truth of the resurrection. We now can see it was not

only the doctrine with which the Sadducees disagreedwith the Apostles but
there was also a threat to their plush way of life.
Many people do not come to Christ and acceptHim as Savior and bow before
Him as Lord because they know Christ does change one's life style and value
system and they would rather have a materialistic way of life than the
spiritual realities of heaven. So be it, for the only goodlife materialists will
know is this present life. The next life will only be hell for them.
Problem of the Sanhedrin (4:7): “And when they had placed them in the
center, they beganto inquire, ‘By what power, or in what name have you done
this?’” -- What a dramatic scene. Perhaps these seventyrulers of Israelwere
staring at Peterand John as they sat in the middle of the Sanhedrin.
Apparently none of the members of the Sanhedrin could deny a miracle had
been accomplished. “Whatshall we do with these men? For the fact that a
noteworthy miracle has taken place through then is apparent to all who live in
Jerusalem, and we cannotdeny it” (Acts 4:16). This was an embarrassing
situation. They did not believe in the supernatural and they could not accredit
this miracle to Satansince they did not believe in the spirit world. They were
undoubtedly fishing for a rationalistic answerto what appearedto be a clear
case ofsupernatural phenomena. The Sanhedrin, without realizing what they
were doing, gave Petera perfect opportunity to witness for Christ. They said,
“By what power, or in what name have you done this?” This was the
opportunity Peterwas waiting for and he was delighted to tell them.
Petercould have backedout at this point but he was as bold as a lion. When
askedto defend his faith, he was ready to give an answer. “But sanctify Christ
as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who
asks you to give an accountfor the hope that is in you . . .” (I Pet. 3:15).
Plea of Peter(4:8, 9): (1) “ThenPeter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,
‘Rulers and elders of the people, . . .’” -- Notice first of all that Peter was
“filled with the Holy Spirit” in that the Holy Spirit so controlled Peterat that
moment that he was able very calmly to give an answerto the Sanhedrin. The
filling of the Spirit in this context, as it usually is in the Book ofActs, is related
to witnessing for Christ.
There is a specialpowerof the Spirit that Godgives to all Christians when
they are obedient in their witness for Christ. Notice also how respectfulPeter
was to the authorities because he knew that government was ordained by God.
Christianity teaches respectandobedience for those in power.
“Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution: whether to
a king as the one in authority; or to governors as sent by him for the

punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. Forsuch is the
will of God - that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolishmen.
Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it
as bondslaves of God” (1 Pet. 2:13-17).
(2) “If we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, . . .” -- Peter
questioned whether they were really on trial for healing a man, for who would
have someone in court for doing a gooddeed to mankind? There was
something much deeper than a healing which put them on trial, and the
Apostles knew this very well.
Notice the boldness of Peter. What a contrastwith the cringing, cowardly
disciple who denied the Lord and was afraid of a little maid in the high
priest's courtyard a few weeks earlier. Perhaps Peterwas reminded that when
his Lord was before the Sanhedrin the night of his betrayal, Peter was afar
off. But not now. He was filled with the Spirit and was bold to speak for Jesus
Christ. The Holy Spirit takes the resurrectedlife of Christ and gives it to the
Christian, empowering him, encouraging him and strengthening him to live
for Christ and to speak out for Christ.
EXPLANATION TO THE SANHEDRIN Acts 4:10-12
The Name (4:9b, l0): “As to how this man has been made well, let it be known
to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ
the Nazarene, whomyou crucified, whom God raisedfrom the dead -- by this
name this man stands before you in goodhealth.” -- Holy Spirit boldness
causedPeterto say that the Lame Man was healed by the name and powerof
Jesus Christ the Nazarene. The Sanhedrin understood the word “Jesus” to
mean Savior and “Christ” to mean Messiahand “Nazarene”to be a title for
His manhood. They hated this title because theyknew it meant that the man
Jesus was both Lord and Christ (God and Messiah)and to them this was
blasphemy. The Lame Man was exhibit “A” of the powerand authority of
Jesus Christ. The whole purpose of this assemblywas to put Peter and John
on trial and ultimately to put Christianity on trial. The purpose of the trial
was to intimidate the Apostles and stamp out every vestige of Christianity.
However, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, turned the tables and put the
Sanhedrin on trial for the death of Messiah. Petersaid, “You crucified the
Messiah!” What stinging words! The Jews were guilty of the death of the Son
of God. The Sanhedrin was on trial and they were guilty.
God can always turn the tables on unbelievers when they are persecuting
Christians, and He will, if believers will trust Him to do so. After all, God is in
control of and rules over unbelievers.

The Shame (4:11): “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTEDby you,
THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE VERY CORNERSTONE.” --
Peterquoted from Psalm118:22 to show that Jesus Christ, the Stone, was
rejectedby the leaders of Judaism. The “builders” are the leaders of the
Jewishreligion who had the covenants, the Law and the promises but they
rejectedthe Messiah, the Stone, who then became the cornerstone ofthe
church.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow- citizen
with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the
foundation of the apostles andprophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the
cornerstone” (Eph. 2:l9-20).
There is a Jewishtradition, which probably all in the Sanhedrin knew about,
concerning the cornerstone of the temple built by Solomon. During the
building of the temple, a greatrock was quarried out and shapedby the
masons. You remember how the temple was built in silence so there was no
sound of hammer or saw or chisel. They hewed out the rocks from a quarry
which was made into Solomon's stables a far distance from the temple site and
then moved them to the site. There was this one rock sent up but the builders
could not find a place for it. It did not seemto meet any of the blueprints so
they left it aside. It satthere for a long time, perhaps for years, for it took
sevenyears to build the temple. After a long time, someone pushed it over the
edge and it rolled down the valley of the Kidron and was lostin the bushes.
When the time came to put in the cornerstone, the greatsquare rock which
held everything in place, they sentword for the cornerstone to be sent up. The
quarry men sentback word that it had already been sent up some time before.
They lookedaround for it, and no one could find it. Then somebody
remembered the greatrock which had been pushed over the edge. Downthey
went to the valley of Kidron and found it in the bushes. With greateffort, they
raisedit againand brought it to the top and fitted it into place. It fit perfectly.
This was the cornerstone of the temple.
Peterwas saying to these Jews that Jesus Christis the chief cornerstone
betweenthe Apostles of the New Testamentand the Prophets of the Old
Testament. Christ is the Messiahwho bridges the gap betweenJudaism and
Christianity. Christ is the missing piece in the puzzle betweenthe Old
Covenantand the New Covenant. Jesus is the stone that the Jews rejected. To
the everlasting shame of the Jews, theydeliberately rejectedthe Stone of
God's own choosing.
Peterwas such a bold man to speak to the Sanhedrin this way, knowing that
they had the power to put him to death. We are not told but perhaps some of

the seventywho heard this message ofPeterwere savedthat day. If not, at
leastPeterhad a negative effectof condemning the Sanhedrin by the gospel
message.
“Forwe are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved
and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death,
to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things”
(II Cor. 2:15, 16).
The Claim (4:12): “And there is salvation in no one else;for there is no other
name under heaventhat has been given among men, by which we must be
saved.” -- Peter made it perfectly clearto these leaders in Jerusalem, who
were very religious, that salvationis found only in Christ, and if they persisted
in their rejectionof Jesus Christ, they would not be saved and bring eternal
damnation to themselves. The Jewishleaders were trusting their goodworks,
their religion, their tradition, their powerand their wealthto save them but
Petersaid salvationis only in Christ.
This claim of Peter’s is very startling and most certainly radical and
intolerant. There is no other salvation in any other religious or political
person or organization. Peter, being a goodJew, knew that Jehovahsaid,
“You shall have no other gods before Me.“ He also knew the claim of Christ
who said, “ am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father
but through Me.”
What are the implications of Peter's statement? Salvationis not in Buddha,
Confucius, Mohammed, Mahatma Gandhi, Rama-Krishna, Allah, Zen or the
Virgin Mary. Salvation is only in Christ who said, “I am the light of the world
and he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness” (Jn.8:12). Christ also said,
“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved” (Jn.10:9).
Enlightened Christians do not saythat there is no ethical and moral teaching
in other religions which may have value to those who follow these religions.
Greatreligious leaders have uttered some fine moral teachings and precepts
which have helped people. What Christians do sayis that Jesus Christ is the
only way of salvationand all other religions and religious leaders cannottake
a person to heaven because allreligions and religious leaders cannottake a
person to heaven because allreligions are basedon works and not on grace. In
the final analysis, Christians are intolerant of other religions because true
Christians are committed to Christ as the only way of salvation.
The liberal wing of Christendom (the modern day Sadducees)claimthat those
who believe in the Biblical position of Christianity are too bigoted and
narrow-minded. Yet no Christian can be more intolerant than Christ who

said, “No man comes unto the Father but through Me” (Jn. 14:6), or the
Apostle Peterwho said, “There is no other name by which we must be saved”
(Acts 4:l2),or the Apostle Paul who said, “Forthere is one God, and one
mediator also betweenGod and man, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim.2:5), or
the Apostle John who said, “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not
have the Sonof God does not have the life” (1 Jn. 5:12). Peterwas no more
intolerant than Christ and the other Apostles. To Peterit was either Christ or
chaos, heavenor hell, justification or judgment. Salvationwas clearcut and a
black and white issue. Many modern day religionists claim if a man is sincere,
regardless ofhis religion, he will go to heavenwhen he dies. Nothing could be
further from the truth of the Bible! One must be touched by God's grace and
receive Christ as personal Lord and Savior before he can go to heaven.
CONCLUSION
Jesus Christ is the Eternal God who is able to save sinners. He is adequate to
meet a person's deepestspiritual needs. Jesus Christ can do what no other
person cando -- He saves!There is salvationin Christ. His salvationis
adequate for all who come to Him. Not one person who sees he is a sinner,
separatedfrom Godand under God's wrath, and honestly seeksChrist by
faith shall be turned aside. Christ never says to any soul longing for salvation,
“Go away;you are not one of the elect!” The very fact that a sinner desires to
come to Christ is evidence that God is drawing him to Christ. All sinners who
come are welcomedby Christ, who is adequate for all if all will lay hold of
Him by faith.
You sayyou are too sinful to come to Christ. The Bible says Christ saves
sinners. If He savedPeter the denier of Christ, and Thomas the doubter and
Paul the persecutorofChristians who claimed to be the greatestofsinners. He
can surely save you. Christ is ready and waiting for you to come to Him for
salvation. Won't you put your trust in Him. Acknowledge youare a sinner
and believe that Christ died for you an unworthy wretch. Place your faith in
Christ and you shall be saved, “for there is no other name under heavenby
which we must be saved.”
CHRIS BENFIELD
By What Name Have Ye Done This?
Acts 4:7-20

