Jesus Christ: "this name changes everything"
Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
This is the heart of the gospel and the boldness we are called to live if we are going to be followers of Jesus. Salvation can only found in Jesus Christ. Yes, we can learn from others; we can find some of the same lessons in other religions that we find in Christianity. Other faiths can help us to learn things about ourselves and the world. The disciples never claim that this isn’t the case; however, they make it perfectly clear that it is only through Jesus Christ that our broken temporal lives can be transformed into a whole, eternal life. It is only through Jesus Christ that we are freed from our separation from God and invited back into a relationship with God. No other faith can repair this brokenness; it is only repaired through the God/man, Jesus Christ. Having this relationship with God repaired is our salvation; salvation is being freed from our separation from God and invited to join God in loving the world to heaven. Salvation is not merely something that occurs when we leave this world, but salvation is a lifestyle where we are no longer separated from God but joined with God to love the world to heaven and this can only happen through Jesus Christ.
Jesus, thank you today for freeing me from my sin; for forgiving me of my sin and inviting me into a different life by repairing my relationship with the Father. May the Holy Spirit give me the grace today to follow the lead of Peter and John and to speak boldly for the gospel and proclaim that salvation is only found in Jesus Christ. Help me to understand that this is not about a competition with other religions it is just simply about a relationship with God that can only be repaired through the name of Jesus Christ. I thank you for this reminder this morning and I thank you for freeing me from the penalty of my sin and inviting me to join you in loving the world to heaven. Thank you for this new life; thank you for salvation and may I never forget that this salvation is something that is happening now in my life and will continue for all of eternity; help me to always remember that this is all gift and it is all because of one name; Jesus Christ. Amen!
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