No Other Name Under Heaven

The authorities had a question for Peter and John:

“By what power or by what name did you do this?”

That’s a dangerous question to ask Peter.

Because Peter is going to tell them.

A man who had been unable to walk from birth was now standing beside them completely healed. Peter and John had been arrested. The religious leaders wanted an explanation.

Peter didn’t soften his answer.

He pointed directly to Jesus Christ of Nazareth—the One they had rejected and crucified and the One God raised from the dead.

Then Peter made one of the clearest declarations about salvation found anywhere in Scripture:

“There is salvation in no one else.”

No other name.

Only Jesus.

Today’s Saving Grace of God

Acts 4:10–12 (ESV)

“Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.

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.”

Setting the Scene

The story actually begins in Acts 3.

Peter and John encounter a man who had been unable to walk since birth. He was carried each day to the temple gate to beg.

When he asked Peter and John for money, Peter told him:

“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

And he did.

The man entered the temple “walking and leaping and praising God.”

Naturally, people noticed.

A crowd gathered, and Peter immediately made sure they understood that this miracle had not happened because he and John possessed some extraordinary power of their own. Peter pointed them to Jesus.

He preached Christ’s death and resurrection and called the people to repent.

The religious authorities were not pleased.

Peter and John were arrested and brought before the rulers, elders, scribes, and high priestly family. They were asked:

“By what power or by what name did you do this?”

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered.

The man had been healed by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

The Jesus they crucified.

The Jesus God raised from the dead.

And then Peter took the question about a healed man’s legs and brought everyone in the room face-to-face with something much bigger:

Salvation.

Reflection

I have to admit, this scene makes me giggle a little.

Maybe even do a bit of happy dancing.

The authorities must have thought they had finally put an end to that troublesome Jesus of Nazareth.

He had been crucified.

Buried.

Problem solved.

Except…

Death could not hold my Jesus.

The grave had no choice but to release Him.

Now a man who had never been able to walk was jumping around the temple praising God, people were believing in the risen Christ, and Peter and John were standing before the authorities boldly preaching His name.

If I had been one of the people who rejected Jesus, I might have been getting a little nervous about now.

Actually, now might be an excellent time to hit those knees in prayer.

But beneath the part of this story that makes me smile is an incredibly serious truth.

Peter says:

“There is salvation in no one else.”

That’s not a vague statement.

Peter doesn’t present Jesus as one way among many possible ways to God.

He says there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Only Jesus.

That truth isn’t always comfortable in a world that would rather hear that every road eventually leads to the same place.

But if I believe Jesus is truly who He says He is, then I can’t soften Peter’s words simply because they might make someone uncomfortable.

Jesus isn’t merely one part of my faith.

He is the cornerstone.

The One who died for my sins.

The One who rose from the grave.

The One through whom salvation comes.

And there’s something else about Peter standing there that I can’t ignore.

This is Peter.

The same Peter who, not long before, had been frightened enough to deny three times that he even knew Jesus.

Now he’s standing before powerful religious authorities saying:

Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

No hiding.

No denial.

No whispering His name where no one might hear.

The resurrection changed everything.

And the Holy Spirit had filled Peter with a boldness that fear once stole from him.

I want some of that boldness.

Not boldness that is cruel or argumentative.

Not faith wielded like a weapon against other people.

But the courage to say clearly and without embarrassment:

My hope is Jesus.

My salvation is Jesus.

There is no other name.

Short Prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to jump for joy knowing that You defeated the grave and that one day You will return glorious and victorious. Thank You for laying down Your life to free me from sin. Thank You for rising again and proving that death could not hold You.

Thank You for being the cornerstone of my faith and the only Savior I need. Give me some of Peter’s courage. When I am tempted to stay quiet because I’m afraid of what someone might think, remind me that there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. Help me speak Your name with love, grace, and boldness so others might come to know the Savior who changed my life. In Your glorious name, I pray. Amen.

Reflection Question

Peter once denied knowing Jesus, yet here he boldly proclaimed His name before powerful opposition. Where might God be asking you to speak the name of Jesus with greater courage?

Closing Encouragement

They rejected Him.

They crucified Him.

They buried Him.

And God raised Him from the dead.

Now Peter stands before the authorities with a formerly crippled man beside him as living evidence that the story of Jesus is far from over.

And neither is ours.

Our salvation doesn’t rest on a philosophy, our performance, or our ability to find the right path on our own.

It rests on a Person.