We live in a time when people are absolutely obsessed with their identity and the many components of their uniqueness. Nothing seems to be more prevalent to this generation than finding out who they are especially through their ethnic background. This is generally followed by establishing a certain pride in this ethnic identity. But another significant component of our identity that we unknowingly cherish is our name. Whether it’s your given name or your family name, it is an endearing part of who you are. Even if you can find another individual with your name, you still feel an attachment to it and friendships have even ensued from sharing a same name. You may have even pursued the hard work of tracing your family history to discover the origins of your family through that name.
But in ancient times, a name meant more than an identity tag given to someone. It generally had tremendous significance and often had some cultural or religious connotations. Many people in our western society have deeply religious names such as Michael, Jacob, Mark, Stephen or David but don’t realize the background or the meaning behind these names. For instance, the name “Michael” means “who is like God” and “Thomas” means “twin”.
But still, our ancestors didn’t only assign meaning in a definitional sense either. Some possessed names that carried an authority with it. In some instances, if you were to enter into negotiations or have the right to command others, you could only do so by the authority of someone else’s name which was greater than your own. It served as a key to grant you access to certain privileges and carried the weight of the title behind it. We see this even today through the idea of ambassadorship.
But there is one name that carries a greater weight than any other name. A name that is so crucial to understand and to embrace that to neglect doing so will mean devastating repercussions. To embrace this Name, however, will change your life forever. The Name which is the dividing line between life and death is the Name Jesus.
The Text
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
These words are found in the Christian Bible and were spoken at the tail end of an intense encounter between followers of Jesus and the local religious authorities. The man who uttered these words had just been released from prison and he was in the midst of confronting those who’d sent him there. He was thrown in jail because he was the representative of the Name of Jesus, one that he was commanding others to receive. Not only were they imprisoned but were flogged (Acts 5:40). Those lashes at the hands of the religious authorities didn’t deter them from proclaiming the name since they viewed it being an honour to suffer shame for it (Acts 5:41). He understood that Jesus’ name is above every Name (Philippians 2:9), a name that every knee must bow to and every tongue confess (Philippians 2:10) The apostle Peter continued stressing the importance of the name even while he was imprisoned.
The first thing to notice about this text is that it speaks of salvation. The Name of Jesus itself signifies “the Salvation of the Lord”. You may have heard people, especially Christians, speaking of salvation. Salvation is not necessarily a uniquely religious word, it simply means to be rescued. So, when Christians speak of salvation, they’re talking about released from a terrible situation. In this case, Salvation is from the penalty for our sins. By sins, we simply mean that as humans, we’ve not met God’s standards and are largely guilty of falling short of them. God gave us standards or laws and we’ve failed in keeping them. You might be thinking that you haven’t broken any Canadian laws or that maybe you’ve even done a lot of good in your community, been a good parent or stood up for people who are less fortunate. In writing this, I’m not denying that. The question is not whether you’ve lived up to your own moral criteria, or broken Canadian laws, but have you lived up to God’s? Have you ever stolen anything in your life, even just once? Have you ever lied? Have you ever used Jesus’ name in vain or cursed? Have you always, without exception, honoured your mother and your father? While you may think these are trivial, rest assured, they are far more serious than you can imagine. The bible explains that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and that is referring to even you and I. You may perhaps attempt to argue that you can’t be guilty of a law that you’ve never read. But even in our own human legislation, our laws demand that ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking the law and we all know that if you were to be pulled over for speeding, the lack of a speed sign wouldn’t justify your punishment for breaking the law.
Exclusivity
In a society that parades around the buzzword “inclusiveness”, the above biblical text might seem offensive to some. Is it really only in that name that salvation is found? Don’t we live in a multi-faith society? But it’s the exclusivity as we see in this text that is significant. It’s exactly what you need to be saved and the only thing that can save you. If you were drowning in a river and someone tossed you anything but a device to pull you out, would you complain that they’re not being inclusive enough? Of course not! There is no other name, no other given among men by which we must be saved. It is only through Jesus that you can be saved from your sins. But it isn’t so much the name itself that saves, but the authority behind that name. It stresses the absolute dependence in Jesus for salvation. There is no other religious figure through which we can find redemption. The claim of the Christian faith is that only in Jesus can a person be made right with God.
Inclusivity
Let’s take a moment to notice the pronoun “we”. This is important because it isn’t limiting the requirement for salvation to certain people. Even the men (John & Peter) who uttered these words recognized that they needed this salvation as much as the recipients. In a time when there was tremendous cultural and racial division, this text was about as inclusive as it gets because it lumps all of humanity together, whether Jews or Gentiles (all other nationalities), under the guilt of sin and in need of a Saviour. The only means by which that guilt can be cleansed is through the name of Jesus. One can be freed from any past guilt and live their lives as a new creation through Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Calling Upon the Name
Earlier in the same book, the apostle Peter once again speaking to a crowd and at the climax of his speech, reiterated the truth that whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts 2:21). To call upon a name is to cry out to the One who bares that name for His salvation. It is a recognition of being in need of that Name and in return placing your entire hope in it to be saved. Jesus died for sinners as a substitute, taking their judgment for their sins upon Himself, paying the debt they owe to God for their sins, and freeing them from the penalty and guilt that it brought. All who trust Him, believe that He is the Messiah, the promised One who can free us and grant us peace with God. We can have hope in this life and in the one to come. Will you call upon His Name today?
The Moncton Herald 