You’ve maybe heard before that there are many ways to heaven. Or perhaps all roads ultimately lead to God. Our culture has bought into the idea that there are things, which are personally true for me, but that same thing may not be true for you.
The way to salvation, we are told, is to be true to yourself, to be authentic, and to participate with the truth as you see it. If you are sincere and authentic, then you will be saved in the end.
Not only is this idea not internally consistent, but it also does not square with the claims the Bible makes about Jesus.
If the Bible declares that salvation is found in no one else, then either this is a true claim and all others are false, or this claim is false, and thus not all can be true. But what does it mean when Scripture declares that salvation is found in no one else?
What Is the Context of Acts 4:12?
Acts 4 is set rather soon after Jesus ascended into heaven and the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples. Peter and John, two of the disciples who had followed Jesus, have been going throughout the streets of Jerusalem proclaiming that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
They also had been healing in the name of Jesus. The religious leaders did not like this, and so they had Peter and John arrested. In Acts 4, these two men appear before the council to defend.
Acts 4:12 is in the middle of Peter’s defense of the gospel. It’s really a defense of how the power of God was present in healing a crippled man. They are defending why they said they were doing this in the name of a crucified man.
In his Spirit-inspired defense, Peter quotes Psalm 118 and points out that Jesus is the stone that the builders rejected. And from this, he tells them that salvation is found in no one else. It is only through Jesus that humanity can find salvation.
They let the disciples go because they couldn’t argue with the fact that a 40-year-old man, who had been crippled his whole life, was now standing before them, healed. But they threatened them to no longer speak of Jesus.
Peter and John did not acquiesce because they truly believed that Jesus was the only means to salvation. They informed them that they could not help but “speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).
That is the context of Acts 4:12. But why do they say this? Why are they saying that salvation is found in no one other than Jesus?
Why Is Salvation Found in No One Else?
To say it simply, salvation is found in no one else because God has declared Jesus to be the unique Savior of humanity. That was Peter and John’s point. He was the promised deliverer that God had sent.
Because of this, he was the only means of salvation. If you get bitten by a snake, and there is only one antidote to its venom, it’s kind of a silly question to ask why it’s the only one. But there are specific reasons why Jesus is uniquely qualified to be the Savior.
First, we must understand that God is holy, and just as such, justice must be served. A holy and righteous judge will not let a murderer or rapist go free simply because they said they were sorry.
A debt must be paid. But we also see that God is infinite. Therefore, our sin against God is of an infinite nature. A finite person cannot remove an infinite offense against an infinite God. This does not bode well for finite and sinful creatures.
We also see from Scripture that man is the guilty party. This is why Hebrews 10:4 could declare that “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
Only a man can pay the penalty for mankind or act as a substitute on man’s behalf. Our dilemma is that expressed by Job, who longed for one to “lay his hand on us both.”
Thankfully, Jesus is that someone who Job longed for. He is fully God and fully man. As a man, he is a fitting substitute for humanity. As God, he was able to absorb the infinite wrath of God poured out upon sin. Only Jesus can fulfill this role.
Furthermore, he alone lived a perfect life. His life was necessary as the second Adam and as our representative. We need His holy record to be delivered to our account. But we also need our guilt from sin to be paid.
Two things principally stand in our way of a relationship with God: our sin and God’s fitting response to sin — wrath. Because Jesus’ death removes these, we are now able to be reconciled to God.
Jesus’ resurrection confirms His deity, and it confirms that His sacrifice has paid the penalty for our sin. It is a display of the power of God, and it shows that He is the unique Savior of humanity. He alone is in a position to be our redeemer.
All of this was really the crux of what Peter proclaimed in Acts 2. His summary statement was, “let all the house of Israel, therefore, know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
That summary statement is basically telling them that there is no other name under heaven by which man can be saved. The only fitting response, then, was for them to repent and be baptized into the name of Jesus.
What Should Be Our Response to This Truth?
There are many applications of this truth, but I will focus on three. First, this tells us that all other sources that we run to for salvation will come up empty. When the Bible talks about salvation, it does not only mean being saved from hell.
It means living the life which God intended for humanity. Salvation means inheriting the rest, rule, and relationship that God had created humanity for in the Garden. So, to say that salvation is found in no other name means that rescue, fulfillment, etc., is only found in Jesus.
Yes, there are helpers on our journey of healing. But ultimately, only Jesus will heal. Only Jesus will redeem. He is the source of all good things.
Secondly, there is a mission call in this verse. To say that it is only in the name of Jesus that humanity can be saved means that we need to make sure the gospel gets to the nations. I think John Piper is correct:
“Peter pushed the universality of Jesus from the no-count town of Nazareth as far as it could be pushed. Jesus is absolutely unique. He is absolutely supreme among all the gods and lords of the world religions. Knowing him and believing on his name is absolutely necessary for salvation. For since the cross and resurrection there is no other way to God and to heaven. Therefore, as Paul says in Acts 17:30–31, ‘God commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead.’
This is a fundamental biblical fact that we have to come to terms with if we aim to be biblical Christians in a pluralistic nation and a pluralistic world. It's the kind of truth that either makes converts or makes enemies. It is not a live-and-let-live truth.”
This also means that we ourselves should repent and believe. The Bible says that the way in which we are united to Jesus is through repentance and faith.
If Jesus, and union with Jesus, is the only way in which we will be saved, then it behooves us to respond appropriately. That is the only fitting response to this truth. God graciously commands us to repent and believe when we hear this good news.
You can be upset that there is only one way to salvation. You can rail against God for not providing multiple avenues. Or you can rejoice in the fact that there is a way. In reality, we are not owed any way of salvation.
You might think it’s not fair that there is only one way of salvation — and in actuality, it isn’t fair. It’s grace. It is grace that God has provided any means of escape. There is one antidote. We’d do well to drink it deeply.
For further reading:
What Does it Mean That Our Security Is in the Lord?
What Does it Mean to Have Faith in Jesus?
What Is the Purpose of Jesus Interceding for Us in Heaven?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/B-C-Designs
Mike Leake is husband to Nikki and father to Isaiah and Hannah. He is also the lead pastor at Calvary of Neosho, MO. Mike is the author of Torn to Heal and Jesus Is All You Need. His writing home is http://mikeleake.net and you can connect with him on Twitter @mikeleake. Mike has a new writing project at Proverbs4Today.