We are reading of time of greatexcitement and wonder for the church.
Jesus had risen from the grave and ascendedback to heaven. The Holy Spirit
had been poured out just as the Lord had promised. People were being saved
on every hand. The Gospelwas being preachedand the messagewas being
receivedand promoted. Peterand John were at the centerof all this
excitement.
Just the afternoonbefore, they were making their way to the temple at the
hour of prayer and encountereda lame man begging for alms. Peterhad no
money to give, but he shared Jesus with the lame man and in Jesus’name he
was healed. With that the lame man made his way to the temple walking, and
leaping, and praising the Lord. A crowdbegan to gatherwith all the
excitement and Peterused this as another opportunity to preach Jesus. The
preaching and large gathering caught the attention of the religious elite. As
they neared the scene, they heard Peterpreaching and proclaiming the name
of Jesus. Naturally this angeredthe religious crowdbecause they had
consentedto the crucifixion of Christ. Peter and John were apprehended for
their preaching and placed in jail until the next day.
It was then that the rulers, elders, scribes, high priests, and many of the
council brought them out to question them. They were concernedabout all
that had been taking place and they demanded to know by what poweror
what name they had done all of this. That was just the opening that Peter
needed to once againshare Jesus. Theyhad askedand he was obligedto
answer. I want to considerthe question that the council posed:By What Name
Have Ye Done This. As we look at the truths associatedwith this name, you
will find that it is a name that is above every name.
I. A PowerfulName (7-10) – These verses revealthe power that is associated
with Jesus’name. There are a couple of things we can learn.
A. It Empowers the Weak (7) – Here we find that Peterwas filled with the
Holy Ghost. He had been preaching in the name of Jesus. He had witnessed
His powerin the lives of others and now he experiences thatpower for
himself.
ep in mind that this is the same man that had denied the Lord. It is the
same man who fled in fear. This is the man who was about to abandon his
faith even after the resurrectionand return to the old life of fishing.

But here something has changed. He is filled with the Holy Ghost and
empoweredto stand and preach to the same religious council that casttheir
voice againstthe Lord.
and take a stand for Him? There is power in His name for you!
B. It Enables the Walk (10) – Be it knownunto you all, and to all the people
of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified,
whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before
you whole. This was the same man who lay at the temple gate beginning alms
of those who came by. He was born lame, never had walkeda day in his life,
and was overforty years of age. He had lain there all those years, likely giving
up hope that he would ever walk, but one day Petercame by and proclaimed
the name of Jesus. It was the power in Jesus’name that enabled the lame man
to walk.
disease. He can still touch the crippled legs and provide healing. But more
importantly, He can heal those who are crippled by sin. Jesus canenable you
to walk free of sin and in fellowshipwith Him.
I. A PowerfulName (7-10)
II. A Precious Name (10) – Peterdeclares that it was the precious name of
Jesus that had brought healing to this man. It wasn’t in their preaching or
their ability; it was the name of Jesus. Petermentions a couple of names
associatedwith our precious Lord. He identified Him as:
Jesus – This was His earthly name, a reference to His humanity. The name
Jesus literally means “Jehovahis salvation.”
humanity. He bears the name that still brings joy to the hearts of believers. It
is the name that brings hope and deliverance to the sinful and wayward. It is a
name that stirs a vivid reminder in the heart of Satanthat he is forever
defeatedand that God is in control.

Christ – Peteralso identified Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the “Anointed
One.” He proclaims to the same council that desired His crucifixion, that He
was the promised One of God. Jesus is the Christ!
me to share a few of those names found in the Scriptures.
there upon the cross and was buried, but He didn’t stay dead. After three
days in the tomb, Jesus came forth victorious over death. He rose to live
forever, never to die again!
II. A Precious Name (10)
III. A Preeminent Name (11-12)– This is the stone which was setat nought
of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neitheris there
salvationin any other: for there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved. Peterfurther declares Jesus as the
Christ. He proclaims that He is the Chief Cornerstone. He was rejectedby His
own, but He remains the Corner of the foundation. He is the only source and
means of salvation. The religious councilwas looking to their goodworks and
strict lifestyle, but Peterdeclares that salvation is only obtained by and though
the name of Jesus. He was in essencetelling them that they remained in their
sin apart from Jesus.
is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved. Jesus is not a goodway to
salvation;He isn’t even the best way to salvation; Jesus is the only way to
salvation!Apart from Him there is no way. Apart from Jesus sinremains and
ultimately leads to death.
h. They seek to find their own
way. Many believe that there are many ways, all of which, leading to the same
heaven. Consider the commentary of John MacArthur, “The exclusivism of
Christianity goes againstthe grain of our religiously pluralistic society. A
chapel built at the North Pole in February 1959 by the men of Operation Deep

Freeze 4 typifies the prevalent attitude today toward religious belief. The
structure contained an altar, over which was hung a picture of Jesus, a
crucifix, a starof David, and a lotus leaf (representing the Buddha). On the
wall of the chapelwas an inscription that read "Now it can be said that the
earth turns on the point of faith."’ 1
biblical. Jesus is the only way. There is salvation in no other!
IV. A Persuasive Name (13-14)– Now when they saw the boldness of Peter
and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they
marvelled; and they took knowledge ofthem, that they had been with Jesus.
And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say
nothing againstit. The presence and power that Peter spoke with baffled the
minds of the religious elite. These men were perceived to be unlearned,
referring to “one who is illiterate; one who doesn’t know letters.” They were
supposedto be ignorant men, “just common and unskilled men.” But there
was a presence that couldn’t be denied. They maybe didn’t possesa seminary
degree from the localRabbinical School, but there was something different
about these men. The council marveled because they understood that they had
been with Jesus!
been with Jesus? Doesthe world look at us and perceive that we know Him
and that we have spent time with Him? (Share a few names from the
congregationand make application.)
want our congregationto be knownas a people who have been with Jesus?
II. A Precious Name (10)
III. A Preeminent Name (11-12)
IV. A Persuasive Name (13-14)

V. A PersistentName (18-20)– And they called them, and commanded them
not to speak atall nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peterand John
answeredand said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to
hearkenunto you more than unto God, judge ye. Forwe cannot but speak the
things which we have seenand heard. They had spent a night in jail for
preaching in Jesus’name. Now they are brought before the counciland once
againchargedto refrain from speaking in Jesus’name. Peterand John
declaredthat they had no choice but to speak the things they knew.
witnessedthe death, burial, resurrection, and ascensionofJesus. They
believed in Him as the Christ. They were determined to preachthe Gospel,
even if the counciland the whole world rejectedthe message. Theyhad not
been calledto please men, but to preach Jesus!
There is something about the name of Jesus that compels us to share Him
with others. There is something deep within that longs to tell of what Jesus has
done for us. I pray that we will continue to tell of the goodness ofour blessed
Lord. He is worthy of our praise and there is a lostand dying world that needs
to hear of His loving grace and mercy.
Have you experiencedthe power in Jesus’name? Have you been setfree from
the bondage of sin so that you can walk with Jesus? Whatdoes that precious
name mean to you? He is the only way of salvation. Do you know Jesus as
your personalSavior?
Is it evident for the world to see that you have been with Jesus? Do you live a
life that reflects and honors Him? I want to spend time with the Lord so that
others will know that I have been with Him.
1 The MacArthur New TestamentCommentary, Acts 1-12.
ALAN CARR
A MAN NAMED JESUS

Intro: There were tense times for the people of Israel. Rome was tightening
her grip on the little nation, insurrections and rebellions againstRome were
growing and a rag tag group of people were creating a stir in the name of a
man named Jesus. It seems that an amazing thing is happening in the city of
Jerusalem. Thousands ofpeople are turning from their Jewishbeliefs to
embrace a man name Jesus Christ, Acts 2:41; Acts 4:4. Of course, this is
upsetting to the leaders of the Jewishpeople. After the secondof these events,
two of the ringleaders Peterand John are arrested, 4:3, and calledto give
accountfor their actions and for the radical, new message theyare preaching.
To fully understand where we are in these verses, we need to look back for
just a moment. In chapter 3, Peterand John were going up into the Temple to
worship at the time of the evening sacrifice, about 3 PM. As they were passing
through the Beautiful Gate, they met a crippled man who had been lain there
so that he might beg for pennies from the people who were headed to the
Temple to worship. Instead of giving this man a few coins and passing right on
by, Petertakes him by the hand and heals him in the name of Jesus. When the
people, who knew this was the lame man, see this man leaping and jumping
and praising God, they gather and inquire as to what is going on. Peter seizes
upon this opportunity to tell them about Jesus. While he is preaching, the
leaders of the people, the Sanhedrin, come on the scene to see what the ruckus
is all about. When they hear Peterpreaching about that Jesus Whom they had
crucified they are livid. When they hear that Peter is claiming that this Jesus
arose from the dead, they are absolute furious and they arrestthe two
preachers. But, the messagehad already been delivered and 5,000 menwere
savedby the grace of God that day!
After spending the night in jail, Peterand John are brought before the council
to explain their actions to the council. We are told in 4:7 that this question is
asked, "Bywhatpower, or by whatname, haveye done this?" Friends, that was
the wrong question to ask a Spirit-filled preacher! That question openedthe
door for Peterto preach a fresh messageto these Jewishleaders. It was a
messageallabout a man named Jesus. It is that message andthat man that I
have the privilege of sharing this morning. So,. Let's listen in as Peter
preaches about the Lord. As he does, there are some precious truths revealed
about the Personof the Lord Jesus that we need to hear today.
I. V. 10 WE ARE TOLD OF HIS PERSONALITY
(Ill. His personality is written in His Name!Without even realizing it, every
time His name is mentioned, whether it be in cursing or in blessing, His glory
if revealed. Just the mention of His Name tells us much about Him. This

