In the Life of Christ
“Salvation is 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 (NIV).
I keep coming back to the man standing beside Peter and John. In Acts 3, he had to be carried to the temple gate, where he asked people for money. By the time we meet him in Acts 4, he is standing on his own feet in front of the ruling council. The leaders want to know by what power or name the apostles did this. Peter answers by naming Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the one they crucified and God raised from the dead. Everyone in the room could see the man standing there. Peter wanted them to know who had raised him to his feet.
That scene helps me hear what Peter means by salvation. The Greek noun sōtēria means salvation or deliverance. In verse 9, Luke uses a form of the related verb sōzō when Peter speaks about the man being made well. Then, in verse 12, Peter speaks of the rescue we all need. The man’s restored legs were a visible sign of the power of the risen Christ. The good news Peter announces reaches further, to the forgiveness of sin and the restoration of our relationship with God. The man could stand before the council because Jesus had healed him. We can stand before the Father because Jesus gave Himself for us and rose again.
I hear the same assurance in Jesus’ words to Thomas. On the night before the cross, Jesus was comforting His disciples with the promise that He would prepare a place for them in His Father’s house. Thomas admitted he had no idea how to get there. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, NIV). I’m glad Thomas asked. His question gives me room to bring my own uncertainty to Jesus. And Jesus’ answer gives me someone to trust when I cannot see very far ahead. The One who promises to bring us home is the One who goes to the cross to bring us there.
David Guzik points to the “remarkable transformation” the Holy Spirit worked in Peter. The man who once feared admitting that he knew Jesus now speaks about Him before the council. That encourages me because I recognize something of the old Peter in myself. I know how easy it is to say something pleasant and vague when a conversation turns to faith. Truth For Life’s introduction to Alistair Begg’s sermon puts the emphasis on “His identity as Savior.” Our confidence rests there. I can speak plainly about Jesus because the strength of the gospel rests in who He is and what He has done.
What might that sound like around a kitchen table or on the drive home? If a friend asks how I have carried a regret for so long, I can tell them about the forgiveness I have found in Christ. If someone tells me they see all faiths as paths to the same place, I can listen carefully and then explain why the cross and resurrection matter to me. Peter had a living person beside him whose life had changed. I can speak honestly about the places in my own life where Christ’s mercy has changed how I live. When we remember how much mercy we have received, we can speak about Jesus with both conviction and kindness.
Acts 4:12 teaches that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. In Acts 4:8–12, Peter grounds that claim in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and John 14:6 records Jesus’ own promise that we come to the Father through Him. The name Peter spoke before the council is the name we can speak today when someone asks where we have found hope.
If you’re wondering how to carry this confession into the conversations and choices of an ordinary week, spend some time with The Journey in the PAGES section of Intentional Faith. Start with the part of your daily walk where you most need to trust Jesus today.
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