SALVATION THROUGH CHRIST ALONE
- Key Verse
- “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, NLT)
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Central Truth
Jesus Christ is the one and only way that we can be forgiven for our sins and enter into heaven.
Reflections
I have heard it said several times over the past few years that there is more than one way to heaven. I have had conversations with a Muslim friend of mine in which he has said that we both serve the same God. Emad truly believes that Islam is his path to heaven. He has told me that he believes Jesus was merely a great Teacher but not the Son of God. I have also been berated by others for being so “closed-minded” as to believe that Jesus Christ is the only way for us to be saved. They believe that there are many ways to heaven and to believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection have cleansed those of us who believe in Him is very arrogant and mean-spirited. My question has always been, “If you don’t believe that your faith is the one true faith, then why believe anything at all?”
In Acts 4, Peter and John are arrested and brought before the religious leaders of Jerusalem to explain their rationale for preaching the gospel. Peter boldly states that Jesus Christ is the only way that God has graciously given us to escape the punishment of hell. Jesus willingly took my stripes and went to the cross so that I would have the opportunity to fall on my knees and accept his gift of salvation. He died for me, even though he knew I would fail time and time again. How could I ever diminish His sacrifice by believing that He is just one of many ways to heaven?
In Acts 4:11 Peter stated, “For Jesus is the One referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The Stone that you builders rejected has now become the Cornerstone.’” Peter’s words have just as much meaning today as they did 2000 years ago. Jesus is still the Cornerstone. There still is salvation in no one else. “For God loved the world so much that he gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)Discussion Questions
1. Do you truly believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation?2. Are you building your life on the Cornerstone?
3. Do you find yourself being timid about your faith?
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