double Name for our Lord, used 256 times in the New Testament, tells of His
dual nature and His glory.)
A. The Name Of His Humanity - Jesus - this name means "Jehovah Is
Savior". It is the equivalent of the Old Testamentname Joshua. This is
the name Jesus bore while He was here on earth. It is the name that
identifies Him with humanity. It could be said that this is the name of
His humiliation. The name Jesus was a very common name in those
days. In fact, thousands of Jewishmen were named Jesus. This name
reminds us that He was a man. A man Who knew His share of sorrow
and rejection, Isa. 53:3; John 1:11. A man Who walkedin poverty and
loneliness, Matt. 8:20. It was this name that was chosenfor Him by His
Heavenly Father, Matt. 1:21. This was the name worn by the Man Who
came into this world for one purpose: that of going to the cross to die
for our sins, John 18:37. You see, Godcannotdie, yet men die every
day. Therefore, God became a man that He might die for men, so that
men might be free from the wrath of God. That is why the name Jesus is
so special. It reminds us that He was a man and that He died for all men
on that cross, Rom. 5:8.
(Ill. The name of Jesus is a name that thrills the souls of the believer. A
name at which the devils tremble. A name that gains man accessto the
God of Glory. A name that moves mountains. A name that convicts the
sinner. A name that opens the door to the blessings of God. A name that
is above every name. A name that causes sinners to bow in repentance.
Yes! There is something about that Name!)
B. The Name Of His Honor - Christ - this name means "Anointed One".
This name identifies Jesus as the Messiah. He is seenas the fulfilment of
all the promises of the Old Testament. He is:
Genesis - The Seed of the Woman
Exodus- The Passover Lamb
Leviticus- The HighPriest
Numbers- The Cloud by Day and Pillarof Fireby Night
Deuteronomy - Prophet likeunto Moses
Joshua - The Captain ofthe Lord's Host
Judges- Messenger of Jehovah
Ruth - The KinsmanRedeemer
1 Samuel - The Faithful Priest

2 Samuel - The Tower of Salvation
1 Kings- A Greater Than Solomon
2 Kings- The Reigning King
1 Chronicles - The Ark of the Covenant
2 Chronicles - The Blood on the Mercy Seat
Ezra - The Return from Captivity
Nehemiah - The AwesomeGod
Esther - Our Mordecai
Job - The Risen and ReturningRedeemer
Psalms- King of Glory
Proverbs - The Friend that sticketh closer than a Brother.
Ecclesiastes - The Giverof Life and Breath
Song Of Solomon - The Altogether LovelyOne
Isaiah- The Suffering Substitute
Jeremiah- The Lord our Righteousness
Lamentations-The People's Portion
Ezekiel - The Riverof Life
Daniel - The Ancientof Days
Hosea - The Former and Latter Rain
Joel - The Refuge for HisPeople
Amos- The Rescuer of Israel
Obadiah- The Deliverer upon Mount Zion
Jonah- The Buried and Risen Savior
Micah- The God Who Pardons
Nahum - OurStronghold in the Day of Wrath
Habbakuk-The Anchor of our Faith
Zephaniah- In the Midst for Judgmentand Cleansing
Haggai - The Smitten Shepherd
Zechariah - The Branch
Malachi - The Son of RighteousnessRisen withHealing in HisWings.

In the New TestamentHisstory continues:
Matthew - King of the Jews
Mark - The Servantof Jehovah
Luke- The Perfect Son of Man
John - The Son of God
Acts - The Ascended Lord
Romans- Our Righteousness
1 Corinthians - The Firstfruitsof the Resurrection
2 Corinthians- The Exalted Son of God
Galatians- The End of the Law and our Redeemer
Ephesians- The Head of the Church
Phillipians - The nameaboveevery Name
Colossians- The PreeminentOne
1 Thessalonians - OurReturning Lord
2 Thessalonians - The Returning Judge
1 Timothy- The Mediator
2 Timothy- The Bestower of Crowns
Titus- Our Great God and Savior
Philemon -The Father's Partner
Hebrews- The Mediatorof the New Covenant
James- The Lord of Glory
1 Peter - Chief Cornerstone
2 Peter - The Brightand Morning Star
1 John - The Propitiation for our Sins
2 John - God's Son come in the Flesh
3 John - The Truth
Jude- The Believer'sSecurity
Revelation - The King of Kingsand the Lord of Lords
(Ill. That's Who He is in the Bible record!. There is none like Him
anywhere. He is the Anointed One, He is the honored One. He is the
fulfillment of all the promises, plans and types of God!

I. We Are Told Of His Personality
II. V. 10 WE ARE TOLD OF HIS PROVISION
A. He Provided A Payment - Peterreminds them of the death of this
name named Jesus Christ. He reminds them that is was a death on a
cross. The most horrible of deaths known to men. Jesus sufferedthis
death so that He might pay the sin debt of humanity. He did on that
cross becausewe are sinners and stand in need of a Savior, Isa. 53:4-6;2
Cor. 5:21.
(Ill. When Jesus completedHis mission on the cross, He was able to lift
His voice and declare that He had paid the price, John 19:30!He
suffered our penalty on the cross so that we might go free by the grace
of God, 2 Cor. 5:21.)
B. He Provided A Proof - Then, Peterdeclares the part of the Gospel
that bothered them the most. He reminded them that this same Jesus,
Whom they had crucified, had been raisedfrom the dead by the power
of God. This was a documented factand they could not deny the
resurrection, Matt. 28:1-6;Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:6.
(Ill. Beyond that, the resurrectionof Jesus from the dead was proof
positive that God the Father had acceptedHis sacrifice as payment for
the sins of humanity, Acts 2:24; Psa. 16:10.)
C. He Provided A Promise - Peterdoesn't mention this in his sermon
here, but the Apostle Paul does in 1 Cor. 15:20. There, Jesus is called
"the firstfruits from the dead." This is a reference to the Old Testament
wave offering, in which the first of the grain harvest was wavedbefore
the Lord, Ex. 29. The firstfruits were a picture of the fact that more was
on the way. In the same manner, when Jesus arose from the dead, His
resurrectionwas a statementthat more would follow. The factof he
matter is that every personwho follows Jesus in salvation will one day
follow Him out of the grave in resurrection, 1 Thes. 4:13-18. Ill. There
will be what the old black preachers called "A great gettin'up
morning.")
(Ill. This is what the Lord Jesus has provided for all men. He paid for
our sins on the cross, offers us salvationthrough His name and promises
us deliverance from death and destruction at the end of the way. The
greatquestion is, "Are you trusting Jesus for your soul's salvation?"
Faith in Christ is the only thing that will save the souls of men!)

II. We Are Told Of His Provision
III. V. 10 WE ARE TOLD OF HIS POWER
(Ill. As Petercontinues His sermon, He tells the Sanhedrin that the cripples
man at the Beautiful Gate was healedthrough the powerof the name of Jesus.
This serves to remind us of the fact that Jesus has the power to change lives!
(Ill. How the crippled man life's may have changed.)Jesus Christis in the life
changing business, 2 Cor. 5:17.)
(Ill. The Gaderene Demoniac, Mark 5;The Leper, Matt. 8:2; Bartimaeus -
Matt. 10;The Thief on the Cross;Luke 23; Lazarus - John 11;Paul - Acts 9;
Me - May 23, 1983;You - ?)
II. We Are Told Of His Provision
III. We Are Told Of His Power
IV. V. 11-12 WE ARE TOLD OF HIS PREEMINENCE
A. V. 11 He Is The Lofty Savior - Peterrefers to Psalm118:22, a noted
Messianic prophecy, and applies it to Jesus. He is making the case that
Jesus is the Messiah. He is the promised One. He is the One Whom God
has exaltedabove all others. His is a name above every name - Phil. 2:5-
11. His is a glory greaterthan any other - Col. 2:13-15. He is the
preeminent One - Col. 1:18. He is worthy of our faith! He is worthy of
our honor. He is worthy of our praise. He alone is worthy to be exalted!
Therefore, let the redeemed of the Lord say so and magnify His Name!
(Ill. Friend, like Israel, you might turn your back on the word of God
concerning Who Jesus is, but that will never change the factthat He is
the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! It will never change the fact
that He is the Savior of all men and then He deserves your faith, your
trust and your praise. He deserves nothing less than your all!)
B. V. 12 He Is The Lone Savior - Peterfinishes his sermonby reminding
these men that salvationcan only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ! He
and He alone is the source of salvationfor all men. Note the word
"must". If you will escape the fires of Hell and will enter into the glories
of Heave, you will do so through none other than the Lord Jesus Christ!
He alone cansave the soul of man, John 14:6.
Conc:What do you believe about this man named Jesus? Is He the Saviorof
your soul? Are you trusting His death and resurrection to getyou into
Heaven?

