By Pastor Greg
Bob and his wife live up north. One winter morning while listening to the radio, they hear the announcer say, "We are going to have 4-6 inches of snow today. You must park your car on the even numbered side of the street so the snowplow can get through." Bob's wife goes out and moves her car. A week later while they are eating breakfast the radio announcer says, "We are expecting 6-8 inches of snow today. You must park your car on the odd numbered side of the street so the snowplow can get through." Bob's wife goes out and moves her car again. The next week they are having breakfast when again the radio announcer says "We are expecting 8-10 inches of snow today. You must park”, then suddenly the electric power goes out. Bob's wife is very upset. With a worried look on her face she says, "Honey, I don't know what to do. Which side of the street do I need to park on so the plow can get through?" Bob says, "Why don't you just leave it in the garage this time?"
I’m not sure if Bob’s wife appreciated that answer. I’m sure it caused hard feelings. He wasn’t being sensitive about her confusion. And we all got a good laugh at her expense. But Bob’s frankness in pointing out the obvious reminds me of something that happened with two apostles of Jesus. They said something that not only offended a group of religious leaders but continues to offend people today.
One day the apostles Peter and John healed a lame beggar right outside of the Temple. Well, the religious authorities didn’t like this, specifically because Peter and John used that opportunity to teach people about Jesus and tell them about the resurrection of the dead (Acts 4:1-2). This upset the religious authorities, so they had the apostles arrested. Now if I were Peter or John, I’d be thinking back to what happened about two months prior to this event. This same group of religious leaders had demanded Jesus’ crucifixion. So when these men asked “by what power, or in what name have you done this (the healing)”, I’d be tempted to soften my words; to be a little vague on my answer. “I don’t know what happed sir. We were just coming to church and we saw this guy lying along the road, so we said, ‘aw, get up and walk, for crying out loud’, and that’s just what he did. It must have been God at work here. Hallelujah!” Well, that’s probably what I would have said. It’s not offensive. It doesn’t cause any hard feeling. It helps us all get along. It doesn’t mention the name of Jesus. I mean, the name of Jesus can be so offensive. That’s why these religious leaders will command Peter and John to stop mentioning the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18). But instead of being politically correct, Peter says “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved”[1] (Acts 4:12).
Had Peter not uttered those highly divisive words, he could have avoided a lot of anguish for himself and for the church. But, guided by the Holy Spirit, Peter says NO OTHER NAME. Salvation cannot be found through anyone else.
This is a rather bold claim; one that continues to set the world on edge. Oh, everybody’s for God. The name of God doesn’t offend too much, just the radical crowd. But mention Jesus and oh my, watch the sparks fly. That’s why some have tried to soften the name of Jesus. Some try and appease the world by circumnavigating around Jesus and insisting there are other ways to get to God. A movement called Progressive Christianity officially “Recognizes the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God's realm and acknowledge that their ways are true for them, as our ways are true for us.” [2] And yet Peter asserts that there is “no other name”.
So, is this claim true? Is Jesus really the only way to heaven? If He’s not then He was a liar. Either that or He was delusional, because He even said these things about Himself. To Nicodemus Jesus says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”. [3] (John3:16). And to His apostles He says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life”[4]. What kind of man would say such things? What kind of man would insist “no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6)? Either Jesus was really who He said He was, or He was a madman. We must choose one or the other. There is no middle ground. We cannot say that He was simply a good man; a man filled with the Holy Spirit who taught us how to be good and how to love both God and one another. Not even those who were alive when He walked the earth took this middle ground. John points out that “a division occurred in the crowd because of Him.” [5] (John 7:43). Either people believed Him, or they thought He was mad.
As Jesus walked on earth, people were constantly amazed at what they heard and what they saw. The crowds were amazed at His teaching (Matthew 7:28). His disciples were amazed when the wind and the waves obeyed Him (Matthew 8:27). “What kind of man is this” they asked. Even Peter realized that this person standing before him, who looked like the son of a man, was the Son of God. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”[6] (Matthew 6:16).
Just as the world has been diminishing God to a size it can manage, so too is Jesus being reduced to nothing more than a spiritual man; a man filled with the Holy Spirit who attempted to turn our eyes back to God. Theologians, biblical scholars, and seminary professors have taken the Jesus we encounter in scripture and reduced Him to simply a deified man; a man who demonstrated god-like character. This is why I believe the time has come to pursue a bigger Savior.
There is no other name by which we might be saved because there was no other “man” like Jesus. No other name would be sufficient to atone for man’s sin, and no other person could become the perfect sacrifice for man’s sin. No other god took on flesh. No other man was sinless. Paul writes in Colossians, “For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ”[7] (Colossians 2:9). In other words, what we have come to see and know of God, we also see lived out in Jesus. And this truth became foundational to the new Church.
I believe Christians today have no idea who Jesus really is. I believe far too many Christians have softened the claim that Christ made 2000 years ago. We want the world to like us, so instead of speaking truth, we bring Jesus down to our level. We make Him one of us. He becomes the world’s best friend. This is what was happening in the Colossian church, which is why Paul begins his letter reminding them just who Jesus really is. And if we are to stand firm in the truth of Jesus, we need to know the real Jesus as well. So for homework I want you to read Colossians 1:15-23, and in the next few weeks we will take a deeper look into the characteristics found in no other name.
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. (3rd ed.) (Ac 4:12). Carol Stream, IL
[2] http://www.progressivebrethren.org/Home/ProgressiveChristianity.html
[3] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (Jn 3:16). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (Jn 14:6). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (Jn 7:43). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (Mt 16:16). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. 2009 (Col 2:9). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
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