Do I Have an Acts 4:12 Conviction?
In Acts 4, Peter and John found themselves under arrest for preaching in the temple. These men had drawn quite a crowd when they healed a man who had been lame from birth (see Acts 3). Peter and John explained that this healing happened in the name of Jesus and that Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophesies of the Old Testament. The Apostles invited their hearers to turn to Christ. That’s when the authorities arrested Peter and John. The religious leaders could not allow this movement to spread any further. These leaders, known as the Sanhedrin, or simply in this passage “the Council,” feared that the crowds might draw the displeasure of their Roman overlords and cause them to lose their position and influence. In spite of their arrest, Acts 4:4 records that thousands more came to believe in Christ.
The morning following the arrest, the Council interrogates Peter and John and asks them who gave them the authority to heal and preach about Jesus. Acts 4:8 says, “Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit” gives the response. The last time Scripture records someone questioning Peter about his relationship to Jesus, Peter failed spectacularly. He denied even knowing Jesus, not just once but three times. However, Peter is a changed man. Peter proclaims to the Council, made up of the very same men who condemned Jesus to be crucified, that the same Jesus they crucified is God’s Messiah resurrected and at work through His church. Peter tells them that they are doing just what Psalm 118 prophesied, they are casting aside as worthless the very cornerstone on which they need to build their lives. Then he courageously speaks this confession: “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is on other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Some passages of Scripture are difficult to understand. This is not one of them. Emphatically stated and clearly understood, there is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ. There is no other way to forgiveness and to heaven. That is why Peter said: “we must be saved.” Culture today preaches that any faith is sufficient. This feels like a loving thing to believe by many today. But when we read Acts 4:12, we see that this mindset isn’t loving and could not be less true. All roads do not, in fact, lead to heaven. God has provided one way of salvation and that is through faith in His Son Jesus. If you do not find salvation in Jesus, you won’t find it somewhere else. Church, we need to be clear in our conviction and confident in the Gospel of Jesus. We will never be courageous like Peter and John unless we are convinced that Acts 4:12 is true. It is. Let’s not be ashamed to say: “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.”
If you want to dig deeper into this passage check out my message on Acts 4:1-12 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvt4mrR5dJM