These men to whom Peterwas preaching were good men as far as their
cleanliness oflife was concerned. Yet, everyone of them was as lostas man
could be. They needed to hear what Peter told them that day and if you are
lost, you need to hear it today. Are you saved? Have you trusted Jesus? Will
you today?
The Bible tells us that this man who was healedhad been laid at this gate
daily, 3:2. After he had been healed the Bible tells us that all the people knew
who he was, 3:10. I gather from this that he had been coming there for a long
time. Now, Jesus hadonly been gone for a couple of months at this time.
Imagine how many times Jesus must have passedthis man by and yet He
hadn't healedhim. Why didn't Jesus healthis man? The answermay be that
Jesus was waiting for the precise time when God would get the most glory.
That happened the day God healedthis man through Simon Peter. His time
had come!
I said all of that to tell you this. Salvation may have passedyou by many times
before. But, today, the Lord is dealing with your heart. Right now is your
time! The Lord is calling. He is willing to save you if you will come. He wants
to save you. If you need to be saved, come to Jesus now and call on Him.
If you are saved, you might just want to praise His for Who He is! If so this
altar is open for your need right now. Will you just mind Him as He speaks to
your heart?
BOB DEFFINBAUGH
From the series:Studies in the Book of Acts PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE
8. The First Opposition (Acts 4:1-31)
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Introduction1
For 40 days after His resurrection, the risen Lord Jesus appearedto men in
very convincing ways. He particularly ministered to His disciples, for they
would play a key role in His on-going ministry in and through the church. He
spoke with them about the kingdom of heavenand told them to wait in
Jerusalemfor the coming of the Holy Spirit. He commissionedthem to be His
witnesses whenthey were clothed with power from on high. Then Pentecost

came, and the Spirit came in greatpower. Peter’s preaching produced 3,000
converts. As a result of the healing of the man who was lame from his
mother’s womb, Peter seizedanother opportunity to preach the gospelto
those who had gathered.
Acts 3 ends somewhatabruptly, for we are not yet given any indication of the
impact of Peter’s messagein the temple precincts. Acts 4 begins with a strong
and sudden reaction, especiallyfrom those who were Sadducees.This is the
first instance of opposition and persecutionin the Book of Acts. It should not,
however, come as a surprise, to us or to the apostles.Jesus hadforewarnedthe
disciples that persecutionwas coming. Men would reactto the apostles and
their teaching because they had rejectedJesus and His teaching:
18 “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged
to the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because youdo
not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reasonthe
world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greaterthan
his master.’If they persecutedme, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed
my word, they will obey yours too. 21 But they will do all these things to you
on accountof my name, because they do not know the one who sent me” (John
15:18-21).2
11 “But when they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the
authorities, do not worry about how you should make your defense or what
you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teachyou at that moment what you
must say” (Luke 12:11-12).
12 But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you, handing you over
to the synagoguesand prisons. You will be brought before kings and
governors because ofmy name. 13 This will be a time for you to serve as
witnesses.14 Therefore be resolvednot to rehearse aheadof time how to make
your defense. 15 For I will give you the words along with the wisdomthat
none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict (Luke 21:12-
15).
Among other things, our text has much to teachus about oppositionand
persecution. But there is much more to it than that, as I hope to demonstrate
in this lesson. Let us listen carefully to the words of our text, for it clearly
declares the gospel, andit models the boldness and confidence which we
should have as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission.

A Mixed Response
Acts 4:1-4
1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the
commander of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 2
[greatly annoyed]3
because they were teaching the people and announcing in
Jesus the resurrectionof the dead. 3 So they seizedthem and put them in jail
until the next day (for it was already evening). 4 But many of those who had
listened to the messagebelieved, and the number of the men came to about
five thousand.
Luke begins by describing the response of the opposition to the preaching of
Peter. The priests, the commander of the temple guard, and the Sadducees all
“came up to them,” “greatlyannoyed because they were teaching the people
and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrectionof the dead.” These seemto be the
folks who would have been present at the time Peterbegan to preachto the
crowd. Mostlikely, they embraced the theologyof the Sadducees. This means
that they did not believe in the supernatural, in angels, orin the resurrection
of the dead (see Acts 23:6-8).
Two things “greatlyannoyed” these Sadducees. First, they were annoyed that
these unauthorized men were teaching the people in the temple precincts. In
the minds of the priests and the Sadducees,this was their turf, and they had
not authorized anyone to come and preach there without authorization. It was
like setting up business without obtaining a permit to do so. The religious
establishment had a monopoly on what took place here.
Secondly, the establishmentwas “greatlyannoyed” because of the content of
the teaching that was done on their turf. They were distressedbecause the
resurrectionof the dead was being taught. This was something the Sadducees
did not believe, and thus they did not want the people taught that the dead
would rise. Even more than this, Peterand John were proclaiming the
resurrectionof the dead “in Jesus” (verse 2). The dead would rise again, Peter
and John proclaimed, because Jesus hadrisen from the dead. The
implications of this were staggering to those Sadducees who had rejected
Jesus and takenpart in His death.
Becauseofthe intensity of their opposition, I believe the rendering “came up
to them” in verse one is an understatement. They came stomping up4
to Peter
and John, seizing them and putting them in jail for the night. It was already
evening, so they would hold them in confinement until they could hear their
case in the morning. We might therefore expectthat when these religious
leaders authoritatively pushed their way through the crowds, seizedPeterand

John, and led them off to jail, that those in the crowdwould be reluctant to
identify with Jesus and His apostles. Suchwas not the case, however. In spite
of the opposition, Luke informs us that many more came to faith as a result of
this miracle and the preaching of the apostles, preaching for which they were
arrested. Now there are 5,000 men in Jerusalemwho have come to faith.
In Acts 2:41, Luke informs us that 3,000 people came to faith on the day of
Pentecost. Here, Luke tells us that the number of believers has grownto 5,000
men. Thus, the total number of believers would seemto be even greaterthan
5,000. It is possible that more came to faith in Acts 4, in spite of the
opposition, than came to faith in Acts 2, where there was no opposition. The
lessonhere should be clear: oppositionto the gospeldoes not hinder
evangelismwhen the gospelis boldly and clearlyproclaimed in the powerof
the Holy Spirit.
A Challenge and a Bold Response
Acts 4:5-12
5 On the next day, their rulers, elders, and experts in the law came togetherin
Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander,
and others who were members of the high priest’s family. 7 After making
Peterand John stand in their midst, they began to inquire, “Bywhat power or
by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,
replied, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today for
a gooddeed done to a sick man—by what means this man was healed— 10 let
it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of
Jesus Christ the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raisedfrom the
dead, this man stands before you healthy. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was
rejectedby you, the builders, that has become the cornerstone [Psalm118:22].
12 And there is salvationin no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven given among people by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:5-12).
Observations
Our first observation in these verses is that this is the account of a closed door
confrontation. In Acts 2 and 3, the gospelis proclaimed in the open. Here,
Peterand John are brought before the Sanhedrin to give accountfor their
preaching. Either Peteror John must have been the source of some of this
information, but even they were not present when the members of the
Sanhedrin conferredprivately, behind closeddoors (Acts 4:15-17). Some
information in this accountwould therefore appearto have been divinely
revealed. No doubt, the church, composedprimarily of new believers, looked
on with greatinterest as Peterand John were seizedand hauled off to jail and

then brought before the Sanhedrin the next morning to stand trial. They must
have waited with greatinterest to learn what had happened, and the outcome
of it all.
Our next observation should be the identityof those who opposed Peter and John
in verses fiveand six of our text. Luke is very specific as to the identity of those
before whom Peterand John stood:
5 On the next day, their rulers, elders, and experts in the law came togetherin
Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander,
and others who were members of the high priest’s family (Acts 4:5-6).
These are the very same men who, just a couple of months earlier, had Jesus
arrested, tried Him before the Sanhedrin, and then demanded that He be
executed.
57 Now the ones who had arrestedJesus ledhim to Caiaphas, the high priest,
in whose house the experts in the law and the elders had gathered. 58 But
Peterwas following him from a distance, all the way to the high priest’s
courtyard. After going in, he satwith the guards to see the outcome. 59 The
chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were trying to find false testimony
againstJesus so that they could put him to death (Matthew 26:57-59)
1 Early in the morning, after forming a plan, the chief priests with the elders
and the experts in the law and the whole Sanhedrin tied Jesus up, led him
away, and handed him over to Pilate (Mark 15:1; see also Luke 22:66-23:1;
John 18:12-28).
These are the most powerful Jews in all of Israel. Acts 4:5-6 is the “Who’s
Who” of Judaism in that day. These are men who would settle for nothing less
than the death of Jesus. There was no reasonto assume that they were not just
as committed to kill those who preachedthe resurrectionin Jesus.
A third observation is that I believeour text indicatesthe Jewishreligious
leaders did not immediatelyrecognizePeter and John as disciplesof our Lord.
Notice carefully the way Luke has written verse 13:
When they saw the boldness of Peterand John, and discoveredthat they were
uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazedand recognizedthese men
had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13, NET Bible).
Now as they observedthe confidence of Peterand John and understood that
they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to
recognize them as having been with Jesus (Acts 4:13, NASB, emphasis mine).
The imperfect tense is used to conveypast action in a variety of ways. Here, I
believe the translators of the NASB have rightly captured the inference of the

