Salvation is found in no one else
Acts 3:12 – 4:22
Last week we studied Peter’s 1st Message written in Acts 2.
Today, let us study Peter’s 2nd and 3rd Message written in Acts 3 and 4.
Let us remember key verses (Acts 4:11, 12, 19, 20) and declare them when applicable.
I. Peter’s 2nd Message
In Acts 3:1 – 10, Peter and John healed a man who was lame from birth. People were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him (Acts 3:10). While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade (Acts 3:11). When Peter saw this, he said to them his 2nd message.
The speech itself falls into two main portions [1].
First, Peter established the relationship between the healing of the lame man and the basic Christian proclamation of the death and resurrection of Christ (Acts 3:12–16) [1].
Then he appealed to the Jews to repent and accept Christ as the Messiah sent from God (Acts 3:17–26) [1].
The result of the message is shown in Acts 4:4.
4 But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.
II. Peter’s 3rd Message
Now, let’s take a closer look at chapter 4.
The priest and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees were greatly disturbed by the apostles’ teaching, and they seized Peter and John and put them in jail (Acts 4:1 – 3). But this couldn’t stop the power of the message (Acts 4:4).
The rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law including Annas the high priest and Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family met in Jerusalem (Acts 4:5 – 6).
They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: ‘By what power or what name did you do this?’ (Acts 4:7)
Here comes the 3rd message of Peter.
Peter said to them that the man was miraculously healed by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they crucified but whom God raised from the dead (Acts 4:8 – 10).
- Their rejection and Jesus’s Resurrection were foretold in Psalm 118:22. See Acts 4:11.
Jesus is
‘ “the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.”
Here the stone represents Jesus. Peter spoke this in front of the very ‘builders’ (including people in Acts 4:5 – 6) who despised, rejected and crucified Jesus. But, God made Him the cornerstone. This was divine reversal.
- Jesus is the one and only Savior of the world. See Acts 4:12.
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.’
We can quote this verse to anyone who is wondering around to find salvation anywhere else. They are lost and need GPS (God’s Plan of Salvation).
They were astonished by their courage even though they were unschooled, ordinary men. And they took note that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). After discussion (Acts 4:15 – 17), they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18). What was the response of Peter and John? See Acts 4:19 – 20.
19 But Peter and John replied,
‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’
This is how we should react to any objection to the evangelism.
References
[1] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 130). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
The Holy Bible: New International Version (Anglicised Edition, 2011). (2011). (Revised and updated edition). London: Hodder & Stoughton.
