Salvation and Life From Death in Christ Alone

Acts 4:1-22

Peter and John Arrested

1 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

Addressing the Sanhedrin

5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, 6 as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?"

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, 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 stands here before you whole. 11 This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

The Name of Jesus Forbidden

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, "What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name."

18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. 22 For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.

Our salvation from God’s wrath on our sin by the demonstrated life from death by his resurrection promised to us are in Christ alone and in no other person, no other way of working to reach God or philosophy to achieve heaven, no other truth but the word of God written and made incarnate to prove it to us, and no other life but the one lived and sacrificed for us to guarantee the promised hope of eternity spent with God in Christ alone by faith alone to God’s glory alone.  This is why the religious leaders of Jesus’ time wanted to stop the apostles and disciples from further proclaiming and teach these truths which upended their control of their way of works, truth of their own laws added to God’s, and their own idea of a religious life achieved in the here and now by adhering to their ways instead of God’s in Christ.  Even this attempt to stop the gospel by throwing Peter and John behind bars did not stop many from hearing the truth and believing in Christ to receive Him as as the way and life that pleases God.  The next day after being thrown in the clink they were brought out before the Jewish law of that time, the rulers, elders, scribes, the high priest, many of the family of the high priest to answer for their religious crimes of speaking truth, much as the martyrs recorded by John Foxe under the Roman church over the centuries were persecuted.  They were asked what authority or in whose name they did miraculous deeds and preached these new things (which were not new but hidden from the beginning in scripture as Colossians 1:26 shows us).  Peter was moved by the Holy Spirit filling and living in him since that day of Pentecost and spoke truth with wisdom to them of how they had crucified the Lord who raised Hims from death to life and that it was in the name of this divine Christ that the man was healed at their word in His name.  They had rejected their cornerstone that the Law and prophets of all scripture were built on, their Messiah who was God among us, Immanuel.  It was in His name and by His will and power that an elderly man to be respected was made whole and saved in that name alone.  

There truly is no other name under heaven given to us who can save from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10, Revelation 6:17)!  This religious court realized that these two were unschooled with no recognized degree from the Sanhedrin or other religious institution but had been taught by Jesus Himself.  Therefore as they considered and weighed the people’s reaction to killing the ones who were used to heal an old and respected man of their day according to the respect due in their culture, they only beat the two and released them to avoid a riot and dissent against themselves and their rule controlling the people.  But when they commanded Peter and John not to continue preaching the way, truth, and life in Jesus Christ, they simply and boldly responded that they could not help but speak the things which they had seen and heard and that they thought it wiser to listen to God and do what He said over what they commanded without any heavenly authority over them.  The religious council threatened them again but had to let them go after all that because the people were giving God the glory for all the apostles had said and done; the leaders realized they could do nothing further without retribution coming back on them and acquiested.  They certainly did not want to be seen opposing God as the people perceived.  The good news of salvation and life from death in Christ alone then spread further.  For who can oppose God and His Anointed no matter how they vainly rage against the way, truth, and life (Psalm 2:1-2)?  The very gates of Hell cannot prevail against the gospel and the church of all the true believers who are the real saints made holy in Christ’s righteousness alone and not by decree of men opposing the gospel!