imperfect tense when they rendered, “beganto recognize,”ratherthan merely
“recognized.”5
We must remember that the top religious leaders would have
had little or no direct contactwith the disciples of Jesus. Theyfled at the time
of our Lord’s arrest(Matthew 26:6). It was even necessaryfor the religious
leaders to have Judas present to identify Jesus at the time of His arrest(Acts
1:16; Matthew 26:48). It would thus appear that initially Peter and John were
simply viewedas two unauthorized men, authoritatively teaching that the
dead are raisedon accountof Jesus. Peter’spreaching was so powerful and so
skillful that they would not have knownhe was not trained in a religious
school. Theyseemshockedto learn who Peterand John are.
Fourth, I believethat the intentof the Jewishreligiouselitewasto so intimidate
Peter and John that they wouldbepermanentlysilenced. We should recallfrom
the gospelaccounts that the religious leaders had greatauthority, and that the
people (even those in leadership) greatly fearedthem:
11 So the Jewishleaders were looking for him at the feast, asking, “Where is
he?” 12 There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some
were saying, “He is a goodman,” but others, “He deceives the common
people.” 13 However, no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jewish
leaders (John 7:11-13).
20 So his parents replied, “We know that this is our son and that he was born
blind. 21 But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who
causedhim to see. Ask him, he is a mature adult. He will speak for himself.”
22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish
religious leaders. Forthe Jewishleaders had already agreedthat anyone who
confessedJesus to be the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Forthis
reasonhis parents said, “He is a mature adult, ask him.”) (John 9:20-23)
42 Nevertheless, evenamong the rulers many believed in him, but because of
the Phariseesthey would not confess Jesusto be the Christ, so that they would
not be put out of the synagogue (John12:42).
38 After this, Josephof Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus (but secretly, because
he feared the Jewishleaders), askedPilate if he could remove the body of
Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he went and took the body away(John
19:38).
Peterand John were abruptly interrupted and hauled off to jail. The next
morning they were brought before the highest Jewishcourt in the land. This
was the court that found Jesus guilty of blasphemy and which managedto
accomplishthe crucifixion of Jesus, eventhough Pilate was intending to
release Him (Acts 3:13). They purposely put Peterand John in their midst, so

that they were encircledby their accusers. Itwas all about intimidation. They
employed “shock and awe” tactics,expecting to silence these two, just as they
had silencedcountless others who disagreedwith them.
Fifth, observe how they carefullycrafted their question to Peter and John: “By
what power or by what name did you do this?” (verse 7) They carefully avoid
naming the miracle, even though it is an undisputed fact (verses 14-16).
Neither do they mention Jesus, His resurrection, nor their teaching on the
resurrection. I believe their hope is that Peterand John will “getthe
message,”recant, and slip awayin silence.
Sixth, weshould observe that Peter’s response is that of a man whois “filled
withthe Holy Spirit” (verse 8). I take it this means that God gave special
enablement to Peterat that moment to answerthe accusationsofthe enemies
of the cross. This is just as our Lord had promised:
12 But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you, handing you over
to the synagoguesand prisons. You will be brought before kings and
governors because ofmy name. 13 This will be a time for you to serve as
witnesses.14 Therefore be resolvednot to rehearse aheadof time how to make
your defense. 15 For I will give you the words along with the wisdomthat
none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict (Luke 21:12-
15).
Seventh, observe that there is an implied link between the powerof the apostles
and the resurrection of Jesus. Peter makes it clearthat the lame man was
healed in the name of Jesus. He also makes it clearthat Jesus has been raised
from the dead. Who could doubt the powerof one who was raisedfrom the
dead? I am fascinatedby Herod’s response to the reports of Jesus’words and
deeds after the death of John the Baptist:
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to
his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raisedfrom the dead! And
because ofthis, miraculous powers are at work in him” (Matthew 14:1-2; see
also Luke 9:7-9HYPERLINK l "6
).
Herod is no saint, and no theologian. Yet somehow he concludes that Jesus is
really John the Baptist raisedfrom the dead. John the Baptist performed no
miracles in his earthly ministry (John 10:41), and yet when Jesus beganto
minister in greatpower, Herod assumedit was John, raisedfrom the dead. I
find that fascinating.

PeterTurns the Tables
Are these fellows everin for a surprise! Peter and John do not cowerin fear,
but courageouslyturn the tables on their opponents. The very things that
appear to give the Sanhedrin the advantage suddenly work againstthem.
First, Peterpoints out the incongruity betweentheir actions and the religious
leaders’reaction. Since when is it a crime to do something kind for one in
need? What charges canpossiblybe made againstthem for helping a lame
man to walk? (It is the Jewishleaders who “do not have a leg to stand on”
here!) Next, Peter’s response raises the question of why they are brought for
trial before such an esteemedgroup. The Supreme Court of the United States
does not hear traffic cases, so why is the Sanhedrin ruling on the actions of
Peterand John?
These men have made it abundantly clearto Peterand John that they are “in
charge.” Theyare the leaders. Peterbegins by acknowledging this fact:
“Rulers of the people and elders . . .” (verse 8). The fact that they are leaders
makes their guilt even greater. These menwere the leaders who rejectedJesus
as the Messiahand orchestratedHis death:
10 “Let it be knownto all of you and to all the people of Israelthat by the
name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised
from the dead, this man stands before you healthy. 11 This Jesus is the stone
that was rejectedby you, the builders, that has become the cornerstone” (Acts
4:10-11).
Here is Peter’s bold and direct answerto the question these leaders have
raised. By whose power7
has this man been healed? He was healed by the
powerof Jesus Christ, the Nazarene.8
This Jesus is the One they, as Israel’s
religious leaders, crucified. God raised Jesus from the dead. And it is through
the name of Jesus that this man, who was lame for “forty years,” now stands
before them. Whether the healed man was arrestedwith Peterand John,
whether he was summoned independently, or whether he came on his own, we
are not told. But we do know that he “stood” there in their midst. He was
healed, and Jesus did it!
Peternow draws upon the prophecy of Psalm118:22.
This Jesus is the stone that was rejectedby you, the builders, that has become
the cornerstone (Acts 4:11).
The scope ofthis messagewill not allow me to pursue the broader implications
of Peter’s citation of Psalm118, but it seems to me that there are elements in
that psalm beyond verse 22 (the verse cited) which are relevant to Peterand
his situation.9

What is relevant is that this psalm prophesies not only that Messiahwillbe
rejected, but that He will be rejectedby “the builders,” the leaders ofthe
nation. What is also relevantto Peter’s situation, standing before the
Sanhedrin, is that God has made the Messiahthe chief cornerstone. The
opposition of the Sanhedrin is the fulfillment of Old Testamentprophecy.
They thought they were in control, and they wanted Peterand John (and the
rest who followedJesus)to know this. But the psalmist declares that God is in
control, for their rejectionof Messiahwas the fulfillment of God’s purposes.
Their rejectionfailed to achieve what they had hoped, for instead of being rid
of Messiah, they must now deal with Him as the One who sits at the right
hand of the Father, waiting for His signal to return to the earth to dealwith
His enemies (Psalm110:1; Acts 2:34-35).
Verse 12 is the knockoutpunch of this brief word from God to Israel’s
leaders:
“And there is salvationin no one else, for there is no other name under heaven
given among people by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
The lame man was healedin the name of Jesus, the same Jesus the Jewish
religious leaders rejected, the same Jesus Godraised from the dead. It is in
this name and this name only—the name of Jesus – that men must be saved.
There is salvationin no other name. If these men would be saved, they must
repent; they must change their minds about Jesus. Theymust embrace Him as
God’s Messiahand trust in Him for salvation. To reject Jesus, therefore, is to
rejectGod’s only means of salvation. To rejectJesus is to embrace eternal
damnation. Here is true authority. No wonder Peterdoes not fearthese men,
even though they are laboring to intimidate him.
We might sum up Peter’s response in this way: “There are three things you
ought to know. First, Jesus the Nazarene is the source of the power that has
accomplishedthis man’s healing. This is the same Jesus you rejectedand
crucified, but Godraised Him from the dead. Second, what you did was
foretold in the Old Testament, specificallyin Psalm118:22. Third, the One
you rejectedis the only One through whom you must be saved. He is the only
way to heaven.
Truth or Consequences
Acts 4:13-22
13 When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discoveredthat they
were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazedand recognizedthese
men had been with Jesus. 14 And because they saw the man who had been
healed standing with them, they had nothing to say againstthis. 15 But when

they had ordered them to go outside the council, they beganto conferwith one
another, 16 saying, “What should we do with these men? Forit is plain to all
who live in Jerusalemthat a notable miraculous sign has come about through
them, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to keepthis matter from spreading any
further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this
name.” 18 And they called them in and ordered them not to speak orteach at
all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peterand John replied, “Whether it is right
before God to obey you rather than God, you decide, 20 for it is impossible for
us not to speak about what we have seenand heard.” 21 After threatening
them further, they releasedthem, for they could not find how to punish them
on accountof the people, because they were all praising God for what had
happened. 22 Forthe man, on whom this miraculous sign of healing had been
performed, was over forty years old (Acts 4:13-22).
If there ever was a time for the claims of our Lord’s resurrectionto be
silenced, it was here and now. All these men had to do was to produce His
body and that would have been the end of it. By divine revelation, Luke takes
us beyond the appearancesthe religious leaders wishus to see to the reality of
the situation. Luke takes us behind closeddoors to overhearthe conversation
of these men after they put Peterand John outside, so that they could talk
among themselves. Theywere taken aback by the boldness of Peterand John.
Neverbefore had they seenmen stand up to them as these two had done. Peter
and John were not intimidated. The religious leaders thought they held the
keys to the kingdom and that by excluding men from the synagogue they were
condemning them to eternity in hell. Now they are told that Jesus is the key to
heaven, and they have rejectedand crucified Him.
Becauseofthe boldness of Peterand John and the irrefutable message they
proclaimed, no one would have imagined that they were men without formal
theologicaltraining. To hear them speak was to be impressedwith both
content and delivery (remember, Peterwas filled with the Holy Spirit as he
spoke). It was only when the religious leaders beganto inquire about the
identity of these two men that they learned, to their amazement, these were
simple fishermen and not highly trained clerics. It was at this time, I believe,
that the religious leaders became aware thatthese two men were disciples of
Jesus. In other words, Jesus was notonly responsible for the miracles
performed by their hands, but He was also the explanation for their great
knowledge and skillin proclaiming the gospel.
If this were not enough, they were painfully aware that the man who stood
with Peterand John was the man who was lame from his mother’s womb. A
greatmiracle had been performed in their midst. Jesus was giventhe credit

