And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
Reading in Acts 4 today, I was struck by a couple of things:
The exclusivity of the name of Jesus for salvation: In our day, there is much talk of tolerance and diversity. It is not politically correct to speak of Jesus as being the ONLY way of salvation, the only way to God. Peter and John preached the Gospel boldy, in spite of the consequences.
The way the message gets delivered: Peter and John speak boldly, which was amazing considering their lack of formal education and training, but more remarkable was some recognizable “Jesus-ness” which the people saw. They saw Jesus in these men! Luke doesn’t tell us what character qualities “gave them away,” but I might guess it was their GRACE. It is also important to see that even after being threatened, they opted to keep on sharing the Good News. “We cannot BUT speak of what we have seen and heard.” Even when it was tough, they spoke the TRUTH.
Here’s what John wrote: (John 1:14-17)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Is it any wonder that the guys who hung around Jesus for three years, listening to him preach, hearing him pray, eating and walking with him, facing challenges together…is it any wonder that they respond in GRACE and TRUTH?
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 