^{[a 5 minute read]}

“Neither is there salvation in any other,
for there is none other name,
under heaven, given among men,
whereby WE MUST BE SAVED.”

Acts 4 v 12

If you come along to Hope Chapel any evening over the next two weeks at 7:30 PM (and you are most welcome), you will hear the preacher speaking about the need to be saved. This is not the only thing the preacher will say, but it is foundational and worth repeating, for Scriptures make clear that to be a Christian is to be saved, and tragically this is not understood in our society. The fault lies with the many churches which follow social norms rather than Scripture. Hence, it has become a common view, even among the religious, that one becomes a Christian by birth. This is categorically false.

Consider that the verse concludes with the statement: “we must be saved“. There is a timeline present here: a before we are saved, and an after we are saved. Salvation being something that happens at a moment in time in our life experience, when we move from being in danger to a place of safety. Therefore, if you have never been saved, you are still in danger. If you have never been saved, you cannot call yourself a Christian, for to be a Christian is to be safe in Christ, trusting the only One who can save us. Christianity cannot save you. It is Jesus Christ alone who saves, and that is the point the Apostle Peter is making in his preaching if you were to read the larger context of Acts chapter 4.

Of course, this is not just a message for Christians, for again notice that the verse at the top uses universal language: “under heaven, given among men“. In other words, God’s Word is telling us that all humanity “must be saved“. Whatever your ethnicity or social status; whatever your faith or even if you have none, the message is still the same – you must be saved for salvation is a fundamental matter.

The natural response to this is “why?” and to answer this we must understand what the Bible means by ‘being saved’. Thankfully, the answer is very simple being the normal meaning of the word. Indeed salvation is a simple enough concept, that many children’s programs are based on it: from Octonauts to Paw Patrol. When I asked my four year old daughter, what kind of people need to be saved, she replied: “people who are in trouble”. We have established that we are not born saved, but by God’s grace, we can become saved when we realise the trouble we are in.

Turning again to Scripture, we read a truth that agrees with our lived experience: “man[kind], born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble” (Job 14v1). Reading further, we learn that this “trouble” is because our human nature is a sinful nature, broken in the beginning by a simple act of disobedience from our first parents. While the act of disobedience was simple (Genesis 3), it has had profound and terrible consequences, leading all of us to be found in a position of rebellion towards our Creator, condemned and facing eternal judgment from a Just and Righteous Judge.

When we realise that this is the fundamental reality of our lives, then we begin to realise that God’s offer of salvation is our only hope. I pray that if you’ve read this far, you already know that salvation is something you need, and your question is: “how do I get it?”.

We are not going to find salvation is any ritual or religion. All religious systems; all philosophical systems; all political systems; all economic systems; indeed, all systems full stop are powerless to save. The same is true for individuals. No man or woman, however charismatic or virtuous, pious or powerful, can ever save you from the Just and Righteous Judge.

Acts 4v12 tells us that in regard to our salvation, only One name matters. The verse itself doesn’t mention the name, but we only need to look a few verses back to see that the only One that can make the difference is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Maybe you are sceptical of the claims of Christ to save. If so, listen to more of what Peter had to say, and consider that the physical evidence to back up his claim stood right beside him.

If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

Acts 4 v 9 & 10

Let us be honest that, spiritually, we are just like this impotent man – we are powerless to save ourselves – and let us be humble enough to seek out the only One who can save us – Jesus Christ the Lord.

In the next article we will consider that salvation is not just a FUNDAMENTAL matter, but it is a FACTUAL matter, for what we believe about Jesus Christ matters.