for it. How could these religious leaders possibly punish the two apostles for
what they had done, when the crowds were on their side praising God for the
miracle that had been performed? The only thing they could do at this point
in time was to instruct the apostles notto speak or teachin the name of Jesus,
threatening them with punishment if they persistedto proclaim Jesus (Acts
4:18).
Peterand John made it clearthey had no intention of being silent. In fact,
they declaredthat it would be impossible for them not to speak of those things
of which they were witnesses(Acts 4:20). One must be careful not to
misinterpret the apostles’words in verse 19:
“Whether it is right before God to obey you rather than God, you decide”
(Acts 4:19).
They are not saying, “We don’t know whether to speak about Jesus ornot, so
you tell us; you be the judge.” They are saying, “There is no way that we can
be silent about the things we have heard and seenregarding Jesus of
Nazareth. Whether this is a crime that you must punish is a matter for you to
decide. Either way, we will continue to preachJesus.”
Severalthings should be said about the apostles’response to the religious
leaders’threats. First, this instance of “civil disobedience” (if that is what you
wish to call it) is the exceptionand not the rule. The rule is that we should
obey those in authority over us (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter2:13-17). Second,
their disobedience is selective. In other words, they do not feelfree to disobey
in any and every way, but only in those specific instances where obedience to
men would be disobedience to God. Third, their attitude is still one of
submission. They do not seek to overthrow these leaders. They do not speak
abusively to them, or of them. They are willing to suffer the consequencesof
their actions. Fourth, they are honest and forthright about what they intend to
do. Let all those who advocate civil disobedience take note of what Peterand
John are doing here, for it is a model for us all.
There is really nothing the Sanhedrin can do other than to utter threats and
let the apostles go. How ironic. This confrontation did not silence the apostles;
it left the religious leaders speechless. Theyhad nothing more to say. They
surely didn’t want to talk about this to anyone.
Notice one more thing about what happened when the Sanhedrin facedoff
with the apostles.The religious leaders had no evidence on their side; all the
evidence was in favor of the apostles. The Sanhedrin could not refute the
claim that Jesus had risen from the dead. They could not explain awaythe
incredible miracle that had just takenplace. They could not refute the words

of Peterand John. All the evidence was againstthem, and yet they only
became more resolute in their opposition to the truth. These men did not
believe. This was not because the evidence was lacking;it was in spite of the
fact that all of the evidence supported the apostolic preaching of the cross.
Men don’t fail to believe for lack of evidence; they refuse to believe in spite of
the evidence:
18 For the wrath of God is revealedfrom heaven againstall ungodliness and
unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, 19
because whatcan be known about God is plain to them, because Godhas
made it plain to them. 20 For since the creationof the world his invisible
attributes—his eternal powerand divine nature—have been clearly seen,
because they are understood through what has been made. So people are
without excuse. 21 Foralthough they knew God, they did not glorify him as
God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their
senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they
became fools 23 and exchangedthe glory of the immortal Godfor an image
resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles
(Romans 1:18-23, emphasis mine).
The enemies of the cross were notinterested in knowing the truth and
following wherever it led them. They were intent on covering up their error
and containing the damage resulting from what they had done wrong. In
other words, they rejectedtruth because they caredonly about immediate and
earthly consequences.
A Pious Response to Persecution
Acts 4:23-31
23 When they were released, PeterandJohn went to their fellow believers and
reported everything the high priests and the elders had saidto them. 24 When
they heard this, they raisedtheir voices to God with one mind and said,
“Masterofall, you who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything
that is in them, 25 who said by the Holy Spirit through your servant David
our forefather, ‘Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot foolish things?
26 The kings of the earth stood together, and the rulers assembledtogether,
againstthe Lord and againsthis Christ.’ 27 “Forindeed both Herod and
Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembledtogether
in this city againstyour holy servant Jesus, whomyou anointed, 28 to do as
much as your powerand your plan had decidedbeforehand would happen. 29
And now, Lord, pay attention to their threats, and grant to your servants to
speak your message withgreatcourage, 30 while you extend your hand to
heal, and to bring about miraculous signs and wonders through the name of

your holy servant Jesus.”31 When they had prayed, the place where they
were assembledtogetherwas shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak the word of God courageously(Acts 4:23-31).
You can imagine that there was greatconcernin the church over the fate of
Peterand John, and likely over the implications of their fate for the church.
Peterand John were arrested, jailed, and then put on trial (of some sort)
before the highest religious court in the land, the same court that condemned
Jesus to death. What a joy to see Peterand John emerge from their “trial”
without a scratch. It must have been amusing for them to hear the apostles’
report of what took place in that meeting.
What fascinates me is the word “they” in verse 24: “When they heard this they
raisedtheir voices to God with one mind. . . .” “They” refers to the saints, not
to the apostles. Peterdoes notgive them a sermon on facing persecution
(though he will teachon this subject in his first epistle, First Peter). These
folks praise God with one heart and mind, and they petition God for the right
things. Let’s first considertheir praise.
Notice that the praise offered up by the church is grounded in Scripture. They
cite from two of the Psalms. The church first praises God as the Creator:
23 When they were released, PeterandJohn went to their fellow believers and
reported everything the high priests and the elders had saidto them. 24 When
they heard this, they raisedtheir voices to God with one mind and said,
“Masterofall, you who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything
that is in them” (Acts 4:23-24).
This most likely is a reference to Psalm146:6, but there are many texts which
speak of Godas the Creatorof the heavens and the earth.10
The question is, “Whatdoes God being the Creatorhave to do with the
persecutionof the saints in Jerusalem?” There are many ways that the
creationtheme is employed in the Bible, but for the church in Jerusalem, the
primary biblical truth that sustains them is a realization that God is
sovereign, evenin their suffering. Look at the entire psalm from which this
citation seems to be drawn:
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live!
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist!
3 Do not trust in princes,
or in human beings, who cannot deliver!
4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground;

on that day their plans die.
5 How happy is the one whose helper is the Godof Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 the one who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who remains forever faithful,
7 vindicates the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord releasesthe imprisoned.
8 The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord lifts up all who are bent over.
The Lord loves the godly.
9 The Lord protects those residing outside their native land;
he lifts up the fatherless and the widow,
but he opposes the wicked.
10 The Lord rules forever,
your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come!
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 146:1-10)
The psalmist exhorts us to put our trust in God, rather than in men. It is God
who can and who will protect us. Mortalmen come and they go, but God is
eternal. God made the heavens and the earth. There is nothing outside of His
control. There is nothing beyond His power. The Lord particularly looks after
the needy and the oppressed. Why, then, should the saints in Jerusalemfear
mere men who rage againstthe gospel, whentheir all-powerful God is with
them?
The secondtext they cite is also from the Psalms, this time from Psalm 2:
1 Why do the nations cause a commotion?
Why are the countries devising plots that will fail?
2 The kings of the earth form a united front;
the rulers collaborate againstthe Lord and his chosenking.
3 They say, “Let’s tear off the shacklesthey’ve put on us!
Let’s free ourselves from their ropes!”
4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust;
the sovereignMastertaunts them.
5 Then he angrily speaks to them
and terrifies them in his rage.
6 He says, “I myself have installed my king
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 The king says, “I will tell you what the Lord decreed.
He said to me: ‘You are my son!

This very day I have become your father!
8 You have only to ask me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,
the ends of the earth as your personalproperty.
9 You will break them with an iron scepter;
you will smash them as if they were a potter’s jar.’”
10 So now, you kings, do what is wise!
You rulers of the earth, submit to correction!
11 Serve the Lord in fear! Repentin terror!
12 Give sincere homage!Otherwise he will be angry,
and you will die because ofyour behavior, when his angerquickly ignites.
How happy are all who take shelter in him! (Psalm 2:1-12, emphasis mine)
What is interesting about the use of this psalm in our text is that it originally
spoke of the folly of Gentile kings plotting againstthe Lord and His Christ.
The church understands that the psalm likewise applies to the Jewishleaders
who conspiredtogetheragainstJesus Christ. In effect, they are no better than
Gentiles when they rejectJesus as the Messiah. As the psalm goes onto say,
God laughs at the futile efforts of men to resist Christ because He has installed
Him as His king. The best thing those who have foolishly resistedHim can do
is to repent and seek His favor, lest He return and destroythem. How
appropriate this is to the situation at hand.
The saints spoke of Jesus as God’s “servant” (Acts 4:27). Surely this is a
reference to Him as the “Suffering Servant” of Isaiah. Once againthe
opposition of wickedmen to Jesus is seenas part of God’s sovereignplan,
accomplishing what He had foreordained long beforehand(Acts 4:27-28).
The saints did not ask for God’s vengeance upon their opponents. Neither did
they ask to be delivered from all suffering and adversity. Instead, they prayed
for boldness to proclaim the gospel, and for His attesting signs and wonders
which would manifest the presence andpower of Jesus in their midst (Acts
4:29-30). Then, after they prayed, the place where they were staying shook,
and all were filled with the Holy Spirit. The manifestationof the Spirit was
courageousproclamationof the gospel(Acts 4:31).
Conclusion
This is a greattext, with many applications and implications for us. Let me
highlight a few of them.
First of all, the opposition of the Jewishreligiousleadersto the apostles is a
virtual rerun of their opposition to the ministryof Jesus. Notice the similarities

betweenour text in Acts 4 and Luke’s accountof the oppositionto Jesus as
recordedin Luke 20:
1 Now one day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and
proclaiming the gospel, the chief priests and the experts in the law with the
elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tellus: By what authority are you doing
these things? Or who it is who gave you this authority?” 3 He answeredthem,
“I will also ask you a question, and you tell me: 4 John’s baptism—was it
from heaven or from people?” 5 So they discussedit with one another, saying,
“If we say, ‘From heaven,’he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if
we say, ‘From people,’ all the people will stone us, because they are convinced
that John was a prophet.” 7 So they replied that they did not know where it
came from. 8 Then Jesus saidto them, “Neitherwill I tell you by whose
authority I do these things.” 9 Then he beganto tell the people this parable:
“A man planted a vineyard, leasedit to tenant farmers, and went on a journey
for a long time. 10 When harvest time came, he senta slave to the tenants so
that they would give him his portion of the crop. However, the tenants beat his
slave and sent him awayempty-handed. 11 So he sent another slave. They
beat this one too, treatedhim outrageously, and sent him awayempty-handed.
12 So he sent still a third. They even wounded this one, and threw him out. 13
Then the ownerof the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my one
dear son; perhaps they will respecthim.’ 14 But when the tenants saw him,
they said to one another, ‘This is the heir; let’s kill him so the inheritance will
be ours!’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then
will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those
tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they
said, “Maythis never happen!” 17 But Jesus lookedstraightat them and said,
“Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders
rejectedhas become the cornerstone’? 18 Everyone who falls on this stone will
be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.” 19 Then
the experts in the law and the chief priests wanted to arresthim that very
hour, because they realizedhe had told this parable againstthem. But they
were afraid of the people (Luke 20:1-19, emphasis mine).
Luke even uses some of the same words when describing these two instances
of persecution. Luke introduced the Book of Acts with these words:
1 I wrote the former account, Theophilus, about all that Jesus beganto do and
teach2 until the day he was takenup to heaven, after he had given orders by
the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen(Acts 2:1-2).
The inference is that what Jesus “began” to do and to teach, the apostles
continue to do and to teachafter His ascensionand the coming of the Holy

