.svg)
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
Friends, the Christian faith is not primarily the story of us - it is not the story of humanity reaching out to God. Instead, it is the story of God, in the person of Jesus Christ, reaching out to us. The story of God in His Son Jesus Christ opening up to all of humanity - folks from every nation, tribe, people and language - the way back to Him. This message distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. Unlike all other faith traditions that emphasize earning one's way to heaven through deeds or effort, the Christian faith alone teaches that God has graciously provided the only way for us to return to Him.
The initiatory saving action of God is the consistent message of the whole of Scripture.
We see this in microcosm in the New Testament - particularly in the Book of Acts, where, if you remember, the apostles regularly preached to God-fearing people separated from Jesus Christ. They preached to Jews and Gentiles who were faithfully religious, who constantly prayed to the gods of their own understanding and devising. They preached to people who were spiritually hungry. What was the message that they preached?
Think of Acts 2. When the crowd on Pentecost asked Peter, “What should we do?” Did he say, “nothing - the path you’re on leads to God?” In Acts 8, Did Philip go to Samaria say to the Samaritans, “Not to worry, not to worry, all is well with your soul, you are OK with God?” Or when Paul spoke in the Areopagus in Athens, did he say, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious - well done?” No, they did not.
Remember the Apostles were not speaking to irreligious people. They were not speaking to atheists as we would understand atheists. They were not addressing individuals that we might view negatively. They were speaking to people who were going to their temples, people who were worshipping their gods, people making the required sacrifices of their faith traditions. What was the message they preached? Acts 4.12: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
“There is no other name under heaven,” not just no other name in the Middle East, no other name in Europe, no other name in Africa, no other name in Asia or South America, no other name in the United States. No – other – name – under – heaven – among people anywhere!
There is an exclusive, universal, claim that runs through the entire New Testament. No other way of salvation other than through faith in Jesus Christ.
And that claim sets the church - sets every Christian - on a collision course with our culture. Many people express the sentiment, "You can hold your own beliefs, but claiming that your God is the only true God and that Jesus is the sole path to Him is going too far. How can you be so closed-minded? How can you be so intolerant and exclusive?"
Dear friends, the challenge posed by the claims of Christ is not merely a modern phenomenon arising from the complexities of diversity and pluralism prevalent in today's world. Rather, it is a persistent issue that has existed throughout history.
Why do you think that the religious and political leaders put Jesus to death? For being a nice guy? For feeding the hungry? For healing the sick? For His sermon on the Mount? Why do you think Jesus was put to death?
How about the apostles? Why do you think every apostle, almost to a man, was put to death? Or the early Christians? Why were they fed to the lions or killed by the gladiator’s sword? For their care of the poor? Their sheltering of abandoned infants? For the manner in which they loved one another? Why?
The violent opposition to the early Christians was not even that they preached Jesus. In fact, Rome, and much of the ancient world, would have been quite happy to add Jesus to the pantheon of all their other gods if it would have brought peace in the empire.
What created the violent opposition against Christians in the early church was that they proclaimed the exclusive claim of Jesus. Peter and Paul, James and John, the early Christians said what Jesus taught them: there was one true God and one way to come to that one true God, through His son Jesus Christ. This unwavering commitment to Christ alone can be seen in the life and work of Anglican Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, a key figure in the English Reformation. Cranmer's faithfulness led him to advocate for the truth of Scripture and the centrality of Christ in salvation, even when it meant enduring the flames of martyrdom. His courage in upholding gospel truth, despite the violent backlash from those in power, serves as a profound reminder of the cost of discipleship and the strength found in steadfast faith.
Friends, n - o - b - o - d - y is going to be bothered by your private, personal faith. “Believe in Jesus if you want, if it makes you happy, fine. If that is what you are into, fine. Live and let live. No problem - no conflict.”
But if you are going to be faithful to the message of Jesus – if you are going to be faithful to the message of the New Testament – if you are going to walk in the steps of Apostolic Christianity then your message needs to be “not only do I believe in Jesus,” but that there is “no other way, no other name, no other means by which you can find God other than through the person of Jesus Christ.”
Soli Deo gloria,
++Steve Wood
Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America