Spirit. Just as the Jewishreligious leaders in JerusalemopposedJesus, so they
opposedthe apostles. This was just as Jesus had indicated before His death:
18 “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged
to the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because youdo
not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reasonthe
world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greaterthan
his master.’If they persecutedme, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed
my word, they will obey yours too. 21 But they will do all these things to you
on accountof my name, because they do not know the one who sent me” (John
15:18-21).
There is one significant difference betweenthe gospels andActs, however. In
the Gospels,the disciples fled when things got rough, and Petereven denied
His Lord. Here, the apostles standfirm, boldly proclaiming the gospel.
As the argument of the Book of Acts unfolds, I believe we can see a crisis
ahead. On the one hand, the Jewishreligious leaders have closedtheir eyes to
the truth and have determined in some way to silence those who would preach
Christ and the resurrection. On the other hand, the apostles have been
transformed by the events that have takenplace in the past few months, and
especiallyby the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Theyare no longer
afraid of the Jewishreligious leaders, or of any retribution they might mete
out because oftheir preaching about Jesus. Boththe church and the Jewish
religious leaders have become strong in their resolve. A confrontation is
coming soon.
Second, the opposition of the JewishreligiousleadersprovidesPeter withthe
opportunityto demonstratehis own repentance. One way of defining repentance
would be to say that it is a change of mind which would result in a different
decisionif you had the opportunity to do it all over again. This was the case
with Josephand his brothers in Genesis 37-45.11
Josephorchestrateda
situation in which his brothers could relive (so to speak)their decisionto
betray him, but this time, it was his younger brother Benjamin whom they
must embrace or deny. When Judah offered himself in his younger brother’s
place (Genesis 44:18-34), itwas clearthat he had truly repented of his earlier
sin (Genesis 37:25-28). Only when this repentance was evident could Joseph
truly enter into fellowship with his brothers (Genesis 45).
As I was preparing to teachthis text, it occurred to me that our Lord was
exceedinglygracious to Peterto give him this opportunity to stand firm in his
commitment to Jesus. In the Gospels, Peterhad spokenwith great confidence
concerning his commitment to Jesus. He had assuredJesus that he would be

true to Him, even unto death (Luke 22:33). Jesus knew better; we do too. At
the time of His arrest, Peter fled from His Lord12
and later denied Him three
times. Peterhad greatremorse for doing so (Luke 22:62). What a gracious
thing it was for Godto give Peterthis opportunity to face greateropposition
and dangerand to stand fastin his faith. Now, insteadof denying His Lord,
He boldly proclaimed Him to be God’s Messiahand the only means of
salvation.
Third, weshould learn something from the early church aboutour response to
persecution. The church (which was composedprimarily of new believers) was
not shockedby the oppositionof the religious leaders. They did not find
suffering for the sake of Jesus anunexpected surprise. They did not pray for it
to end, or for their adversaries to be banished to hell. They rejoiced. After
Peterand John were released, the church joyfully praised God and askedfor
the gospelto be advanced. They were convincedthat God is sovereign, and
that any oppositionwas in accordance withHis will.
I would like to suggestanotherfactorin their joyful celebrationin the face of
opposition. Because theybelieved in the sovereigntyof God, they were assured
that their persecutionwas a sure signof the progress of the gospel. I see
similar themes elsewhere in Scripture:
3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering
produces endurance, 4 and endurance, character, and character, hope. 5 And
hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 Forwhile we were still
helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 (For rarely will
anyone die for a righteous person, though for a goodpersonperhaps someone
might possibly dare to die.) 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in
that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, because
we have now been declaredrighteous by his blood, we will be saved through
him from God’s wrath. 10 Forif while we were enemies we were reconciledto
God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been
reconciled, will we be savedby his life? 11 Not only this, but we also rejoice in
God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now receivedthis
reconciliation(Romans 5:3-11).
18 For I considerthat our presentsufferings cannot even be comparedto the
glory that will be revealedto us. 19 Forthe creationeagerlywaits for the
revelation of the sons of God. 20 For the creationwas subjectedto futility—
not willingly but because of Godwho subjected it—in hope 21 that the
creationitself will also be setfree from the bondage of decayinto the glorious
freedom of God’s children (Romans 8:18-21).

11 For we who are alive are constantlybeing handed over to death for Jesus’
sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our mortal body. 12
As a result, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 13 But since we
have the same spirit of faith as that shown in what has been written, “I
believed; therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak. 14 We
do so because we know that the one who raised up Jesus will also raise us up
with Jesus and will bring us with you into his presence. 15 Forall these things
are for your sake, so that the grace that is including more and more people
may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do
not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner personis
being renewedday by day. 17 For our momentary, light suffering is
producing for us an eternal weightof glory far beyond all comparison18
because we are not looking at what canbe seenbut at what cannotbe seen.
For what canbe seenis temporary, but what cannot be seenis eternal (2
Corinthians 4:11-18).
10 My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to
share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to
attain to the resurrectionfrom the dead. 12 Not that I have alreadyattained
this—that is, I have not already been perfected—but I strive to lay hold of
that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me (Philippians 3:10-12).
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body—for
the sake ofhis body, the church—whatis lacking in the sufferings of Christ
(Colossians1:24).
3 We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so,
because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of eachone of you
all for one anotheris evergreater. 4 As a result we ourselves boastabout you
in the churches of God for your perseveranceand faith in all the persecutions
and afflictions you are enduring. 5 This is evidence of God’s righteous
judgment, to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which in fact you
are suffering. 6 Forit is right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict
you, 7 and to you who are being afflicted to give rest togetherwith us when
the Lord Jesus is revealedfrom heaven with his mighty angels. 8 With flaming
fire he will mete out punishment on those who do not know God and do not
obey the gospelofour Lord Jesus. 9 They will undergo the penalty of eternal
destruction, awayfrom the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his
strength, 10 when he comes to be glorified among his saints and admired on
that day among all who have believed—and you did in fact believe our
testimony (2 Thessalonians 1:3-10).

12 Dearfriends, do not be astonishedthat a trial by fire is occurring among
you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice in the
degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory
is revealedyou may also rejoice and be glad. 14 If you are insulted for the
name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, who is the Spirit
of God, rests on you (1 Peter4:12-14).
Suffering for the sake of Jesus and the proclamation of the gospelis a
privilege, for which we should rejoice. It is also grounds for rejoicing because
it demonstrates the power of the gospeland anticipates the victory our Lord
has won at Calvary, which will be fully realized at His return. Opposition to
the gospeloftenbegins with intimidation, but when that fails to accomplish
the desiredend (silencing those who proclaim the gospel), then persecution
comes. Persecutionis the result of failed oppositionon a lowerlevel. We see
this a little later on in the Book ofActs with the persecutionof Stephen:
8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and
miraculous signs among the people. 9 But some men from the Synagogue of
the Freedmen(as it was called), both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, as wellas
some from Cilicia and the province of Asia, stoodup and arguedwith
Stephen. 10 Yet they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit with
which he spoke. 11 Thenthey secretlyinstigated some men to say, “We have
heard this man speaking blasphemous words againstMoses andGod.” 12
They incited the people, the elders, and the experts in the law; then they
approachedStephen, seizedhim, and brought him before the council. 13 They
brought forward false witnesses who said, “This man does not stopsaying
things againstthis holy place and the law. 14 For we have heard him saying
that Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and change the customs that
Moses handeddown to us” (Acts 6:8-14).
In the end, the only way to silence Stephenwas to kill him. They tried to
oppose him by debate, and this failed, so they intensified the level of
opposition to persecution, and then death. My point is that when we are
persecuted, we should rejoice, just as the early church did, because they saw
this as a sign of victory, not of defeat.
Fourth, power and authority are found in the nameof Jesus. I was impressed
when I discoveredhow often our Lord instructed His disciples to ask and to
serve in His name. In our text, Peter is very specific in his choice of words;he
makes it very clearto all that this lame man was healedin the name of Jesus
of Nazareth. This is what Peter reaffirmed to the religious leaders who were
members of the Sanhedrin. The New Testamentepistles also speak ofdoing all
in the name of Jesus:

And whateveryou do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Fatherthrough him (Colossians 3:17).
Somehow I have tended to reactto ending every prayer, “in Jesus’name,” but
God has used this text to exhort me to do so, every time I pray. It has also
encouragedme to minister in His name, being sure that others know it is by
His poweror to His glory that ministry is done.
As we approachthe Christmas season, we canobserve the many ways our
culture is seeking to remove the name of Jesus from our conversationand
communication. Merry Christmas has all too easilybecome “Happy
Holidays.” Let us not ceaseto name the name of Jesus, for it is He who is to be
preeminent (Colossians1:18), and only in His name canmen be saved.
Fifth, our text has a very clear and concise declaration of the gospel:
“And there is salvationin no one else, for there is no other name under heaven
given among people by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Look no further than Jesus for salvation. Look to no other than to Jesus for
salvation. It is by faith in His name that we must be saved. What does this
mean? It means that we must acknowledgethat apart from Jesus, we will
never be able to earn our way to heaven. It means that by means of His death,
burial, and resurrection, the punishment for our sins has been paid. It means
that His righteousness canbe ours, if we acceptit. Among all of the good
things we find in our text, don’t forget that it all begins when you
acknowledge yoursin, and when you acceptthe salvation which Jesus offers
freely to all who believe.
Sixth, take note of whathappenswhen men and women arefilled withthe Spirit.
To be filled with the Spirit does not mean that we become exempt from the
trials and tribulations of this life. Indeed, those who are Spirit filled may
experience greatertrials and testings than others. They will likely experience
persecution(see 2 Timothy 3:12). Spirit-filled Christians may not experience
health and wealth. But what Spirit-filled Christians will experience is joy in
their faith and boldness in their witness. At leastthat is what we find in this
text.
Finally, Iwantyou to take note that it is not the Holy Spiritwhois prominentin
our text; it is Jesus. If there is any book of the Bible in which the presence and
powerof the Holy Spirit is emphasized, it is the Book of Acts. And yet it
occurredto me that here in our text, where the Spirit’s work is so evident, the
Spirit Himself is not the centerof attention. It is not the Spirit’s task to glorify
Himself; it is the work of the Spirit to glorify Jesus:

26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send you from the Father—the
Spirit of truth who goes outfrom the Father—he will testify about me, 27 and
you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning”
(John 15:26-27).
13 “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whateverhe hears,
and will tell you what is to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will receive
from me what is mine and will tell it to you” (John 16:13-14).
There is a chorus that we sometimes sing. It begins, “Father, we love you. . .”
and this stanza ends, “Glorify Thy name, Glorify Thy name, Glorify Thy
name in all the earth.” The next stanza says the same thing, but now it is the
Son of whom we sing. My problem comes in the third stanza. Is it right to sing
that the Spirit should glorify His name? I think not. His mission is to glorify
the Son, just as the Son’s passionis to glorify the Father (see also John7:18;
8:49-50, 54;12:28;12:31-32;14:13;15:8; 17:1, 4).
As I close, I think that American Christians are beginning to experience
intimidation for the sake of the gospel. This should not silence us. And when it
does not, persecutionwill follow, here, as it has elsewhere. We should expect
persecution, and when it comes, we should rejoice in it, because it has come as
part of the divine plan, and it is an indication that victory is ahead. May God
give us boldness to proclaim the name of Jesus to a lost and doomed
generation.
1
Copyright © 2005 by Community Bible Chapel, 418 E. Main Street,
Richardson, TX 75081. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson8 in the Studies
in the Book of Acts series prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on December11,
2005. Anyone is at liberty to use this lessonfor educationalpurposes only,
with or without credit. The Chapel believes the material presented herein to
be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its
potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this
material is a grace ministry of Community Bible Chapel.
2
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible.
The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also knownas THE NET BIBLE, is a
completely new translationof the Bible, not a revision or an update of a
previous English version. It was completedby more than twenty biblical
scholars who workeddirectly from the best currently available Hebrew,
Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translationproject originally startedas an
attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic

distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Anyone anywhere in
the world with an Internet connectionwill be able to use and print out the
NET Bible without costfor personal study. In addition, anyone who wants to
share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away
free to others. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org.
3
I have chosento replace the word “angry,” chosenby the translators of the
NET Bible, and to replace it with the expression“greatlyannoyed,” which is
indicated in a footnote as an alternative rendering. This term is found
elsewhere onlyin Acts 16:18, where it is rendered “greatlyannoyed.”
4
This term literally means to “standover.” With the exceptionof three
occurrencesin 1 Thessaloniansand 2 Timothy, the term is only found in Luke
and Acts. Every time it is employed in Luke, it describes a more intense or
dramatic “coming up” or “appearing.” It is used of the appearance of the
angelof God in Luke 2:9. It is used of Anna’s dramatic appearance in the
temple in Luke 2:38. It describes Jesus as “standing over” Peter’s mother-in-
law when He commanded her fever to leave her (Luke 4:39). It is used to
describe the time when the Jewishreligious leaders “confronted” (the same
word, in the NASB and NKJV) Jesus forHis teaching in the temple. It is used
of the dramatic return of our Lord, which may catchsome unprepared in
Luke 21:34 (and here the NET Bible renders the word, “come down upon”).
In Acts 6:2, the term is used to describe the approachof the religious leaders
who drag Stephen off to trial, after which they will kill him.
5
While the NET Bible does not render it this way in verse 13, it does render
the imperfect tense in this way in verse 7: “After making Peterand John
stand in their midst, they began to inquire, ‘By what power or by what name
did you do this?’” The NASB renders verse 7 in the same way.
6
In the Book ofMatthew, the emphasis falls on Herod, who interprets the
miracles of Jesus as evidence of John’s resurrection. Luke informs us that
Herod was not alone in this conclusion. A number of people thought the same
thing.
7
I understand that doing something in Jesus’name is to do it in His power.
8
I was fascinatedto find how often Jesus is identified as the Nazarene. Those
who soughtto arrestJesus were looking for “Jesus the Nazarene” (John18:7).
The sign on the cross identified Jesus as “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the
Jews” (John19:19).
9
For example, the psalmist speaks ofthe Lord’s help when nations
surrounded him and pushed him violently (Psalm 118:10-14). Does Petersee
any parallels to his circumstances,surrounded by these Jewishreligious

leaders? He speakswith assurance thathe will live and not die, and thus he
will proclaim the works ofthe Lord (Psalm 118:17-18). Is Peterspeaking of
his confidence that these men will not succeedin killing him? I wonder. This
psalm would be a source of greatcomfort to one suffering persecution.
10
Here are a few references to God as the Creatorfor your considerationand
study: Genesis 1:26;2:4; 5:1-2; 6:6; 7:4; 14:19,22;Exodus 20:11;30:17;
Deuteronomy 4:32-40;5:8; 32:6; 2 Kings 19:45;2 Chronicles 2:12; Nehemiah
9:6; Psalm74:17; 89;104:14, 24, 30;115:15;124:8;134:3; 135:7;139:13, 15;
146:6;148:5; Proverbs 8:26; Ecclesiastes 12:1;Isaiah 13:13;27:11; 37:16;
40:18-31;41:20; 42:5-13;43:1-7, 15; 44:24;45:4-18;48:7; 54:5, 16;57:16, 19;
65:17-18;66:22; Jeremiah10:11-12;27:5; 31:22;32:2, 17;51:15; Ezekiel
28:15;Amos 4:13; Habakkuk 3:6; Malachi 2:10; Acts 14:15;17:24, 26;
Revelation4:11; 14:7.
11
The story of Josephand his family actually continues to the end of Genesis,
but these chapters focus on the point I am seeking to make.
12
We should not forgetthat it was Peterwho drew his swordat the time of our
Lord’s arrest, removing the earof the high priest’s servant (John 18:10). He
was willing to die with Jesus, it would seem, but he could not cope with our
Lord’s surrender to death at the hands of His enemies.
GreatTexts of the Bible
The Saving Name
And in none other is there salvation:for neither is there any other name
under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.—Acts
4:12.
These words were uttered by St. Peter, as representing the young Church of
Christ, when, for the first time after her foundation, she stoodfairly face to
face with the hostile powerof the world. On the Day of Pentecostshe had
encounteredsome playful or scornful mockery, which was silencedwhen St.
Petercame forward and explained the true cause ofthe occurrenceswhich
excited it. But when the cripple was healedon the Mount of the Temple, the
Jewishworld roused itself in earnest. The miracle was performed in the most
public place in Jerusalem;and immediately afterwards St. Peter had

addresseda large multitude which gatheredround him. He pointed out that
Jesus, by the might of His Name, was the real workerof the miracle; that His
exaltation and power were in accordancewith prophecy; that it was a fact of
the utmost moment to every one of his hearers. Hereupon three classesof
persons became alarmed. The priests saw in the Apostles of Christ dangerous
rivals to their ownoffice and authority. The Sadducees—the unbelieving
sectionof the literary class—were angeredat the public discussionofa
miracle, which, if true, condemned their own denial of a resurrection, and
which they would gladly have buried beneath a contemptuous silence. The
Captain of the Temple, as the guardian of public order—a sort of chief
commissionerof police—wasapprehensive that the excitement might lead to
disturbances. These severalpersonagesand classes might wellhave taken the
miracle to heart; they might at leasthave askedthe question why it had so
impressive a significance foran increasing sectionofthe people. But questions
of this kind are not often consideredin moments of passion. The prejudices of
the past, combined with fears and resentment, carried the day; and they cast
the Apostles into prison.
This done, it became necessarythat the Apostles should be examined in
court—the Court of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was solemnly convoked;it
had, according to the law of Deuteronomy, to decide the point whether the
Apostles were to be regardedas true prophets or as seducers to idolatry. The
Court knew that the cripple had been healed by the Apostles—notin the
Name of Jehovah, but in the Name of Jesus. And this seemedto establishthe
charge of idolatry; since nothing could be plainer to the Jewishmind than the
distinction betweenJesus the Crucified Prophet and the Almighty Jehovah.
The first question, therefore, which the Court askedthe Apostles was, By
what power or by what name have ye done this? The Court, you will observe,
does not enter upon the generalquestion of the Apostles’teaching; it asks only
who had been invoked to work the miracle. And St. Peter, standing before
men who had his life in their hands, speaks directlyto the point: “Ye rulers of
the people and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the gooddeed
done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; be it known unto
you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christof
Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raisedfrom the dead, even by Him
doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at
nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.” And then he
adds, “Neitheris there salvationin any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”

Jesus was the one and only

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